Underwriting support from:
Additional camp information:
Both camps run from July 30 to August 29.
For more information for the camps, contact the market.
/courtesy of the Grand Rapids Downtown Market
To add to their local vendor expansion and hour extention, the Grand Rapids Downtown Market is starting weekly food programs for kids.
Camp Sprout, designed for kids ages 6 through 11, will introduce young children to the basics of nutrition, the importance of gardening and the act of personal cooking in a four week program.
Starting July 30 and running through August 29, the camp will provide a new theme each week for the youngsters ranging from “Outdoor Adventure," designed to get kids comfortable with a greenhouse, to “Urban Farming,” a hands-on experience with farm life and understanding what goes into growing food. The cost is $110 per child for four weeks, with each week including three sessions per week.
Flavor Lab is the camp experience for an older crowd of kids age 12 through 15. Similar to Camp Sprout, the Flavor Lab is designed to get younger audiences experiencing and understanding the importance of nutrition, personal gardening and cooking. The Downtown Market says the Flavor Lab program was “designed for parents looking to turn their children into aspiring chefs.” The four week program explores international and multi-course foods with highlighted themes such as “Around the World” and “Spectacular Desserts.”
Flavor Lab will have longer hours than Camp Sprout with four three hour sessions on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Each three hour session costs $75 per teen.
The Downtown Market is aiming to be the “region's choice for fresh, delicious foods and amazing public market merchants.” Their vendors and programs range vastly in audience and format but are expected to stay within the Market's goal of being a “mixed-use facility that brings together production, distribution, marketing and education about local foods and growing.”
The extension of programs to include younger audiences reflects this goal. With additional programs like the childrens' camps, Grand Rapids Downtown Market plans to expand to a year round market with programming and offerings that expand well beyond finding local food for purchase.
The Rapidian, a program of the 501(c)3 nonprofit Community Media Center, relies on the community’s support to help cover the cost of training reporters and publishing content.
We need your help.
If each of our readers and content creators who values this community platform help support its creation and maintenance, The Rapidian can continue to educate and facilitate a conversation around issues for years to come.
Please support The Rapidian and make a contribution today.