Sienna Ranch

Summer camp is organized as week-long, full-day programming with several themed choices for different grade bands. Farm Hands focuses on the routines of a working ranch. Campers care for animals, complete meaningful chores, harvest from the garden, make simple goat-milk or garden-based foods, and create with materials such as sheep wool. The curriculum also brings in age-appropriate specialty activities such as woodshop, gardening, and cooking, giving campers several ways to work with ranch materials and spaces during the week.

The nature themes shift the emphasis toward making, exploration, teamwork, and outdoor skills. Makers by Nature uses materials such as clay, wood, oak galls, and corn cobs for creative projects, with time in the surrounding hills. Natural Adventures centers on active play, archery, group challenges, hiking, and exploration. Survival in the Wild introduces shelter building, foraging, water purification, lost-proofing, navigation, and a final hike.

Equine Adventure divides the day between riding and nature experiences. Campers receive semi-private riding instruction and learn horsemanship fundamentals including horse care, safety, anatomy, tack, behavior, and herd dynamics. Riding may be replaced with horse-themed activities when heat or humidity makes exercise unsafe for the horses.

Meals are not provided, so campers should arrive with the food they need for the day. Farm Hands includes food-related activities that may involve goat or cow’s milk and occasional snacks from the garden. The camp asks families to record dietary restrictions and sensitivities during registration, especially for eggs, dairy, or wheat. Past Farm Hands cooking projects have included scrambled eggs, ranch dressing, butter made from cream, crackers with a gluten-free option, goat-milk smoothies, goat cheese, fruits, vegetables, and fruit-juice popsicles. Families can note sensitivities or request that a camper not participate in ranch snacks when completing the camper profile.

Campers are expected to stay with their group, wait at gates, show respect for themselves, other people, animals, and the environment, and arrive with the gear needed for safe outdoor participation. Sienna Ranch operates primarily outdoors and asks families to prepare children for sun, heat, rain, and changing conditions. Guidance includes hydration, sunscreen before arrival, hats, layers, close-toed shoes, and post-ranch tick checks. Instructors carry sunscreen in first-aid kits for campers who want to reapply. The ranch monitors air quality, weather, emergency services, and other safety information and may cancel programming when conditions are hazardous. Horseback riding can be adapted when heat or humidity is unsafe for the horses. Summer drop-off procedures also include Monday verification of camper and emergency information.

Families are asked to keep medical needs, allergies, dietary requirements, and emergency-contact information current in the Active registration profile. Campers who need medications, inhalers, or EpiPens carry them in their backpacks unless the family arranges for an instructor to carry a clearly labeled bag. Students must be able to self-administer medication; parents may need to confirm medication use by phone unless prior arrangements were made. Instructors are trained to administer an EpiPen when needed. The ranch asks families with specific medical requirements to arrange a check-in with the administrative team before the program starts. Some care tasks, such as blood-glucose monitoring, must be managed by the student.

Sienna Ranch describes its team as educators, animal caretakers, and land stewards who support nature-based learning across the property. Summer Farm Hands is led by staff with an interest in both youth and animals, while the broader program uses naturalist educators to guide outdoor learning, group activities, and practical skills. The organization publishes instructor biographies so families and students can learn about staff backgrounds before participating. Team bios include experience in areas such as environmental education, gardening, woodworking, early childhood education, and California naturalist training.

Families receive specific pickup and drop-off directions by email, and summer procedures use a Camper Verification Card during arrival and dismissal. The parent guide says the email newsletter is the primary channel for registration updates. Parents may have brief contact with instructors at walk-in pickup and drop-off; longer conversations can be arranged through the office. Urgent concerns can be directed to the administrative team, and weather-related cancellations are communicated to families by email.

For summer camp, families verify camper and emergency information on Monday and receive a Camper Verification Card for the week. PreK-K Farm Hands families park and walk campers to the designated area; families of campers in 1st grade and above use the drive-through drop-off and pickup lanes. The card must be displayed during dismissal. Families are asked to bring needed food, water, weather layers, and appropriate footwear. Early pickup is difficult while groups are active or hiking; when necessary, the published pickup window is during lunch between 11:45 AM and 12:45 PM, with no early pickups after 2:15 PM. Vehicles must turn right when exiting onto Deer Hill Road.