Our Spring and Fall farm activities are organized for groups of 20 or more. If you'd like to invite a bunch of friends or extended family to make a group of at least 20, we can likely accommodate you during our Fall Weekend Hayride Groups in October. But if you're simply looking for a petting farm near us where your small family can visit for a few hours, we recommend Domino's Petting Farm in Ann Arbor. If you are interested in our Summer Day Camp program, you can sign up your child by clicking the Enroll button in the menu bar along the top of the page. Summer Camp is open to individual families.

Tuition is collected on a week-by-week basis. Tuition for the entire week is due on the first day of the week that your child attends camp. For example, if your child’s first day is Monday, then the tuition is due on Monday for the entire week (or the amount of days that your child will be there that week). Payments can be made online through the Parent Dashboard (a 3% service fee is included) or you can drop off cash or check on the main floor of the barn at drop off. The $10.00 per day deposit will be credited toward each week’s tuition.

Each day your child should bring: a lunch (with extra snacks) in an igloo cooler with an ice pack a bathing suit and a towel marked with their name (preferably in some sort of bag or backpack) if they plan to go swimming an insulated water bottle change of clothes in case they get dirty wear socks and shoes each day - sandals NOT recommended for the farm sunscreen and bug spray Every Thursday is a field trip day. Check the calendar of events for field trip destinations. Your child MUST wear their camp t-shirt on field trip days and you have the option of giving them extra spending cash for the field trip (for snack and souvenirs). Most parents drop off the cash with our "Camp Bank." This is a system where we keep all the camper's cash in a lock box and bring it to the field trip. Once we arrive at the field trip, your camper can come to the bank and withdraw cash as needed. This is process helps to reduce the number of incidents in which a camper looses their money. If you have an older camper who wishes to keep their money in their backpack or wallet, that is allowed. Be aware that Real Life staff cannot be held responsible for money outside the Camp Bank that is lost.

Your child only needs to wear their camp T-shirt on Thursdays, which are field trip days; however, they may wear them anytime.

Please call to let us know whenever your child will not be in camp. Because Real Life has reserved a space for your child, there can be no refunds for days missed. If you would like to cancel days scheduled, you can email reallifefarm@yahoo.com. If you give a 2 week notice of your cancellation you will not be charged the full tuition for the days you are cancelling. However, the $10 per day deposit is non refundable.

If your child will need to take medication while at camp, please fill out the Medication Permission and Instructions form and upload it to your Parent Dashboard. All medication must be in the original prescription bottle with the camper’s name clearly written. Your child's medication needs will be entered into our medication log and there will be a counselor designated to give out medications each day.

The state requires that there be one counselor, at least 18 years of age, for every ten campers. Real Life Day Camp is state licensed and abides by this rule. When at the pool, Canton's Summit on the Park lifeguards are on duty, and our staff joins them as aquatic observers.

Children are grouped according to age for roll call (morning attendance) and for field trips. After roll call the counselors are assigned specific activities to supervise for the morning, and the children have their choice of where they would like to go. They do need to be with a buddy, and they must be at a supervised activity at all times.

Real Life Day Camp swims at Canton Summit's indoor pool. The pool is located at 46000 Summit Parkway in Canton Township. We travel by our school buses to the pool. The campers join the Summit’s open swim session. We swim on Monday and Wednesday each week unless noted otherwise in the Calendar of Events. The Summit maintains a more than adequate staff of professional lifeguard supervision. In addition, all Real Life counselors have obtained “Aquatic Observer” training and also supervise the pool. Children who are 48 inches or less are required to swim with a life vest. This should be clearly marked with their first and last name. In the event that the Summit is closed, the camp may swim at Mack Pool in Ann Arbor, or Lower Huron Metro Park in Belleville or rent a blow up water slide to be brought to the farm as a replacement "water" activity for the day.

Swimming is optional for the campers and about half the camp usually chooses to go to the pool each day. That means that half our staff go to the pool as well, so during those hours (1-4) some farm activities will be closed due to the lower number of staff on the property. If you plan to pick up your child during swim hours (1-4) you can put their name on the Swim Stay-Back list when you check them in at checkpoint that morning and we will make sure the do not get on the bus that day. If your child wishes to go to the pool, make sure you pack them a backpack with swim suit, towel, goggles (if they want) and a life jacket (if they are under 48 inches) with their name clearly marked on all items.

No, you do not need to sign your child up for horse back riding lessons. Riding is included as one of the camp activities. Any camper who would like to become involved in our horseback riding program should report to the corral immediately after roll call each morning to sign up for lessons that day. Horse-back riding is an open option for any camper to join. In the morning we teach our beginner riding lessons where the children will learn "stop, start and steer" and, when they are ready, begin to trot. We have 6 levels of horse back riding on the farm. As your child continues to come to lessons the instructors will let them know how to move up through the levels. The first two levels of riding happen before lunch, and the advanced riding levels ride after lunch. If your camper has taken riding lessons before coming to camp, have them report to beginner lessons and ask the instructor to evaluate their riding to see which level the instructor feels is appropriate for your camper to start in.