The Nature Place Day Camp — Local services in Town of Ramapo

My two children, aged 9 and 6, went for 5 and 6 weeks of this past summer (2016), for the first time. Throughout the weeks, I was continually blown away by the "uniqueness" of all the activities and adventures, and also by the many valuable things they were LEARNING while they were spending a summer of fun...learning outdoor and nature-related skills, and gaining a respect for nature, plants of all kinds (harmful and edible), farming, so many different kinds of animals, cooking nutritiously, and even some old-time gems of wisdom like learning nature's methods of insect control that could be harnessed by families to eliminate insecticides. Even the crafts (which seem to be a lame part of most camp experiences) were impressive/creative and even useful...my 6-year-old brought home a tie-dye shirt that was as beautiful as any you would find in a craft or hippie store.

Some of the more consistent aspects of their weekly rhythms that continued to pop up, which were favorites of the kids: Storytime by Chuck Stead (there is something absolutely magical about this guy!! His stories were so intriguing that my children overflowed with story excitement every Friday at pickup). Music with Snoopy--silly (and thoughtful) songs that they would sing into the evenings and weekends. Cool animals! OutragHISS pets--this was like being IN an episode of National Geographic a couple times a week. My kids learned more about unusual animals than I ever learned by watching educational television as a kid, AND they got to feel/feed/and see the animals in close-up 3-dimensional real life, let alone learning all the interesting facts about the different animals. Between them and Bill Robinson's unusual animals (birds, crocodiles, etc), it seemed like the kids were getting interesting animal exposure a couple times a week.

One of the things that really blew me away was the opportunity for children of all ages to experience an age-appropriate camping trip. My 9-year old got to go on a short hike and sleep overnight in a local grassy area, and my 6-year old got to have an "almost overnight," where he got to set up tents, eat a typical camping dinner and smores (and then come home before dark). I was impressed that all of these experiences had a focus on skills, maximizing resources like water (ever hear of "swish and swig?") and knowledge for how to respect the earth.

I also loved that, scattered throughout the summer, there were field trips such as day hikes, sailboat rides, etc. (depending on the age) And of course, with every trip, the opportunity to learn so many interesting details about the place they were visiting, as well as knowledge that, again, helped them to grow a respect for that particular form of nature.

Another unexpected reward: daily swim lessons to strengthen water skills. Most impressive: my 6-year-old, who has always had a general aversion to water, spent a lot of fun time getting familiar with how his body behaves in the water, and how to manipulate it by way of blowing bubbles, floating on his back, kicking on the kick-board, and other sneaky fun things that grew his appreciation and skill in the water. At the end of the summer they both brought home an American Red Cross detail sheet noting all of the skills mastered during the summer, and my daughter got a level 2 swimmer's card!

Other things that were super-impressive...the staff was very skilled, the whole administration was amazingly organized, and the information provided to parents was incredibly thorough! It was also such a treat to be able to attend some snippets in evenings...songs by the campfire, and a storytime by Chuck Stead, and a slide-show celebration at the end. I truly enjoyed the long weekly emails, containing snippets of the activities, and my favorite, funny things said by various campers during the week.

I'll tell you, there's nothing better than a happy child, having been filled with sunshine and joy and wonder all day long...it doesn't get better than this for a summertime adventure. I cannot wait until next year to...

This camp is truly above and beyond any other camp. My 8 year old has never really liked camps and it often felt like it was a way to “fill the time” off from school. Nature Place was different. It was the first time he came home raving about camp! He always arrived home tired but present. They offer such a creative range of activities, really meet each camper where they are at, and foster such a supportive and welcoming vibe. The farm and meeting animals, art, drumming, archery, climbing and of course swimming were some of his favorites. They have a progressive camping program of almost overnights and overnights that is perfect to get kids excited and ready for camping in the outdoors. We feel that it transformed him after a challenging school year. He developed more confidence and curiosity. Also as a “city kid” he also became much more interested and comfortable with being in nature. The staff communication was kind, thoughtful and timely. Easy transportation from NYC. We have already signed him up...

We have been a Nature Place family since the summer of 2021, when my daughter was 4 years old. We are going into our 5th summer now and we cannot say enough positive things about this magical camp. The staff is outstanding. I have seen them direct traffic like a well oiled machine in the pouring rain, while keeping all the campers and staff inside safe. They know each of my children by name and greet them as such each morning when they take them from my car. The variety of activities they engage in is diverse and fun. My kids have done things at camp that I’d NEVER think they would do, like rope climbing trees all the way to the top and jumping off the board into the deep end of the pond. The daily swim instruction is fantastic and we always see improvement by the end of the summer. The 6 weeks my kids spend at The Nature Place is one of the brightest spots of their year. They can’t...