The Honeycomb Kids Area

Flying around and over us, the stiltwalking bees delightfully bumble their way through the fairgrounds in search of a giant, stiltwalking bouquet of flowers. Keep an eye out for these rare, larger-than-life specimens as they dance through the crowds in a symbiotic tango that's as old as the hills. Yet another natural wonder of the Kickapoo Valley!

Shawn Lavoie and AnnaJo Doerr have been stiltwalking together since 2006 and have performed at the KCF five times. Both are movement teachers at local schools, Three Rivers Waldorf School in La Crosse and the Youth Initiative High School in Viroqua. Teaching students to be larger-than-life is a great thrill, and they are happy as honeybees to be fluttering around with Youth Initiative students today.

Feel like climbing, jumping, participating in organized cooperative games, digging in a pile of sand or a pit of clay? Come buzz around the Honeycomb backyard and toss a frisBEE into the mouth of a huge flower or build your own bee skep or honeycomb.

Come find out about some of the incredible insects that call the Kickapoo Valley their home! We'll learn about insects' bodies and the special adaptations that allow them to live in unique environments. Kids will decorate a bug jar before heading out on a walk around the KCF grounds to see what we can hear and see, and we'll watch for interesting examples of how insects and native plants help each other out! Kids will get to take their bug jar home with them for future expeditions and observations.

Meaghan Gustafson has been an early childhood educator for 10 years, primarily teaching preschool, kindergarten and first and second grade students in a variety of settings.  She is currently the first grade teacher at La Farge Elementary.  She has been leading early childhood sessions at Kickapoo Valley Reserve Summer Camp for the past several years. Meaghan and her family live outside La Farge where they raise ducks, bees, and vegetables.

Gather around for activities that bring kids together for laughter and learning. Hop inside the giant stretchy band or grab onto the rippling parachute as we explore how cooperation gets the job done – with fun!

M-o-o-ove on over to the Honeycomb Kids’ Area for traditional fun during the Farmer Olympics! Join us for ridiculous races, goofy challenges and more – all with a farming twist. 

WFU Kamp Kenwood is supported by the Wisconsin Farmers Union Foundation, whose programs for all ages foster family farming, rural life and education on the role of cooperatives and agriculture. Since the 1930s, our summer camps have developed cooperativeness, leadership, citizenship and social justice awareness for rural and urban kids.

Kids large and small are invited to have their face painted. Whimsical designs that brightens the face and refreshes the spirit.

A colony of honeybees is an amazing cooperative community. Join us as we explore the life of a honeybee and some of our native bees as well. Try on some beekeepers' equipment, and peek inside a honeybee hive! Members of Hands-On Beekeeping, a local club, will be on hand with an observation hive.

HOB (Hands-On Beekeeping) was started about eight years ago to help and educate and support the small and hobbyist beekeeper. The club meets monthly, traveling to the yards of members who have bees, or working the Organic Valley hives. We lend support and a helping hand while experiencing what to do in our own yards in a given month. Members do not need to have bees; in fact, it's a good way to see if you enjoy the hobby before investing in a lot of equipment. HOB members also give educational programs and attend events throughout the Kickapoo Valley.

What do you get when you mash peanuts, honey, oats, dry milk and butter and roll it in a ball? Enjoy “The Myth and Magic of Bees” presentation and stay afterwards to make a delicious honey treat.

Presented by Tent Staff

Experience the plants!  Come one, come all!  Come see, hear, smell, touch and taste.  Join us for simple and fun hands-on activities for kids of all ages.

This activity is sponsored by the Coulee Region Herbal Institute (CRHI), an organization based in the Driftless Area, serving as a resource for herbalists and wild food enthusiasts in the Upper Midwest (MN, WI & IA).  One of our goals is to make connections to help facilitate a strong network of regional herbalists and wild food educators who promote the safe, wise & sustainable use of plants. CRHI members Carol Jacobs (Winona, MN), Faith Anacker (Bloomingdale, WI) and Jess Krueger (Viroqua, WI) will be leading this children’s activity. They are long-time students of the plants, avid gardeners, wildcrafters and herbal educators.  Jess is also editor of “Fireweed,” a grassroots herb-zine.  

What could be better than a cool, sweet treat on a hot summer afternoon? You got it – ICE CREAM. Bring the whole family and learn new and traditional methods of making ice cream. Come prepared to crank and roll.

Presented by Tent Staff

“Larry Long is doing what more singers and songwriters should be doing: using music to help people learn to work together, and bring a world of peace.” - Pete Seeger

Larry Long, called "a true American Troubadour," has made his life work the celebration of American stories, community, history makers, and everyday heroes. In a curriculum called Elders' Wisdom, Children's Song, he has brought these heroes to the classroom to share their oral history with our younger generation.

As director of Community Celebration of Place he works with communities to use music, performance, art and oral history to bring together people of different backgrounds to honor and celebrate our commonalities and differences.

Now a Smithsonian Folkways recording artist, Larry has sung at major concerts and festivals throughout the United States and world. At KCF he will be performing between keynote speakers and playing a sing-along with the children.

Bio for the Honeycomb Kids’ Tent Coordinator

Animal Area

10 am - 6 pm

We bring the farm to you! The Animal Tent will feature bunnies, chicks, ducklings, pot bellied pigs, pygmy goats and lambs (weather pending). Also, proudly welcoming the Vernon County Humane Society who will be providing a sneak peek at some local animals that need a good home!

Make friends with you favorite farm animals!