Creative Activities
Earth Art
Did you know that ‘art’ is in the middle of ‘Earth’? We utilize the earth’s materials and motivations, nature’s beauty and wonder, and combine all this with the creativity and imagination of children! We often bring our art materials out (or used found materials) to one of our 200 acres for an art experience in the apple orchard, next to the Fairy Stream or in the cool, deep woods. We paint, sculpt, draw, sketch, extract natural colors, use bark/sticks/rocks. We think outside-the-box and ponder new art ideas.
Games & Initiatives
Our Games and Group Initiatives program (and our entire camp) is non-competitive and cooperative. Our program enhances coordination, confidence, and self-esteem, while incorporating many sports skills. We emphasize inclusion so that everyone participates and is active, rather than just a few. As campers get older, we focus on Group Initiatives that require campers to assess a challenge together, come up with possible solutions, and then accomplish a goal as a group.
Animal Encounters
Wildlife rehabilitators Bill and Brian Robinson bring incredible animals large and small, feathery and scaly, for us to learn all about, and cheer in awe as the flying ones soar overhead!
Music
Every day at the Nature Place begins with music and song during Morning Arrival. Nature’s rhythms are identified and enjoyed throughout our camp day. Our music activity leader brings old favorites, new songs and encourages an open ear and a sense of sonic wonder through playful musical exploration.
Drama
With nature for inspiration, during Drama campers will play theater games, improvise, plan and practice skits, laugh a lot, sing, learn how to project, imagine and create. Over the course of the summer, each camp group prepares a small theatrical performance complete with costumes and scenery sources from nature.
Chickens
Campers love going up to the chickens to feed them, gather eggs, and most of all, hold one! We learn about the eating and living habits of chickens, watch them pick bugs off the ground with their beaks, and find out what makes a rooster crow.
Cooking
Our cooking program, designed to enhance nutritional awareness, focuses on using fresh, organic, locally grown ingredients, and natural sweeteners. As often as possible we use produce from our organic/biodynamic gardens. We have a beautiful kitchen facility where many of our cooking activities take place, but we also like to give campers a chance to try cooking out-of-doors – over a campfire, using a camp stove, and even experimenting with solar ovens.
Gardening
We have beautiful biodynamic gardens at The Nature Place, where campers plant, weed, harvest, eat and learn all about the fun, challenging and satisfying experience of growing and gardening. Flowers, herbs, trees, roots and vegetables of all sorts need different kinds of care, and with over 100 varieties of plants growing in our two gardens, we certainly get a wide range of earthly experience.
Farming
Campers will have opportunities to visit Duryea Farm of the Fellowship Community, located on our large campus. This is a real working farm with cows, the only remaining dairy farm in Rockland County. Campers will tour the farm, say hello to the cows, sheep and chickens, visit (and smell!) the hayloft, see where milk is processed, check out the rows of biodynamic vegetables and help the farmers with harvesting or other farm tasks.
African Drumming & Dance
With beautiful instruments and highly skilled instructors, campers learn drumming and dancing techniques and rhythms from various regions of Africa. Campers start out with the basics and by the end of the summer are able to perform complex sequences!
