Which Outdoors Camp?
Parent Q&A
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All-outdoor camps for 2022?
–Jan 3, 2022Hi, I'm looking for all outdoor camps for elementary school grades in Oakland or Berkeley for 2022 and would love recommendations. Any great ones for hikes, nature walks, outdoor education, maybe also with some crafts and play time in an all-outdoor setting? I see some recommendations for 2021 and past years, but in case some closed due to the pandemic, I'm looking for recommendations for camps that are still open.
Jan 3, 2022Hi BPN,
Our pod is splitting up, so we're exploring other options for our 2nd grader. We're looking for an outdoor, masked situation in a stable group, for around 6 hours a day for 3-5 days a week that can complement the Distance Learning curriculum provided by the public school (we would stay enrolled). We're less concerned about the academics, but really look for an enriching, fun program where our kid can socialize and do things they would normally not get to do in a regular school year. Our kid loves being active, exploring nature and making things. We find it important there is social/racial justice integrated into the curriculum and a diverse student/teacher body.
I heard good stories about Forest School and Trackers Micro School. Can anyone share their experience there post-covid (so probably not the summer camp situation) or have you heard of other programs we would want to look into?
Thank you.
Oct 26, 2020Outdoor activities for 7 year old boy
–Sep 24, 2018Hello, I am a 100% single mom of a 7 year old boy who is really feeling lonely being an only child and fatherless. I would love to find a group of kids who do outdoor stuff together but don't require my presence every time. I looked into the Cub Scout but they require the parent to be there for meetings and outings/camping trips. Me and my son spend so much time together, I think it would be beneficial for him to be away from me sometimes (and I also need to be alone sometimes ;) Is there anything like this beside Boy Scouts ? I'm looking forward to your suggestions !
Sep 24, 2018
Archived Q&A and Reviews
Hiking outdoor summer day camp for 9.5 yr old girl
April 2012
Does anyone have a summer day camp that is outdoor based with hiking that can be recommended? My almost 10yr old daughter has asked specifically for this type of day camp but I am having a hard time finding anything. We are in Oakland. We would also need aftercare. Also, any input on ''Touch the Earth'' an outdoor day camp in Joaquin Miller..Thanks! a mama
Have you looked at Trackers , http://trackersbay.com/youth/summer-camps.php? Some of their programs are going to have a bigger hiking component than others - I'd bet a Rangers week would be good. They do have extended care until, I believe, 6:00. Hiking Mama
This Land is Your Land fits the bill (the name alone!) This is the summer camp offered by Sarah's Science. My kids have attended for several summers and are always itching for more. The camp is outdoors, all summer long, in local parks in Oakland, Berkeley, and San Ramon. The kids hike, swim, build forts, create interesting inventions and contraptions, and look for lizards and banana slugs. Simply put, they have fun and get dirty every day! I've met THE Sarah of Sarah's Science at camp a few times and it is clear to me that she is dedicated to the cause. She actually has written a few very interesting pieces about children and nature. See: http://www.sarahscience.com/pages/articles.html. Woody Gutherie Fan
There are a lot! Here's our list: Trackers, Sees the Day, Cal Explorers, Berkeley City Camps, Kids for the Bay, A World of Peace, Wild Ones Art Camp, One Generation, Monkey Business. Some of these are on our list of camps we want to try but haven't yet. We've done:
- Trackers: focus on outdoor skills, all outdoors, they do a great job teaching how to be responsible in the outdoors including leave no trace principles, how to be safe about things like knives. They throw in some cool fantasy stuff, like there was a dragon theme day over winter break where the kids searched for "dragons" (actually birds), and that makes it really fun for younger kids. This is the one I'd recommend the most for nature and hikes.
- Cal explorers: they had a little bit of indoor time but mostly outdoors with a huge range of activities - sports, arts and crafts, science/nature projects, dance, usually they have swim lessons but they canceled last year because of COVID.
- Berkeley camps: they have a few different ones, with a range of activities and prices. We did one of the playground-based ones and it was simple but fun - lots of free play on the playground with some arts and crafts and sports activities mixed in. Some of their camps go to more nature spots like the marina and tilden, we want to try one of those this year.
Most don't have registration open, except for Trackers which is already full for most weeks!
My son was just at Trackers (trackersbay.com) this winter break and absolutely loved it! Everything was outdoors, it was fun, and well organized. Last summer, he went to Cal Youth Camp, which was all outdoors as well, he got to play a lot of different sports and made friends. My daughter went to Monkey Business Camp in Tilden Park, and everything was outdoors in nature. They played games and made crafts, and she really enjoyed it!
My kid loves Sees the Day camp, which takes place in Tilden Park. it's all outdoor, there's some hiking (nothing too strenuous), outdoor education and storytelling and tons of outdoor free-play. https://www.seestheday.org/
Our family loves Adventure Day Camp. It's in Moraga, but they have a bus service that picks up and drops off in Montclair. It's not as much about outdoor education per se as it is just about having a lot of fun outside all summer. They do have some hikes, as well as arts and crafts, swimming, horse riding, boating, archery, and so on. In non-Covid years they also do a campout, though I'm not sure they'll be doing that this summer (they didn't in 2020 or 2021).
+1 on Wild Ones Art Camp. Pamela is wonderful, great setting exploring East Bay parks, art and hiking and enjoying nature. My son enjoyed it. They also offer school break camps too! (https://www.wildonesartcamp.com/) Pamela also creatively re-uses materials for projects, greener/smaller footprint, which I appreciate.
Last summer we also tried Call of the Wild camp (https://www.inspirebehavior.com/east-bay-outdoor-camps-reading-camps-wr…)
I've heard great things about Trackers but never could register in time (see other post re already mostly full). Not sure what the travel times are now in this COVID world, but had heard previously from friend's kiddo who did not like amount of time spent on the bus.
Our family loves Call of the Wild Camp in Berkeley and Oakland. They are all outdoors and focus on both nature education and play and exploration with hikes, nature walks, scavenger hunts, games, an outdoor library of sorts with book reading, storytelling and nature journal activities that include drawing/coloring. My son loves the mix of outdoor education and free play.
We had good experiences in 2018 & 2019 with Monkey Business at Tilden, and a good experience in 2015 with Roughing It at the Lafayette Reservoir (bus service from Berkeley/Kensington/Oakland), both all outside. Monkey Business just opened registration for summer 2022. Not sure about Roughing It, which is a bit more expensive, so it dropped off my radar.