By Rick Wright

Staff Writer

As Romeo the rooster crowed in the background and strutted about the barn, Katherine Gavel’s kids gathered around her. Piled in front of Gavel were chicken eggs the children had plucked from the hen house.

Doing farm chores might seem like work to some, but for these children it was nothing but fun.

The children were attending Farm Camp, a summer day camp for children ages 4 to 10. Designed to teach children environmental literacy, it is held at Turkey Hill Farm, an organic farm in Cape Elizabeth.

The campers listened as Gavel talked about the number, size, shape and color of the eggs.

The children also asked questions and made observations about the eggs.

“There’s a bug on this one,” shouted one child. “This one’s hot,” said another. “This one’s really small,” a third child said.

Later in the morning, Gavel’s group painted ceramic pots and filled them with soil and seeds for fruits and vegetables. Each child was allowed to take a plant home.

In another part of the farm, campers in Lauren Pongans’ group fed pigs penned behind a low electric fence.

Owen Richards, 7, of Portland said he liked the job because, “(pigs) like to follow us for food when they see us.”

“My kids are using pig slop provided by local restaurants to slop the pigs, which is their supplemental food in addition to grain,” said Pongon, 23, of Portland and a counselor for three years. “All of this food is local and it’s really a community effort to feed the pigs because we couldn’t feed them on our own.”

After feeding the pigs, Pongan’s group got a lesson in gardening when each child planted a small strawberry plant. After carefully watering her plant, first-time camper Isabella Borduas, 7, of Cape Elizabeth said she liked planting strawberries, however, “seeing the goats” was her favorite activity.

The camp is designed to help youngsters develop an appreciation for nature by growing, harvesting and eating organic vegetables. They also feed and care for farm animals including pigs, chickens, ducks and goats.

In addition, children learn by reading nature-based literature such as “Charlotte’s Web” and performing child-centered activities such as hunting for frogs, building fairy houses and digging potatoes.

Led by a counselor and junior counselor, children are divided into groups of 12. Their daily schedule includes lessons about gardening, farm animals, forest habitats and pond life.

Co-Directors Holly Sheehan and Kevin Brewster started Farm Camp six years ago in Cape Elizabeth. Last year, they added a second Farm Camp at Morris Farm in Wiscasset.

Sheehan previously worked at a similar camp at Wolfe’s Neck Farm in Freeport. After moving to Portland, she partnered with Brewster, a longtime friend, to create their company called Farm Camp LLC.

Aside from the program at Wolfe’s Neck Farm, Brewster said he doesn’t know of any other farm camps in southern Maine.

Broadturn Farm in Scarborough offered a similar camp a few years ago, but it is now defunct, Brewster said.

Parents like the program because it gives children a chance to get away from technology and have real instead of virtual experiences, Brewster said.

“Cell phones are turned off. There’s no (video games) here. It’s an unplugged kind of throwback,” Brewster said. “When I talk to parents, a lot of activities that we’re doing are things that they did when they were kids. I think a lot of parents appreciate that.”

When she’s not running Farm Camp, Sheehan, a Portland resident, works for the Maine Appalachian Trail Club.

Brewster, a Portland resident, is a full-time teacher at Reiche School in Portland’s west end.

Gavel, an 18-year old counselor has worked at Farm Camp for six years.

“I started as a junior counselor and just kind of worked my way up,” Gavel said.

What does she like most about the job?

“I love being outside. Having hands in the dirt fun encompasses everything we do at Farm Camp. Just being able to work outside with the kids in a natural environment is just awesome. That’s why I keep coming back,” Gavel said.

Rick Wright can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 237 or news@inthesentry.com.