wild Earth resilience
youth day camps
2024
week 1 Earthlings
June 17-21 ages 6-11 $300
To start the summer, we like to focus on orienting ourselves to the landscape and re-discovering the wilderness surrounding Wright Park. We will come into the rhythm of camp life together and connect with the land through careful observation of our surroundings, playing games, building, crafting, learning and adventuring in classic Terrahana fashion. We’ll make sure to send the campers home each afternoon nice and dirty after a long day of playing in our forest home and experiencing the joys of living outside together!
Monday through Friday, 9:00am-3:00pm
Location: Wright Park in Middlebury
week 2 Carving Camp
July 8-11 ages 12 and up $400
motivated 11 year olds may apply, and attend if there is space.
Limit of 8 participants. Returning campers only.
This is a special week for those who are interested in focusing on carving and whittling skills. We will provide instruction on an array of projects and techniques, as well as discuss other important skills, such as how to select good wood to use, harvesting, differences between dry and green wood carving, saw and hatchet work and more. This is a carving intensive camp. We will be mainly working on projects and will not be doing our usual routine of games and other activities in the same way, so please only sign up if you are interested in really focusing on the craft! Some basic previous experience with a knife is ideal, for optimal enjoyment of the camp. This week is only available to past participants of Terrahana this year while we get this new program underway. Ages 12 and up, though serious 11 year olds are invited to apply, and can attend if there is space.
Monday through Thursday, 9:00am-3:00pm
Location: Terrahana Forest in Ripton
week 3 Animal Forms
July 15-19 ages 6-11 $300
In this session we give special attention to our local wildlife, appreciating the animal neighbors around us and explore their characteristics, routines and relationship to the land. Mentors bring in artifacts found in the woods to share and discuss, and perhaps we find some of our own together during the week. Emphasis will be on stories and games that ask us to embody our animal relations, perhaps gaining deeper understandings and respect for all life while mimicking animal behavior and seeing through their eyes.
Monday through Friday, 9:00am-3:00pm
Location: Wright Park in Middlebury
week 4 Elderberries
August 5-9 ages 10-13 $400
*this camp ends on Friday morning
Elderberries is a session for the older kids, Terrahana’s budding elders, to either return or come for the first time. Enjoy the land in true Terrahana fashion whether playful, free or focused. This week is great for those independent minds who would like to delve deeper in an aspect of camp life whether its creating something, working on a skill, or just doing that thing they love which brings them happiness within the natural world and our village. Campers may be challenged to focus and reflect as they work independently or in a group. We will end the week with an overnight camp-out — bring something to cook over the fire, and be ready for silliness, games and good times as the sun goes down and on into the night!
Monday through Wednesday, 9:00am-3:00pm,
Thursday 9:00am to Friday at 9:00am (last day overnight camp out)
Location: Terrahana Forest in Ripton
week 5 Laughing Otters
August 19-23 ages 6-11 $300
A fun new theme for the Terrahana mix! What makes this week stand out is the (even greater) emphasis on play as a tool to deepen our connections. Tag games, chasing games, sitting games, running games, creeping games, yelling and silent games, serious or silly games, short games and games that might take days to finish. Expect more structured play than is typical in our weeks while still keeping to our daily rhythm. Embodying the spirit of the river and its playful inhabitant. If coming to this week - come ready to play!
Monday through Friday, 9:00am-3:00pm
Location: Wright Park in Middlebury
Enrollment period for Summer 2024:
Wednesday, 2/7 at 6pm to
Sunday, 2/11 at Noon
see below for further details!
registration information
Thank you for your interest in registering for Terrahana’s Summer Camp!
The open registration period for 2024 is now over, and all camps are full. However, you are still welcome to register for the waitlist using this form. Sign ups are on a first-come basis. For those interested in Carving Camp and Elderberries, it may help to know that they will have very short waitlists — zero for Carving and less than 3 for Elderberries.
When you are registering, you may select one or more weeks on the same form. We kindly ask parents to be thorough in answering the questions on the form, even if we already know your child. This helps us understand our campers and group dynamics a bit before summer starts. This information is obviously important for our newcomers, and for those returning campers, it informs us of new interests and favorite activities that they enjoyed with us previously. We really appreciate a little time in looking over the questions with your child as it helps us be better prepared to offer activities that try and reach everyone.
If a space becomes available and you are enrolled, a non-refundable deposit of $75 per session will be required to confirm your space. Your deposit must be received within 10 days of notification of your enrollment. The remaining balance of your tuition is due by May 6. If you register after May 6, full tuition is due within 10 days of receipt of your enrollment confirmation. If payment is late, your space may be given to the next camper on the waitlist. If you sign up for a waitlisted session, you only need to submit payment if and when a space becomes available.
If you need to cancel enrollment for any reason, you will receive a full refund (minus the deposit) if you inform us at least 6 weeks prior to the beginning of the session you are cancelling. Cancellations made with fewer than 6 weeks until the start of the session cannot be refunded. For additional refund policies, please see our Policies below.
Thank you for taking the time to read about our process. If you have any further questions, please email campterrahana@gmail.com.
You may find our general program policies and information here.
These reflect our current operations and apply to all upcoming programs.