Your Calgary Summer Day Camps
It’s true! The best memories are made at the farm! Give your children more meaningful experiences and wonderful, significant memories they can share with their own children one day…
Butterfield Acres Farm Summer Day Camps for 4-14yr olds build memories, friends, love & respect for animals, self-confidence, and a can’t-wait-till-next-summer attitude!
Many parents have told us over the years that Butterfield Acres Farm Camps are the BEST Day Camps in the Calgary area!
Many of our Leaders were farm campers themselves (some for as many as 10 years!) We love seeing their smiling faces back again each year! Maybe they just LOVE animals, or the friends they make, or maybe its just the great old farm fun… maybe all of those things?
So, you’re in the right place if you want an active and exciting, vibrant & engaging, well organized, and AUTHENTIC farm camp as part of your child’s summer experiences. Your child leaves camp with fabulous memories, many new experiences with animals, this year’s Farm T-shirt, a “Memory Photo” with one of their fuzzy farm friends and lots of stories every day (we know you’ll enjoy them too!)
Check Out Our Calgary Summer Camp Activities
- Interacting with the animals in their pens…the joy and privledge of being ‘up close and personal’
- Learning to appreciate the many interesting things about each of the animals
- Bottle feeding babies
- Learning and animal activity challenges
- There’s even a last day “Hoedown” for friends and family of campers, a cute, fun little ditty from each Day Camp Group!
- Learn how to care for different animals
- Feed hay, chop and maybe even slop!
- Daily, weekly farm chores
- Farm Stories
- Farm games… we aim for inclusive farm-adapted games
- Pond studies… there’s a whole new world in our shallow sloughs!
- Pony rides, donkey rides, a draft horse experience for campers in 8-11yr & FIT (12-14yr Farmers-in-Training)
There’s still MORE fun to be had!
Activities are tailored for your child’s stage of development, attention span, motor skill development, physical endurance, and social skills. We work very hard at helping the children make new friends, meet up with old friends, and have a day day full of fun, camp challenge, and magical animal memories.
Each day we highlight an AMAZING farm animal with a delightful variety of hands-on activities which vary according to age and ability. We learn about all the different animals, how to care for them, their habits, what they eat, etc. and we fit in all sorts of wonderful things that your child might be doing if you lived here on the farm with us!
In our opinion, the fresh air and countryside is where every child should spend their summer days!
Day Camp Snack Options
Each day every camper needs a power snack… or two power snacks if in 4-6y, 6-8yr, 8 – 11 yr or 12 – 14 yr (FIT) program. You can make things easy by signing up for the Farm Snack Program if you are wanting a break from sending snacks from home. Our snacks always include something yummy, nutritious AND child friendly! Look for the “Snack Option” on the Summer Day Camp Application form.
Snack Program: Snack Menu Items
Children in the younger age groups (4-5ys 1/2 day programs, )
need 1 snack each day.
1 snack each day: 5 day week $24.49
1 snack each day: 4 day week $19.49
Children in the older 4-6yr and 6-8 yr age groups need 2 snacks each day
(their days are 6 hr from 9:30-3:30).
2 snacks each day: 5 day week $38.49
2 snacks each day: 4 day week $30.49
Children in the oldest age groups (8 years and up) have 7 hour days (8:30 – 3:30)
and need 2 snacks each day.
2 snacks each day: 5 day week $41.49
2 snacks each day: 4 day week $33.49
Allergy Alert
We ask that there be absolutely NO peanut butter, nuts, or nut products in lunches or snacks, please! THIS LIFE-THREATENING ALLERGY exists in an increasing number of our campers. Please help us keep everybody healthy! Please read our ALLERGY ALERT SIGNS posted at Admissions and outside every Day Camp Barn where a child is known to have a serious or life-threatening allergy.
Some examples of our snack items:
yogurt tube and arrowroot cookies, mandarin orange, banana, fruit cup & animal crackers, , apple slices with cinnamon dust, cheese sticks and ritz crackers, pudding cup, plum, mandarin orange, gold fish crackers, nectarine slices, fruit leather, nachos & cheese, celery and cheese, puffed wheat square, watermelon.
We’re always looking for new ideas. Is there something you’d like to see us try?
Day Camp Lunch Options
Children enrolled in the 6 and 7 hour programs (4-6yr old, 6-8yr old, 8-11yr old, or 12-14 yr old (Farmers-in-Training)) need a good energizing lunch each day. You can make things easy by signing up for the Farm Lunch Program if you are wanting a break from sending lunches from home. Look for the “Lunch Option” on the Application form.
Available for children in the older 6 hour program
(4-6yr and 6-8 yr age groups):
5 day week: $65.99
4 day week: $52.99
Available for children in the oldest age groups with the 7 hour day
( 8-11 yr, and 12-14 yr Farmers-in-Training)
5 day week: $72.99
4 day week: $58.99
Our lunches are individually boxed (kids say it’s like opening a present!) and are nutritious, eye-appealing (lots of color) and very child-friendly. We’ve had many compliments from parents. Here’s some of our most successful components:
Fruits
Watermelon Wedges, Orange Smiles with a Strawberry Fan or Blueberries, Mandarins, Apples in Cinnamon Dust, Bananas, Nectarines, Plums. When fruit is served as part of our snack, a different fruit is served at lunch.
Veggies
Crinkle Carrot Pennies ‘n Dip, Tractor Wheels (special cucumber slices) and Grape Tomatoes, Taco chips with Salsa, Carrot Logs and Dip, Mixed Veggies ‘n Dip!
Hot Items
Pizza Buns, Pancakes, Cheese Quesadillas with mild salsa, Pizza, Friday is Hot Dog day!
Juice or milk
is part of each lunch…a variety is served throughout the week.
Allergy Alert
We ask that there be absolutely NO peanut butter, nuts, or nut products in lunches or snacks, please! THIS LIFE-THREATENING ALLERGY exists in an increasing number of our campers. Please help us keep everybody healthy! Please read our ALLERGY ALERT SIGNS posted at Admissions and outside every Day Camp Barn where a child is known to have a serious or life-threatening allergy.
We’re always looking for new ideas. Is there something you’d like to see us try?
Day Camp Bus Service
Day Camp Staff travels with the bus. Yes, one of our Butterfield Acres Day camp Leaders travels with the bus… for both pick-up and drop-off! Look for the “Butterfield Acres Bus” option on the actual Summer Day Camp Application.
The BUS runs 2 weeks each summer:
One week in July, right after Stampede week, and one week in August right after the 4 day short week with the Holiday Monday (see availability page for dates and fees)
Please note that if your child’s camp starts at 9:30, there will be Before Camp Fun provided at no additional cost to you from 8:30 until 9:30 when camps starts.
Bus fees: Both ways: $54.99; One way only $44.99
Bus Stops
South Centre:
at Library (SE corner of shopping centre)
Pick up: 7:20am
Drop off: 4:40pm
Calgary Arts Academy (former Knob Hill School):
on 19 Avenue SW, just east of Richmond Road
Pick up: 7:55am
Drop off: 4:10pm
Before and After Camp Fun
Before Camp Fun is available: 7:30am – 9:30am
After Camp Fun is available: 3:30pm – 5:00pm
This Before and After Camp Care service is especially useful if:
You have more than one child and they start camp at different times
Your work hours are longer than camp hours
Your child wants a longer day here at the farm!
You will be sending your child on the bus, but it arrives before your child’s camp starts.
(In this case, Before Care is included in your Day Camp fee at no additional charge!)
Activities depend upon the interests and abilities of the children in the group. Activities are not as structured as the Day Camp Program itself and will vary from fun animal chores to crafts, to more informal time spent with the critters.
Available for all age groups. If booked on same order as original registration: $9.49/hr ; after original registration: $10.99/hr
Look for “Before and After Camp” options on your application form.
Farmers in Training (our 12-14 year olds)
As the campers get older, more knowledgeable and responsible, they become increasingly involved in operating the farm with us.
These super-farmers do more in-depth animal care, knowledge building, record keeping, and observe elementary vet care if occasions should present themselves. And we add in a whole lot of fun and some leadership opportunities with other campers.
This camp experience serves as a direct lead into our Junior Leader Development Program for the real keeners who have aspirations of eventually working here with us.
We’re excited to see how these capable and enthusiastic young folks step up to the plate and amaze us! It is not uncommon to find campers here for their 9th or 10th year!