• Please enter the farm using the North Farm Driveway closest to the Yellow Farmhouse
• Parking is available near the Yellow Farmhouse or on Harris Road
• Please follow signs directing visitors toward the Learning Farm areas of the farm
• We welcome your visit anytime between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m., April 15th through December 15th

Register now for Children's Farm Camp.

Find out more about the Great Pumpkin Gang!

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Farm campers carry their harvest in from their garden to prepare a farm-fresh snack.

The Prairie Crossing Learning Farm inspires young people and adults to understand the importance of healthy food, land, and community through experiential education and work on an organic farm. The Learning Farm is one of the only organic farms in Lake County to offer educational opportunities to children. It uses three acres of land, several greenhouses, a children's garden, and a henhouse as outdoor classrooms. Learning Farm education programs rely on staff that have expertise in both agriculture and teaching.

The Learning Farm is a program of the Prairie Crossing Institute, an educational, non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to foster constructive, learning-based action in all areas of life, especially for environmental stewardship, sustainable growth, and organic agriculture. The Learning Farm and the Institute are located within Prairie Crossing, a conservation community in Grayslake, Illinois, widely recognized for its preservation of open land and sustainable agriculture.

Find out more about our guiding principles.

Programs

Students bundle grains they harvest to dry them for making flour.

Farm-based education
The Learning Farm works with 375 students from two local schools: the Prairie Crossing Charter School (grades K-8) and the Adolescent Program of the Montessori School of Lake Forest (grades 7-9). Students from both schools are engaged and excited about their lessons and work experience on the farm that integrate agriculture with learning about science, math, nutrition, social studies, and economics.

Henhouse Helpers

Henhouse Helpers care for the flock of organic, free-range chickens.

This dedicated group of volunteers helps take care of our flock of free-range chickens. The volunteers rotate days to feed the laying hens and collect, wash, and pack the eggs. The Learning Farm uses the hens and their organic eggs to teach students math, science, and a sense of responsibility as they care for these farm animals.

Pumpkin Gang members pose with their harvest.

Great Pumpkin Gang
Students in Grades K-8 grow pumpkins and three sisters' crops from seed to table. During this after school program, students make pumpkin pie kits, cook with pumpkin, build pumpkin vine forts, and care for a plot of land during weekly meetings after school in the spring and fall (April through November). They also work together with their parents and other families to care for their crops over the summer when school is not in session. (Find out more.) Great Pumpkin Gang culminates with a booth at the Edible Harvest Festival where students share their learning and their harvest with the wider community. Follow this link for a fresh pumpkin pie recipe.

The Learning Farm Children's Garden

Children's Farm Camp
This summer day camp provides children ages three to nine with an opportunity to enjoy the outdoors as they explore where their food comes from on a working organic farm. Children learn about growing food, insects, soil, and chickens and prepare fresh snacks from the farm. 2008 registration for Children's Farm Camp begins in February. Register now for Children's Farm Camp!

Local families choose plant starts to purchase during the Organic Plant Sale.

Seasonal farm events
Events at the farm are open to the public and help to inspire young people and adults to understand the importance of healthy food, land, and community.

Join us at the...

Growing with Nature: Organic Plant Sale
Saturday, May 10, 2008, 9:00 am-1:00 pm
Station Square at Prairie Crossing 977 Harris Road, Grayslake IL

Come purchase organically grown flower, vegetable, and herb starts during this fun, family event. These plants are perfect for starting your own garden or for giving away as Mother's Day gifts.

Edible Harvest Festival- Last Sunday in September
Sample locally grown food, enjoy a wagon tour of the farm, buy student-grown pumpkins, and meet your local farmers. For more details visit www.edibleharvest.org.

Get Involved!

Receive our Email Newsletter
This is the best way to stay up to date on Learning Farm educational offerings, summer camp programs, volunteer opportunities, and events. Send an email to ncapizzi@prairiecrossing.com to be added to our email list.

Volunteer
Volunteers of all ages help to maintain the Learning Farm as an outdoor classroom and lead children's activities. To date, volunteers have contributed over 8,000 hours of service collecting eggs, planting, maintaining, and harvesting crops, and supervising children during farm camp. We offer regular opportunities to help with the chickens or the field work from March to November. Summer volunteer opportunities working with the Children's Farm Camp are from June to August. Junior Counselor positions offer youth ages 12 and up an opportunity to gain teaching and leadership skills, as well as community service hours and personal reference contacts.

Staff

Nicole Jain Capizzi, Program and Farm Manager
Nicole has been at the Learning Farm since 2004, working to develop our farm-based curriculum and educational farming systems. She holds a certificate from the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems at the University of California Santa Cruz, and completed training as a Master Gardener in King county, Washington state. Before coming to Prairie Crossing, she spent 5 years working and volunteering as a gardener, nursery buyer, horticulturalist, and landscaper before developing and teaching garden curriculum for children with Americorps.

Dianne Boulay, Event and Volunteer Coordinator
Dianne joined the Learning Farm in 2008. She also volunteers in the Henhouse Helper program and Great Pumpkin Gang. Dianne holds a Bachelors Degree in Sustainable Agriculture and Horticulture from Evergreen State University in Olympia, WA and completed the Master Gardener and Master Composter/Soil Builder trainings in King County, WA. She spent 5 years working with Seattle Tilth educating homeowners about Integrated Pest Management and organic lawn and garden care practices.

The Learning Farm also relies on the contribution and expertise of seasonal employees.

Contact Us

For more information on the Learning Farm and how you can get involved, please contact Nicole Jain Capizzi at 847-548-4062 x 14 or ncapizzi@prairiecrossing.com.

Location

The Learning Farm is located at 32400 N. Harris Rd. in the Prairie Crossing Conservation Community off of Route 45, just south of Route 120 in Grayslake.

Once you are in the Prairie Crossing community, follow the signs for the 'Farm'. We are within walking distance of the two Libertyville/Prairie Crossing Metra train stations. For detailed directions on how to reach Prairie Crossing, click here.

Next: The Prairie Crossing Farm Market