Roots & Wings

Youth Education Program Nurtures Connection and Confidence

Our Roots and Wings program provides youth with experiences that connect them to the land through hands-on learning and meaningful work. Through exploring the garden, the farm and the American River, youth gain an understanding of the role of the urban farm in the community and the ecosystem. The program focuses on experiential, hands-on learning in the garden, in the natural world and in the kitchen. Farm-based educational programming provides students with opportunities to become more aware of the important connection between our food, our health and the health of our environment. Our team of educators focuses on cultivating stewardship, building connection, encouraging physical health and empowering youth through education.

The greatest gifts you can give your children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence. ~ Denis Waitley

Roots and Wings offerings include: Field Trips, Summer Day Camp, Homeschool Classes, Teen Programs, Girl Scout Badges and Youth Volunteer Opportunities. Details are below.

Field Trips

All of our youth programs and field trip opportunities are extremely valuable experiences for the youth we serve. While each experience is unique, we weave in themes of gardening, environmental education and healthy eating in each of our hands-on interactions with agriculture and the natural world. Soil Born Farms hosts two types of field trips at the American River Ranch. Discovery Field Trips are one-time visits to the ranch that serve grades pre-kindergarten through high school. Our Exploration Field Trips invite a class of students to visit the ranch four times in a school year, allowing them to see the farm in different seasons and dive deeper into content. Upon your request, we aim to incorporate themes that are currently relevant to your classroom lessons.

Summer Day Camp

Students entering grades pre-K through 12 have the opportunity to attend unique, fun and educational summer day camps at Soil Born Farms’ 55-acre ranch located along the beautiful American River Parkway. With the variety of camp themes offered, youth are guaranteed to find something that peaks their curiosity and gets them excited. Through experiential learning, youth will learn more about all that this land has to offer. Participants will explore farm, field and forest environments. This memorable summer activity for your children has the potential to be life changing.
Summer Day Camp Details >>

Homeschool Classes

Roots & Wings offers classes throughout the academic school year for home school students. Our youth education program takes students on a journey through the seasons with a series of farm- and nature-based classes. Students ages 7 to 12 (grade levels 2 through 8) engage in 8 classes per semester at the farm and along the American River Parkway where they learn valuable life skills that encourage healthy living and stewardship of the land.
Homeschool Class Details >>

After-School Teen Programs

Our Teen Empowerment after-school program offers an opportunity for young adults ages 14 to 18 to engage with the natural world and deepen their connection to themselves, their environment, their health and each other. The Cook’s Club is an after-school enrichment program in which youth will participate in interactive, hands-on cooking experiences with local produce and organic ingredients. We also offer a Summer Teen Empowerment and Leadership Program that provides teens with the opportunity to gain work experience, develop leadership and learn important life skills.
After-School Teen Programs >>

Girl Scout Badges

Girl Scouts Heart of Central California and Soil Born Farms have collaborated to create various programs to meet the needs of Girl Scout Troops. Roots and Wings offers various opportunities to receive badges and attend programs that enrich Girl Scouts experiences. For more info, contact Amy

Volunteer Opportunities

Soil Born Farms highly values volunteers and we appreciate that youth in our community seek such opportunities. Youth volunteers usually work in and around the youth garden at the American River Ranch. Due to the nature of the tasks involved, volunteering at the farm is best suited for youth ages 10 and up. Volunteers under the age of 15 must be accompanied by an adult. Contact Vanessa