The last thing you want this summer is to get a phone call from a trembling child, pleading with you to come pick him or her up at summer camp on account of unfriendly tentmates, inedible food or drill-sergeant counselors. It's natural for kids to get a little bit homesick — that's part of growing up — but you want to make sure your kids get sent to a camp that's right for them.
You may already have some idea which five questions to ask camp directors, but maybe you need a little more inspiration. The following summer camps are pioneers in combining environmental education with a fun, safe, worthwhile experience — one that is sure to last a lifetime.
For example, Bainbridge Island, Washington's IslandWood offers a wide range of sleepaway and day programs throughout the year for everyone from young children to grad students and adults. The beautiful, 255-acre outdoor learning center brings top-notch opportunities for enrichment in science and the arts together with a strong commitment to the environment and fun.
The facilities at IslandWood are nearly as breathtaking as the surrounding land and seascapes. The camp prides itself on being a model of evolving sustainable practices in addition to serving as an outdoor classroom. An adorable tree house overlooks a bog, one of six different natural elements in the camp watershed. Campers learn about compost, plants, the water cycle, ecosystems and much more, all hands-on. Visit islandwood.org.
The National Audubon Society has a long history of providing life-changing experiences in nature. The group's first summer camp, Hog Island, opened in 1936 in a storybook Maine setting off the coast of Bremen. It made big impressions on the likes of Rachel Carson and Roger Tory Peterson.
Today Hog Island Audubon Center is home to a great variety of sleepaway summer camps for youth, teens, adults and families. Learn about Maine's unique coastal wildlife, take a birding adventure, or just get away from it all. Maine Audubon even offers financial aid.
Other opportunities for summer fun and learning abound from Audubon. If you can't get away to a summer camp, also don't forget that Audubon has many nature centers around the country (including in urban areas like Los Angeles and Brooklyn), many of which offer exciting programming.
Also in Maine is Tanglewood 4-H Camp and Learning Center, a nonprofit partnered with the University of Maine. The goal is "to leave no child or adult inside," and a range of opportunities include learning about sea life, forest ecosystems, sustainable living and much more.
Through Tanglewood's organic gardening programs, campers learn about the many benefits, and challenges, of going organic. Fresh food, as local as can be, is used in camp meals. That sounds a lot better than PB&J and bug juice!
Want more camp ideas?
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Reprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Inc.
Photo credits: IslandWood; NYSDEC
