Boys and Girls Summer Camps
Our unique Boys and Girls Camps offer a totally natural living experience and exceptional education. All campers and instructors live in tipis and rustic shelters. Campers learn to make what they need for wilderness comfort. We are here to provide Basic Living and Environmental Education experiences which help boys and girls become balanced people. All of our Summer Boys and Girls Camps activities promote positive growth through fun and exciting learning opportunities. We also provide quiet time for reflection where youth can gain a deeper understanding of themselves and their relationships with others. Turtle Island Preserve offers an excellent outdoor classroom where hands on activities breathe life into Native American and Colonial history, as well as the natural sciences. We believe learning should be fun. Our Summer Camps provide youth with a strong experiential foundation and motivation for cultural and scientific studies. Summer camp is "our gift to the world". Over 15 professional educators-not just college students as is standard in summer camps, but a clan of extraordinary, unique individuals are chosen for their excellence in their field. These professionals come together to create a phenomenal community with a staff to student ratio of better than 1:2.
(If there is an interest, the girls camp will be extended to two weeks)
Click here for more information about this program.
Family Camp
Camping is a time for slowing down and escaping the fast pace of our busy scheduled lives. Turtle Island's Family camping trip provides a unique and special opportunity. Parents and their children can "slow down" and enjoy each others uninterrupted company while experiencing the joys and wonders of the natural world. Daily activities are designed to acquaint participants with their new surroundings, to understand, enjoy and appreciate the natural world. There's no age or experience limit. Family camp is a time for growing and learning. We work on fundamental lifestyle crafts and activities of the "back to basics" simple living, that has so much to teach us regarding universal truths and values. There is no need to rough it in the wilds when your family can learn to work with the natural world and camp comfortably. Outdoor living teaches much on a practical level.
Call for more information and to schedule your trip! Register for as many days as you choose (min 3 days). Cost is $180/day for adults, $130/day for children 7-18, and children 6 and under are free.
School and Community Camping Trips (all ages)
Turtle Island's school and community camp is full of fun and adventure based on exciting educational experiences with nature. Hands on "doing it" nature crafts step students into another realm of consciousness as they experiment with nature through daily lifestyle activities. While living in tipis and making nature crafts, students not only create meaningful art, but also develop self confidence and group cohesiveness. We work with students of all ages and levels of outdoor experience, confronting and realizing the essentials of life. They are guided by sensitive naturalists toward understanding life's beautiful intricacies. Our activities relate directly to curriculum: biology, botany, geology, and ecology come to life when students eat, tan, weave, and carve materials they gather from the "greatest" classroom-nature. Social studies has meaning when students work with aboriginal skills that are cultures apart from their day to day life. They return to prehistory, and the history of early man and early America, reliving experiences that can be recalled in the classroom. Journal entries and creative writings based upon real outdoor adventure are inspired through personal contact and challenge.
"Eustace Conway's Traditional Lifestyles" Exposure Workshop
Explore traditional tools, techniques and practices of a sustainable historic economy.
This time with Eustace Conway is an adventure in time travel. The workshop will be held on Turtle Island's horse drawn farm; a real working farm abounding with rich Appalachian tradition.
This will be a spontaneous interaction with crafts and lore that Eustace practices daily. Philosophy and real life antidotes will weave into the day's pursuit. A small group intimately sharing like this will glean insightful, inspiring involvement with real live cultural engagement and interpretation. Get as involved as you dare or simply watch the intriguing activities that develop.
Activities may include spoon carving, plant gathering and usage, blacksmithing tools, horse and buggy rides, garden harvesting, cooking with wood, using a log builder's tool kit and much more. The possibilities are endless. Eustace has been practicing these skills full time in a non-electrical alternative lifestyle for over twenty years.
Click here for more information about this program.
Adult Camp (5 days) & Adult Weekend Workshops
Adult Camp offers a natural experience for those who wish to learn old time Appalachian mountain skills, develop a deeper connection to the earth and make new friends. It enables a profound understanding of our connection to all of the creatures and elements that share the earth. A small group of ten adults come together to learn while living comfortably outdoors in a beautiful forest setting. Participants should leave refreshed and inspired to actively uphold the values that are nurtured at Turtle Island.
ADULT CAMPS AND WORKSHOPS, SCHOOL TRIPS, SCOUT RETREATS, COLLEGE SERVICE LEARNING PROJECTS AND FAMILY CAMPS MAY BE SCHEDULED ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS DEPENDING ON AVAILABILITY