“Before PINE, I used to go around the water, now I run through it!”
-Anna Toner, Wanderers Camper, Age 10

Wooooohooooooo! What an amazing week!
Our first week of day camps (EVER!) is in the books, and though it was a lot of work, our campers and parents went home happy, and tired! We wandered through three different parks, cleaning up the places we love, singing to each other and the land, played tons of games and went through the ups and downs of ant bites, stinging nettle, poison ivy and thunderstorms! We had plays and stories, and we listened to the wisdom of the birds and trees and clouds and rain.

The greatest part is that all of these things made us stronger. They made us better. They made us more aware. I can’t emphasize how much I love seeing kids go through a challenge, a small challenge like an ant bite or running through stinging nettle. But the most important part is this: The kids must be supported to get through it. And that’s what we’re here for. We’re the aunties and uncles that won’t just hug a child and try to love them better with the first sign of a tear. We challenge them to battle through their difficulty, and find strategies to teach them that everything they really need is inside of them already. We support them to find ways to do so. This is what we saw all week.

The campers learned how to deal with small challenges, they learned that challenges are often mostly in one’s own mind, and can be as big or small as we let them be. They learned to be aware of both the plants and hazards that caught them off guard in the first place, but also of the plants that heal these little aches and pains. They problem solve. They help each other and show each other how to find solutions to their problems. They become more resilient. They learn that being outside is great. All the time. No exceptions. They grow fast when you give them the space. When you set an expectation high, they rise.

IT’S BEAUTIFUL.

“I’m thankful for the ant bites. Even though they hurt me earlier this week, I wouldn’t know Plantain and Dandelions and Jewelweed in the same way that I do now if I hadn’t been bitten.”
- Josephine Good, Wanderers Camper, Age 6

Profound.
This is what Josie, one of our youngest campers said to me on our second last day of camp. She sounded wiser than most adults I know. It brought a tear to my eye. She’s a special little child.
In any case, camps are off and running. The summer is short, and we’re going to make the most of it. No complaining about a lack of air conditioning, sweaty offices, or anything really! Just fun and adventure wherever we can find it. And let me tell you, kids can find adventure anywhere, so long as we get out of their way long enough to let em do it!