Hi all,
I wanted to let you know that I am leading a Nature Connection Summer Day Camp this summer for children aged 7-12.  I currently have a few spots remaining in my August camp.

Registration will end on July 27.

Please feel free to contact me Jen Neate with any questions by email at jen@spiritwalkers.ca or by phone (613) 792-3333.

See below for more details and/or check out the Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/NatureConnectionCamp/

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Nature Connection Summer Day Camp 2016

DATE:               August 2-5
LOCATION:   Gatineau Park (Keogan Cabin parking lot)
AGES:               7-12
TIME:               9:30-3:30
COST:              $220 (tax included)

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Nature Connection Summer Day Camp is an opportunity for children to experience themselves as an interconnected part of the natural world, as brothers and sisters to all living beings.  Together, we will move in the spirit of gratitude, respect and reverence for the sacredness of life around us.  As their mentor and guide, I will accompany children on their path of discovery, helping them to feel comfortable being themselves out in nature and sharing their gifts with the group.

Our days will be guided by curiosity, wonder and a keen drive to explore.  Some of our core routines will include:

Expanding our Senses
·        We will awaken and expand our senses using Owl Eyes, Deer Ears, Raccoon Touch and Dog Smell to inspire us to really sharpen our awareness.

Sit Spots
·        Through a growing relationship with their own special Sit Spots that they find during the week, children will have the opportunity to intimately experience the sights, sounds, smells, and textures in their particular spot in nature as they change with each visit.  This is fertile ground for deep connection with nature and with their own inner experience.

Wandering
·        Wandering as a group without time or destination creates an opportunity for children to follow their curiosity and to connect with nature according to their own interests and gifts.

Active and Cooperative Games
·        We will play a variety of active, running, jumping, moving games every day.  Animals and nature will be the inspiration for many of these.  Cooperative games will also be used to foster a strong group dynamic.

Storytelling
·        I will use stories throughout the week to inspire interest and curiosity on various subjects, to teach and to bring the group together to relax.

Sharing and Journaling
·        We will share the stories of our experience in our sit spots verbally or in writing or drawing.  This practice trains us to pay attention and allows the group to learn from the observations and experiences of others.  It also encourages self-confidence and deep listening skills in the group which help to validate each person’s experience.

Thanksgiving
·        Each day will begin and end with gratitude for the Earth, the Sun, the elements and all life, as well as for gifts we experienced during our day together.

The topics that we cover will include many of the following:

PLANTS
·        We will discover the amazing diversity of the plant world – trees, herbaceous plants, ferns and mosses to name a few.  Children will be introduced to food and healing plants as we gather herbs for bush tea or make a plantain poultice for an itchy bite.

MAMMALS & TRACKING
·        Looking for signs that they leave behind, we will discover the secret world of mammals in our forests.

BIRDS
·        Birds are the forest sentinels alerting all other animals to approaching danger.  We will learn to listen and look for the birds around us and practice moving invisibly through the forest in order to not raise the alarm.

INSECTS
·        Talk about diversity!  Whether sweeping through tall grass or looking under logs, we will be sure to meet many of the creatures in this group and marvel at their varied survival strategies.

AMPHIBIANS & REPTILES
·        A week in the forest wouldn’t be complete without a hunt for some of the forest’s elusive amphibians, the salamanders!  We will also look out for frogs by the water’s edge and snakes basking in warm, sunny places.

Every day will bring new discoveries as we awaken to the subtle rhythms and changes in the natural world around us and follow our curiosity wherever it may lead.