Connect a child to Nature through a Week of Camp!

There is a story from the Seneca People in the Northeast woodlands of the United States that describes winter as an old man with long white hair. Anywhere he goes, the ground grows cold, the animals flee, and the leaves shrivel and fall from the trees.  The grim picture of winter the old man depicts is far from the joy, learning, and growing we witness each camp day in every season. We teach skills that allow children to feel safe and warm outdoors during the winter and practice awareness techniques that enable campers to witness the beautiful and enchanting world around them even during the coldest months of the year.

We offer different themes of camp to accommodate the interests and needs of each child. They range from camps focused on skills to exploration-based camps that allow wonder and curiosity. Each camp also has a flow that allows children to be called to the questions and skills they feel most drawn to that day. In our Bushcraft Camp we teach old style skills such as tarp stringing, knot tying, fire making and whittling to help make the wilderness a welcoming place. Each camp week we watch children grow with the confidence that knowledge and skills bring. This pride and self-worth belongs to every child, and with your help we can send more and more children in our community to camp regardless of economic status. We can allow every parent to welcome their child home, as one parent, Laura Sokol-Meade, expressed, “filthy and smiling.”

During Bushcraft Camp and our other winter camps this year, it was truly amazing to see the excitement and eagerness of the campers that arrived on the first day of camp. Even before the camp day started children were taking charcoal out of the fire pit to see what surfaces they could draw on; they were asking questions about the vine they saw on the tree; and some were inches from the ground trying to figure out what animal left that print in the mud. We engaged this wonder and asked questions to encourage their curiosity. One parent commented that her daughter came home and the family spent “time around the dinner table looking up more info about something she heard”. By sending a child to camp you are awakening the child’s entire community to nature.

Last year we were able to give away 68 full or partial scholarships to families in need. We hope to support even more families this year. We have spring and summer camps right around the corner with requests already coming in. We need your help again this year to make a child’s time away from school full of exploration and worthwhile challenges in the outdoors.  Help these children grow into strong young adults by supporting them now and allowing them the chance to connect with nature on a deeper level this summer.

Links:

• Camp offerings