Children’s Programs FAQ
Farm & Forest Wonders camps, as well as field trips and tours are located at: The Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm
3461 Ross Drive
Vancouver BC
Unceded Ancestral Musqueam Territory
Yes! We keep honeybee hives on site, and while we don’t raise domestic livestock, the farm is alive with wildlife. By caring for the land and maintaining diverse habitats, we support an incredible variety of birds, insects, amphibians, reptiles, and both 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 & Forest 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 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 additional support or special requests for your tours or program during registration.
Farm & Forest Wonders summer camps, field trips, and 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.
Field Trip FAQs
Our field trips are 2 hours long by default and cover a lot of ground on our 60-acre farm. If you would like to arrange a shorter or longer 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 field trip request form. To make changes to your booking, email us at ubcfarm.farmwonders@ubc.ca to make any additional requests. Please wait for us to confirm the requested time is possible for our leaders.
We do offer field trips and tours Monday through Saturday, but unfortunately, we're unable to accommodate evening sessions. The latest start time for a field trip and/or tour is 4pm. The farm is closed on all Sundays and some holidays.
Please email ubcfarm.farmwonders@ubc.ca to make any additional requests. Special field trip and tour requests will be subject to the availability of staff.
All of our school field trips and 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 field trip and tour staff 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 sessions!
Your field trips and tours will begin at the main farm gate at your scheduled 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 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 fees for field trips depend on the size and age of your group.
| Class Type | VSB Cost | Non-VSB Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Small class (15 or fewer students) | $125 | $160 |
| Grade K-3 (16-22 students) | $180 | $230 |
| Grade 4-12 (23-30 students) | $245 | $310 |
If you have any questions, or if cost is a barrier, please send an email to ubcfarm.farmwonders@ubc.ca
In the unlikely event that a tour must be cancelled, all fees for a cancelled program will be refunded, or participants will be given the option of rescheduling the tour. If you cancel more than two full business days before your scheduled tour, we will provide you with a full refund minus a $10 transaction fee.
- If you fail to arrive at your field trip without cancelling in advance, there is an additional $20 administrative fee applied to your invoice.
- If you cancel your tour less than two full business days in advance, we regret that we are unable to offer a refund, and you will be billed for the booked tour. Cancellations must be sent to us via email at ubcfarm.farmwonders@ubc.ca
At this time, we can accommodate up to 30 children at once on a field trip. If you hope to have more than 30 participants, please reach out to ubcfarm.farmwonders@ubc.ca so that we can discuss alternative options!
We want you and your participants to feel safe while visiting us at the UBC Farm - we are open to having as many chaperones attending your field trip as you need. Please reach out to ubcfarm.farmwonders@ubc.ca if you have any concerns!
We love hearing from people who have visited the farm! If you would like to share feedback on a field trip or tour that you have received, please send us an email at ubcfarm.farmwonders@ubc.ca.
Parent FAQs
At the moment, we don't offer much programming specifically geared towards individual children during the school year, though we hope to expand our programs very soon! That being said, our current opportunities for children and youth are currently:
- Spring Break Camp run by UBC Camps at the UBC Farm
- Volunteering in the Children's Garden and/or other areas of the farm independently (for youth 14+)
- Volunteering in the Children's Garden with parent or guardian supervision (for children under 14)
Although not explicitly geared towards children, we also have our Farm Markets on Tuesdays (4-6pm), Wednesdays (10am-12pm in front of the UBC Bookstore), and Saturdays (10am-2pm) are great places to bring children!
Farm & Forest Wonders maintain a minimum of a 1:10 staff to camper ratio at all times, and also have camp volunteers that 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 Farm & Forest Wonders leaders at drop-off on the first day of camp.
Same thing goes for if you're attending a field trip - please let the staff know your group's dietary restrictions and allergies to help in the planning process for your session.
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 on that day (or before), as we do spend time out and about on the wider farm.
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 email ubcfarm.farmwonders@ubc.ca to chat about potential opportunities for you!
In order to volunteer with our Farm & Forest Wonders camps, you must be at least fifteen years old. Please reach out to us at ubcfarm.farmwonders@ubc.ca if you're interested in volunteering between July and August.
If you'd like to volunteer in the Children's Garden with garden maintenance, you won't be required to complete a criminal record check. However, if you're interested in working with children at the Farm & Forest Wonders summer camps, you will need to provide a criminal record check.
There are two options for obtaining your criminal record check:
- Option one: Request a new criminal record check here using Access Code: 5PCL84F4HC
- Option two: If you are new to Canada, or otherwise unable to use the online system, apply using this form. Bring your completed form and your photo ID to the UBC Farm office or your UBC Farm volunteer orientation to have your request submitted and ID verified.
Our minimum age for volunteering with the summer camps is 15. If you have any questions about this process, please don't hesitate reaching out to us at ubcfarm.farmwonders@ubc.ca!