CURRENT HOURS: Open for classes & special events only • Touring season resumes in May 2022
Summer camp registration opens January 4 at 10 a.m. for LHF members and January 18 at 10 a.m. for non-members. Please be sure to read our Policies & Procedures before you register.
Registration for Summer Camps will close two weeks before each individual camp’s start date.
Example: Week #1 Camp is from Monday, June 6, through Friday, June 10, so registration closes on Monday, May 23.
Registration for day camp is not considered complete until you submit this form. You can use the Notes field in this form to request that your child be placed in the same session as another camper; we will do our best to accommodate you.
Camp Packs are available for purchase starting Jan.4 here. More information on our 2022 Camp Packs can be found on the Day Camp page of our website.
Fees for full-day camps for 2nd-8th grade |
| Non-member: Sessions 1-4, 6-10 $285 Session 5 (4 days) $228 |
| Member (15% discount): Sessions 1-4, 6-10 $242.25 Session 5 (4 days) $193.80 |
Fees for half-day camps for kindergarten and 1st grade |
| Non-member: Sessions 1-4, 6-10 $160 Session 5 (4 days) $128 |
| Member (15% discount): Sessions 1-4, 6-10 $136 Session 5 (4 days) $108.80 |
Week #1: June 6-10
Week #2: June 13-17
Week #3: June 20-24
Week #4: June 27-July 1
Week #5: July 5-8 (4-day week; no camp Monday, July 4)
Week #6: July 11-15
Week #7: July 18-22
Week #8: July 25-29
Week #9: August 1-5
Week #10: August 8-12
9 a.m.-noon
Sessions: 1-5
No late pick-up for AM camps.
Why are bees so busy? And why are they so important to us? Explore the world of pollinators through hands-on activities, stories, and garden visits. Learn how insects help us grow our food.
9 a.m.-noon
Sessions: 6-10
No late pick-up for AM camps.
Where does your food come from? Before you buy it at the store, it is grown on the farm! Learn the basics of the farm family routines by pitching in with chores like tending chickens and making ice cream. Each day will start with a story followed by visits to our historic sites and creating crafts out of recycled materials.
9 a.m.-noon
Sessions: 1-10
Blast into the past as you explore nature, life in a small town, and play with Victorian toys at the Flynn Mansion. Do crafts and activities inspired by nature and history and work on your observation skills as you take nature walks and get muddy playing in the creek!
9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Sessions: 1-7
What was life like for kids at different times in history? What would kids do at home, school work, and for fun? Become a history kid and find out! Try your hand as an apprentice in of the shops, create crafts from different times using sustainable resources. End the week by learning about circuses in the 19th century and showing off what you learned in a circus performance!
Notes:
9 a.m.- 4 p.m.
Sessions: 8-10
Mary. Mary Quite Contrary, how does your garden grow? Tend to vegetable and flower gardens while finding out why some creatures we consider foes are really friends. Delve into the world of pollinators and find out how farming has changed over the past century. Create sustainable garden art and make garden inspired snacks to share at the end of the week in our garden-themed Art Show.
Notes:
9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Sessions: 1-7
Jump through history as you explore a new era in time each day and experience the lives of Iowa’s first farmers. Help with farm chores in 1900, make ice
cream 1870s-style, tell a folk story in the pioneer days, and learn about the lives of the Ioway in 1700!
9 a.m.- 4 p.m.
Sessions: 1-3, 7-10
Try planting a garden with 1700-era Ioway tools, see how new machines made work easier for craftsmen in the 1870s, and try your hand at an 1900 assembly line. in 1900. Investigate inventors like Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, John Deere, and George Washington Carver as you discover how technology has changed over time.
9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Sessions: 1-2, 6-10
Enjoy the great outdoors as you explore Iowa’s flora and fauna, get muddy with a creek walk, and observe nature! Nature plays an important role in where we live, how we live, and what we eat. You’ll tend to a vegetable and flower garden and enjoy the fruits of your labor, while. Examine the connection between history and nature by studying the lives of the Ioway in 1700 and the early immigrants to Iowa.
9 a.m.- 4 p.m.
Sessions: 3-5, 8-10
Dive into the culture and cuisine of the many diverse groups that have lived in Iowa throughout history, from the Ioway to European and American immigrants to today’s Iowans. Bake Fattigman, a traditional Scandinavian treat, and learn the steps to the Virginia Reel dance. Witness how our state became a melting pot of various traditions and explore how communities formed, lived, and celebrated.
9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Sessions: 1-5
The traditions of many different people have become a part of our lives in Iowa today. Experience the different crafts, activities, and games that go along with different holidays; such as Halloween, St. Patrick’s Day, and Juneteenth . And try your hand at cooking some different foods,. creating a shamrock pin, cook a traditional German dish, and visiting some of our historic sites to get a more in depth look at various celebrations.
9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Sessions: 3-10
Get creative with our natural resources to make food, art, and tools, just like generations of people have done throughout Iowa’s history. Bake bread like a pioneer, make a clay pot like a 1700-era Native American, go fishing, and learn to appreciate our earth’s resources!
9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Sessions: 1-2, 8-10
Learn how human, animal, wind, solar, and machine power haves changed the lives of farmers and townspeople throughout history. Learn about other forms of power, such as; economic power, social power, and political power. Explore it all through activities, crafts, experiences, games, and, yes, a creek walk.
9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Sessions: 3-7
Victorians loved nature. The four Fs (flowers, feathers, fowl, and fur) were crucial elements. Experience what children learned as they grew up in a typical Victorian household. Learn etiquette, handcrafts, cooking, and social routines. End the week by throwing a Victorian garden party for an invited guest.
Note: This camp does not include a creek walk.
9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Sessions: 1-5
Explore the daily lives of Native Americans throughout history by exploring a different region of North America each day. Make pottery, set up and take down a tipi, make a leather pouch, and practice your archery.
Special note: 2022 marks the 40th year that Living History Farms has been telling the story of the Ioway. Special focus will be given to sharing the lives of the Ioway today.
9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Sessions: 6-10
Almost 225 years ago, Lewis and Clark explored the territory from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean. Follow in the footsteps of their expedition throughout the week as you embark on an adventure across early 19th-century Iowa! Along your journey, learn the skills of map making, archery, plant and animal identification, and surveying.
Buy early drop-off and late pick-up tickets under the “Purchase Tickets” tab.
Need to drop off before camp? Or pick up your camper later? Register for early drop-off or late pick-up.
This is a supervised “free leisure time” and not an extension of the camp experience. Campers will be supervised by a staff member and will have access to books and board games. They are welcome to bring their own entertainment. We cannot be held responsible for any left, broken, or lost items.
In the afternoon section we will offer a beverage and small snack (ex. Kool-Aid and Goldfish Crackers). You are welcome to send your own snack. Due to safety concerns, glass containers are prohibited. To make this a safe environment, we encourage you to be aware of peanut and nut allergies when sending lunches and snacks with your camper.
Space is limited and subject to availability. To have the best chance of securing a spot, register for this service while registering for camp.
| Non-member fee: | Member fee: (15% discount) |
| Sessions 1-4, 6-10 $40 | Sessions 1-4, 6-10 $34 |
| Session 5 (4 days) $32 | Session 5 (4 days) $27.20 |
For any inquires or to request the scholarship form, contact education@lhf.org.
Switching Fee:
If you need to switch camp sessions, you must email registration@lhf.org
| $0 | 1st switch or medical emergency |
| $25 | 2nd and later switches |
| Cancellation Fee: | |
| 0% | If within 5 business day grace period or medical emergency |
| 50% | 10 or more business days prior to camp week |
| 100% | Less than 10 business days prior to camp week |
If Living History Farms must cancel a session, registered participants will receive a 100% refund.
Note that there is no guarantee that we can accommodate your request to switch to another week.
Living History Farms, 11121 Hickman Road, Urbandale, IA 50322, (515) 278-5286
THANK YOU TO OUR 2022 PREMIER PARTNERS:
National Endowment for the Humanities | Bravo Greater Des Moines
John Deere | Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
