2025 Summer Camps
Nature-based summer camps located in Mars Hill, NC - in beautiful Madison County, NC
June 16-20 - Wood Gnomes Camp - Ages 3-5
and Wild Ones Ages 6-10
June 23-27 - Little Wild Crafters - Ages 3-5
and Craft Camp: Bark and Copper - Ages 6-10
June 30-July 3 (Monday through Thursday) - Craft Guild: Metalsmithing - Ages 11-16
July 21-25- Critters of the Creek - Ages 3-5
and Craft Camp: Carving and Campcraft - Ages 6-10
July 28-August 1 - Craft Camp: Fiber Arts - Ages 6-10
and Craft Guild: Woodcraft, Carving and Carpentry Basics - Ages 11-16
Summer 2025 Schedule
Wood Gnomes Camp
Ages 3-5 - June 16-20 - 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. - $275
Begin your child’s journey in connecting with nature with our immersive forest camp! Our curious, knowledgeable instructors are passionate about guiding children to learn and grow through imaginative play outdoors. We’ll follow a rhythm to each day, singing our good morning song, hearing a story and sharing gratitude with each other. Children will get to participate in group music making, craft and play in our beautiful mountain creek. We look forward to wandering the woods, tasting edible plants, and learning practical skills with your curious young people this summer!
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.
Ages 6-10 - June 16-20- 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. - $350
Wild Ones
Little Wild Crafters
Ages 3-5 - June 23-27 - 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. - $275
Young children will get to wander the forest with us, making crafts and art supplies from the materials we find on the land. We’ll learn about plant identification as we gather grapevines for making charcoal pencils, birch twigs for making paint brushes and Japanese knotweed for making flutes. We’ll tell stories of how ancient humans used paint rocks such as red and yellow ochre for their cave paintings and make natural stone pigments ourselves! Children will gain confidence in their ability to traverse the woods as they follow their excitement for creating natural art. As we learn about all the potential for artistic expression found in the forest, we’ll deepen our connections with nature and our imaginations.
Craft Camp: Bark & Copper
We’ll roll up our sleeves, turn on our imaginations, and get crafting! Participants will explore a variety of practical hand crafts while immersed in a beautiful outdoor setting. We’ll delve into nature based crafts such as bark mask making, basketry and coppersmithing. By engaging with these elemental raw materials and using our creativity to make functional objects, we will deepen our connection with the natural world and build our capacity to create beautiful and useful art and crafts.
Ages 6-10 - June 23-27 - 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. - $350
Craft Guild: Metalsmithing
Ages 11-16 - June 30 - July 3 - 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Monday - Thursday, no camp on Friday, July 4 - $425
Explore the timeless methods of Blacksmithing and Coppersmithing. Harness the power of fire and explore the mystery of moving metal. Apply heat, pressure and leverage with proper forging techniques to transform steel/copper into beautiful and functional objects that will last a lifetime.
We will learn about basic smithing techniques, tools, history, shop safety and how to create a shop of your own in the beginning of the week and progress into more challenging projects through the week. Tools, safety gear and small class to instructor ratios make for a safe and exciting learning environment. 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. This class is appropriate for beginner to advanced students ages 11-16. 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, but every day will be focused on forging and fire. There will be something new for every skill level.
Ages 3-5 - July 21-25 - 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. - $275
Critters of the Creek
During the dog days of summer we’ll wander the creek and learn about all the cool critters who call this ecosystem home. Our region has incredible biodiversity! We’ll study the many species of salamanders who live here. Turning over rocks, we’ll find crawdads crawling through the creek, looking like tiny lobsters swimming in the current. We’ll learn about how to recognize different types of animal sign, such as scat, tracks, dens, nests, feathers and fur. Children will build confidence in their ability to traverse the rocky creek and the steep hillsides, learning through the tactile experience of being in the forest and playing in the water. We’ll head home at the end of the day muddy, tired and incredibly joyful!
Craft Camp: Carving and Campcraft
Campers will learn how to safely use knives, saws and other hand tools to carve spoons, spatulas and other items for the kitchen and campsite. We will work on knife safety, sharpening and care. We will learn basic tree identification as well as orient the campers to various hand tools used in carving, campcraft and green woodworking. Depending on campers aptitude and skill level, we may explore more advanced techniques and projects later in the week. There will be time for creek play, exploration and other activities/skills each day. No experience necessary and all skill levels will learn something new to add to their skillset. Campers will leave camp with knife safety awareness and basic proficiency in carving and efficient use of edged tools.
Ages 6-10 - July 21-25 - 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. - $350
Craft Camp: Fiber Arts
Ages 6-10 - July 28 - August 1 - 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. - $350
We’ll roll up our sleeves, turn on our imaginations, and get crafting! Participants will explore a variety of practical hand crafts while immersed in a beautiful outdoor setting. This week, we’ll delve into all things fiber arts! We’ll learn about wet and needle felting, cordage making and natural plant dyes for fabric. We’ll learn about the process of turning raw, unwashed wool into beautiful, functional art! By engaging with these elemental raw materials and using our creativity to make functional objects, we will deepen our connection with the natural world and build our capacity to create beautiful and useful art and crafts.
Craft Guild: Woodworking, carving and basic carpentry
Ages 11-16 - July 28 - August 1 - 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. - $400
Campers will learn knife/tool safety and the techniques to carve various items like spoons, spatulas as well and build their own rustic woodworking stations to take home at the end of the week. We will explore Green Woodworking and Traditional Woodworking techniques to create our work stations, simple wooden tools and work on other projects like a stool, bench or stick furniture if aptitude/proficiency allows. We will orient the campers to various hand tools used in traditional woodworking and the techniques to use them effectively. We will learn about wood species ID and processing/harvesting as well as their common uses in various applications. Students will leave camp with basic proficiency in carving and tool use and a number of finished projects to take home. All skill levels are welcome! There will be time for breaks and socializing and a chance to cool off at the creek each day.
