Little Garden Patch Farm Camp

Little Garden Patch Farm offers painting, playdough, bubbles, fairy gardens, a tree fort, swings, a slide, a trampoline, dress up, a play kitchen, baking, cooking projects, and story time. Children can take part in hands-on craft, science, and engineering projects; arts and crafts such as drawing, coloring, paper crafts, sewing, crochet, weaving, and fuse beads; and theme-related stories and games. The program also includes gardening and nature time, running about outside playing games of make believe, playing “farm” with toys in sensory tables, shucking corn husks from the garden to feed goats, helping to feed chickens, ducks, a pony, and pigs, observing egg collection, and putting on outdoor plays and puppet shows.

• Ages: 5–9 years old
• Schedule: After school care during the 2025–2026 school year Monday–Thursday after 3 pm with pick up beginning at 2:30, and Friday after school pick up beginning at 11:30; Spring Farm Camp runs Monday 4/6 through Friday 4/10; Summer Farm Camp offers full-day sessions (9–5 or 9:30–5:30) and afternoon half-day sessions (1:30–5:30), with early drop off at 8:30 am available for an added fee and closing at 5:30 pm.
• Price: Beginning Spring & Summer 2026, Farm Camp Sessions are $200 per week for the half day schedule (4 hours) and $325 per week for the full day schedule (8 hours); additional hours may be added within business hours for $8 per hour; full-time after school care is $7 per hour for those attending 15 or more hours per week and $9 per hour for those attending less than 15 hours per week.

Little Garden Patch Farm is a licensed care facility with Community Care License Number 444413332 and has been mentioned in the publication Growing Up in Santa Cruz. The program is led by Linnaea, whose philosophy and approach to working with children comes from 30+ years of experience in diverse educational and care settings. The stated mission is to reconnect kids with nature, to nurture the values of compassion, creativity, and stewardship, and to provide a safe, family home setting where kids can build community and experience a sense of belonging. The program is described as play based and emergent, with an emphasis on hands-on, whole child, developmental activities, nature immersion, outdoor time, and generally no screen time once children arrive at the farm.

Themes for Summer Farm Camp include Medieval Make Believe, Fairy Tales, Dinosaur Daze, and Blast Off for Space Fun, and there is also a program for homeschoolers aged 5–8 years during regular after school business hours. Families are asked to send children in weather-appropriate gear and to leave hand-held gaming devices, tablets, laptops, and other electronics at home. Testimonials from Linnaea describe the property as “Little Garden Patch Farm,” a place where children who might otherwise be indoors can have child-led time outdoors, and describe children arriving after school and becoming recharged by running around outside, playing make believe, playing “farm” in the sensory tables, shucking corn husks from the garden to feed goats, laughing at chickens, chasing a ball, and joining in story time.

Last updated June 13, 2026.