The Nature Place Day Camp: Gotta nature lover on your hands? Besides camp activities like swim (Nature Place’s “pond” has an actual sandy beach) and games, campers get to take advantage of the 200 acre property by exploring the camp’s garden, nurturing the resident chickens, cooking with fresh, locally grown ingredients plus hiking, canoeing and learning how to camp as well. (285 Hungry Hollow Rd., Chestnut Ridge, NY; 845-356-6477; Ages 4 to 16, Camp runs June 29–Aug 7th, 2 week additional farm program from August 10th –Aug 21st, Mon–Fri 9am–4pm, after and before care is available, Busing is available from specific Bergen locations at an additional cost,. Open Houses Run various Saturday and Sundays through June 1st)
HealthBarn USA Summer Camp: HealthBarn USA’s intimate “garden-to-table” camp experience (ages 5-8, 9-12 & 13-15) teaches kids about planting and harvesting their own hand-grown organic produce and gets them in the kitchen cooking breakfast, lunch and snack everyday while still keeping them engaged with crafts, sports, yoga and nature hunts. Space is limited to 35 campers each week who are adventurous eaters, love to cook and get dirty, picky eaters who want to expand their palette and kids who love exploring nature. Kids ages 3-5 can get a taste of camp through the “Summer Seedlings” program that runs 1.5 hours daily for 5 or 10 week sessions. (Camp Offered at 1057 Hillcrest Road, Ridgewood, NJ (no longer at Abma’s Farm), 201-444-2955, Mon–Fri 9am–3pm; Summer Seedlings runs from 4-5:30 daily June through August. Early bird specials available).
Stone Barns Center Camp: If you have a kid who dreams of working the land, this actual working farm comprised of various gardens and live animals could be the perfect setting. Farmers in training perform daily farm chores, science experiments, cooking activities, crafts, and nature walks that emphasize farm-to-plate connections, cycles found in nature, and sustainable food systems and the rest of the family can join in the fun on the last Friday of each session. The camp offers 1 and 2 week sessions throughout the summer for grades 1st through 8th, and is segregated into groups by age. (630 Bedford Rd, Pocantico Hills, NY (914) 366 6200, 1st to 8th grade, Camp runs June 23rd–Aug 8th, Mon–Fri 9am–3:15pm, starts at $420 per week, Carpooling coordination available,Open house Friday, June 20th)
Tenafly Nature Center: Immerse your child in nature this summer at Tenafly Nature’s expert-run program. Kids will explore the surrounding forests, engage with wildlife, craft and hike at the summer program which offers week long themes like “Circle of Life” and “Predators!”. Campers are grouped by age in small groups to maximize learning. (313 Hudson Ave, Tenafly, 201-568-6093, preK to 8th grade, Camp runs June 22nd–Aug 14th, Mon–Fri 9am–3:30pm, mini-day and extended day available, starts at $310 per week)
