Charles L. Bowers School Farm

Visit www.bloomfield.org/summer to register for summer experiences including BHS Recreation Camps at the West Hills Middle School waterfront, Johnson Nature Center camps, Bowers School Farm camps, robotics camps, and more!

ATTENTION FUTURE VETS!

Bowers School Farm will be running a Veterinary Science Camp for ages 14-16 from July 30th through August 3rd 2018!!!!

You must fill out an application, which is due June 29th, 2018. Space is limited to 12 campers in order to make the experience as immersive and hands on as possible.

This Camp is a Monday - Friday program, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Youth will explore career fields relating to animal and veterinary medicine as well as participate in numerous hands-on learning activities. Participants will gain animal handling experience, learn how to use certain veterinary tools & technology, practice physical exams, and have the opportunity to visit a local veterinary hospital to see how a clinic works!

You can find the PDF application here

Download the application, complete and scan, mail, or deliver to the farm by June 29.

     Email completed applications to NTimmer@bloomfield.org AND JLynn@bloomfield.org

     Mail or delivery completed applications to:
     ATTN Jessica Lynn
     1219 E. Square Lake Rd
     Bloomfield Hills, MI, 48304
 

If you have any questions, please contact the farm at (248) 341-6476 or email NTimmer@bloomfield.org 

Thank you!

Spring and summer are everyone's favorite time to ride. The Bowers School Farm equine herd has received much tlc, training, and conditioning from our staff members and volunteers over the course of the spring in preparation for our equestrian programs. One such program which successfully concluded on Thursday, May 24th was the Agri-Science class Horse unit. Bloomfield High School Agri-Science students attended an equine safety and ground work lecture and demonstration held in the BSF horse barn, and completed an Equestrian science reading packet, before being offered the optional opportunity of performing a beginner-level horseback ride. Upcoming horse programs include Horse Camp, beginning July 9th, and the Love-A-Pony class. Additional session and sign-up information for the two can be found at https://register.communitypass.net/BloomfieldHillsSchoolDistrict/.

The Friends of Bowers School Farm will soon be implementing a comprehensive community equestrian program, content and delivery of which will be supported by Bowers staff. Stay tuned for more information by keeping current with the Bowers School Farm and Friends of Bowers Farm websites for updates:

bloomfield.org/schools/charles-l-bowers-school-farm

Friendsofbowersfarm.org

The season has been oh so busy with engaging field-trip programs, tours, and weekend parties here at the Bowers School Farm. Nine seventh grade classes attended our recent Genetics program, where students learned how to extract DNA from strawberries, enacted a natural selection demonstration on different popcorn populations, differentiate phenotypes of our newborn goats, and diagnose their own taste genotype by performing a sweet, sour, salty and savory taste-strip test. Tours have been abundant over the last month, with participants experiencing our newly hatched chicken and quail chicks, joyously taking the first wagon rides of the season, and perform seed-planting to contribute to our flourishing garden, among other activities. Several community members have taken advantage of the BSF Learning Center party rental availability for recent birthday parties where guests have enjoyed being a part of the spring-time hustle and bustle on the farm.

To learn more about BSF program, tour, and party-space offerings, visit bloomfield.org/schools/charles-l-bowers-school-farm, and contact Jackie Doran, jdoran@bloomfield.org, for all scheduling inquiries. 

May 5th's Bowers School Spring Fling and Pancake Breakfast was incredibly enjoyable for attendees, volunteers, and staff alike! The beautiful day commenced without a hitch in the plan or rain-drop in the sky. Wagon riding, sheep shearing, pony riding, and goat milking were among the multitude of activities offered following each of the five pancake-breakfast seatings. Take a look at the pictures for a synopsis of the fun and mark your calendars for our next community celebration, the Bowers School Farm Fall Festival on October 13th & 14th, 2018.

A big thank you to Great Lakes Coffee Roasting Company for donating a large sum and variety of coffee sacks. We use these sacks in our garden to perform weed control and to create safe and well-marked, not to mention visually appealing!, walking paths. Due to the efficacy of these coffee-sack paths, the BSF garden is flourishing. Check out these pictures of the vibrant school and community gardens, and notice the many different types of coffee sacks which lend an international air to our garden!

We've just rounded up an egg-cellent Everyday Agriculture program with our Bloomfield Hills Schools' third graders. No better time to be on the farm than spring in order to learn about what day-to-day life on the farm is like! Program participants studied our Barnyard Babies, our Sleeping Seeds, our Living Soil, and the Chicken Life Cycle, and made detailed scientific observations within their very own Everyday Agriculture notebooks. One group was even lucky enough to witness a mother goat give birth! 

April's showers spring May flowers, which means our summer camps here at Bowers School Farm are quickly approaching! Our multitude of camp topics include the following: (brief subject descriptions in parenthesis)
Healthy Hearts, Hooves and Hocks (farm & animal)
Dairy Discovery (farm & animal)
Equine Excursion for Beginners (beginner horse riding)
Know and Grow your Food (farm & garden)
Barnyard Buddies (ages 3-5)

View dates, prices, check availability, and register at:
https://register.communitypass.net/BloomfieldHillsSchoolDistrict/
 

Take a look at a few of last year's photos in order to get an idea of all the fun that's in store for our Summer 2018 camp programs: 

Interested in a class at Bowers Farm? Register Here!