Happy and dirty kids returning with stories and songs from the mountains each day!
The Animal Kingdom: Massive Mammals, Bees and Butterflies, Oh My!, Super Hikers (or Wee Wanderers!) and Wilderness Awareness, The Power of Plants and Photography, The Earth is Our Playground: Dirt, Compost and Clay and The Wonders of Water and Plein Air Painting!
Mountain Kids is offering 10 weeks of camp from May 9 – August 9th!
Mountain Kids Summer Camp, for ages 5-9, is back for its fourth nature, wonder, and fun filled summer! This year we are offering an additional thematic layer to each week. Have a look below at the opportunities to explore photography, plein air painting, or challenge your child to be a super hiker or wee wanderer!
We will travel via the Adventure Vehicles from the Children’s Museum to the beautiful Santa Fe National Forest and Bandelier National Monument, to Jemez Falls and the Rio en Medio to name a few of our destinations. We are agile enough to adapt plans based on weather and the environment. Base Camp days occur once or twice weekly, and are a great time for campers to play in a more intimate forest environment, to recharge, to create bigger art projects, to imagine, to make forts, play games, and sometimes have a visit from a special guest.
Two distinct age groupings will ensure each child is met at their own developmental stage. We feel strongly that free play is essential for all of our children and provide time for campers to engage in free play during each day’s adventure in their own way.
Mountain Kids Activities include:
- exploring nature’s playground
- imaginative play
- stories
- songs
- dramatic play
- cooperative games
- nature-based games
- nature-based art projects (photography, ceramics, and painting during specific weeks)
- personal challenge activities (low ropes, hiking, and just being outside all day!)
- team building games
- wilderness skills
- an abundance of FUN and silliness!
- getting dirty
- cloud watching
- water play
- yoga!
Camp will begin after Memorial Day, and run for weekly sessions, four days/week. In the works are a Big Kids Challenge week for 7-9 year olds who want to challenge themselves on some big hikes, as well as a Plein Air Painting week for young artistes who want to combine hiking and nature exploration with landscape painting and art making. Of course, there will be immersion in nature for all ages, with lots of fun, exploration and adventure! Stay tuned for more info and a new website coming soon.
Until then, here are a few images from last summer’s fun:
How many mountain kids does it take to hug one cottonwood tree? (at the Leonora Curtin Preserve)
Mainly muddy at Little Tesuque Creek…lots of messy fun to be had!
Enjoying a shady cave on an amazing day trip to Tsankawi, part of Bandelier National Monument.
Climbing down the big ladder at Tsankawi (notice the smoke in the Sangres from Pacheco Canyon) Pray for Snow!
Findings… great still life material!
Happy Camper!
Owen and Zubin off to “Meet a Tree”, a great trust-building and getting “in touch” with nature activity.
