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EARTHPLACE SUMMER CAMP 2010
Welcome to a summer of fun, learning and investigation! At Earthplace we use our 62-acre wildlife sanctuary as an outdoor classroom. On trail walks through the woods, meadow, stream, and pond, we often spot wildlife in their natural surroundings, including deer, turtles, hawks, wild turkeys and groundhogs. Every week animals from our indoor Animal Hall come to visit. Campers learn about many creatures and their habitats, such as turtles, snakes, frogs, birds, mammals, insects and other wildlife.
The themes change every week. There are many opportunities to explore new aspects of nature through hands-on activities, group games, field trips, hikes and crafts. Once a session, children in grades 1 through 4 go on area field trips. Some weeks our 3rd & 4th, and 5th-7th graders go canoeing. On other weeks the 5th-7th graders also camp overnight at Earthplace.
Each group has at least one group leader and two assistant counselors. Our staff are all experienced in working with children either here at Earthplace as a teacher or naturalist, or as a professional in a local school system. The camper to staff ratio ranges from 5:1 for the 3s to 7:1 for most of the other groups. The staff is selected for their enjoyment of and experience with the age group they are working with, and their love and knowledge of nature.
The camp has a nurse on the premises who is in charge of first aid and collecting camper medicals. All group leaders have First Aid, CPR, Medication and Epi-Pen training. We are also happy to have air-conditioned indoor classrooms to use on hot summer days.
What’s New?
Every Wednesday is Earthplace T-shirt Day! Your children can wear the shirt that they receive for being a camper this year or a camp shirt from a previous year. There will also be a special theme day every Friday. The special theme day will coincide with our camp-wide Sing-a-Long each Friday morning.
Our session topics for each week will be camp-wide. However, each age group will experience and learn about the subject at their appropriate age level. As always, all ages will be involved in active learning experiences. The 1st-2nd and the 3rd-4th graders will go on a field trip each Wednesday. You may choose one of our 3 canoe weeks for your 3rd or 4th grader.
Before and After Care
This year Earthplace will offer Before and After Care. Early morning care will run from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m., and afternoon care from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Sign up is for the whole week. The 3s are not eligible for this program. All other groups can come for 5 mornings. In the afternoon, the 4s and Ks would attend for 5 days. Because of the Wednesday Field Trips, the 1st and 2nd grade group, and the 3rd and 4th grade group would only attend for 4 days. Sign up for these extended hours is at time of enrollment. The Before and After Care will take place in the auditorium. The cost of the AM Care for the week is $50. In the afternoon the cost for the week for the 4s and Kindergarteners is $100. The cost for the 1st-4th graders is $80.
We hope to give your child a summer experience that encourages him or her to appreciate all that nature at Earthplace has to offer. Please contact us if you have any questions.
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June 21-25
Nature Nursery Rhymes Dress as Your Favorite Nursery Rhyme Character Day Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of
water! Why did they need water? The cow jumped over the moon! Can
farm animals really jump over the moon? What can we find in the sky?
Explore nursery rhymes and how they relate back to nature. Come
enjoy these nursery rhymes and more during this week at Earthplace.
June 28- July 2 Nature Olympics There are many Olympic sports but lets create our own Nature Olympics. Can we hike all the trails at Earthplace this week? What about identifying 10 different animals and plants that live here? Play Recycle Volleyball! How many ways can we think of to be green? Come participate in the Earthplace Nature Olympics, where everyone will earn a gold medal! The field trip for this week will be a day at the Sherwood Island State Park in Westport. July 5 - 9
Everything Icky Slimy, sloppy, gooey, ewww, gross! This week is all about everything icky. We will explore the insects that live in the pond and in Rotten Log Hotels. With the use of our Animal Ambassadors, we’ll determine if frogs and snakes are really slimy. We will make our own slime. What’s living in the dirt? What is happening to that banana peel? Come find out the answers to these questions and more as we celebrate Everything Icky. The field trip for the 1st and 2nd graders will be exploring the Norwalk Aquarium. July 12 - 16
Survivor Kids It’s a jungle out there! What should you do if you get lost in the woods? What would we need to survive? Come survive at Earthplace! We will explore the forest, determine options for building shelters. We will try our hand at making a shelter. Learn to follow a trail and leave a trail that can be followed. Can we find a snack that is found right here at Earthplace? What else is “surviving” on the Earthplace property? The field trip for this week will be at the Institute of Native American Studies in Washington, CT. July 19 - 23
Dr. Seuss Camp “Young cat, if you keep your eyes open enough, oh,
the stuff you would learn. The most wonderful stuff!” Dr Seuss has written a large selection of books
that are entertaining but also transfer back to nature. This week we
will read different Dr. Seuss books and explore the world around us
at it pertains to Dr. Seuss. Are there Red Fish and Blue Fish, or
Muffelous Muck and Gloomedy Glup? Come explore Earthplace in the
words of Dr Seuss: “Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting.
So... get on your way.“. . . “Unless someone like you cares a whole
awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.” The field trip will be announced later. July 19 - 23
3rd-4th Grade: Nature Videography As a group we will film some of nature’s small wonders and put together one group video. Everyone can try their hand at filming, directing and even acting in the video. Copies of the finished project will be supplied for campers to take home and posted on the Earthplace YouTube page. There will be a canoe trip this week. July 26- 30
Around the World Why stay in Westport all summer? We will travel the world in these five days without leaving the backyard of Earthplace! There are many different things to explore throughout the world. We will learn about different habitats and the animals that we might find living there. Come walk the Gobi Dessert, explore the Amazon jungle, and climb Mount Everest! The field trip for this week will be to the Bronx Zoo. August 2-6
Make-it Break-it Fix-it Camp Throughout the world things get broken and then fixed. This occurs in nature, in factories and in homes. We will assemble our own kites to explore wind and current. Sometimes we need to fix or tweak our kite to make it fly better. We will make our own puzzles. We will also learn how nature fixes itself with its Dynamic Equilibrium. Do animals in nature make things and sometimes need to fix them? Let’s find out! The field trip for this week will be announced later. August 9-13
Sounds of Nature There are many beautiful sounds in nature. Nature makes its own music. Come explore the sounds of nature at Earthplace. We will enjoy listening to the birds and the frogs, as well as making our own rain sticks and acorn whistles. We could turn our camp classroom into a musical extravaganza. The field trip for the 1st and 2nd graders will be to a radio station. June 28- July 2 Nature
Olympics This will be a week filled with action. We are going to try our hands and feet at rock climbing, and head to Cranbury Park for some Frisbee golf. We will spend a day at the beach. Let’s try and find a geocaching box not located at Earthplace. Our week will conclude with a campout in the Earthplace field. Pick up is at 9:30 AM on Friday morning. July 5- July 9
Everything Icky There are lots of things out there that are slimy and icky. We will spend a day hiking in the Saugatuck Forest to see what bugs and fungi we can find. We will explore tidal marshes and spend a day canoeing on the water. We will explore the Maritime Aquarium and take a cruise on their teaching vessel. The animals at Earthplace will make an appearance and we will attempt to make our own slime. July 12-July 16
Survivor Kids We’ll explore Wilton Town Forest, Devil’s Den, and the Appalachian Trail while learning how long we can live without food, water, air, and shelter. Try your hand at making your very own shelter and figuring out how to get clean drinking water. We will head to the Institute of Native American Studies to learn different edible plants and their uses. Come prepared to get dirty! The week ends with a sleepover at Earthplace; pick up is at 9:30 AM on Friday. July 19-July 23
Nature Videography As a group we will capture some of nature’s small wonders on film. We will put together one group video. Everyone can try their hand at filming, directing and even acting in the video. Copies of the finished project will be supplied for campers to take home and posted on our YouTube page. Some of the areas that we will explore with the camera are Sleeping Giant, Devil’s Den and Judges Cave. We will even take the crew filming in canoes. August 2-6
Make-it Break-it Fix-it Camp There are always things that are being made, being fixed and even being broken. That is what this week is all about. We will tour the TimeExpo Museum and spend a day at the CT Science Center. We will make our own kites and head to the beach to fly them and fix them as we learn about wind and currents. The week ends with a sleepover at Earthplace; pick up is at 9:30 AM Friday morning. August 9 - 13
Sounds of Nature What in nature makes sound? There are many things. We will spend a day on the water canoeing and a day hiking through the forest. What can we hear? Are there animals making noise; are the plants making noise? The rain makes an orchestra. We will even tour a radio station. Are there items in nature that we can use to make our very own musical instruments? Fee: $490 per session CAPE COD, HERE WE COME! We will spend the week camping at Nickerson State Forest in Brewster, Massachusetts. Cooking over the campfire and sleeping in tents is what this week is all about. We will also be exploring the local area. On our drive to the Cape we will stop to check out Plymouth Rock. We will spend a day out on the ocean with hopes of spotting some whales. Come with us to visit the highest land point on Cape Cod and climb the Scargo Hill Observation Tower for a great view. We will explore some sights such as lighthouses, beaches and monuments. After we pack up camp we will head to Hyannis for a Duckmobile ride, on a vehicle that goes on land and water! 10:00 AM Monday to 4:00 PM Friday Fee: $770
Counselor In Training Participants must commit to two consecutive-week sessions. There is an application and interview process to be accepted into this program. Please call 203-227-7253 x 107 to set up an interview before registering. Download the application form. The CIT’s day will begin at 8:30 on Mondays and 9 AM Tuesday through Friday. CITs will remain in their assigned class during cleanup until 2:15 PM. On Tuesdays and Thursdays the CITs will meet with their leader to discuss events of the day, behaviors, and ways to handle situations until 3:15 PM. During this time they will be able to ask questions and participate in role-playing situations. Fee: $100 per session
Early morning care will run from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m., and afternoon care from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Sign up is for the whole week. The 3s are not eligible for this program. All other groups can come for 5 mornings. In the afternoon, the 4s and Ks would attend for 5 days. Because of the Wednesday Field Trips, the 1st and 2nd grade group, and the 3rd and 4th grade group would only attend for 4 days. Sign up for these extended hours is at time of enrollment. The Before and After Care will take place in the auditorium. The cost of the AM Care for the week is $50. In the afternoon the cost for the week for the 4s and Kindergarteners is $100. The cost for the 1st-4th graders is $80.
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Registration Dates
January 25, 2010 – Earthplace members register their children currently enrolled in the Earthplace Nursery School; siblings register beginning February 1, 2010.February 1, 2010 – Registration begins for children of Earthplace Members as of Dec. 31, 2009.
February 22, 2010 – Registration begins for children of new Earthplace Members.
How to Register
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On or after registration date, mail or bring completed forms and all payments to Earthplace. Registration is processed on a first come, first served basis.
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Earthplace will notify you of your registration status within 14 days of receipt of registration form. If accepted, included with your notification will be necessary medical forms, the final invoice and other important information.
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If the classes you requested are filled, your name will be added to the Wait List and all registration payments will be returned. You will be notified if a vacancy occurs and have the option to enroll at that time.
Program Requirements
- All children should bring a lunch. A snack is provided.
- A medical form is required for all campers by May 1. The form can be downloaded and is also available in the office. Note that the date of your child’s physical must be within one year of the session date. If your child’s medical form expires in the summer, it must be updated at that time.
- 3 year olds—Children must be 3 by their 1st day of camp.
- 4 year olds—Child must be 4 by December 31, 2010 and toilet trained.
- There are 20 children per class per one-week session, except for the 3s group, which has 15 children per class.
- Children must wear closed toe shoes and be dressed for the weather.
General Program Policies and Information
| 1. | The non-refundable Earthplace Family Membership is required ($75). If your membership expires during your child’s attendance at the summer program you will be asked to renew your membership when registering. |
| 2. | Payment in full is due at the time of registration. |
| 3. | Cancellation/Refund Policy: 75% of tuition will be refunded if you cancel before May 1, 2010. There will be no refunds after May 1, 2010. |
| 4. | A $25 administration fee will be charged for all session changes made after registration forms have been processed. Payment due prior to changes. |
| 5. | The medical form must be returned to Earthplace by May 1. Note that the date of your child’s physical must be within 1 year of the session date. If your child’s medical form expires in the summer, it must be updated at that time. |
Camper Information and Session Registration Forms (2 pages)
Both forms must be sent in with your payment.
