• Campers begin by learning how to move through nature safely and respectfully.

• Skills practiced:

  • Situational awareness using sight, sound, and movement

  • Identifying common outdoor hazards in our local environment

  • Animal tracking basics and reading signs in nature

  • Camouflage games and nature hide-and-seek to sharpen observation skills

Focus: Learning how to notice, assess, and move wisely outdoors.

• Campers step into the role of wildlife trackers and naturalists.

• Skills practiced:

  • Reading tracks, trails, and animal signs

  • Bug hunting and insect identification

  • Using tools like magnifiers and field guides

  • Observing live animals with visiting wildlife educators

Focus: Understanding the animals we share our environment with and how to observe without disturbing.

• This is a cornerstone day of the week.

• Skills practiced:

  • Building simple survival shelters using natural materials

  • Fire safety rules and responsible fire practices

  • Campfire cooking and food preparation

  • Teamwork and problem-solving during builds

Focus: Learning how humans have used nature for shelter and warmth for thousands of years, safely and respectfully.

• Campers move from exploration to stewardship. This day focuses on learning how to care for the land and water systems that support all life.

• Skills practiced:

  • Understanding where water flows and how pollution affects habitats

  • Hands-on clean-up of the camp area or nearby natural space

  • Sorting and identifying recyclable, compostable, and trash materials

  • Learning simple, age-appropriate recycling and waste reduction practices

  • Mud kitchen and water play to explore natural systems through sensory experience

  • Nature-based art using reclaimed and found materials

Focus: Learning that being outdoors comes with responsibility. Campers practice caring for the places they play by cleaning, restoring, and respecting the land and water around them.

• Campers bring together the skills they’ve practiced all week and apply them in collaborative outdoor challenges before closing the week with a formal badge ceremony.

• Skills practiced:

  • Orienteering and basic navigation

  • Nature scavenger hunts and problem-solving challenges

  • Team-based tasks that draw on awareness, tracking, shelter, and stewardship skills

  • Communication, leadership, and cooperation in group settings

Focus: Applying learned bushcraft skills in a real-world context and recognizing effort, growth, and responsibility through the Bushcraft Badge Ceremony and closing circle.