Peace and Carrots Camp offered for Atlanta's Children this Summer

[RCCAtl]

Oakleaf Mennonite Farm is pleased to announce it will offer four weeks of “Peace and Carrots Camp” for children aged 8 to 14 this summer.  Children will work side-by-side with farmers planting and harvesting, taking care of animals, and enjoying the work of the farm.  They will also enjoy games, songs, crafts, drama, and service projects that affirm their spirits stimulate their compassion, and equip them to disarm both themselves and their 'enemies'.  Local chefs will teach cooking lessons and local peace activists will share a story or two with the children as well.

 

A farm in the city?  Yes.  Oakleaf Mennonite Farm is just down Bouldercrest Drive in East Atlanta.  We have nine acres with barns and sheds and woods to play in and on with goats and sheep and chickens and a few acres of crops, too.  Kids should know where their food comes from and our camps will teach them not only where but also how to do it themselves.   Activities will include planting and harvesting, taking care of animals, presentations from area experts, cooking classes, and plenty of time to relax and enjoy the farm.  Your children will also help produce and distribute food for the hungry in our Neighbor’s Garden, a community garden where we raise food for others.

 

Peace training for kids?  Sure thing.  We all need it.  And no politics, here.  Think win-win games, conflict transformation, and teamwork strategies.  Campers will also be taught skills to deal with their problems in a peaceful manner and encouraged to come up with their own creative solutions to the problems they see at camp, at home, at school, and in the world.  We use the award-winning “Peace Train” curriculum developed by Little Friends for Peace to show kids how each step in a conflict can be a chance to turn things to a different end.  By the end of the camp, children will have learned how to appreciate themselves, treasure diversity and their new friends, express anger safely, and use new skills to solve problems.

 

Now add a wide variety of kids.  For every two fully-paid participants, we will include a child from a refugee family in Clarkston or a neighborhood child from East Atlanta on a full scholarship.  Imagine giving those children an opportunity they would not otherwise have; imagine giving your children an opportunity they would not otherwise have.  Imagine all of those children . . . together.

 

Put all of this together and you have “Peace and Carrots” Camp.

 

Sessions, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., will be offered on the following weeks:

 

            June 10 – 14                    

June 17 – 21                   

July 8 – 12                        

July 15 – 19                      

 

Extended afternoon hours are available at a rate of $15/hour.

 

Additional weeks and private farm camps may be scheduled .

 

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Oakleaf Mennonite Farm is an urban farm located on the campus of Berea Mennonite Church in East Atlanta.  We are a working farm on a church campus, but our programs are not specifically religious.  Children of all faiths are welcomed and included and we look forward to the ways our differences open up the truths of the world to each other.  Our summer staff includes a full-time farmer, a full-time permaculturist, five graduate school interns, and two ordained staff to lead our hands-on lessons.  All adult leaders are trained in basic medical care and screened to ensure the children are safe at all times.

 

Children who participate will have plenty of time for outdoor play and activity as they interact with each other and the farm.  Our program fully immerses children into a working farm.  Campers will be outside for play and activity most of each day and inside if the heat is too great and for some presentations.  They will be introduced to soil chemistry and cover cropping, composting and vermiculture, as well as planning and planting.  They will also learn about organic supplements and additives, use of “friendly” insects and how we treat pests. The children will have an opportunity to harvest from both plants and animals each day.  They will directly participate in the care of animals each day as well, learning the vital role these partners play on the farm.

 

Only naturally grown and local foods will be served to your children. Local chefs will join us each week for cooking lessons and the children will both bring foods home to share with their families and learn about making healthy food choices for themselves.   

 

Campers should bring swimsuits and towels for cool down (and clean-up) activities.  We don’t have a pool, but we have one of the most extensive sprinkler systems in the city and irrigation water is clean and cold!

 

Please email [e-mail] or call 404-244-0289 for more information.  

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