Children’s Programs FAQ
Due to COVID-19, some information in this FAQ may be inaccurate. Please refer to our main page for updates on the status of Farm programming and access.
FarmWonders camp and tour programs are located at:
The Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm
3461 Ross Drive
Vancouver BC
Unceded Ancestral Musqueam Territory
FarmDiscovery tour participants are met at the main farm gate. FarmWonders camp parents are e-mailed with specific drop-off instructions.
Visit the UBC Farm's main page for driving and transit directions.
The farm has maintained a flock of free-range laying hens in the past, and might have them again in the future. We also have honeybee hives on site. Beyond domestic livestock, however, the farm teems with wildlife. We steward the land to maintain different types of habitats that support an amazing population of birds, insects, amphibians, reptiles, and small and large mammals.
Yes! The public is welcome to visit the UBC Farm. We ask all visitors to respect and enjoy the space, and to not disturb any plants, equipment, or research apparatus on site. Please watch your footing and stay on the roads or grass pathways. All dogs must be leashed while at the farm.
Observe the UBC Farm open hours, which vary throughout the seasons.
We welcome participants of all abilities and needs into our Farm Wonders programs. While currently we cannot provide specific special needs support or dedicated staff assistance, our staff overall are skilled at working with children of varying abilities and we will do our best to remove barriers for all children to attend and enjoy our programs.
If needed, support staff or aides are encouraged to attend with your child and are always welcome. Please note any special needs or special requests for your tours or program during registration.
All fees (i.e. registration fees and wait-list fees) must be paid by credit card at the time of registration when registering on-line. We may be able to accept cheques made payable to "UBC Farm" or by cash if arranged over e-mail in advance. When available, certain items such as t-shirts or pumpkins can only be purchased in person by cash or by cheque.
Booking online by credit card is available - a $5 transaction fee will be added to your total booking fee. Payment can also be made by cash or cheque if bookings are made by e-mail at ubcfarm.farmwonders@ubc.ca.
Cheques for all FarmWonders programs must be made payable to "UBC Farm". Please include any additional information about your cheque in the memo line.
FarmWonders camps and FarmDiscovery tours are managed solely by the UBC Farm. Embodying UBC’s aspirations to be a “living laboratory,” the UBC Farm engages learners of all ages through community-oriented programming like FarmWonders.
Teacher and Group Leader FAQs
Our tour program is crafted for groups of 15-30 children ranging from pre-K to grade 12 age levels.
If you are interested in a tour for an older audience, please refer to the UBC Farm Community Group Visits webpage.
If you are a professor, check out the tours offered on the UBC Farm Teaching page.
Our tours are 1 hour 30min by default and cover a lot of ground on our 60-acre farm. If you would like to arrange a shorter tour, please let us know in advance so we can ensure we make the most of the time you are here.
Please include this information in the info section of our booking form. To change your booking, e-mail us at ubcfarm.farmwonders@ubc.ca to make your request. Include a phone number where we can reach you and let us know if you would like to proceed with on-line registration or pay by cash or cheque. Please do wait for us to confirm the requested time is possible for our leaders before proceeding to book a similar time slot online.
Yes! We have delivered lovely evening tours and may be able to accommodate Saturday tours as well. The farm is closed on all Sundays and some holidays.
Please e-mail ubcfarm.farmwonders@ubc.ca to request a tour time. Special tour requests will be subject to the availability of tour leaders.
All of our school tours include an age-appropriate exploration of what it means to be on Musqueam territory and what the Indigenous Programs do here at the Farm.
Interested in a visit that delves deeper into Indigenous knowledge? To respect proper protocols and the wishes of the Indigenous Programs, we do not feel it is appropriate for our FarmDiscovery tour leaders to share cultural knowledge, as they are not Indigenous knowledge-holders themselves. However, the Indigenous Programs at UBC Farm may be interested in hosting your group for a visit. For example, the Medicine Collective leads walks teaching youth aged 12 and above about medicinal plants at UBC Farm. Please contact them directly with your inquiries here.
We are happy to answer any further questions or feedback you have about Indigenous content in our tours!
Your FarmDiscovery Tour Leader will meet you by the main farm gate at your scheduled tour time.
Please feel free to find a comfortable spot at a picnic table or on the grass and invite your students to have a snack. We have recycling facilities (but not garbage) by the main gate and we encourage your students to pack a waste-free snack to enjoy.
There are also fields where your students may enjoy some recess time. Kindly respect the privacy of other groups and be aware that people you encounter may have booked space at the farm for a special event.
Our fee is $75 per tour group.
When we offer pumpkin sales to students with our fall tours, they are an additional charge not included in the tour fee.
If you have a small group, you may still book a FarmDiscovery tour, however our minimum fee of $75 still applies. The UBC Farm also seasonally offers general tours for free during their Saturday farm markets. More information about those tours is available here.
If you cancel more than two full business days before your scheduled tour, we will refund minus a $10 transaction fee. If a tour must be cancelled to comply with B.C. Provincial Health Orders surrounding COVID-19, we will provide refunds in full.
If you cancel your tour less than two full business days in advance, we regret that we are unable to offer a refund. You will be billed for the booked tour. The only exception to this is in the fall if we are able to resell prepaid pumpkins to another group. Cancellations must be sent to us at ubcfarm.farmwonders@ubc.ca
To encourage physical distancing, we have limited our group size to 15 participants, including chaperones and instructors. Students who reside in the same household may buddy with one another, and will count as 1 participant. If your group is larger than 15, please book two separate tours and split into two smaller groups. Depending on leader availability, two simultaneous tours, or back to back tours may be available.
We allow one free chaperone for every 5 children participating in our tours. For our Pre-K tours, we may allow additional chaperones, but please let us know through e-mail if you plan on exceeding this ratio.
We love hearing from our teachers! If you would like to share feedback on a tour you have received, please fill out this short FarmDiscovery tour feedback survey or send us an e-mail at ubcfarm.farmwonders@ubc.ca.
Parent FAQs
Besides Spring Break Camp, FarmWonders does not have programming specifically geared towards individual children during the school year. However, children are welcome to volunteer in the Children's Garden with parent or guardian supervision. Please be aware that children must be at least 14 years of age to volunteer independently or in other areas of the farm and ensure you are signing up for a "Children's Garden Care" shift if your child is younger than that.
A child must be 6 by the time camp starts. This is for the benefit of everyone, especially the camper!
Due to the ongoing concerns and challenges with camper ages, the age range listed for each camp reflects the age of the child by July 1st of this year. Unfortunately, the educational nature of our summer camp and the safety of our campers does not permit us to open all camps to 5 year olds who have completed kindergarten.
Please respect these age restrictions and register your child for the appropriate camp.
Children who are suspected of being under-age may be required to provide age validation.
Registration for the FarmWonders Spring Break Camp aims to open in early December with the exact day and time of registration added to our website in the fall.
Registration for the FarmWonders Summer Program generally opens February 1st every year. We will be advertising on our website and in our newsletter leading up to registration dates. The best way to stay informed is to sign up to our UBC Farm Newsletter.
FarmWonders maintains a 1:10 staff to camper ratio at all times, and will also have camp volunteers that will help supervise the campers whenever possible.
For the health and safety of all our campers, we do not explicitly cook with peanuts in our cooking activities. We also kindly ask that campers do not come to camp with peanuts packed in their lunches, as they eat in close proximity with each other
Please note, our kitchen is a shared space and we cannot guarantee a nut or peanut-free environment. If your child has severe allergies, please remember to include this information in your registration and alert the FarmWonders leaders at drop-off on the first day.
Unfortunately, we do not provide before and after camp supervision unless explicitly advertised for a specific camp. Our camps run from 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM. Parents are welcome to pick up early, although we ask that they inform us at drop-off of that day, as we do spend time out and about on the wider farm.
All requests for camp refunds must be made in writing. Cancellations received a minimum of TWO WEEKS (14 days) before the first day of the session will be refunded by credit, less a $30 administrative fee. Pro-rating and refunds are NOT available for days absent, or for any other reasons, including injuries or illness. Cancellations received 0-13 days before the first day of the session will not be eligible for any refund or credit. This includes for reasons such as illness or injury.
Wait-list fees go toward managing our wait-lists and we do not profit from them. Therefore, we do not refund wait-list fees.
If you make it through the wait-list and are registered into the corresponding camp, we will apply the $10 fee toward your outstanding camp tuition.
Volunteer FAQs
If you are at least fourteen years old, you may register as a farm volunteer and help with various tasks around UBC Farm. Please see the main UBC Farm volunteering page for more information about that program. If you are under fourteen, please only register for "Children's Garden Care" shifts and bring a parent or guardian with you.
In order to volunteer with our FarmWonders camp programs, you must be at least fifteen years old. Youth between 12 and 14 years old can register for our FarmLeaders program.
In order to work with children, you will require a criminal record check. To register as a volunteer with our FarmWonders camps during the summer and spring break, please follow the instructions listed under the "Becoming a Registered Volunteer" section of our Volunteer page for details on how to complete that process.
During the school year, you can commit to being a Landed Learning Farm Friend every two weeks for a semester or a school year.