MSU Extension Tollgate Farm and Education Center

 2024 MSU Tollgate Farm Summer Camp  

 SUMMER CAMPS (4-12 yrs)

 Register Here Winged Wonders (9-13 yrs)

Register here for 2024 Steward (15-19yrs)

Register here for 2024 Steward-in-Training (SIT) Program (13-14 yrs)

To be one of the first to hear about camp registration openings be sure to sign up for our monthly newsletter!

CANCELLATION POLICY: If cancellation is needed, please be prompt. Cancellations from June 1 through 2 weeks prior to your first day of camp result in a $100 cancellation fee. No refunds 14 or fewer days from first day of your camp week. For all cancellations made prior to June 1st full refunds minus a $25 processing fee will be refunded.

 A camp where every day is a new adventure! 

Each week of camp features an exciting different theme and is filled with educational and fun activities that fit this theme. In addition to the unique weekly themed activities, a typical Tollgate farm camp day will include cooking nutritious snacks in Garden Kitchen, caring for farm animals, sowing and harvesting in the garden, engaging in a creative week-long STEM project, and investigating the natural world of field, forest and pond. Depending on the camp week, other activities include canoeing, fishing, and horseback riding.

At our camp, campers get a better idea of STEM concepts, the process of science, social and emotional skills, and leadership opportunities, all while having fun and making new friends. By allowing campers to “do, reflect, apply”, young people are empowered to be in charge of their own learning, instilling a passion for self-directed, life-long exploration. All camps are farm-based and fun-filled.

Low child-to-adult ratios make camp weeks fill quickly, so register early.

For camp questions, contact Carmen Hamilton at hamil466@msu.edu 248-347-0269 ext. 229

CAMP SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION

Oakland County 4-H and MSU Tollgate strives to provide opportunities for youth of all income levels and welcomes a broad cross-section of participants to experience farm-based experiential learning. The goal of the MSU Tollgate is to provide as many youth as possible with the opportunity to enrich learning and broaden their experiences. Oakland 4-H Offers Scholarships for their 4H members, which all of our campers become during registration. To learn more about how to apply for the Oakland 4H Scholarship, visit the Oakland County 4H website Oakland 4-H Scholarships

Summer Camp Schedule 2024 

June 24 - 28 Earth Engineers ($375) Ages 6 - 12 Full-Waitlist
Campers will get to take a deeper look at how expertly the natural world builds and functions on its own, full of patterns and structures. They will then get to take this information and learn how to work with and be inspired by nature in their own engineering endeavors building beaver dams, solar ovens, and even their own hurricane-safe houses.

June 24 -28 Horse Camp 1: Equine Science ($400) Ages 9 - 12 Full-Waitlist

Have you thought about what it would be like to own a horse? Horse care and management, including grooming, saddling, health and nutrition are just some of the amazing topics at horse camp! And, of course, you will be able to enjoy the horses up close and personal as you gain horse back riding skills during your equine adventures at MSU Tollgate Farm. You do not need a horse to participate. You do not need a horse to participate.

July 1 -5 No Camps

July 8 -12 Splish Splash Water Camp ($375) Ages 6 - 12 Full-Waitlist
Water: we can’t live without it! Come learn about the element that shapes our lives and the geographical world around us through exploring pond life, canoeing, water filtration, and boat building!

July 15 - 19 Survival Camp ($375) Ages 6 - 12 Full-Waitlist
Do you have what it takes? You definitely will after this week! Campers will gain skills in first aid, shelter building, and fire safety, while also learning how to take care of the space they are exploring so that it can exist for years to come. At the end of the week, campers will get to put their skills to the test during a day of “survival”!

July 15 - 19 Tollgate KBS Winged Wonders Traveling Camp ($450) Ages 10-13
Tollgate has banded together with Kellogg Biological Station in Hickory Corners, Michigan to offer this exploration of wild and domestic birds through interactive, hands-on science learning. Become an ornithologist and study birds and their amazing feats as we hike the fields and forests of MSU Tollgate Farm and Kellogg Bird Sanctuary. Meet at Tollgate for farm-based birding adventures Monday and Friday 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. As field scientists, travel by bus and camp out under the stars at KBS Tuesday through Thursday to interact with research scientists, meet raptors up close and personal, make new friends, and have lots of fun! Transportation and tents provided.

July 22 -26 All About Animals ($375) Ages 6 - 12 Full-Waitlist
It’s all about animals this week! Tollgate is home to many animals, both in its forests and in its barns. Learn how we can work with animals and how some animals even work for us through activities such as our STEAM project, sheep to sweater, nest building, and a goat hike! 

July 29 - August 2 Earth Engineers Camp ($375) Ages 6 - 12 Full-Waitlist
Campers will get to take a deeper look at how expertly the natural world builds and functions on its own, full of patterns and structures. They will then get to take this information and learn how to work with and be inspired by nature in their own engineering endeavors building beaver dams, solar ovens, and even their own hurricane-safe houses.

July 29 - August 2 Sprouts Farm Camp ($175) Ages 4 - 5

Morning session 9 am - 12 pm Full-Waitlist

Afternoon session 1 pm - 4 pm Openings

Tollgate welcomes its youngest campers to build their love for the natural world and discover all that it has to offer! This week of half-day camps offers opportunities for hands-on investigation, fresh foods, and meeting new friends! As sprouts, they will get to spend time doing animal chores, creating nature art, making fresh snacks, and exploring our forest. All campers must be toilet trained and ready for a fun week of new adventures on the farm.

July 8 -12 Splish Splash Water Camp ($375) Ages 6 - 12 Full-Waitlist
Water: we can’t live without it! Come learn about the element that shapes our lives and the geographical world around us through exploring pond life, canoeing, water filtration, and boat building!

August 5 - 9 Horse Camp 2: Western Riding ($400) Ages 9 - 12 OPENINGS
Do you know what the horn is for on a western saddle? Want to learn to lasso? Let us teach you about the history of western riding and why cowboys wear chaps! Learn all about all the different contests that take place at a rodeo and western horse shows. Sessions will include horse care and management, and of course time in a saddle!  You do not need a horse to participate.

August 12 -16 Survival Camp ($375) Ages 6 - 12 Full-Waitlist
Do you have what it takes? You definitely will after this week! Campers will gain skills in first aid, shelter building, and fire safety, while also learning how to take care of the space they are exploring so that it can exist for years to come. At the end of the week, campers will get to put their skills to the test during a day of “survival”!

August 12 -16 Sprouts Farm Camp ($175) Ages 4 - 5

Morning session 9 am - 12 pm Full-Waitlist

Afternoon session 1 pm -4 pm Full-Waitlist

Tollgate welcomes its youngest campers to build their love for the natural world and discover all that it has to offer! This week of half-day camps offers opportunities for hands-on investigation, fresh foods, and meeting new friends! As sprouts, they will get to spend time doing animal chores, creating nature art, making fresh snacks, and exploring our forest. All campers must be toilet trained and ready for a fun week of new adventures on the farm.

August 19-23 All About Animals ($375) Ages 6 - 12 Full-Waitlist
It’s all about animals this week! Tollgate is home to many animals, both in its forests and in its barns. Learn how we can work with animals and how some animals even work for us through activities such as our STEAM project, sheep to sweater, nest building, and a goat hike! 

August 19 - 23 Horse Camp 3 : English Riding ($400) Ages 9 -12 Full-Waitlist
Come and learn about the history and many styles of English Riding discipline, including jumping, Dressage, racing, Saddle seat, endurance riding and polo! Experience the horses up close and personal during grooming and saddling sessions and of course learning proper equitation of English riding.   You do not need a horse to participate.

Steward and Steward in Training Leadership Program ($200) Ages 13 - 19
The Steward and Steward-in-Training (SIT) Program is a progressive Tollgate youth development experience for teens ages 13-19 who are interested in gaining experience working with campers in agriculture and the natural sciences. Stewards-in-Training are 13-14 years of age, serve as role models for campers during activities, and commit to at least one full week of camp. Stewards are 15-19 years of age and serve as assistants to the educational leaders and mentors for both SITs and campers. Stewards must commit to at least two full weeks of camp. For more information on this program email koehle43@msu.edu.