One of my favorite times of year is during the middle of winter when we decide what summer camps we’re going to run. We try and create different themes that cater to our staffs’ various interests and offer unique opportunities for kids to get outside and play while learning awesome skills. We added a couple new programs this, like our Planet Earth Nature Docs camp, which highlighted photography and video skills. Kiddos learned how to train their eye towards the small and beautiful to document the natural world. In our Woodland Puzzle Box Camp, we designed a magical story that had kiddos walked into on the first day.  A series of mysterious clues had them solving puzzles to discover how to defeat the Creature and recover the crystals that had been stolen by the Dark Wizards. Thank you to all the families, staff, volunteers, and of course kiddos that made these and the rest of our camps so magical!

With each farewell comes a greeting, and as I’m writing this on a relatively chilly morning signaling the end of summer is nearing ever closer, I’m thinking about the first frost that wilts our sensitive ferns, the deep amber that filters into the fringes of witch-hazel leaves, and the sweet scent of knotweed flowers buzzing with bees. As summer fades, remaining only as the distant echoes of songs and stories etched in our memory, we’re looking forward to the start of our school year programs. We look forward to the first day of the Field School, our Waystones Middle School Program, and the Dandelions Young Women Program.