Forts & Foraging

Aug 4 – 8 | Monday – Friday | 9:00 am – 3:30 pm

Ages 5-7, 8-10 & 11-13 | $570 + tax

In this week, we will explore shelter building and grow our understanding of our plant friends! From foraging for nutritive teas to scouting shelter building materials and learning how to camouflage in the woods; with plants we can thrive in nature. By the end of the week, the knowledge we gain will leave us feeling inspired and empowered!

Did you know? Trees communicate and share nutrients with one another through an underground network of fungi in the soil!

Challenge Level

Drop-off/Pick-up Times and Locations
We are offering two drop-off/pick-up locations to choose from: Patrick Smith Park and Swan Park. Swan Park campers will meet at 8:30 am and be shuttled to Patrick Smith, leaving at 8:45 am to join the other campers. Pick up for all groups is between 3:30 – 3:45 pm at their respective locations.

 

Scholarship Application

Register

Para registrarse en español, haga clic en el botón Registrarse arriba y seleccione español en el menú superior derecho del sitio web de Active. Para obtener ayuda, envíe un correo electrónico a: hello@sfmountainkids.com.

 

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foraging in the forest summer camp

Repetition is Good!

Why Repetition Matters in Nature-Based Learning

At Mountain Kids! camp, you might notice that certain themes, stories, and activities reappear from year to year—like building survival shelters, exploring insect habitats, or learning how to purify water. This repetition isn’t just tradition—it’s intentional, and it plays a powerful role in your child’s development.

Here’s why children thrive when themes and experiences repeat in outdoor education:

1. Familiarity Builds Comfort and Confidence

Returning to a familiar story or activity—like hiking a beloved trail or learning how to whittle—gives children a sense of security. In nature, where so much can change with the weather or season, predictable rhythms help children feel grounded and safe.

2. Mastery Through Repetition

Each time a child revisits an activity, they deepen their understanding and build new skills. Whether it’s identifying birdsong or safely using hand tools, repeated practice allows campers to grow more capable and confident each year.

3. Deepening Learning Over Time

Nature is a rich teacher, and repetition gives children the chance to notice more details with each encounter. A frog pond visited last year becomes a deeper source of curiosity this year, revealing new layers of learning as their brains and interests develop.

4. Emotional Connection and Joy

Familiar activities carry emotional memories. Singing the same campfire song or walking the same morning trail evokes joy, creates traditions, and builds a lasting bond with the natural world.

5. Pattern Recognition and Seasonal Awareness

Repetition in nature—like watching leaves change color each fall or tracking animal tracks in the snow—helps children recognize natural cycles. These patterns foster ecological awareness and support early scientific thinking.

6. Lifelong Learning and Transferable Skills

As children repeat and refine their outdoor experiences, they begin to apply what they’ve learned to new situations—understanding how weather affects different ecosystems or how teamwork improves a group project. This generalization is key to lifelong learning.

In Nature, Every “Repeat” Is a New Discovery

Even when we revisit the same activities, nature ensures that no two experiences are ever exactly alike. With each return, children notice something new, grow a little more, and deepen their connection to the world around them. That’s the magic of learning through repetition—especially when it’s rooted in the rhythms of the natural world.

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foraging in the forest summer camp

Foraging in the Forest

Summer Camp Week 2: June 3-7, 2024

Foraging in the forest is an exciting week learning about plants as allies, tools, medicine, food, and fun!

On Monday, we explored plants as shelter by using down, dead and dry aspen to build the base of our shelters, and learning about Old Man’s Beard, Pine, and Grasses to waterproof our shelters. Trees and plants also served as great hiding spots for a classic game of Eagle Eye. Our Hummingbirds (youngest campers) got very excited about making their personal plant page; building their curiosity about each new plant friend.

Tuesday was tool day, exploring the uses of Yucca to make cordage, soap and clothing. We also talked about the uses of plants and made a salve to illustrate the many uses of plants. A hike to the Hyde Park waterfall was a wonderful way to cool off on a hot day in the mountains. Our oldest campers (Eagles) gained experience with safe knife-use learning how to whittle to make a spear, or a pair of chopsticks.

On Wednesday and Thursday we explored plants as food and medicine on the Big Tesuque trail; collecting edible plants to make nourishing and yummy teas. Of course, every conversation about edible plants includes a caveat that campers are never to eat any plant without permission from an experienced and knowledgable adult. We learned about edible dandelions and talked about juniper, mullein and some plants to avoid (Monk’s Hood).

Friday at the Norski trail was an opportunity to learn to identify trees, tell stories, and press some of the plentiful wildflowers in the forest. Team building with games like Otter in the Water and shelter building gave everyone an opportunity to consider how to work together toward a common goal; an important skill to bring back into our daily lives.

What a wonderful week of plants and playing in the mud (Eagles). Thanks to our plant expert, Bek, for designing the curriculum for a fun and educational week of foraging in the forest.

foraging in the forest
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August 19: Cooking Adventures in Nature

Monday morning greeted the Mountain Kids with the chance to harvest apples at the beaver ponds, which of course included some tree climbing for those who felt called to do so!

The Eagles were very successful in the apple hunt, picking more than 200 apples in a short amount of time! They did most of the coring and slicing of apples to make apple sauce for everyone to take home. (The Hummers would have their turn on Thursday with the peaches!)

On Tuesday morning we sliced and strung apples to dry them for a lovely dried fruit snack.

The remainder of the day was spent hiking at Tsankawi,
part of Bandelier National Monument. The children learned about how the Ancestral Pueblo people once lived. While enjoying lunch in a wonderfully cool cave dwelling. Mountain Kids learned of the many different types of food and animals in the local area and the ways in which the Native peoples would have gone about harvesting and hunting them for food.

 

On Wednesday, we headed out to Rio en Medio, where we were able to gather fallen acorns and experience the sweet taste of freshly plucked red currant berries and a few raspberries along the trail.

The heat of the afternoon was spent splashing about the crisp river water, creating dams and building boats from nature to sail down the river. On our travels back to Santa Fe, the Mountain Kids spotted a couple of beautiful fruit trees full of apricots and apples, which they harvested for a juicy afternoon snack! Foraging sure is fun, and tasty. 🙂

The Eagles hiked to the Rio en Medio waterfall, crossing the river many times, an adventure in itself. It was a challenge if you wanted to keep your feet dry!  We and had a blast getting wet and exploring the frigid waterfall at the end of the hike.

That afternoon the Eagles headed to Chupadero for our Cooking Adventure Campout. We roasted our dinner in the ground (Chicken, sweet potatoes, and corn), learned how to use a handdrill and bowdrill to start a fire, and pitched a large shade structure to provide respite from the hot sun.

We enjoyed time around the campfire roasting apples, apricots and telling stories. A quick rainstorm didn’t deter us from a fun evening under the stars.

 

 

 

 

 

Thursday morning started with an early trip to the Tesuque Pueblo, where the Hummingbirds and the Eagles joined together to pick peaches for the Pueblo people.

In return for the hard work gathering the fruit, we were able to pick our own peaches to enjoy and take home. Soon after we found our way to Chupadero where we spent the afternoon slicing peaches for a fruit compote and practicing archery.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everyone got to take home fresh peaches that afternoon. YUM!!

With our bellies full of sweet fruit, it was nice to spend Friday playing in the woods and exploring our creative side. The Mountain Kids headed up and into the mountains where we spent the afternoon building shelters at Aspen Vista, creating hand made bows, arrows, and spears (from sticks, rocks, and yarn). It was a ‘sweet’ end to a super sweet and tasty week of foraging, eating, camping and archery! What an awesome end to an amazing summer 2019! Thank you families for being a part of it! 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

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