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​STAFF & SAFETY

• Camp Directors Sarah Crosby (Weis Sr. Educator/Naturalist) and Anne Siebecker (Weis Director/Trustee), and trained adult Weis staff.
• Certified by the State to meet all NJ Department of Health Youth Camp standards. Certificate #27106.
  
• Counselors are CPR/AED and First Aid certified.
  
• Low Counselor to Camper ratio 1:10 ratio provides a safe and attentive environment for all campers.
  

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2022 CAMP FEES & DATES Price (per week, per camper)

Full Week

Week 1 (4 days: Tue-Fri, Jul 5-8)

   $290 - Standard

   $265 - Siblings & Multi-week

   $245 - Members*

Weeks 2-7 (5 days/wk; Mon-Fri, Jul 11-Aug 26)

​   $330 - Standard

   $305 - Siblings & Multi-week

   $285 - Members*​

Partial Week (4 days/wk; days must be chosen in advance during registration)

​   $290 - 4 days, Standard

   $265 - 4 days, Siblings & Multi-week

   $245 - 4 days, Members*

​*Membership at the "Supporter" ($75) level or above is required to take advantage of camp discounts. Membership is a tax-deductible donation with year-round benefits, and is non-refundable. Not sure if you're a member? Contact Us or Join/Renew NOW!

REGISTRATION & PAYMENT
Payment in full is required to confirm your registration. Once both registration AND payment is received, we'll send an email with the following:

• Parent/Guardian handbook (what to bring, how to dress, directions for drop off and pick up, camp rules, and other useful information)
• Universal Health form​ (due 1 week prior to the start of camp) 

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​CANCELLATION & REFUNDS

• $25 processing fee applies to refunds
• Full refunds (less the $25 fee) will be issued for cancellation requests received by June 7
  
• 50% refund (less the $25 fee) will be issued for cancellation requests received by June 21
  
• If your request to cancel is received after June 21, no refund will be given; a tax receipt will be issued to you indicating that the program fee was converted to a charitable donation
  
• ​Refunds due to major illness and/or family emergency will be assessed on a case-by-case basis​

COVID-19 GUIDELINES

• We follow recommended state and local guidelines, which are subject to change
• Effective March 7, 2022: MASKS are OPTIONAL (indoors & outdoors)
  

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> We reserve the right to remove any child without refund due to unacceptable behavior, and to reschedule or change programs as needed.​

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> Looking for something for older kids? Check out our "Emerging Ecologists" Summer Camp for teens/tweens in 6th-9th grade!

> Interested in our Counselor In Trainingprogram for your 9th or 10th grader? Scroll down for more details and application.

​​​​8 Weeks: Jul 5-Aug 26; Monday-Friday from 9:00am-3:00pm

​For kids entering 1st-5th grade in September 2022. Individual Week Signup is available. Camp is rain or shine; we'll take cover in the pavilion or move the fun inside.

​Camp will be held outdoors on our beautiful 152 acre property. Our facilities include a picnic grove, recreation field, covered pavilion, fire circle, hiking trails, raingarden, butterfly garden, vegetable & herb garden, bird feeding station and a brook. Additionally, campers will swim at the adjacent Highlands Natural Pool twice each week.

Our mission is to create a safe and supportive space for our campers to express themselves, build confidence and social skills, grow friendships - and learn some cool science along the way. By engaging campers in outdoor learning, we strive to provide them with an unforgettable summer camp experience and a lifelong connection to the world around them.

Each day incorporates fun and immersive experiences and a variety of active, nature-focused activities. The featured daily activity, observation hikes, nature-based arts & crafts projects, and field and forest games will incorporate STEM concepts and the local ecology, watershed and flora & fauna.​

SOLD OUT!

See you in 2023

2022 SummerNature Camp

For kids entering grades 1-5

Favorite Camp Activities!

• Hiking to viewpoints and old ruins.
  
• Forage for blueberries and other wild edibles.
  
• Explore the Blue Mine brook and learn to 'Leave No Trace'; prepare for adventure, trail markers and navigation.
  
• Get creative making forest jewelry, sundials, painting, forest weaving.
  
• Shelter building, fire making, camouflage, natural navigation, survival scenarios, water sourcing, forest movement and awareness
  
• Learn how to do a stream study, ID local plants & animals, and understand lifecycles & metamorphosis
  
• Get hands-on in our vegetable, herb and butterfly gardens.​
  

Weekly Themes

Week 1, July 5-8: Bright Wings - This week is all about wings, feathers, and flight! The stars of the show will be all the flighted creatures; from birds to bats to butterflies and dragonflies. We will use binoculars, butterfly nets, and other tools to get a close look at both the biology and ecology of these animals, while playing games and hiking along the way.

Week 2, July 11-15: Babbling Brooks - Come splash around and keep cool by stomping through the stream, swimming in the pool and running through the sprinkler, all while learning about the water itself! By the end of this week, campers will know about water in the streams, water in our drinking glasses, and all the animals that live there, like frogs, salamanders, dragonflies and crayfish.

Week 3, July 18-22: Bugs & Slugs - The tiniest animals make up most of the diversity of the forest, so this week is all about those bugs! We will explore all sorts of habitats bugs live in, like on plants, in the soil, in the stream, under rocks, inside logs, and more. Get ready to get dirty and look closely to explore this wonderful world of crawly creatures.

Week 4, July 25-29: Cryptic Creatures - There are many familiar animals we see on our hikes win the forest, but what about those animals that are not so noticeable? This week we become investigators looking for signs and hopefully glimpses of the more cryptic animals in the forest like foxes, coyotes, snakes, salamanders, bears, rabbits, as well as insects like caterpillars, and beetles that are usually out of sight. 

Week 5 - August 1-5: Plant Power - From the tiniest wildflower to the tallest trees in the forest, plants create the essential habitat for the wildlife that lives all around us. This week we look closely at the secret lives of plants through science experiments, photosynthetic phenomenon, flower pressing, games, and observation hikes.

Week 6, August 8-12: Tracks & Trails - Get your adventure on for this week of hiking and exploring! From the most popular overlooks and caves to the almost secret nooks and crannies of the forest, we will be taking to the trails this week to get to know our forest. We will learn how to be prepared hikers, plan a hike, and read a trail map as we discover new places every day!

Week 7, August 15-19: Backwoods Survival - Everyone’s favorite: learning and testing our knowledge of how to live through a forest survival situation. We will pretend we are lost in the woods for the week while we learn about the essentials of survival: water purification, shelter building, foraging, fire building, and preparedness.

Week 8, August 22-26: Best of the Best - To wrap up the summer, this week we plan on hitting all of our classic camp favorites! We'll build shelters, explore the stream, play Camouflage, hike to amazing viewpoints, and more. There's no better way to end the season than spending a whole week on the best activities nature camp at Weis has to offer!​

Sample Daily Schedule (9:00am - 3:00pm)

9:00am - Camper drop off at the picnic grove. We cannot accommodate early drop-offs

9:30am - Daily welcome, review of the day ahead
10:00am - Featured daily activity

12:00pm - Lunch - campers will eat at various outdoor locations around the property
12:30pm - Open rec time - field activities, arts & crafts, individual learning and education
1:00-2:30pm - Adventure challenge games, nature-based art and science projects, swimming 2 days/week (at the Highlands Natural Pool)
2:30pm - Daily recap, sharing, nature journaling
3:00pm - Camper pickup. We cannot accommodate late pickups
Note: the schedule above may be rearranged or updated to accommodate the weather, site conditions and special guests​​

​​ COUNSELOR IN TRAINING PROGRAM!

This season, we are excited to introduce our two-week Counselor-in-Training program! This program will allow 9th and 10th graders to take on a leadership role in their community to help younger campers learn about and experience the outdoors. CITs will have a day of training where they will learn about education, child development, and nature topics, while also engaging in fun team-building activities with their peers. Then, they will use these skills for two weeks of summer camp (either the July or August session) by assisting in activities, leading games, helping with daily prep and cleanup, and encouraging and teaching campers to enhance their camp experience. 

An ideal CIT candidate loves working with children, can share their passion for being outdoors, wants to be a camp counselor in the future, and seeks a meaningful experience to engage with their peers while gaining real life experience and holding important responsibilities. 

CIT Training Day: Wednesday June 30th, 1:00-4:00pm

• Get to know our Camp Counselors and Camp Directors
  
• Learn the CIT responsibilities
  
• Tour the property
  
• Safety policies and procedures
  
• Training for camp activities and games
  

Choose your 2 week-session. CITs MUST attend the full camp week, Mon-Fri, 8:30am-3:30pm. Weekly activities include swimming in the Highlands Natural Pool (adjacent to our property) twice a week.

• July Session (week 2 & 3 of camp): July 11th-22nd
  
• August Session (week 6 & 7 of camp) August 8th-19th

CITs will be required to complete a Universal Health Form or equivalent.