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Farm to School Québec: Bilingual summer camp on the outskirts of Montreal

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Much to the delight of both youngsters and their parents, another farm will be transformed into a playground this summer when Farm to School Québec holds its bilingual day camp for ages 6 to 13 at Quinn Farm in Notre Dame de l’Île Perrot.

Farm to School Québec is a program that aims to promote and teach children about farming, food and the environment in Quebec schools. It provides access to a variety of educational resources on local, sustainable farming and helps children become more aware of the impact they can have on their environment. The driving force behind this initiative is Valérie Toupin-Dubé, winner of the 8th Laure Waridel bursary in 2015.

This summer, campers will be learning more about the path food travels from farm to fork, as well as the latest innovations in food and farming through educational workshops and interactive projects. This invaluable experience will be a springboard to becoming young ambassadors for sustainable farming!
 

Quinn FaRM

Located 20 minutes from Montreal, Quinn Farm is a family farm that provides a safe environment for children. It has developed an interesting agritourism component, opening its doors to the public on various occasions. You can visit the barn and animals, take a tractor ride, pick your own fruit and enjoy delicious, fresh homemade food.

PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN AGED 6 TO 13

Find out the camp’s weekly themes.

*The activities are held in the language specified on the website and the bilingual counsellors act as interpreters when needed. Please note that there will be about the same numbers of English and French speaking children and that this is not a language immersion camp.

During the “Food Adventure” week, campers have fun finding out where food comes from and which parts of plants are edible. They harvest fruits and vegetables from the garden and mini-farm. And by taking part in the day-to-day tasks, they enjoy some animal therapy with the goats, donkey, llamas, hens and ducks, and get to collect eggs. They’re also introduced to food science and nutrition. The focus here is on sparking their curiosity.
 

Program for children aged 10 to 13

Two weeks in the summer are reserved for the Ag-Leadership program, which gives children aged 10 to 13 who have attended the camp before a more in depth and customized experience. They get to explore and ask questions about the aspects of sustainable farming they’re most interested in. And at end of the week, an event is held so they can celebrate what they learned in a creative way. Families, the media, the mayor and municipal councillors are all invited. These young people will be future agents of change in their communities!

➔ Ag-Innovation (bilingual): July 17–21
➔ Env-Innovation (bilingual): July 24–28

Camp counsellors

The camp counsellors are bilingual and have first-aid training, as well as experience working with children and leading activities. Each one is assigned to a particular group for the entire week and takes part in the workshops, organizes games and supervises meal times. Camp counsellors are all students in education, agriculture, or food, environmental or social science students.

Find out what a typical day at the camp looks like here.

Fees and registration

The camp fees are $230 per week. If you enrol two children, you’ll receive a discount on the second child’s registration fee. You can also pay in instalments.
Sign up today!
For more information, write to info@ecole-o-champ, refer to the FAQ on the camp website or visit the Farm to School Québec website.