Tree Frog Summer Camps
2024 Summer Nature Camps for Ages 5 - 7*
“Winter will pass, the days will lengthen, the ice will melt in the pasture pond. The song sparrow will return and sing, the frogs will awake, the warm wind will blow again. All these sights and sounds and smells will be yours to enjoy, Wilbur—this lovely world, these precious days…”
Each of the five weeks of Tree Frog Camps presents a new nature theme for the young child to explore this summer. Sign-up for all five week-long sessions in the series or choose those that match your child’s interests. We’ll be hiking, crafting, learning wilderness skills, and discovering more about our place in the web of life. We like to keep our mentor/child ratio small to allow children to get to know one another and their summer mentors well, so spaces are limited. Parent participation is welcomed but not required.
Tree Frog Camp Info:
Days: Monday - Friday
Time: 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Tuition: $415/Week
Location: El Chorro Regional Park and SLO Botanical Gardens
Camps fill up fast. Don't miss out!
*Younger students with prior camp experience may be considered for Tree Frog Camp with mentor approval. Please contact info@outsidenow.org with your request.
Fox Walkers!
JUNE 24 - JUNE 28, 2024
Ages: 5 - 7
Mentors: TBA
Let’s challenge our senses with blindfold and awareness games or learn how to disappear into the landscape with nature camouflage! We will tune into our "body radar" by getting really still and listening to what our bodies tell us. We’ll learn to walk softly over the land to get closer to wildlife (or play the trickster with friends)!
Animal Tracks!
JULY 01 - 06, 2024 (Mon-Sat with no program on Thursday, July 4th)
Ages: 5 - 7
Mentors: TBA
Let’s learn to move like the animals move through games, stories, and tracking adventures on the land. We'll search for tracks and signs that tell us where animals live and how they live–predator or prey? Let’s learn the language of the birds who alert us to the movement of predators. We’ll gain greater understanding of how every living being has a place in the web of life!
Wildcraft!
JULY 08 - JULY 12, 2024
Ages: 5 - 7
Mentors: TBA
Let’s learn some wilderness skills: how to make fire by friction, twist plant fibers to make cordage, identify wild edibles and native plants, or develop knife safety and carving skills. We will practice skills that are interesting and empowering for the children who show up for this camp week. We'll play games, explore the land, and work on new skills or crafts to share at home!
Into the Wild!
JULY 15 - JULY 19, 2024
Ages: 5 - 7
Mentors: TBA
Let’s get on the trail and visit a favorite location at El Chorro Park each day: creek spots, climbing trees, Eagle Rock! We’ll figure out the direction we are traveling and make some maps of our journeys. When we’re out on the land, we may build shelters, practice sit spots, or play games to orient ourselves in nature. This week will strengthen our bodies!
Lizard Catchers!
JULY 22 - JULY 26, 2024
Ages: 5 - 7
Mentors: TBA
Isn’t it a child’s instinct to want to catch lizards, frogs, and even snakes? But, what do we need to learn so that we safely follow our natural curiosities and passions on the landscape? It is true that some snakes can hurt us, some lizards can bite us, and some spiders we don’t want to catch, but if we learn which particular species this is true of, then we can be free to catch lizards and harmless snakes to our heart’s delight!