Our whole mission is to create rich experiences.
We want Ruby Ranch to provide kids with the opportunity to free play, build with their hands and interact with animals at every class we offer. We want to teach kids about the farm, how to safely handle tools and let their creativity shine during our classes. Sign up for classes/camps below.
Summer Camps 2024 are now LIVE!! Camps are for children ages 5-11. We also are hiring Junior Camp Guides again this year for ages 12-18 years old! This is a volunteer position for young leaders in our community that enjoy working with kids, being outdoors and around animals. You can register for these positions from April 1st -April 15th by clicking here.
At Ruby Ranch we emphasize the importance of being outdoors and engaging in hands-on experiences and exploration. We encourage all campers use their five senses to learn and discover. During their time we will focus on respecting each other, the animals, the plants and ourselves. At every camp we will spend time interacting with the animals, playing games/scavenger hunts and making crafts. Each of these events will directly correlate with the camp’s theme! We offer small camper to staff ratios, daily farm adventures, and nature discoveries make camps a fun and engaging introduction to life on the farm. You may sign up for one camp or all 9! We also have automatic discounts set up so if you buy more, you save more. This applies automatically for siblings attending the same camp and/or purchasing multiple camps!
All camps are ONE day from 9:00am - 4:00pm.
Campers will bring ONE SNACK and their LUNCH. We will supply the afternoon snack!
Fun on the Farm with Autumn Acres Farm - $75
June 11th or June 12th
This day camp will kick off our 7th summer of camps! Throughout this camp, Ruby Ranchers will explore the wonders of nature through authentic farm experiences. They will experience rich outdoor adventures by exploring our wooded areas, playground features and of course all the time they will spend interacting with all the baby animals! Campers will spend time feeding and brushing our goats and horses, they will interact and feed our alpacas and tending to baby farm animals like kittens, bunnies, ducklings and chicks! Then in the afternoon campers will spend some time with Miss Cheryl from down the road at Autumn Acres Farm. They will investigate unique facts about sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds, taste seeds and even do some planting! All campers will end the day with a tractor ride around the farm on a hayride! This camp is all about letting the campers truly enjoy a day on the farm!
Sweet Summertime - $85
June 25th or June 26th
At this camp we will kick off the the the dog days of summer! Every camper will paint a fun Hello Summer popsicle wooden sign, enjoy water activities and make some refreshing summer snacks. They will learn different techniques for making bracelets to share and exchange with others! Then campers will get to take their artistic skills out into nature and paint some designs in the goat and alpaca area! This is was summer memories are made of! Let’s get crafting!
Horse Camp with Hasse Farms - $100
July 1st or July 2nd (Note this is a monday or tuesday only)
Giddy Up! We are kicking off the 4th of July with American Pride by offering this beginners Horse Camp with Hasse Family Farms. At this camp your child will get lead around on Horses and/or Ponies. We will also campers them how to properly feed, brush, braid and saddle horses and unsaddle horses. We will also spend our day painting and assembling a horse sign, interacting with our other farm animals and playing outdoor games. Let’s get galloping!
Survivor Camp - $80
July 9th or July 10th
Our Survivor Summer camp teaches campers the power and amazing value of the natural world as they learn to survive and thrive outdoors. Campers will learn skills and techniques in the morning. In the afternoon they will work in teams with a camp guide to build a shelter, tie knots, start and keep a fire going, win challenges, and try to prove their team is self-reliant and strong! All activities will be age appropriate and build self esteem!
Flower Power with Little Roots Flower Farm - $80
July 16th or July 17th
Discover the power of art in nature! Using natural materials and inspirations, campers will paint, design, print and explore the wonders all around us, provided by our outdoor spaces. We will work with Molly from Little Roots to learn about a variety of native flowers and then each camper will arrange flowers in their very own vase! Campers will also put on a bee suit to walk through our flower garden to get up close and personal with the bees that are working amongst our flower gardens. At this camp we will also have each camper make their own mason bee habitat to take home to continue to help support our pollinators!
Scaly, Slimy, Slippery with Pet Expo - $75
July 23rd or July 24th
We will en-GROSS ourselves in exploring interesting creatures in our ecosystem, and all the wondrously weird things they do from worms, to to frogs and snakes! Grab your nets, because catching crickets & butterflies is just the beginning. Your child will also get hands on while learning facts about how to care for some interesting creatures! Pet Expo is teaming up with us to show us scorpions, hissing cockroaches, snakes, lizards and tree frogs! We will bee sure to have a bug-tastic time at this camp!
Camp Olympics with JP Fitness - $85
July 30th or July 31st
This camp is all about Summer Olympics 2024 in the outdoors. Campers will travel to Paris for athletic games, STEM challenges, puzzles and team relays to win gold, silver and bronze medals! During the morning they will do fun exercises, drills and learn techniques and in the afternoon they will play games and learn new skills! All ages and skill levels can come! Kids will work with staff from JP fitness to complete physical challenges and solve puzzles throughout the day so they can learn and play the activities that interest them! This is going to be such a fun way to try different sports and outdoor activities. Your child will be sure to go home exhausted from their day of fun in the sun!
The Greatest Show - $95
August 6th or August 7th
Ladies and gents this is the moment you've waited for! During this summer camp finale we will have a Stori's Cotton Candy, carnival games, water gun painting, farm animals to pet and feed, tug of war, parachute activities, watermelon eating contests and Making Faces Mankato will offer intricate face painting and balloon animals! This is a carnival and a summer send off that you don't want to miss out on!
Wild & Free with MEI - $85
august 13th or august 14th
Are you up for a full day of outdoor adventure?! At this one day camp we will shoot BB guns, Slingshots and Bow & Arrows. Campers will also explore the new elements to our outdoor ninja warrior courses and learn some tree climbing techniques! MEI staff will bring some of their staff out to also help campers learn outdoor safety techniques! Then each camper will get to design and assemble their own marshmallow shooter to use at camp and then take home