Summer Camps

Quiet Heart Wilderness School has been giving children the opportunity to play, learn, and explore in the woods since 1997. We offer a variety of summer camps for students ages 4 to teenager, each with a unique focus, but all designed to build lifelong connections with nature. At Quiet Heart, we focus on providing quality, individualized programs for our campers by keeping our staff to student ratios low.

Registration for summer camp opens on January 15th at 6am for Year Round Program Participants (Sept.-June) and Saturday, January 18th at 6am for Summer Participants. Please sign up for the mailing list below to be the first to learn about schedule and registration information!

A limited amount of financial aid is available for summer camps. Please click here to learn more about our financial aid program.

Still have questions? Check out our Summer Camp FAQs!

See you in the Woods!

Summer Camps

Explorers

It’s time to use your deer ears, your owl eyes, and your fox walk! In Explorer Camp, join us as we develop nature awareness and connection, and explore the forest. We will learn new skills like plant and animal identification, and play games to sharpen our senses, enlighten our minds, and deepen our connection with the natural world.

A typical day at Explorer Camp includes several games, independent “Sit Spot” time to study and contemplate nature, a daily activity, and free time in the woods.

This camp is open to ages 6-9.

Forest Camp

Forest Camp is our one week blast of outdoors, in the woods, full days of summer fun. A truly unique summer experience, students will participate in hands-on naturalist activities, wilderness games, crafts, and much more, all while being outside, getting fresh air and exercise.

A typical day at Forest Camp includes several games, independent “Sit Spot” time to study and contemplate nature, projects, skill building work, and free time in the woods. Campers will learn a new skill every day including camouflage, plant identification, and map skills. Come join us at Forest Camp and spend some time outside this summer!

Open to ages 8-13.

Summer in the Woods

Imagine a summer spent in the woods, exploring the land, learning new skills, making new friends, and creating lasting connections with nature. This is our Summer in the Woods camp! In this two-week program, participants are exposed to a variety of skills and ideas, and are then able to explore their interests more in depth. Students will participate in hands-on naturalist activities, wilderness games, crafts such as wood carving, native storytelling, and much more.

A day at camp includes games, time in a personal sit spot, skill building activities, exploration in the woods, and free time to pursue personal interests. Students are taught knife safety and carving techniques in this camp, and a knife release is required upon registration.

Open to ages 8-13.

Little Chipmunks

Exploring. Playing. Climbing. Discovering the wonder of nature. Our Little Chipmunks camp is what a child’s day in the woods SHOULD be. The Little Chipmunks spend the day playing games, exploring the woods, trying out new skills, and learning about the natural world around them. Our instructors honor the curiosity of childhood and create a day full of fun and wonder!

Typical days at camp include lots of games, a visit to their “special place” (an introduction to the practice of Sit Spot), time for snack and lunch, an introduction to a new activity, and time for free play in the woods. This program is both nature and child-lead, and our instructors work to meet children’s needs and interests, while also being open to what nature presents each day.

Open to students ages 4 to 6.

Ninja Foxes

Learn to become a covert agent of the woods, a master of disguise, a resilient nature spy, a Ninja Fox! In Ninja Foxes, you will spend your days learning stealth and self-defense strategies through games and forest immersion. While moving through the landscape, you will gain the skills to develop quietness of mind, movement, and mouth.

Days at Ninja Foxes include games, sit spot time, self-defense practices, and activities to develop awareness in nature. Please note you will be carving a personal staff, so a knife release is required upon registration.

Open to ages 6-9.

Faeries, Forts, & Magical Stones

Spend the week or exploring the mysteries of the Yost Park woods. At Faeries, Forts, and Magical Stones camp, we connect with all the beings of the forest, bringing nature to life! Activities include building fairy houses and observation forts, learning about the Stone People, connecting with Grandfather Maple, and looking for Trolls under the bridge.

Days will include games, time at your own “Sit Spot” to study and contemplate nature, activities, stories, and time for free exploration in the woods. Campers will have loads of creative fun expanding and blooming their imaginations while learning the ethos of tending a place for themselves and others.

This camp is for ages 6 to 10. Come join us and discover the magical worlds hidden in the woods!

Primitive Skills

Learn the basic skills used by past peoples all over the world! In our Primitive Skills camp, students will be introduced to primitive and survival skills through hands-on projects and activities.

Each day begins with the community fire-building, where students learn the importance of cooperation and attention to detail. Campers will also be taught the safe and proper use of a knife, and use those skills in a variety of carving projects. While a new project is introduced each day, there is also independent work time to enable students to practice their new skills, learning perseverance and resilience. In practicing primitive skills, students connect with nature by working with and learning about natural materials.

Open to ages 8-13. Knives and other sharp tools will be used in this camp, and a knife waiver is required upon registration.

Birds & Beasts

Who is hanging out with us in the forest? Use your stealth skills and your animal knowledge to track our bird, mammal, and amphibian friends down! Guided by two experienced naturalists, students in this camp will learn about the characteristics and signs of animals in the forest including bird calls, bird language (which your students will learn are two very different things!), the habitat needs of different animals, and tracking basics. In order to observe our animal friends, students will also need to learn stealth techniques to be able to blend in and become part of the natural environment. A day at Birds and Beasts will include a focused activity, games, independent “Sit Spot” time to study and contemplate nature, and free time in the woods. This camp is for students ages 6-9.

Forest Scientists

There’s no better place than our own forest to explore the wonders of science! Come join us and investigate the natural phenomena happening all around us.

Forest Scientists is a weeklong learning adventure in the woods! Over the course of 5 days students will play games, work on projects and experiments, and learn all kinds of fun facts about trees, fungi, plants, and animals that all live together to create the Ecosystem we call forests.

A day at camp will include Quiet Heart activities like sit spot and team-building, giving students the opportunity to connect with nature, and with their peers. This camp will build on what students already know about the forest, and allow them to explore their own interests, all while giving them the chance to journal about what they have learned, and make use of the many edible and medicinal plants while finding out how everything in the forest is connected.

They will be the perfect camp for kids interested in science and the outdoors. We hope to see you there! Open to Ages 8-13.

Teen Survival Skills

Do you like to hike or spend extended periods of time in nature? Have you thought about what would happen if you were lost or injured? This course is designed to teach and prepare you for a 3-5 day survival situation. We will cover the most necessary skills for emergency wilderness survival including trip planning and mindset, orienteering, fire building, water purification, and signalling for rescue. We all want to spend more time in the woods. This course will help you to build the confidence necessary to do so.

This course is open to ages 13+. Knives and other sharp tools will be used in this course, and a knife waiver is required upon registration.

We have four new Summer offerings this year!

Wizards and Warriors- Feeling a flare for the magical? Then welcome to Wizards & Warriors! This camp is perfect for the highly imaginative and active student. This program combines live action role playing, stealth and awareness skills, naturalist knowledge, and open play for students looking to use their imaginations while delving deeper into nature. This program is a 5 day game in which students will be safely trained in archery, swordplay, and even wizarding skills! All of the items used during play are padded and safe. We have worked out all the rules of the game and all of the safety protocols to ensure all of the students well being!

Ninja Coyotes-Similar to our classic and popular Ninja Foxes program, this a camp for older students interested in Stealth, Self-defense, and well-being.

Shadow Scouts- This is a step up from Shelters and Stealth. Scouting skills and stealth are hugely important in nature observation, nature photography, hunting, and escape and evasion. Students will have the opportunity to heighten their skills and learn deeper secrets of stealth movement in nature.

Stone-Age Nomads- This is a re-imagining of our Stone Age Experience camp. Students will learn how to use stone tools, build shelters, make fire, and cook using the time-tested skills of our ancestors from an archaeological perspective.