Critter Barn

08/15/2026

🎉 FREE CHILDREN’S ADMISSION DAY! 🎉

We are so excited to announce that children’s admission to Critter Barn will be FREE on Saturday, September 5th, thanks to Haworth Helps!

Bring the whole family and enjoy a day of farm-tastic fun!

🐣 Children 17 & under get FREE admission!
🐰 Meet chicks, bunnies, goats, donkeys, alpacas & more!
🌱 Enjoy fun, hands-on learning opportunities!
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Make plans to visit the farm and take advantage of this special day made possible by Haworth Helps!

🎟️ Get your tickets ahead of time: www.critterbarn.org/events-1/visit-the-farm-free-childrens-admission-day

08/14/2026

Thank you to everyone who came out to Critter Barn’s Family Round Up! 🐷🎉

We had such a fun night filled with bounce houses, carnival games, face painting, yummy food, animal visits, and so much more! It was a great evening spent making memories while helping to support the farm.

A special thank you to Pronto Pup Grand Rapids, Burnips Equipment, TDZ Treats,
and GE Whitetails for joining us and helping make the event so much fun!

08/14/2026

THANK YOU to everyone who came to Critter Barn's Family Round-Up! Check out the winners of our two raffle baskets! 🎟️

08/13/2026

Critter Barn's Family Round-Up! is happening TOMORROW! 🤠🐮

Looking for a fun event for the whole family? Grab your boots and join us for an afternoon packed with farm-tastic fun!

Your admission includes ALL the activities, including:
🐐 Take an animal for a walk
🐮 Meet visiting Highland cows and other farm animals up close
🏰 Bounce houses
🎨 Face painting
🎯 Games, a bubble station, and more!

Come hungry! Pronto Pups will be serving up delicious food, with sweet treats available throughout the afternoon 🌭🍦

And did you know it takes about $3,000 every day to keep the Critter Barn running? That covers everything from feeding our animals and maintaining the barns to keeping our staff ready to welcome visitors.

When you join us for Family Round-Up, you’re not just having a blast—you’re helping us care for our animals, expand our educational programs, and keep the farm open for families all year long!

📅 TOMORROW — August 14
🎟️ Grab your tickets and learn more: https://www.critterbarn.org/family-round-up

08/12/2026

Critter Barn's Family Round-Up! is just 2 days away! 🤠🐐

We can't wait to welcome everyone to the Critter Barn for an evening of family fun on the farm!

🎟️ Learn more and get your tickets here: critterbarn.org/family-round-up

08/11/2026

Critter Barn is all set up at AgroExpo in St. Johns! 🐷🚜

We’re so excited to be here sharing our animals with visitors and connecting with everyone who’s here to explore the latest innovations in agriculture.

If you’re planning to visit the Expo, come say “hi” 👋

08/07/2026

We are excited to officially introduce our new CTE Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources teacher and West Michigan FFA advisor Grace VanKampen! 🎉🌾

Many of you already know Grace from her time as our Ag in the Classroom Teacher, where she has impacted thousands of students with her agricultural lessons. We are thrilled to see her step into this new role for the upcoming school year!

Through this program, high school students will have the opportunity to earn CTE credit while gaining real-world experience in agriculture, food systems, natural resources, leadership, and FFA—all right here on the farm.

Please join us in congratulating Grace on this exciting new adventure!

Please join us in welcoming Grace VanKampen to Hamilton Community Schools!

Grace will serve as our new CTE Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources teacher and West Michigan FFA advisor through the Critter Barn. A recent Grand Valley State University graduate, Grace earned her bachelor’s degree in Secondary Biology and Earth/Space Science Education.

Agriculture has been part of Grace’s life from the beginning. She helps on her family’s farm, raises sheep and beef cattle for 4-H students, and participated in FFA during high school. She is excited to share that lifelong passion with our students as we launch this new program!

Welcome to the Hawkeye family, Grace! 🖤💛

08/06/2026

Bubble station!? Just one of the fun things we'll have on Friday, August 14 for our Family Round-Up!, an evening of family fun while supporting the Critter Barn!

Your admission includes ALL of the activities, including:
🐐 Take an animal for a walk
🐮 Meet visiting Highland cows and other farm animals up close
🏰 Bounce houses
🎨 Face painting
🎯 Games, a bubble station, and more!

Come hungry! We'll have Pronto Pups serving up delicious food, along with sweet treats available throughout the evening 🌭🍦

Did you know it takes $3,000 a day to keep the Critter Barn running? That’s everything from feeding our animals, to maintaining the barns, to keeping our staff ready to welcome visitors.

By joining us at Family Round-Up, you’re not just having a blast—you’re helping us care for the animals, expand our programs, and keep the farm open for families all year long.

Purchase your tickets and learn more here: https://www.critterbarn.org/family-round-up

08/06/2026

Our Critter Crew had a great time on our August Field Trip to Integrated Packaging Machinery! ⚙️📦

Students learned how they design and build conveyor systems and packaging line integrations that help food and beverage products make their way from manufacturers to consumers.

One of the highlights of the day was watching a robot arm in action and seeing the incredible technology that powers modern food packaging!

To top it all off, our hosts treated everyone to delicious Hudsonville Ice Cream, packaged by one of their industry partners🍦

A huge THANK YOU to the IPM team for welcoming us and giving us a behind-the-scenes look at careers that combine agriculture, engineering, manufacturing, and technology!

08/05/2026

Today is the final Zee Bus visit to Critter Barn for the summer! 📚🐐

The ZeeBus will be at the farm from 11:45 AM–1:00 PM, and it's free with your Critter Barn admission!

Be sure to join us for a special Story Time with the Animals at 12:30 PM, then take home the book you read to keep the adventure going.