2024 Summer Camps
Nature-based summer camps located in Mars Hill, NC - in beautiful Madison County, NC
June 10-14 - Craft Camp - Ages 6-12
July 1-5 - Summer’s Bounty - Ages 5-10
July 8-12 - Blacksmithing Camp - Ages 11-15
July 29 - August 2 - Craft Camp - Ages 6-12
August 5 - 10- Overnight Camp on the Toe River - Ages 12-16
August 12-16 - Wild Ones - Ages 5-10
Summer 2024 Schedule
Craft Camp - Week 1
Ages 6-12 - June 10-14 - 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. - $350
We’ll roll up our sleeves, turn on our imaginations, and get crafting! Participants at this forest school meets craft program will explore a variety of practical hand crafts while immersed in a beautiful outdoor setting. We’ll delve into a variety of traditional crafts using natural materials, such as wet and needle felting, cordage making, natural plant dyes for fabric, greenware pottery, metalworking, coppersmithing, and wood craft/carving depending on the ages of the group and readiness. By engaging with these elemental, raw materials and using our creativity to make functional objects, we will build our nature connection and build our capacity to create beautiful and useful art and crafts.
Summer’s Bounty
Ages 5-10 - July 1-5 - 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. -$350
Celebrate the abundance of summer with us at this kids garden school! We’ll wander the forest, picking berries, and foraging edible plants, nhancing our nature education. With our baskets full, we’ll process berries into syrups and jams. The garden will be in full swing, and children will learn homesteading skills throughout the day, such as harvesting vegetables, learning plant care, and tending to the animals. Children will get to learn about the sheep, pigs, and goats who live on our farm and how they may influence the land for the better. Watching what goats choose to nibble is a great way to learn about botany and ecology! We’ll cool off in our beautiful creek, making time for imaginative play in and around the water, and play in the bean fort and sunflower house.
Blacksmithing Camp
Ages 11-15 - July 8-12 - 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. - $425
Explore the legendary earth skill of blacksmithing by harnessing the power of fire and exploring the mystery of steel! Apply heat, pressure and leverage with safe forging techniques to transform steel into beautiful and functional objects that will last a lifetime! We will learn about basic blacksmithing techniques, history and shop safety throughout the week. Students will explore the magic of steel's transformation from a hard unyielding state to something they can bend and shape to their own design. Other metalwork will be explored, like coppersmithing. Tools, safety gear, and small class to instructor ratios make for a safe and exciting learning environment. This class is appropriate for beginner and intermediate students ages 11-15. This will be hard work but highly rewarding and exciting. We will take time to cool off in the creek and explore the land throughout the week to enhance nature education, but every day will be focused on forging and fire!
Craft Camp - Week 2
Ages 6-12 - July 29 - August 2 - 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. - $350
We’ll roll up our sleeves, turn on our imaginations, and get crafting! Participants at this forest school meets craft program will explore a variety of practical hand crafts while immersed in a beautiful outdoor setting. We’ll delve into a variety of traditional crafts using natural materials, such as wet and needle felting, cordage making, natural plant dyes for fabric, greenware pottery, metalworking, coppersmithing, and wood craft/carving depending on the ages of the group and readiness. By engaging with these elemental, raw materials and using our creativity to make functional objects, we will build our nature connection and build our capacity to create beautiful and useful art and crafts.
Roots & Branches Overnight on the Toe River
Ages 12-16
Drop off: Monday August 5 at 11 a.m. Pick up: Saturday August 10 at 3 p.m.
Join us on the beautiful South Toe River for a week of fishing, swimming, and crafting in the shade of the trees and under the moonlight. This overnight fishing camp is a hands-on experience run by Grant Adkisson, a forest school and earth skills teacher for over 30 years, including organizations such as at Forest Floor, Firefly Gathering, and Earthskills Rendezvous. Along with Grant as their mentor, the teens will leave the week proficient in trout fishing, campfire cooking, crafting and more.
One of the cleanest rivers in the country, the South Toe River is a wonderful place to fish for trout and swim in clear, cool water, which is a welcome relief from the August heat. At one of the most idyllic campsites in Western North Carolina, we’ll camp on the river in Pisgah National Forest and head out on adventures to the surrounding area from there. We’ll practice martial arts, starting each day with meditation and mindfulness while activating our senses and engaging our bodies with Qi Gong and Kung Fu. We’ll cook our meals over the fire, learn how to process and enjoy the fish we catch, and explore the wild edibles nearby.
After this teen overnight camp, kids will feel increased personal confidence, a deeper sense of self, and an enhanced awareness of the natural world.
If you would like to to connect further with Grant about our overnight camp before registering, please feel free to schedule a call with him by emailing us at corylacecove@gmail.com. He is happy to answer any questions you may have!
Wild Ones
Ages 5-10 - August 12-16 - 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. - $350
Give your child the experience of being immersed in nature for the week! We’ll introduce foundational skills, including fire making/safety, tracking and wayfinding, safe tool use, plant ID, animal behavior and ecology. We will play many games which build our awareness and sharpen our senses while deepening our connection to the natural world. We will spend some time in the forest in stillness, quietly observing and learning about the creatures that live there. These skills can be carried into all aspects of a child's life, finding focus at school, peace at bedtime, and building confidence and proficiency outdoors.
Scholarships are available for students who are people of the global majority as a part of the reparations that are being called for in the nature connection movement. To apply, email our director Sara Henry @ corylacecove@gmail.com