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Mother Earth School |
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  “... At the door on summer evenings Mother Earth School Summer Camps (Ages 3-6 and 7-9)July 6-August 27, Tuesday-Friday, 9am-2pm
Rite of passage summer camp (Ages 10-13)Father Sky Boys camps July 6-10 (ages 10-11) and 20-24 (ages 12-13)
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This camp is taught by Waldorf and Waldorf-inspired teachers on the land at TLC Farm and in the surrounding forest of Tryon Creek State Park. Each week children participate in exciting nature-based crafts and empowering activities such as gardening, food harvesting & preservation, cooking, herbal medicine making, crafting, natural building, woodworking, forest exploration, etc. They spend time each day with the farm animals, in the gardens and immersed in the forest, hearing stories and singing about the native plants, animals and cultures indigenous to this landscape.
As children begin to develop a stronger sense of who they are as individuals in the world, many questions naturally arise. They begin to discover the uniqueness of their personal relationship with their surroundings and can be fraught with confusion and feelings of disconnection if they aren't fully realizing their capabilities. Our rite of passage work honors pre-teenagers by challenging them with skills that are deeply satisfying and empowering. By building respect and trust for each other and our surroundings, a reserve of strength is established which can be drawn upon throughout life. The children are grouped by gender during rites of passage since they are becoming aware of and sometimes self-conscious of their differences (and similarities!). Our goal is to create safe and sacred space for asking questions and sharing ideas and stories. Examples of activities in this age group are shelter building, animal tracking, gardening, fire by friction, rope making, drumming, silent meditation, leadership and trust-building games, cooking, sewing, etc. The children in the rite of passage programs will sleep over at the farm on Friday night and may participate in a sauna. Camp will end on Saturday morning at 10am with a farm-fresh brunch that the children prepare for their families. “Of all beasts he learned the language,
Learned their names and all their secrets,
How the beavers built their lodges,
Where the squirrels hid their acorns,
How the reindeer ran so swiftly,
Why the rabbit was so timid,
Talked with them whene’er he met them,
Called them Hiawatha’s Brothers.”
-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Please read all of the information below before applying:
Registration opens on March 1st. Please fill out a registration form for each child enrolling, and mail them to the address listed on the form. This year we are only accepting applications by mail - please do not hand-deliver to the farm. Keep in mind that since our camp fills very quickly, there is no guarantee that a space will be available when we receive your form (do not send payment with your application). We will email you confirmation of the weeks that you have registered for or notify you that you are on the wait list. After you receive confirmation payment in full is due by April 1st and all payments are non-refundable. If we do not receive your payment by April 1, your space will automatically be filled by someone on the wait list. If you are admitted from the wait list, payment is due within one week of notification.
In order to make our program available to a greater number of children, each child may only be enrolled for a maximum of 3 weeks. Check your summer calendar!! Once you have paid, your money is non-refundable!! Sorry ~ no exceptions.
Tuition: Summer camp tuition is $180/week per child ($280 per week for rite of passage camps). This includes healthy organic snacks and all supplies. If the cost feels prohibitive, please send a copy of your household’s monthly income statements and expenses along with a written request for financial assistance with your application. A limited amount of money may be available to provide a partial scholarship to those families that demonstrate need.
What to wear: Please make sure that every day your child(ren) come to camp wearing sunscreen, sun hat, sturdy sandals or shoes that they can get wet as well as hike in, and clothing appropriate for the coldest part of the day. Oregon summer mornings can be chilly and damp. We can always take layers off!
What to bring: Please bring a healthy picnic lunch (no sugary foods please!) and a water bottle. (Children ages 3-9 should also have a bag with a full change of clothes.) Please label all items with your child(ren)’s name!!!
Media/Toys: Our goal is to give the children an opportunity to step outside of the modern world in order to connect deeply with nature. Our request is that the children wear plain clothing free from brand name labels and media images. We also ask that TV/ video games /computer time is limited or eliminated during the week(s) your child(ren) attend camp. Please do not bring items from home as this will interfere with their immersion experience.
Carpooling: We strongly encourage carpooling as the farm does not have parking of it's own and the trail head parking area is small and may be in use by day hikers. Let us know if you need help finding families in your area to carpool with.
Parking: You may park in the Tryon Creek State Park parking area and walk your child(ren) down the driveway. Since the parking area belongs to the State Park and not to TLC Farm, we ask that pick-up and drop-off are as efficient as possible. It is important to only leave your car in the parking lot while walking back and forth at drop off (between 9 and 9:10) and pick up (between 2 and 2:10). We will be meeting in the first open area on your left as you walk down the driveway to your right (not the state park trailhead). Please do not arrive earlier than 9am or later than 2pm!
Activities: Activities will be different each week of camp depending on who is teaching, how many children are attending, ages of the children attending and seasonal availability of certain plants etc.. If an activity happens one week it will not necessarily happen another week. Teachers: The summer camp teachers all have an established relationship with Mother Earth School and will be rotating weeks throughout the summer. We cannot guarantee that your child(ren) will be placed with a certain teacher. All of the teachers have extensive experience with children as well as with teaching outdoors at the farm.
Summer Camp 2010 Registration Form (ages 3-9)
Father Sky Registration Form (boys ages 10-13)
Earth Song Registration Form (girls ages 10-13)