PANTHER RIDGE FARM’s Outdoor School’s EDventure* Camp

Hey y’all, we are extremely excited to offer 2017 Outdoor School EDventure Camp! This is an exceptional opportunity for your child – each week is marked by a different ecologically themed “EDventure” that we will set out on each day, exploring much of the LA River Watershed along the way. The San Gabriel Mountains are the backdrop for some of the afternoons, where we will explore areas of our own “backyard” we cannot normally reach during our traditional homeschool and after-school programs.

Our day-camp EDventure curriculum is designed in support of our mission: to provide families with meaningful outdoor experiences that develop capacities and skills in nature to encourage self-awareness and compassion with a sense of equity and responsibility for the Earth, their community and each other throughout their lives. To achieve this we focus on hands-on learn-by-doing exploration, play and artistic expression. Depending on the weekly theme, campers may become ethnobotanists, artists, urban farmers or field biologists all while learning about the importance of cooperation, community and sustainability.

Our goal is to create safe and sacred space for learning, asking questions, and sharing ideas and stories. Examples of activities in our EDventure may be shelter building, animal tracking, gardening, fire by friction, rope making, drumming, silent meditation, yoga, leadership and trust-building games, food preparation, and other skills related to nature awareness and survival.

We are a local, community-minded organization committed to building a better tomorrow today. We are dyed-in-the-wool naturalists who care about this work because we truly value spending time with community folk and acting to protect outdoor spaces and promote equal access to them. Our instructors are high-level communicators and trained professionals in community building who love their work. We are committed to safety and providing an enjoyable experience for each child that is more like a Neverland adventure than a camp. Our instructor to student ratio is 1:6 or fewer. We create and provide a unique blend of opportunities to experience wilderness and life skills, useful hands-on activities, creativity and child centered play. This is not PANTHER RIDGE FARM’s first EDventure and not our first rodeo. We’ve been around the block a few times and we have a sound history to lean on. Register, join our community and help us continue to develop the next generation of environmental stewards!

A Word about how we Roll…

Open Range: We spend our days roaming around Los Angeles River Watershed communities – from the headwaters to bay. We leave behind the boundaries of fences, schoolyards and ceilings and walls, learning through play and exploration.

Unplugged: From sign-in to sign-out we’re outside all day. Yeah, we hop (no pun intended) in vans to get places and take trains and buses when we can, all to immerse ourselves in nature. We’re very serious about “Leave No Trace” principles, but be prepared to hose some of the environment off your child after a day with us!

Non GMO: Our instructors are trained in Nonviolent Communication and we use Council to help build and form community. This is one of the main methods we use to create agreements and resolve conflict. We ask that the children wear clothing free from brand name labels and media images. We redirect talk about TV and video/computer games with the children. We kindly ask that all electronic devices be left at home. We make every attempt to maintain a sacred toxic-free space in word, deed and material.

Artisanal: Our curriculum and activities are place-based, owing themselves to a time when all a child needed was a stick to play with to spark their imagination. We sing songs and play games from back in the day in an attempt to preserve them and pass them on to another generation. Our instructor-to-student ratios are small enough to allow us to get to know each child and the particular curiosities and areas that challenge them.

Hybrid: We do our best to model sound Earth-friendly practices by using ecologically sensitive project materials and leaving areas we visit in better shape than we found them. All of our programs incorporate restoration projects and thereby reduce our carbon footprint.

Activities: Activities will be different each week of camp depending on the theme of the week. However, we strive to maintain a consistent rhythm of the day as outlined below throughout the weeks. Please note, if an activity happens one week it will not necessarily happen another week. Remember…this is an EDventure! If every day is specifically scheduled, it is no longer an EDventure. (The tentative activity schedule will be announced by e-mail to all participants prior to the start of camp.)

Tuition:  Summer camp tuition is $475.00 per child for five days/week. This includes healthy organic snacks and all materials, supplies and any admission fees. Enrollment forms and 50% tuition are due at the time of registration to reserve your child’s spot. There are a small number of partial scholarships available. Please inquire at info@pantherridgefarm.org

What to wear: Children should come to camp wearing sunscreen, sun hat, sturdy sandals or shoes that they can get wet as well as hike in (such as Keens), and clothing appropriate for the coolest part of the day. Dressing in layers works well for this purpose.

What to bring: Please bring a healthy lunch (no sugary foods please!) in a reusable container and water in a reusable bottle. Please label all items with your child’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 each other and nature. Our request is that the children wear clothing free from brand name labels and media images. We ask that each family curtail as much as possible, the child’s media exposure (TV/video games) on the nights before they come to camp. Please do not bring electronic items from home as they are not allowed and if they are brought to class they will be stowed away until the child is picked up.

Drop off and pick-up:  Drop-off at 8:45AM and pick-up at 3:30PM at Loma Alta Park – 600 West Palm Street, Altadena, CA (ample parking in the lot near the Altadena Community Garden).

Please read all of the information below before applying:

Registration:

When registration opens, enrollment will be handled on a first-come, first-served basis.

Registration is not official until your forms and full payment is received.

We anticipate our camp filling very quickly. There is no guarantee that a space will be available when we receive your application. We will do our darnedest to keep our website updated when we no longer have spaces available. When that happens, you may still submit an application and will be placed on the wait list, however DO NOT send a payment. If you are admitted from the wait list, payment is due within one week of notification.

Cancellation Policy:

For cancellation less than two weeks prior to camp, or non-completion of camp, no refund will be provided. This is necessary due to the small size of our class and is needed in order to cover costs. Thank you for your understanding and support.