Free Range Kids Farm Camp
Farmers Rising Caledonia Campus / Farmers Rising Lodge, 1936 Rockton Rd., Caledonia, IL 61011
About
Free Range Kids Farm Camp gives campers hands-on experiences in organic gardening, small-scale livestock farming, and outdoor exploration on a working farm. Campers take part in feeding goats and chickens, refreshing water buckets, gathering fresh eggs, weeding, planting seedlings, turning compost piles, preparing and harvesting food, and trying new foods straight from the farm or garden. They also explore wild spaces through nature exploration and hiking across 70+ acres, enjoy group games and relay races, make ice cream using ingredients from the farm, and spend time at campfires, nature crafts, hiking trails, a hammock village, a labyrinth maze built by past campers, a firepit for toasting marshmallows, and a creek for splashing.
• Ages: 6–15 years old
• Schedule: Day camp and Leadership Camp sessions run 4 days, and overnight camp sessions run 5 days
• Price: Day camp: June 9–12 $350; June 16–19 $350; July 7–10 $350. Leadership Camp (August 4–7) $500. Overnight camp: June 22–26 $1200; July 13–17 $1200.
Campers are guided by a dedicated and experienced team, and each counselor and educator brings expertise in agriculture, environmental science, and teaching. The camp includes overnight lodging in separate boys’ and girls’ dorms with their own bathrooms and showers, and a Camp Chef prepares meals using fresh, local ingredients in a fully-certified commercial kitchen. Research cited by the program states that spending time in nature, especially in microbe-rich soil, can boost health and is linked to better academic performance. Free Range Kids Farm Camp states that it is for everyone and does not discriminate based on religion, ethnicity, origin, gender, or orientation, and scholarships are available for all camps.
Farmers Rising, which runs the camp, states that its mission is to lift up the people doing local and regenerative farming and to be at the forefront of farmer training and public education, developing a vibrant, creative community centered around local food. Farmers Rising also offers a variety of educational opportunities at program locations in Rockford and Caledonia, Illinois, as well as throughout the region, including Community Programs for youth and adults.
Parent feedback about Free Range Kids Farm Camp includes comments that staff were “loving & encouraging” and remembered a camper from two years earlier, and that a camper “thrived at this camp and came home with a head full of new knowledge and ideas.” Other parents report that their child “loves the animals and respects what happens on the farm” and “enjoyed the work as much as the fun,” and describe the camp as an “awesome experience.” Parents also note that their children enjoyed the camp, that they would recommend it to others, that one child who was nervous ended up loving it and came back more aware about healthy eating, and that staff were friendly, helpful, knowledgeable, and placed responsibility on the kids.
Last updated January 10, 2026.
• Ages: 6–15 years old
• Schedule: Day camp and Leadership Camp sessions run 4 days, and overnight camp sessions run 5 days
• Price: Day camp: June 9–12 $350; June 16–19 $350; July 7–10 $350. Leadership Camp (August 4–7) $500. Overnight camp: June 22–26 $1200; July 13–17 $1200.
Campers are guided by a dedicated and experienced team, and each counselor and educator brings expertise in agriculture, environmental science, and teaching. The camp includes overnight lodging in separate boys’ and girls’ dorms with their own bathrooms and showers, and a Camp Chef prepares meals using fresh, local ingredients in a fully-certified commercial kitchen. Research cited by the program states that spending time in nature, especially in microbe-rich soil, can boost health and is linked to better academic performance. Free Range Kids Farm Camp states that it is for everyone and does not discriminate based on religion, ethnicity, origin, gender, or orientation, and scholarships are available for all camps.
Farmers Rising, which runs the camp, states that its mission is to lift up the people doing local and regenerative farming and to be at the forefront of farmer training and public education, developing a vibrant, creative community centered around local food. Farmers Rising also offers a variety of educational opportunities at program locations in Rockford and Caledonia, Illinois, as well as throughout the region, including Community Programs for youth and adults.
Parent feedback about Free Range Kids Farm Camp includes comments that staff were “loving & encouraging” and remembered a camper from two years earlier, and that a camper “thrived at this camp and came home with a head full of new knowledge and ideas.” Other parents report that their child “loves the animals and respects what happens on the farm” and “enjoyed the work as much as the fun,” and describe the camp as an “awesome experience.” Parents also note that their children enjoyed the camp, that they would recommend it to others, that one child who was nervous ended up loving it and came back more aware about healthy eating, and that staff were friendly, helpful, knowledgeable, and placed responsibility on the kids.
Last updated January 10, 2026.
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