Director's Message

"O What A Day It Was!"

The Lower and Upper Adventure Challenge Ropes Courses had further upgrades this summer, as well as the yearly required inspection, both following ACCT Standards (Association of Challenge Course Technology). Good information on ACCT can be found at http://acctinfo.org/index.cfm and http://acct.affiniscape.com/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=66.

Further necessary upgrades and the 2012 Inspection will take place this early spring.

Philosophical and programming aspects of the Ropes Courses, in the videos Teamwork, Teen Adventure, and Autumn in the Woods, gives us a wonderful real picture of the Lower and Upper Adventure Challenge Courses. I invite you to watch and listen to what continues to take place in the deep woods.

At Nature Camps' Adventure Challenge Courses, knowing how to effectively facilitate Lower and Upper courses with a solution focused approach is key to successful experiences for children. This is accomplished by succinct frontloading (presentation) before attempting to solve a particular group initiative; keen observing and listening to what happens; and then the essential slow paced debriefing (participants' discussion) on what was experienced. The videos show this as well as the following articles -- all describing aspects of effective celebratory (solution focused) debriefing, so what was experienced and learned will indeed carry forth to other experiences at camp, home and other places.

Check out the poem used in a solution-focused debriefing in the first AEE article below, with the key phrase "O What A Day It Was!" used in an example of effective solution-focused debriefing.

There are two articles regarding what I hold dear in ideal "ropes course facilitation." They beautifully describe what also takes place with our work with children and families, as well as posing a key question. The articles are from the Association of Experiential Education (AEE). I encourage you to read the last two articles, Horizon's Poetry Matters/"Traveling To You," and The Human Spirit Is Alive.

We welcome your feedback.

We plan to hold our second annual Family and Staff Autumn in the Woods on a Saturday in November, when we can work on a property project as well as delight in using the ropes courses. Look for the date of Autumn in the Woods in the November newsletter and on Facebook.

Nature Journaling with Autumn Colors

This is a great time to head outside and paint pictures with autumn's endless "paint brushes."

Try these plants in drawing your picture, i.e, rubbing plant materials on paper or cloth: Pokeberry, that wonderful tall plant with dark purple hanging berries makes a wonderful magenta color. Great for face painting also.

Walnuts, the many tennis ball size green balls that have been falling on the ground these past weeks. The green husk makes a wonderful green. And if you take the husks off and boil two or three you will get a distinctive brown color. The longer you boil it, the darker the brown becomes. We save these for the summer so on that first day of each session, counselors (with their small groups) can build a fire while on their all day hike, and boil down walnuts for the session's Nature Journaling painting and or writing.

Osage orange trees -- those softball size green balls you see along the roadside. The outside looks like a brain. They make a light green color. My children, and students I taught, used to slice them with a saw, bake the circles and cover them with shellac. They have fascinating designs. The trees were used by Native Americans, and in turn settlers, to make fence and garden lines. They planted them close together as all the branches have sharp thorns and make great boundaries. That's why we still see them along older roads.
Besides the above, it is simply delightful to experiment with what you think might make great colors -- often being surprised at what you discover.

Rub them on paper first, making a painter's palette: a great way to see the variety of colors that you can use to make beautiful autumn paintings (rubbings)! This past summer during our last two overnights, families all gathered in a circle, were given a bowl of many plants and paper, and created remarkable paintings which we all took turns in sharing...and celebrating the artist.

Nature Camps' philosophy about Nature Journaling.

Have fun!

Exciting Changes to Teen Adventure

NC's Teen Adventure sessions were full last summer with waiting lists. Eight teens is the limit in each of the three four week sessions with two experienced TA Trip Leaders -- an ideal ratio for the engaging and effective adventure experience -- full of community service learning hours.

We encourage you to reserve your spot early, whether you are a returning Teen Adventure Explorer or transitioning form Camper into TA. Age range is 13 - 16. It is especially important to note that the TA program is a four-week, consecutive weeks, program. The TA session does not work with teens coming one week here and one week there. So make note of the dates, now, and arrange your teen's other summer activities so that he/she may attend four consecutive weeks at Nature Camps, reaping the full benefit of the program. A teen enrolled in a four-week session may also add single weeks of the Nature Camps TA Day program during the rest of the summer.

The TA Program will include a new Counselor/Teen Adventure Overnight on the first Monday of each session. TA Explorers are really in a Counselor-In-Training (CIT) program. We have decided to return to this format to further the understanding of the important role that teens have in NC's mixed-age adventure experience. This strengthens the teens' skill base and understanding as being that older child role model in Camper activities, as well as sets the tone that first day for an effective working relationship between counselors and TAs.

Over the past three and a half decades we have all seen that Nature Camps' most outstanding staff members are the adults who have grown up through Nature Camps' Camper and TA programs. They embody good work ethic (rare to see these days), have compassion, and naturally have a wonderful sense of how to relate to children, their peers, parents, and counselors in Nature Camps' ultimate goal of nourishing children's sense of wonder in an adventuresome and peaceful atmosphere.

Nature Camps' Teen Adventure program.

The three TA session dates are: A: June 18-July 13, B: July 2-July 27, and C: July 16-August 10.

Looking for those Special People

Knowing that you, your children, and long time friends are certainly Nature Camps' greatest resources, we ask for your input in helping us find applicants for this summer's nurse/medical coordinator, Senior Counselors, and Teen Adventure Coordinator (WFR) openings.

We invite you to pass the word along to those you sense would like to be on staff in the summer of 2012. They can apply here.

Photographers Welcome!

To all those campers and parents who took photographs this summer – we'd like the pics! As you may have noticed, Nature Camps' web site and brochure are full of exciting color photos. Parents and children have shared with us some amazing photos. If you'd like to share your good ones with us, please send the full resolution image file via email to Sally Fisher. If you have too many photos to send via email, let Sally know. There are other options. Please be sure to include the photographer's name and permission for us to use the photo in our publications and on our web site.

Thanks for sharing!

Looking for Feedback

What was your child's favorite Nature Camps 2011 memory? What did you like about the Family Overnights? What would you like to see changed for next summer?

We are always looking for feedback about your Nature Camps experience. Please send all comments to naturecampsinc@gmail.com and let us know what we did right, and where you would like to see improvement.

Check out Nature Camps Videos!