Plan for Overnight Camp 2024:
As in past year, we will monitor the COVID situation and base any decisions on protocols largely on the best practices of the American Camp Association, plus the thoughts of our camp families. As always, if we every have a health concern or health situation at camp, we will immediately call camp families.
Separately, we do plan on having more access to our camp nurse this summer. Plus, one of our returning counselors (former camper!) will be an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician).
Plan for Overnight Camp 2023:
We will continue to monitor the situation and implement policies in line with camp best practices. As usual, we will gather information from the American Camp Association and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and abide by practical protocols recommended by our local governing bodies.
For 2022: It's nearly June and we know Covid isn't going anywhere. So, we remain cautious and plan to keep the course. This year, we require vaccination and continue plans to test at the beginning of camp. As usual, we plan to be outdoors for most of the time (including meals), but, when indoors, we will wear masks (other than when in bathrooms or bunks). August is still more than a couple months away, so, if recommendations or requirements from the CDC, the local health authorities and the American Camp Association change, we will alter plans and keep you updated.
It's worth mentioning, we ran a fabulously successful camp program in 2021, and had no cases of Covid or sickness.
For 2022, Angelic Organics Learning Center (AOLC) is running their own overnight camp in July. Nature's Farm Camp will continue to run an overnight camp (at AOLC!), but, for this year, we will only run two sessions, both in August. Note: Nature's Farm Camp will also run two Teen Leadership Summits, the first happening over Memorial Day (at AOLC!).
We have confidence that AOLC will run great overnight camps without us. AOLC Program Director Laura spent decades in camping before her experience at AOLC.
A note on our camps: We know there's value in kids being exposed to peers who are different than them, while also learning that, no matter appearances, we have more in common than differences (especially with the things that matter, including laughter). Since the start (2015), Nature's Farm Camp valued a diversity in camper backgrounds and has always had a robust financial aid program. If cost is a financial burden, please send a note to tim(at)naturesfarmcamp(dot)org or call 773-580-7780.
Love & Peas,
Tim Magner
773-580-7780
P.S. On a separate, but related note: While we believe changing food and farming will help solve major problems, e.g. disease, poverty, pollution, and we immerse kids in fantastic food, we also believe that camp is a perfect environment to support childhood growth. The graphic below attempts to illustrate our goal.
The brown circle includes the skills we work to develop while the green includes the activities. For example, doing skits is fun, but we are also intentional about building social skills and creativity muscles, plus empathy. Or, outdoor living skills is as much about being forced to persevere (i.e. starting a fire is difficult!!) and gaining confidence as it is about the skill itself.
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