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A sense of wonder that lasts a lifetime

ACA accredited, nature-oriented, and non-competitive – summer day camp for children & year-round workshops for people of all ages

In 1985, our founder Ed Bieber was approached by parents asking him to begin a summer program based not on sports or competition, awards, color wars, or pressured schedules, but instead one that was based on cooperation and each child’s inherent connection to nature. Family-owned and operated for 33 years, The Nature Place has grown into a vibrant community of campers, families, staff, alumni, and friends. Our mission, which feels more important than ever, is to foster connections – to ourselves, to each other, and to earth.

Summer Camp

The Nature Place Day Camp

July 1 – August 9, 2019

On 200 beautiful acres in Rockland County, New York, we bring you The Nature Place Day Camp, 6 weeks of summer camp for children ages 4-16 (shorter enrollments available). Campers come to us (we bus) from Manhattan, Brooklyn, Rockland, Westchester and Bergen.

Connecting to nature through outdoor play and hands-on experience is the heart of our camp. The nature of our camp is cooperative: the games we play, the way we (campers, staff, administration) interact with one another, and the way we treat the earth. Hiking, earth art, swimming lessons, mucking in the stream, camping, canoeing, climbing, farming and gardening, meeting animals, storytelling, music, archery, cooking and drama, are some of the many ways we engage with each other and the earth.

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Farm & Garden Days

August 12 – 16, 2019

A small, specialized, hands-on farm, garden & nature experience for children ages 5-13.

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Passages

August 11 – 16, 2019

A week-long overnight wilderness experience that provides a nurturing and meaningful rite-of-passage experience for adolescents ages 13-16.

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Art & Earth

August 12 – 16, 2019

An art & nature-based program for young people ages 9-14 who have a passion for visual art and who find inspiration in nature.

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Year Round

Free Public Events

Ongoing events for the whole family

Get a little taste of summer at one of our free year-round events. Bring your family, friends, and neighbors to tap a maple tree, see some outragehisss pets, forage for wild edibles and more!

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Primitive Living Skills

2018-19 Dates TBD

An immersive, hands-on program designed to build a foundation in knowledge and techniques that have been passed down for generations – sessions for children & adult.

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Visit Us

The best way to get a sense for our camp is to come visit. Though our Open Houses & Camp Tours are over for the season, we offer several free events for whole family during the Summer. Visit our Calendar for details.

Finding Us

Located on the campus of the Green Meadow Waldorf School and the Threefold Educational Center, we explore, play in, and learn from 200 beautiful acres of farmland, gardens, trails, woods, fields, streams, ponds, and swamps. Find more ways to meet us here.

From the Blog

Where to find us in 2019: Calendar of Events

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Looking to meet us in your neighborhood, check out our campus, or come to one of our public programs? Check out what’s happening, where, and when, by clicking the links below! Click here for dates and locations of Camp Fairs in Manhattan & Brooklyn, NY and Montclair & Ridgewood, NJ. Click here for dates of Open […]

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@thenatureplacedaycamp

“Direct sensuous reality, in all its more-than-human mystery, remains the sole solid touchstone for an experiential world now inundated with electronically generated vistas and engineered pleasures; only in regular contact with the tangible ground and sky can we learn how to orient and to navigate in the multiple dimensions that now claim us.”

David Abram