Summer Camp

Six weeks in July and August 2024 (full camp schedule below)
Mondays through Fridays from 9 am –3 pm.
Weekly themes
Camp is for youth entering first grade (this fall) and up
Teen Weeks are for youth ages 12 and up
Weekly Beach day is on Wednesdays

Terms

Online registration and payment must be completed prior to attending camp
Immunization records must be submitted via email or text

Only camp participants, staff, and volunteers are permitted on the property during the day.

Payment

TUITION: Payment in full is required at the time of registration.
If you are unable to make any of the above payments and would like to set up a payment plan, please email us to set that up at sassafrasearthedu@icloud.com
FINANCIAL AID: Offers 50% tuition coverage, payment in full of the remaining 50% is due at registration
REPAIR FUND: Provides 100% tuition coverage for Wôpanâak/First Nations participants and BIPOC families/households who opt-in. Please consider making a donation of your choice to our Repair Fund.
NO REFUNDS / NO CHANGES: We do not offer any refunds or allow changes in registration.

Financial Aid and Repair Fund recipients have an attendance requirement.

Waitlist

If a camp reaches capacity, you can join our waitlist here, more spots may be added.

ABOUT OUR CAMP

Sassafras summer camp is a unique Indigenous-led program that holds respect for ourselves, others, and nature as its core value. During our summer our youth/teens learn traditional hands-on skills and a truthful understanding of Indigenous culture. Our teachings encourage leadership, responsibility, and compassion which cultivate powerful leaders for our future.

We are an unplugged environment, and recognize the benefits of a screen-free space for holistic development. We place a strong emphasis on social justice and healthy ways to stand up for ourselves and others around us. In these times, it is important to create a safe space for youth/teens to express their truest selves and let their gifts shine.

DAILY ACTIVITIES

Our daily activities include earth-centered games and tasks such as exploring woods and streams, building campsites, making fires, listening for birds, carving and crafting, and identifying plants and wild edibles. On Wednesdays we walk to the beach. We start and end every day in circles that include land acknowledgments, gratitude, conversation, stories, and music.

Camp Schedule

Week 1: "Classic Week" from July 1-5

Our classic curriculum teaches kids the basics of traditional ancestral skills. We celebrate the start of our summer by getting to know the land at Sassafras. We set up our campsites, explore paths, make new ones, and find secret places where animals like to hang out. We play lots of games, run free, and enjoy a day at the beach.

Dates: July 1–5, 2024
Times: 9 am–3 pm
Cost: $450

Week 2: "Fire Week" from July 8-12

Remaining slots in Week 2 are reserved for BIPOC youth only.

This week’s focus is on fire-making, in addition to our basic curriculum. Fire is a favorite of kids of all ages, and it contains so many valuable life lessons such as focus, safety, and responsibility. We learn how to gather and harvest good firewood, set up a fire structure, how to tend to it in a safe way, and how to tend to fires with different purposes. Learn the history and the respect for indigenous inventions like making fire by friction and the many other uses of fire. Lighting your own fire is truly magical!

Dates: July 8–12, 2024
Times: 9am–3pm
Cost: $450

Week 2: "Teen Week" from July 8-12

Teen Week will be offered twice this summer for ages 12 and up. Teen Weeks are filled with fun adventures, challenging games, and outdoor experiences that help teens navigate today’s world. We practice outdoor skills, truth telling, talk about Indigenous wisdom, the climate crises, the hazards of social media, and things that interest you. We encourage you to dive into your passion for nature.

Teens can opt to work on their leadership skills during Teen Week, to attend additional weeks of Summer Camp as a Teen Helper. Participation in Teen Week is required prior to being a Teen Helper. Please email sassafrasearthedu@icloud.com.

Dates: July 8–12, 2024
Times: 9 am–3 pm
Cost: $450
Teen helpers pay $250 per week

Week 3: "Cooking/Games" Week from July 15 - 19

Sassafras games and cooking are a favorite of many youths. Indigenous cultures value playing games, as much as coming together in a community around food. Games are an important part of developing skill sets for natural leaders. Cooking requires skills, such as fire building, harvesting, and patience through food preparation. Both games and food strengthen community and help youth to share in a natural way.

Dates: July 15–19, 2024
Times: 9 am–3 pm
Cost: $450

Week 4: "Crafts/Creative Week" from July 22-26

This week’s focus is on crafting and being creative. Nature gives us endless inspiration and this week we let our imagination flow. We let nature's beauty guide us, go out to find things on the land, and express ourselves with our hands, our voices, and our ideas. Carving, cordage, drawing, music, and making up games or skits, the sky's the limit!

Dates: July 22–26, 2024

Times: 9 am–3 pm

Cost: $450

Week 4: "Teen Week" from July 22-26

Teen Week will be offered twice this summer for ages 12 and up. Teen Weeks are filled with fun adventures, challenging games, and outdoor experiences that help teens navigate today’s world. We practice outdoor skills, truth telling, talk about indigenous wisdom, the climate crises, the hazards of social media, and things that interest you. We encourage you to dive into your passion for nature.

Dates: July 22–26, 2024
Times: 9 am–3 pm
Cost: $450

Week 5: "Harvest Week" from July 29 - Aug 2

This week's focus is on harvesting from the wild. Learn about edible and medicinal plants, plant ID, and different harvesting methods. Respect and value Indigenous ways that have so much to teach us about living in balance with the earth. Communicate with plants, appreciate their gifts, and learn to give something in return. Some of our favorites are gathering herbs and wild edibles, picking berries, and making herbal teas and potions.

Dates: Jul 29–Aug 2, 2024
Times: 9 am–3 pm
Cost: $450

Week 6: "Traditional Skills" from Aug 5 - 9

Our last week of Summer Camp focuses on traditional ancestral skills. Learn about the rich Indigenous practices that are needed to live and thrive in true balance with our mother the earth. Gathering edible and medicinal plants, shelter building, fire making, processing, cooking, crafting useful items, communicating with the land, and working together.

Dates: Aug 5 -9, 2024
Times: 9 am–3 pm
Cost: $450