Summer camp is now closed
As many of you already know, we at Art Farm recently made the hard decision to stop offering summer camps. This means there will be no camps in 2019 or beyond.
Read Perrin's statement about closing summer camps here.
FAQ:
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Why is Art Farm camp so expensive? We are not a non-profit camp, which means we receive no public funding or grants. We are a family-owned and operated camp on 10-private acres offering students an immersion experience with a mission to inspire and encourage a deep connection to animals and the natural world through art making. We invest in highly qualified art instructors and high quality materials to provide your child with a high quality experience. We are committed to keeping our instructor-student ratio low because we believe it is essential to maintaining what makes Art Farm camps a unique and high value experience for our campers. For example, we do not group younger students and older students into "one-size-fits" cookie-cutter art classes. Students are placed in one of three separate outdoor classrooms. Each class has it's own staff and curriculum so that instruction is always age-level appropriate, and so older students don't find themselves grouped with much younger students. All of this, and so much more, is 100 percent supported by tuition.
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Art Farm Camps are for kids starting Grades 2-8 next fall. My kid is younger but a great artist. Will you make an exception and let my child come to camp? We have good reasons for setting our minimum grade range that are not just about a child's current art skill level. We've been offering our camps for 14 years and we know that starting kids younger is generally not in the best interest of the child or the class.
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Will my boy like Art Farm (because I don't think he's going to like sitting down in art classes all day)? Boys love Art Farm! We don't sit down for art classes all day. On average, students spend three hours daily working on a variety of art projects and the remaining time is for exploration. This is an outdoor camp in the woods. Our environment is a huge part of what makes Art Farm so special. Making art in this environment - a living classroom - is what makes our camp a standout.
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Is your camp a good fit for a kid who really, really hates art classes? Probably not.
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I've never heard of your camp. Why is that? For the past three years, Carlsbad Art Farm has won Red Tricycle's "Most Awesome Camp for Kids in SoCal" award, a parent-voted competition that includes San Diego and Orange Counties. Our competition has included the San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld and many other local camps. Local schools are familiar with Art Farm because we donate a week at Art Farm Summer Camp to their annual fundraising auctions. Schools and scouts come here for field trips. Students AND adults come here for our weekly art classes. Vacationing families from Europe, Mexico, South America, Russia, and other countries enroll their kids in our camps. Our camps average about 350 students annually. Clearly quite a few people have heard of us, but because we are located down an old country road in a hidden valley in the heart of Carlsbad, many families first find us through word-of-mouth, social media, from other families who have been to our camps, and so on. Now you've found us and we hope to see you here this summer!
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My child is coming to camp with friends. Will they all be in the same group? We can always keep student friends together if they are in the same grade-level. Usually we can keep students together if they are within one grade-level of each other. Prior to the start of each camp session we email "a placement with friends" request to parents so we can work on placing friends together. We cannot guarantee placement but most of the time it works out.
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What is the policy if I have enrolled my child but change my mind? We have a $100 non-refundable fee per student enrolled policy prior to June 1, 2018. We will refund the balance of your tuition, minus the $100 per student fee, until that date. All requests for refunds must be received by email no later than May 31, 2018. Starting June 1, there are no refunds of any kind for the remainder of the summer camp season.
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What if I enrolled my child for a camp session but need to transfer to a different session? That happens frequently and we are happy to accommodate on a space available basis. To change session dates, email us with your request. You will be asked to re-enroll in your new preferred session date. Once you are re-enrolled, we will cancel your previous reservation and reimburse in full for that session. If none of your preferred session dates are available for transfer, then our cancellation policy above applies. Most of the time we will be able to accommodate a transfer.
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Do you provide early drop-off or late pick-up? No.
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Does camp tuition include lunch? No, we do not provide lunch. Students bring their own lunch, a morning snack, and a water bottle. We provide water and one light snack in the afternoon. Students with allergies or dietary restrictions may need to bring their own afternoon snack. Every Friday, we host an All Camp Pizza Party for students that includes their choice of cheese or pepperoni pizza, orange juice and a dessert. The Pizza Party is later in the afternoon, so students still need to bring a lunch on Fridays.
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May I bring my dog to Art Farm? Visiting dogs are not allowed at any time unless they remain in your car during drop-off and pick-up. This is for the safety of our campers, our livestock and a host of other reasons. We know your dog is the sweetest, loveliest, friendliest most well behaved dog in the history of dogs, but please leave your canine in the car. This includes small ones that fit in purses and puppies.
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Can I just drop by and visit Art Farm? Art Farm is not open to the general public. Our entrance gate is closed when scheduled classes, workshops, field trips and camps are not in session.
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I'm still not sure this is the right camp for my kid. Can I visit before enrolling? You may schedule a visit to Art Farm on Saturdays when we have a class in session. To schedule an appointment, contact us at: director@CarlsbadArtFarm.com.
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Are your instructors and staff fingerprinted? Yes. All staff are fingerprinted by the DOJ.
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Where Are You? In the heart of Carlsbad. Here's a Google Maps link: Carlsbad Art Farm
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I want to stay in the loop about camps, classes, and workshops for kids and adults. Do you have a mailing list? Yes, just scroll to the bottom of this page to join our mailing list. We won't pester you. We only send occasional emails to let you know what's happening at Art Farm.
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Do you have a Facebook or Instagram Page? Of course we do! Click these links to visit: Facebook and Instagram.
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I still have questions. How do I contact you? We are happy to answer your questions. Just email us at director@CarlsbadArtFarm.com. In the subject heading, write: "Camp question".

Why Art Farm Summer Camps?
Our goal is to teach students foundational visual art skills through interaction with the natural world. Art Farm's location on 10-acres of private creekside woodland habitat and our small hobby farm of animals provide a unique venue for local and visiting families in the heart of coastal north county. Our camps provide a unique opportunity to spend a week outdoors exploring our habitat, visiting our animals and making art with local working artists. It is a unique blend. Our class sizes are small so each student has ample opportunity to work one-on-one with instructors. We have designed our program with students placed in one of three separate outdoor classrooms by grade-range. Each class has its own staff and age appropriate curriculum. Our counseling staff are here to take students on daily adventures that provide breaks between classes. After 14 years of welcoming 400 campers annually, we know how to teach art in a way that engages boys and girls. For many local families, Art Farm has become a summer tradition with students returning year-after-year. If your new to Art Farm, we think you'll be amazed. More importantly, we know your kids will haves a blast.