The Summer Camp Expansion is an initiative that will allow us to provide a more engaging camp experience and reach more students outside of the Lakefield area.
Our summer camps allow children to immerse themselves in nature through themes such as Ultimate Survival, Wild Trekkers, and a Pokemon Journey. These camps tap into a child’s innate curiosity, the need to explore, independent thinking, and creativity. Children also develop skills in teamwork and discover new friendships and passions while at camp.
Exposure to nature is a vital component of our summer camps. Unfortunately, many children only spend 4-7 minutes outside each day playing, leading to nature deficit disorder, a term coined by Richard Louv in 2005. Due to nature deficit disorder, many children have developed a fear of the outdoors and all of the “unknowns” as well as losing the ability for independent creative play.
Our summer camp expansion will place the Prairie Ecology Bus Center staff in a better position to combat Nature Deficit Disorder in our area.
The Summer Camp Expansion plans to add:
A robust scholarship fund so all families can send their children to camp without worrying about the cost. All children deserve to experience camp and nature despite the financial difficulties experienced at home.
A partnership with local public transportation, so children from surrounding towns as far out as 30 miles from our center would be able to attend camp. This allows parents to have more options available to them when balancing commuting to work and driving their child to camp.
New supplies and equipment to create novel and engaging experiences and activities for our participants. By acquiring items, such as trail cameras, GPS units, and bug nets, our staff can let their own creativity and wonder with nature grow as they develop programs to share their passions with our campers.
Donate today to support increasing children’s confidence in being outdoors, their understanding of the natural world, and their future commitment to preserving that natural world.