Do your kids thrive being outside, exploring and learning in forests and fields while having a whole lot of fun?

- FULL for 2024 -

9:30 am - 3:30 pm

Honeybee Homestead

McDonalds Corners

We also have Summer Drop-In

Learn about summer drop-in

and Youth Summer Camp (9-14 years old)

Learn about Youth Camp

FAQ: I have a 9-year-old and 10-year-old, what’s the difference between the Summer Day Camp and the Youth Summer Camp?

The Summer Day Camps are geared towards emergent child-led learning and play with less structured activities.

The Youth Summer Camp has scheduled activities focused on building skills, exploring creative art forms, and spending time outdoors.

Your child’s interest and their stage of development will determine which camp will be the best fit for them.

Here at the Homestead, days are spent exploring the lush fields, forests, wetlands and gardens, with hands in the soil, catching frogs, harvesting fresh berries, peas, carrots, and herbs for teas, building forts, and playing games.

As the days heat up, our days slow down with storytelling, learning about animals, insects, and plants, crafting, preparing foods and water games. Fires are built on cool rainy days to warm up.

Kids get lost in play.

We focus on a child-centric environment where your kids have a chance to explore their innate curiosity through their five sense. Herbs, flowers and veggies can be tasted and smelled, furs, antlers and feathers can be touched, plants, insects, and animals can be identified by sight and the soundscape of The Homestead can be heard.

A big part of the adventure is being responsive to what emerges.

This means if we’re out on a walk and your child stumbles across a bird, a fallen tree, fungi, some larvae, a plant or scat - and it has them asking questions, we’ll pause, check it out and explore the possibilities of what stories nature is telling us.

With a small group, it gives room for everyone’s interests to be explored.

Outgoing and quiet kids blossom and thrive in camp.

“There’s no way that we can help children to love and preserve this planet if we don’t give them direct experiences with the miracles and blessings of nature.”

— Anita Olds

Kids will thrive at camp if they…

Love the outdoors
Are curious about nature – plants, animals, insects, rocks, water, etc.
Are eager for summer forest adventures, like building forts, playing games, foraging for berries and catching frogs and can walk upwards of a few kilometers.
Like to tickle their senses tasting garden goodies, identifying plants, listening to wildlife, smelling herbs and flowers and feeling the grass between their toes.
Enjoy preparing and tasting fresh veggies, herbs and edible flowers.
Dig being in the garden, hands in the soil, tending to plants and harvesting and foraging.
Flourish in environments led by emergent, hands-on experiential learning
Have a wild imagination
Gets lost in the wonder of exploring and discovering nature’s mysteries
Are nourished by the freedom that comes with spending days outside
Enjoy crafting with natural materials
Are game for a week of summer fun!
End the day covered in the dust of the earth and stories to tell

SUMMER 2024 is FULL

Days are filled with

Exploring

Wandering and wondering through the gardens, forests and fields.
Nurturing curiosity, inquiry and observational skills about landscapes, plants, animal tracks, and rocks - while attuning to the environments in the season of summer.
Observing life who inhabits the Homestead like the tall standing ones, two wingeds, four leggeds, etc.

Building skills in the herb + veggie gardens

Befriend the plants through planting, identification (seeds, sprouts, full grown) and everyone’s favorite - harvesting!
Using all five senses to learn from plants in the teaching garden: sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste.

Nurturing Creativity

Building forts.
Crafting with seasonal materials.
Storytelling.
Playing games.
Journal observations - writing, drawing, collage, etc
Preparing foods harvested from the garden and forest.

Summer camp is all about connecting to nature while lost in play.

Kids have a chance to

Create seasonal crafts inspired by nature
Develop and nurture new friendships

Begin to develop plant identification skills and wildlife tracking skills
Nurture their connection to nature through play and emergent hands-on experiences!

Be free to explore, discover, learn and play outdoors all day!
Use all five senses whenever possible to enhance their experiences with the natural world
Place hands in the soil, learn to identify, tend to and befriend plant allies and connect with where food comes from
Have a voice in how their days come together