Farm Camps Give City Kids a Taste of Country Life

1/15/12 - By Anna Fader

How often do NYC kids get to hang out with pigs? Well, real pigs. At two New York summer camps, NYC kids can get a taste of real farm life with real animal chores and hands-on gardening experience. There are two different farm day camp experiences NYC kids can try that take them to a world completely outside of NYC, even if they are in NYC.

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The Queens County Farm Museum offers a unique summer camp program for New York kids from 1st-5th grade. The day camp offers photography, science, nature, cooking, arts/crafts, and agriculture in New York City's only working farm with real farm animals.

There's a full six-week farm day camp program and flexible one-week camp sessions are available. The summer camp is held at Queens County Farm Museum in Floral Park, New York.

For details and weekly themes (like Ranch Hand Week where kids meet the livestock), and to register call 718-225-6750.
 

At Stone Barn Center's Farm Day Camp, located at a real farm in Westchester, NYC kids have the opportunity to see how the farm works and get their hands dirty. During the month of July campers will help harvest garlic and in August, pick tomatoes. At Stone Barns Farm Day Camp, NYC kids explore the farm to table connection. The campers will see where their food is grown and will help prepare small snacks after harvesting in the garden.

Farm Camp is designed for children going into 1st grade-8th grade and will run daily from 9am through 3:15pm. Campers will learn how to be a farmer by participating in hands-on garden and animal chores. Activities include egg collecting and washing, pig feeding, garlic harvesting, tomato picking, and a multitude of fun and exciting farm chores.

 

For more camps, check out our Summer Camp Guide!

About the Author

Anna Fader

Founder of Mommy Poppins

A fourth-generation Brooklynite, Anna started Mommy Poppins in 2007 to help families find the best things to do with kids in NYC, with a particular emphasis on sharing activities that are free, affordable, and enriching. The site, used by millions of families, has grown to become the ultimate resource for parents in the major US cities, plus travel guides for 100s of destinations.

Anna is a believer in the magic of summer camps, traveling with kids, and that you can raise kids on a budget and still have a rich life full of amazing memories. Anna's first Mommy Poppins book, The Young Traveler's Journal and Activity Book, published in 2025 and co-written with her daughter, Amelia Eigerman, brings that ethos to life, in addition to this website.