About the Trekkers
Age: Campers must be entering grades 7-9, no exceptions
Ratio: At least 1 staff member for every 6 campers
Pack: A filled reusable water bottle, lunch in an insulated bag, a morning snack, and an afternoon snack
Schedule: 9am – 4pm, Monday – Thursday, optional late-night or overnight on Thursdays*
Trekkers are adventurers, who enjoy a variety of activities exploring and appreciating nature both on-site throughout the Earthplace sanctuary and off-site on a wide variety of field trips! Weekly activities and destinations are selected based on weather forecast and camper input. Additionally, Trekkers have the option of participating in weekly overnights! On Thursday*, Trekkers and their counselors camp out in tents at Earthplace, practicing outdoor cooking skills and enjoying special nocturnal activities.
*Session 2 and Session 4 overnights will take place on Wednesday night
Outline of a Typical Week
- Monday – Earthplace Sanctuary! Trekkers will get to know each other, explore the sanctuary’s trails, engage in letterboxing, nature crafts, woodworking, and solar cooking, and perform stewardship projects to support the Earthplace community.
- Tuesday – Offsite! Trekkers will embark on field trips to local museums, hiking spots, beaches, and more.
- Wednesday – Offsite! Trekkers will embark on field trips to local museums, hiking spots, beaches, and more.
- Thursday – Earthplace Sanctuary! Trekkers will continue to explore the sanctuary’s trails, engage in letterboxing, nature crafts, woodworking, and solar cooking, and perform stewardship projects to support the Earthplace community. Trekkers who opt-out of the weekly overnight may instead choose the late-night 8pm pick up option that includes dinner and a campfire.
- Thursday* Night – Optional overnight! Trekkers and their counselors camp out in tents at Earthplace, practicing outdoor cooking skills and enjoying special nocturnal activities.
- Friday – No camp for those who opt out of the overnight. Campers who stayed overnight will be fed breakfast, and pickup is promptly at 9am.
*Exceptions
Session 2: Prorated four-day week, closed Friday June 19th in observance of Juneteenth
Session 4: Prorated four-day week, closed Friday July 3rd in observance of Independence Day
Session 2 and Session 4 late nights and overnights will take place on Wednesday night
Session Themes
#1: Scales & Tails (6/8 - 6/12)
Slip, slither, and slide into Summer at Earthplace! Campers will spend this session flipping rotten logs to search for salamanders, catching tadpoles at the Frog Pond, enjoying Slither & Slide waterplay activities, and meeting Earthplace Animal Ambassadors, including Banana the Ball Python and Gorgonzola the Blue-Tongued Skink!
#2: Fun in the Forest (6/15 - 6/18)*
Let’s get lost in the woods! Campers will spend this session taking advantage of the beautifully diverse natural landscape surrounding us here at Earthplace, exploring the streams, ponds, and forest trails, and meeting Earthplace Animal Ambassadors such as Zeke the Eastern Box Turtle and Peanut the Rabbit!
*Prorated four-day week. Closed June 19 in observance of Juneteenth.
#3: Not-So-Creepy Crawlers (6/22 - 6/26)
Creepy crawlers? Not quite! Campers will spend this session learning to admire and appreciate the smaller members of our ecosystem while digging for worms, catching spiders and butterflies, playing bug-inspired games like “Pollinator Tag,” and meeting Earthplace Animal Ambassadors such as Bob and Janet, the Hissing Cockroaches, and Aragog, the Tarantula!
#4: Just Beachy (6/29 - 7/2)*
Let’s bring the beach to Earthplace! Campers will spend this session immersed in all things coastal, exploring maritime touch tanks, playing ocean-inspired games like “Sharks and Minnows,” and meeting beachy Earthplace Animal Ambassadors such as Lotus the Diamondback Terrapin and Eric Carle the Hermit Crab!
*Prorated four-day week. Closed July 3 in observance of Independence Day.
#5: Up All Night (7/6 - 7/10)
They may sleep all day, but they’re up all night! Campers will spend this session learning about the flip-flopped day-and-night habits of the nocturnal creatures that share our environment, playing games like “Lights Out,” and meeting nocturnal Earthplace Animal Ambassadors, such as Freckle the Eastern Screech Owl and Bramble the Hedgehog!
#6: Cool Climbers (7/13 - 7/17)
Up, and up, and up! Campers will spend this session developing and showing off their own climbing skills at favorite Earthplace locations like Big Rock and the Climbing Trees, and meeting Earthplace Animal Ambassadors such as Moss the Grey Tree Frog and Opal the Chinchilla!
#7: Flying Friends (7/20 - 7/24)
And away they go! Campers will spend this session visiting the Bird Blind and Meadowgrass Trail to search for winged creatures great and small, flying through games such as “Bees and Butterflies,” and meeting Earthplace Animal Ambassadors such as Pecans the Pigeon and Belfry the Brown Bat!
#8: Super Swimmers (7/27 - 7/31)
Dive on in! Campers will spend this session exploring the Stony Brook Stream & Frog Pond, cooling off with frequent water play, and meeting Earthplace Animal Ambassadors like Flotsam the Water Snake and Pablo the Painted Turtle!
#9: Earth Day Every Day (8/3 - 8/7)
Here at Earthplace, we celebrate our planet each and every day! Campers will spend this session getting hands-on in Earthplace’s grounds and gardens, exploring and learning to protect different habitats and ecosystems, and meeting Earthplace Animal Ambassadors such as Pocus the Pigeon and Scarlett the Millipede!
