Registration for 2018 Summer Camps
opening soon!

Our Summer Camps SELL OUT FAST! Be sure to sign up for our email list to be the first to know when registration goes live and to stay up-to-date with all of our Family Programs, Summer Camps and events.

Want early access to registration for these quick to sell out programs? Consider becoming a Slide Ranch member! Membership includes exciting benefits including early access to registration for family programs, summer camps and special events.

Please continue below to learn more about Summer Camps at Slide Ranch

Slide Ranch Summer Camps are an exciting way to light up any young person’s summer. Our camps provide unique, hands-dirty opportunities for learning, growth, and fun - all at our working ranch on the stunning Marin County coast. Campers spend their week immersed in the natural world, becoming stewards of the environment. Each camp week is loaded with creative, enriching activities led by skilled environmental educators. Campers milk our goats, care for our chickens, hike our wild lands, explore tide pools, get crafty with wool and nature, tend and harvest our organic garden, make farm fresh food, learn about plant and animal ecosystems, and more. 

This engaging experience will spark a life-long appreciation of the outdoors in your child, and help them explore how people and the environment are all connected.

In 2018 we will host 10 weeks of Summer Camps, each targeting specialized age groups from 5-13.

We will also host five weeks featuring special activities for teenagers ages 14-18: 2 weeks are focused on leadership training with participants serving as Junior Camp Counselors for our younger campers; the alternate 3 weeks offer blended volunteer opportunities with exciting special interest afternoon workshops. Continue below for more details on these dynamic new offerings for teens!

2018 Summer Camp Dates: 

Slide Explorers is for 5-8 year olds and takes place from 9am - 2pm Monday through Friday. Aftercare is available until 5pm Mon-Thurs. 

The Slide Explorers (5-8) camp weeks, geared for our youngest campers, abound in hands-on, sensory-rich activities in a slightly shorter day format.  Campers discover exciting tastes, smells, textures and colors in the garden and in simple cooking projects.  They make connections with and learn how to take care of animal friends. Days are full of fun and games, story-telling, songs, crafts, hikes, beach play and exploration. Children develop their understanding of the needs of animals and plants and make connections with their environment and each other.

Ranch Rangers is for 5-13 year olds and takes place from 9am - 2pm Monday through Friday. Aftercare is available until 5:00pm Mon-Thurs.

Ranch Rangers (5-13), our all-ages camp weeks bring everyone together to enjoy the wonders of Slide Ranch. A great way for siblings to attend camp at the same time, small groups are designated by age and guided in developmentally appropriate activities.

Junior Farmers is for 8-13 year olds, and takes place from 9am - 3pm Monday through Friday. Aftercare is available until 5:00pm Mon-Thurs.

In our Junior Farmers (8-13) weeks, older campers gain an in-depth experience through longer day format and more advanced activities. Campers participate fully in ranch life, practicing principles of organic gardening and animal care, and undertaking stewardship projects. They contribute ideas towards shaping their experience, including making choices about more ambitious craft and cooking projects. Guided by a Slide Ranch teacher and working as a team, campers investigate native plant and animal habitats and ocean/tidepool ecology, and take on more challenging hikes to explore new terrain.

Slide Ranch offers Junior Camp Counselors (JCC) (ages 14-18) the opportunity to experience Slide Ranch camp in a leadership role, assisting the Teacher-in-Residence in leading a group of Slide Explorers and being a role model for our young campers. Junior Camp Counselors are not required to have previously attended Summer Camp at Slide Ranch.

The first day of camp includes orientation and training to help prepare them for this role. The Summer Camp day is 9am - 2pm, Monday-Friday. JCC's are invited to arrive anytime between 8:30am and 9am. Aftercare is available until 5pm Mon-Thurs.

Calling all teens! Learn about life skills through the themes of sustainable living, food and nutrition, and environmental stewardship and have fun engaged in the natural world, by participating in Slide Ranch's new Teen Camp (14-18). This exciting new offering, fresh for 2018, offers the opportunity to come to the ranch and volunteer in the garden and ranch in the morning, followed by workshops on sustainable living, food and nutrition, and environmental stewardship in the afternoon.

The Teen Camp day is 8:30am - 3pm, Monday-Friday. Aftercare is available until 5pm Mon-Thurs.

What Does Your Child Do at Slide Ranch Summer Camp?

Slide Ranch emphasizes hands-on experience and exploration of our working farm and surrounding countryside. Campers are encouraged to touch, taste, smell, hear, observe, and ask questions. We focus on teaching respect for animals, plants, the earth and each other. Slide Ranch campers milk goats, collect eggs from chickens and ducks, card and spin wool, create nature-based crafts, learn to compost, plant seeds, harvest and cook from our organic garden, and explore the tide pools and trails of our beautiful coastal lands. 

Slide Ranch Teachers-in-Residence, lead small, age-based groups of about 8-10 campers, tailoring the activities and focus to the interests, age, and needs of the campers in each group. In our teen camp, teens volunteer each morning and work directly alongside our garden and animal care managers, and learn from subject experts in afternoon workshops. For Slide Explorers, Ranch Rangers and Junior Camp Counselors, the camp day begins at 9am and ends at 2pm, for Junior Farmers the camp day begins at 9am and ends at 3pm, and for teen campers the camp day begins at 8:30am and ends at 3pm. Aftercare is available for all campers Monday through Thursday in 1-hour increments until 5:00pm for an additional fee. Campers bring their own bagged lunch each day, and receive a Slide Ranch t-shirt.

Aftercare 

In Aftercare, campers enjoy a variety of outside adventures and projects, suitable for all ages and energy levels. Activities include spending time with the farm animals, nature journaling, games, garden scavenger hunts, and more. Aftercare is offered in 1-hour increments (charged hourly), starting at the end of each camp day, continuing until 5pm, Monday through Thursday (no aftercare available on Fridays).

Scholarship Program

Scholarships are available by application for low-income families and will be awarded on the basis of need and availability.

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