About Us

“Magic.”

A word I’ve always loved and one I believe truly exists.

About seven years ago, my husband Jamie and I began driving to Northern Michigan each summer to drop our sons off at camp. The first year, we stayed in hotels. The second year, we brought our camper and stayed a little longer. Then we bought a small piece of land just to have somewhere to park. That began our wandering journey.

While searching for property one day, we drove past an old farmhouse with a simple sign nailed to a tree: “10 acres for sale.” I remember thinking we couldn’t possibly afford it, so we didn’t call.

The next year, without GPS, we turned down random roads and somehow kept ending up back at that same farmhouse.

This time, we stopped.

Janette greeted us and told us it had been her parents’ dream farm. She said she hadn’t sold it yet because she hadn’t found buyers who would love it the way they had. Instantly, we felt like we belonged here too even though we had no idea how we’d make it happen.

Then something incredible happened. The exact amount we needed for the down payment arrived in the form of an unexpected life insurance check.

MAGIC

Five and a Half North Farm was named after the 5.5-hour drive it took to arrive here. Over time, the land transformed us. Jamie poured himself into restoring the farmhouse. I balanced running my cleaning business, raising our boys, and longing to be here more often. Watching this property slowly come back to life changed something in both of us.

Time slows down here.

With Bear Lake down the road, Lake Michigan minutes away, and rows of Christmas trees standing steady season after season, this land holds stories and it holds growth.

As a child, I lived outside. We built forts, created worlds, imagined endlessly. I learned so much simply by being connected to nature. I always encouraged that same imagination in my own children, inside and outside. There is something powerful about unstructured space and fresh air that builds confidence in ways nothing else can.

After building and selling a business and spending years coaching and leading women through seasons of growth, I realized something simple:

Children deserve that same space.

Room to wonder.
Room to explore.
Room to imagine.
Room to grow steady and strong.

Farm Club was born from that belief.

Children’s Farm Club is a small-group, nature-based experience for ages 5–10.

It blends free play with guided rhythm on a farm designed for exploration. Children gather in our sunny circle, build in the sand studio, wander the Christmas tree groves, and play inside living sunflower teepees.

Every child receives a Sandbox Journal, not as homework, but as an invitation.

A place to sketch, imagine, reflect, and record their discoveries. A keepsake of growth.

Farm Club is intentionally small because connection matters. Presence matters. Slowness matters.

This is just the beginning.

The same land that grows trees and sunflowers is growing something more, a space where families gather, children build confidence, and eventually, where women will retreat, reflect, and rise too.

But for now, we begin with the children.

I created this space because I remember who I became when I was free to run barefoot and imagine wildly and every child deserves a place where growth happens not in chaos, but in safety, wonder, and room to rise.

And I cannot wait to see what grows here next. 🌻✨

🌻 Children’s Farm Club

Five and a Half North Farm | Bear Lake, Michigan

A small-group, nature-based summer experience for children ages 5–10.

Note: This is not a complete list of activities

Farm Club is rooted in wonder, imagination, movement, and steady growth, designed to give children something simple and powerful: space.

Space to build.
Space to climb.
Space to imagine.
Space to belong.
Space to grow.

🌿 Program Details

Monday–Thursday
10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Limited to 10 children per session

$260 per child, per week
Multiple child family discount available
Parents welcome on site

Each day includes two guided activities, outdoor exploration, creative time, and a healthy snack break all anchored in a calm, predictable rhythm.

🌻 Our Featured Experiences

🌻 The Sunflower Teepee Village

Three living sunflower teepees designed for imaginative play, storytelling, pollinator observation, and quiet reflection.

🌲 Plant Your Own Pinecone

Children will plant a pinecone from our Christmas tree groves and learn how trees begin, grow, and stand tall season after season.

They’ll explore questions like:
• How does a seed become a tree?
• What do roots really do?
• Why does growth take time?

🌾 The Sand Studio

Inside our open hanger, children build, create, and explore in a natural sand environment using loose parts, sticks, bark, and stones.

This is where imagination runs wild and confidence quietly builds.

☀️ The Gathering Circle

Our round outdoor sun pad becomes a space for:

• Morning welcome
• Shadow experiments
• Movement games
• Storytelling
• Gratitude rituals

It is where we gather.
It is where we belong.

💛 The Friendship Circle

Each week includes intentional time for children to practice kindness, sharing, listening, and leadership in a safe, guided setting.

We believe confidence grows through connection.

Timber Balance & Exploration

We’ve created a thoughtfully designed movement and gathering space featuring reclaimed 1800s farm doors, hand-cut log seating, and a supervised balance log for climbing and coordination.

📖 The Sandbox Journal Experience

Every enrolled child receives a complimentary Sandbox Journal.

This is not homework.

It is a portable “sandbox” for the mind and a place to:

• Sketch what they observe
• Record sunflower growth
• Draw their pinecone planting
• Write gratitude reflections
• Capture their discoveries

The journal becomes a keepsake, a tangible memory of who they were becoming during their week on the farm.

📖 About the Sandbox Journal

In a world of instant access and constant distraction, the Sandbox Journal invites children to slow down, imagine freely, and think deeply.

Created by author Deb Burger, the journal is designed like a “portable sandbox” 

A place where children can create, explore, build, and express themselves using words, drawings, and ideas. Just like play in real sand, journaling becomes a space for experimentation, storytelling, and self-discovery.

The Sandbox Journal encourages children to develop a lifelong habit of reflection and creativity while strengthening writing, observation, and imaginative thinking skills.

Each enrolled Farm Club child receives their own copy to use throughout the week and take home as a keepsake.

👉 Learn more about the Sandbox Journal here: Sandbox Journal: Burger, Deb, Jain, Vivek: 9781774821886: Amazon.com: Books

🌱 The Sunflower Steward Experience

Each child will:

• Pot and plant their own sunflower
• Participate in watering and observation
• Ask questions about sunlight and soil
• Take their sunflower home

They learn care.
They learn patience.
They learn pride.

🌻 The Sunflower Village Fall Gathering

A Founding Farm Club Tradition

Every enrolled child receives complimentary access to return in the fall for a private Sunflower Village Gathering.

This special event includes:

🌻 Exclusive access for enrolled children
🌻 Younger siblings welcome at no cost
🌻 A celebration circle
🌻 Time in the blooming sunflower village
🌻 A professional keepsake photo

This is not a public festival.

It is a return.

A moment to see how much they and their sunflower have grown.

🌿 Why This Exists

Five and a Half North Farm was born from a 5.5-hour drive north and a belief in magic.

I created this space because I remember who I became when I was allowed to run barefoot, imagine wildly, and learn from the land and I believe growth doesn’t happen in chaos. It happens when children feel safe, seen, and free to imagine who they are becoming.

Farm Club is intentionally small because connection matters. Presence matters. Slowness matters.

We are growing something steady here.

And this is just the beginning.

🔗 Enroll Now
Spots are limited to 10 children per session.

Five and a Half North Farm
Bear Lake, Michigan

Submit the registration form below to save your spot.

If you have any issues, please email fivenorthfarm@gmail.com 

Once registration is confirmed, a full list of daily activities will be sent to your email.

There will also be a farm preview day in the spring pending weather.