The Magic of Farm and Forest Summer Camp

As spring fades into summer, we are counting the days until we are back with our community at Farm and Forest Summer Camp. We look forward to enjoying all of our favorite camp activities, and to making new memories that are unique to each session!

Nature Connection!

Farm and Forest Summer Camp fosters the whole child, developing social skills as well as nature connection through hikes, games, crafting, tending, and foraging. On any given camp day, children may be making natural paint and paintbrushes from plants, crafting bark baskets, connecting with plants and animals on a hike with their mentors, or learning about organic gardening at Fire Ring Farm. Kids develop skills and resiliency as they learn new things like how to make tea or herbal salves, build a shelter, or forage edible plants. At camp we also have the "Great Salad Off", where teams of campers make the best wild-foraged salad, judged by fearless mentors who evaluate on three categories: presentation, flavor, and all around greatness. By playing with friends, learning about and interacting with the land around us, and having so much fun doing so, we foster connections that plant seeds for lifelong environmental relationship and stewardship.

Community!

At Farm and Forest Summer Camp, children learn about and connect with all the living beings around them. Plants, flowers, bugs, birds, reptiles, and amphibians all become their co-campers, and lifelong friends are made. Camp mornings look like HUGE smiles, kids calling out to each other to greet their friends with a hug, and friendly mentors welcoming kids to camp. Each morning, we start with a big group circle where we talk about the land, ground in and share gratitude for something in nature, and sing together to start our day.

Staying Cool!

At Farm and Forest Summer Camp we have so much fun staying cool in the summer heat. The (very official) Everyone Outside Fire Ring Farm Palmer Taylor Preserve Farm and Forest Herbal Spa is always open on hot hot days to keep us all cool. Campers enjoy picking mint, sage, lavender, and other healing herbs from the farm, and adding them to buckets of cool water to make a luxurious foot soak. The hose is on mist mode, always ready to cool off eager kids who love going through it. Then there are favorite cooling-off games, like drip drip splash, sponge relays, and so much more. Of course, no hot summer camp day is complete without a trip to the near stream, or the clay stream, where kids can see frogs, toads, minnows, and dragonflies, make creations from natural clay soil, wade in cool water, and let their imaginations run free.

Child-led learning!

In addition to the great activities at camp, we also design our days around children's passions, and leave plenty of room for kids to be kids, unplugged, playing and using their imaginations in nature. Mentors come prepared with a host of exciting nature crafts, games, and activities, and they also follow the children's lead, focusing on their interests, wants, and needs for each day. Children often teach us so much about how to see the magic in little things, how a trip to a stream can become an epic game of imagination, and how to serve up some very "tasty" treats from our mud kitchen.

Nature Mentors and Mentors in Training!

Campers at Farm and Forest Summer Camp connect with Nature Mentors who bring an abundance of fun, warmth, and creativity, as well as a deep passion for connecting children to the outdoors. We also foster learning and growth through our Mentor in Training (MiT) program. In our MiT Program, young people ages 13-15 gain training and leadership experience in nature mentoring while exploring the natural world, and the kids get to know some amazing individuals.

Camp Culture:

At Farm and Forest Summer Camp, we value ALL campers being able to show up whole, and everyone in our community being able to experience belonging, nature education, and connection to nature. In service to our goal of approaching injustice from a healing perspective, we offer a monetary reparations acknowledgement to self-identified Black/Indigenous people of color (BIPOC) individuals for our paid programs. This is not offered as a reflection of financial circumstance but to prioritize decolonization and further equitable access to nature connection. We aim to lessen the generational impact of biased systems and return land and resources to our community. We also offer sliding scale camp fees and scholarships to ensure that nobody is unable to access this special community due to lack of funds. Click here if you would like to learn more about or contribute to our Camp Scholarship Fund!

Farm and Forest Summer Camp is an environment that creates opportunities for our campers and mentors to grow and be valued for all their uniqueness. We strive to hold space for and welcome the diverse individuality our community has to offer. We continue to connect with those around us and find new ways to offer nature connection to all. Each year we learn from each other. We are excited to grow and to spend another summer outside sparking joy, building connection, and warming hearts.

Everyone Outside wants to thank Sustainable CT, Community Foundation of Middlesex County and The Rockfall Foundation for their funding to support the scholarship program for Farm and Forest Summer Camp. Thank you to these and our other fantastic supporters & partners!

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Help send a kid to camp!

Can you contribute to our financial aid fund?

We rely on supporters like you to be able to offer sliding-scale tuition and extra financial aid.

Click here to learn the options to donate to Everyone Outside and help us refill our scholarship fund.