Science Lab Students Taking Notes on Adaptation

Art Farm is a living classroom in so many aspects. Summer camp students work in outdoor studios, where they interact with our farm animals while learning to draw and paint them. We make nature journals unlike any others, and art boxes based on the assemblage tradition first introduced by Joseph Cornell in the early 20th Century.

New this year is the Art Farm Science Lab, taught by biologist Jennifer Stowe. Our science lab makes brilliant use of our natural riparian habitat -- and its year-round running creek -- to introduce students to hands-on natural science disciplines, including the importance of keeping a naturalist's journal for chronicling their discoveries. Today, these students, who will be entering Grade 4 this fall, hiked down our trail, journals in hand, with Jennifer on a "Scientific Scavenger Hunt". Their assignment was to (1) find 10 examples of plants or animals changing the environment, and (2) to find 10 things in the environment that would harm the habitat if they were removed and to list why. The students were so engaged in their work that several dropped their journals into the creek while trying to get a better view. Earlier this week, they all took water samples from the creek to view under a microscope.

Following lunch, this same class studied the horse sketching book of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec to see how artists develop their sketching skills. So many times students see only finished work in museums, which can be daunting to the beginning artist. It is empowering for them to see that even the greatest artists had to work out exactly how to draw a horse through constant trial-and-error. Working off sheets depicting anatomy and bone structure of the horse, these students practiced charcoal drawing skills in preparation for doing a finished study by camp week's end.

Art Farm Summer Camps that are still open for enrollment this season are Sessions 7, 8, and 9, beginning the last week in July and continuing through mid-August. For information, enrollment forms, and session dates, visit our website and click the "Camp" tab. If you would like to make a reservation today, email the director at director@carlsbadartfarm.com. Specify what session date you would like to reserve and we will get back to you shortly. Camp is open to students entering Grades 2 through 8 this fall. Classes are grouped by age and are age appropriate.

Art Farm Camp Sessions Update

Art Farm Summer Camp 2010 morning into afternoon sessions that are now closed are as follows:

• Session 4 (July 5-9)
• Session 5 (July 12-16)
  
• Session 6 (July 19-23)
  

• All late afternoon sessions (2 PM to 5 PM)
  

There is still time to enroll in all other sessions including Session 3, beginning next week, Monday, June 28. Sessions are one week and continue through mid-August. For information and enrollment forms, visit our website and click on the "Camp" tab.

Art Farm Enrollment Continues as Summer Season Begins

Our first summer camp session is off to a great start this week with lunch-time hikes down to the creek with alpacas Harry Potter and Mr. Weasley; getting to know our 44 baby chicks; a goat washing lesson; ice cream making; science and nature journaling classes with Jennifer Stowe (see previous post below to learn more about Jennifer); drawing and painting classes with our talented instructor Kris Finch; and multi-media class with Perrin, Art Farm's director and owner.

To answer your many questions: Yes, there is still time to enroll at Art Farm this summer. We enroll all summer on a space-available basis. When Sessions are full we post that information immediately on this blog. At this time Session Two is nearly full. Other classes are filling quickly. If you want to reserve a date, email us at director@CarlsbadArtFarm.com or call 760-688-6147. Tell us what session you want to reserve, and for how many students. We will get back to you very shortly with a confirmation email. We can hold your reservation for a few days pending arrival of your registration papers and payment (see our website under the "Camp" tab for camp dates and to download registration papers).

We offer nine week-long sessions each summer. Sessions are open to students entering Grades 2-8 in the fall. Sessions are 9 AM to 1 PM. On Fridays, at 1 PM, we have our popular All Camp Family BBQ featuring Jumbo Hebrew National Hotdogs and veggie burgers. Yum, yum!

Don't let your art and animal-loving nature enthusiast get left standing in the barn this summer. Enroll today.

Art Farm Summer Camp Kicks-off in One Week

It's hard to believe, but summer is here. If you haven't enrolled your student at Art Farm yet, don't worry. We continue enrolling all summer as long as space is available. Classes begin June 14 and continue through mid-August. For information about our week-long art and nature camp for Grades 2 through middle school, read this blog and visit our website. Camp schedules and registration forms are available for download under our "Camp" tab.

When sessions fill, we will immediately post that information here, or you can call us at 760-688-6147. You may make a reservation by phone.

New at Art Farm this summer is our natural sciences curriculum taught by Jennifer Stowe (see previous post). Students will learn about Art Farm's unique 10-acres woodland environment. Art Farm will also host a series of classes presented by the San Diego County Humane Society on topics such as how animal adapt, habitat preservation, and environmental preservation.

We are also still enrolling in our 10:30 AM to Noon Saturday morning art class. Saturday Art Class runs from $100 to $125 monthly, depending on the number of Saturdays in the month. There is also an annual $50 materials fee. Students must be in Grade 2 through middle school and able to stay focused for the duration of the class to attend. All instruction is taught at an age-appropriate level. Our main focus is developing studio drawing and painting skills. For more information on Saturday morning classes, email the director at director@CarlsbadArtFarm.com.

Natural Science Studies Coming to Art Farm this Summer

Art Farm is a living classroom in every sense of the word. Many native plants species, birds and animals call our 10-acres home. A Great White Egret fishes out of our year-round creek; hawks raise their young in nests above our roof; and songbirds flourish in old growth oaks and sycamores. As my husband, Chase, notes, "This is what Carlsbad looked like when I was kid."

For Art Farm's first five years, we have concentrated on developing our art curriculum taught in outdoor woodland studios where students learn drawing and painting techniques using live farm animals as models. We teach animal anatomy for young artists and we also get them involved in basic animal husbandry. Anyone know how to bathe a chicken, wash a goat, or teach an alpaca proper trail etiquette? You've come to the right place.

All along, our purpose has been to offer local students a chance to spend time in and learn from the natural world by offering real art education at an age-appropriate level for elementary and middle school students. We started with our popular summer camps and have now branched out into year-round instruction. Area schools have visited Art Farm for day field trips, scouts have been here to earn badges and for bridging ceremonies (on our bridge!), and adults dropping off their children have lamented, "I want to go to Art Farm!" (good news, we will be offering classes for adults in the fall).

Now Art Farm is set to use its natural resources to educate young students attending Art Farm Summer Camp in the natural sciences specific to our riparian habitat. Our natural sciences teacher, Jennifer Stowe, pictured above during a recent visit to Grand Teton National Park, has developed a fun and challenging curriculum that will introduce students up-close to animal, bird, bug, and plant life by the creek and under the tree canopies.

"The science is serious, but it will be delivered in a fun and engaging manner," notes Jennifer. "Students will be asked to think about biological and ecological concepts that they will learn in the coming school year while they sketch animals and plants found during a guided tour of the farm and riparian stream habitat." Jennifer prefers an inquiry-based learning approach where materials, environments, and questions are presented to students so that they may discover the answers for themselves.

Jennifer holds a Master's in Biology from the University of California at San Diego. She has worked in research and development for the biotec industry and as a science teacher and tutor to all ages. A native San Diegan, Jennifer loved biology from an early age. She was inspired by her mother, an herbalist and amateur botanist, who would take the family for nature hikes and point out herbs and plants used by Native Americans. She credits her engineer father with teaching her to think about how things work and how everything connects.

This love for nature and science evolved into many hobbies, including: surfing, hiking and nature tours, snorkeling, creative writing, and gardening. She also grew up around animals. Raising rabbits and chickens in 4-H, among many other critters. “My parents made me write a report about the care of each new type of animal I wanted to get so that I would know how to take care of it," she said.

That's good advice for any child OR adults considering a pet!

Don't let your student get left standing in the barn this summer. For more information about our summer camp program or to enroll, visit our website and click on the "Camp" tab. Registration materials are available there for download.

Carlsbad Art Farm is a Parents Pick Nominee

Well, almost. Actually we have been nominated to be nominated for a Nickelodeon ParentsConnect Parents' Pick Award as a desirable venue for kids in San Diego County. We're not sure who threw their hat into the ring for us with this nomination, but thank you! We are up against better funded name-brand nominees such as Chucky Cheese, so we appreciate every vote.

To vote for Art Farm (and time is running out, so now would be a good time) simply click on the link to our website, scroll to the bottom of the home page, and click on the logo that looks exactly like the one posted here. Hopefully this won't be a deal breaker, but they do ask you to register with Parents' Connect. You can always register, vote, and then unregister. Annoying, I know, but on the flip side you can be part of a grassroots campaign to put an independent, high-quality, childrens' art school up against the Goliath of shlocky kids venues.

Summer Camp enrollment is ongoing and will continue through the summer. For more information click the "Camp" Tab on our website.