Below are some important updates for Cascade Mountain School summer camps. First, the million dollar question . . .will summer camp happen this year?
In these ever changing times, we unfortunately cannot provide a definitive answer just yet, BUT we can tell you how we plan to proceed:
May 15th is our decision date for how camps will occur this summer. We’ll let the latest guidance from the state of Washington inform that decision.
At this point we continue to plan for camps to run in their original fashion — in person, at our facility in Trout Lake. Registration is open, so get your campers excited and sign-up!!! If camps are cancelled, your registration fee is 100% refundable (Less the 3rd party processing fee — they aren’t refunding those yet, but we are working on them).
In the event that we’re not ready to gather together in person this summer, we are developing a new camp model, At-Home Adventures. At-Home Adventures brings camp activities to your doorstep. Each week, campers will receive a themed box of activities to help them engage in creative play and learning in your own home. Every day will start with a digital, morning circle led by our summer camp instructors that will highlight the day’s activities, share discoveries from the prior day’s fun and have kids connect with each other. After this brief moment of on-line time, it will be time to turn off the screen and get busy outside.
Since At-Home Adventures is a new development, we would like to practice the model by offering two, free At-Home Adventure Camps to the first ten campers that respond to our summer camp coordinator, Dana Rivkin. These two pilot camps are just being offered to families in the Gorge and will occur the week of May 11th.
The two camps are:
Budding Birders (Ages 6-8), May 11th and 12th, 10 AM Start Time
Let’s celebrate spring time together….you, me, and the birds! Get out your binoculars and take a look around you. Spend some time observing the birds in your backyard, neighborhood or nearby park. What birds or bird sounds do you hear and what might they be saying? What would you sound like as a bird? And food, what are those birds eating? Can you find where those birds are living? So many bird questions that inspire us to get curious, discover and create! This camp will first ask campers to draw, paint, sculpt, or build the birds they see. Second, listen and play with bird calls. Third, make bird feeders. Lastly, build bird nests.
Backyard Explorers (Ages 9-12), May 13th and 14th, 10 AM Start Time
Why not bring the adventure world of nature trails into your very backyard! During these two days campers will explore their ecosystem; taking a closer look at a specific outdoor area such as their yard, neighborhood, or nearby park. Observing these spaces near by, learning about who and what shares in their natural habitat. Campers will be asked to construct a micro-trail (an outdoor model version of a life size trail) considering the potential users, obstacles and impacts. They will share their trail virtually with the group the following morning. Diving deeper, that next day, campers will be asked to make a nature guide for their trail. Choosing 4 points of interest, plants, trees, or flowers that they want to study and describe to others through a medium of their choice. If time, students will be asked to make a map, so if one day a mini-friend, family member or even stranger might want to use the trail, they would not get lost!
If interested, email Dana at Dana@mtadamsinstitute.org and let her know what camp you want to register for.
Thank you for your patience and continued support!