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CAMP DETAILS FOR FOREST EXPLORERS CAMP

Thank you for registering your child for our 2024 Forest Explorers Camp.

This page provides important information about preparing your child for camp; we know it’s long, but please read it thoroughly!

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Camp Location:

McKinney Falls State Park at 5808 McKinney Falls Pkwy, Austin 78744 (Not to be confused with McKinney Roughs Nature Park!)

 

Drop-off and Pick-up Instructions - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY.

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When you arrive at the gate to the state park on the first day of camp, please let the McKinney Falls Staff know you are there for an Earth Native summer camp. After entering the park, make your first right. You will almost immediately see parking spots on your left and bathrooms. Please park here. This is where sign-in and sign-out will be. If all spots are full, there are additional parking spots a little further down the road, as well. Do not park on the grass!

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At camp sign in, you will be issued a paper pass that will allow you to enter and exit the park for camp pick-up and drop-off for the entire week. Please do not discard this pass as you will need it for entry and exit all week. If different vehicles/individuals will be doing the pick-up and drop-off please let the staff member know they can issue you a second pass at that time. Please be patient when entering the park. Summer is a busy time for our state parks and there are a lot of vehicles entering the park at the same time in the morning. 

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Once you have your pass you can just show it to the Ranger at entry. PLEASE respect the stop sign at the main gate each time you enter the gate as well as all posted park speed limits and traffic signs.

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IMPORTANT NOTE: Earth Native’s contract with the State Park includes park entry for Pick-Up and Drop-Off ONLY. If your family visits the park outside of an official program day, or if a parent/sibling decide to stay in the park before or after pick-up, you will need to pay regular park entry fees and get a regular park pass for your vehicle's windshield. Adult fees are $6/per person and children under 13 years old are FREE. Your Earth Native pick-up and drop-off pass is valid ONLY for that purpose and does not allow you to park and leave your vehicle to hike or camp or any other activity. If you park and leave your vehicle without a regular park pass you will likely get ticketed by the park police and risk the possibility that your vehicle may be towed.

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Please call our main number at 512-299-8870 if you have any questions about the sign-in location or have trouble finding it. You can also refer to this Google Maps Link or scroll to the bottom of this page to view a map of the sign in areas.

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Camp Times 8:00am-2:00pm
Drop-off: Please arrive anytime between 8:00am and 8:30am daily for sign in. Note: Sign-in takes a few minutes longer on the first day when we are checking in with parents and making sure kids have everything they need for camp

 

Pick-up: Please arrive to pick-up and sign-out between 1:45pm and 2:00pm each day. All children must be signed-out by 2:00pm.​ (There is NO extended hours option for this camp.)

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No Early Arrival/Late Pickup:
Although our staff is on-site both before and after sign-in and sign-out, they are NOT available to supervise children outside of the arrival and pick-up times indicated above. This time is used for program planning and debrief, and it is critical to us being able to provide each individual camper and the group with the best week possible. We know that this can be challenging for working parents and appreciate your understanding. 

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Late Pick-up Fees:

Additional fees will be charged to parents who are more than 15 minutes late to pick-up at a rate of $2 per minute. 

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Authorized Adults:

During registration we asked for a list of all adults, including parents, who will be picking your child up from camp. If there are any additions/changes to this, please log in to your Earth Native account to update this information. Once logged in, click on "My Account" from the menu bar. You will see all campers (participants) listed here. If mobile viewing, participants will be listed in a drop down. You can update any information you completed in the registration form during enrollment.

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Sign-In and Sign-Out:
It is our policy that each camper be signed-in every morning and signed-out every afternoon! Please make sure that everyone who is authorized to drop-off or pick-up your child during the week is aware of the need to do this. We will check identification at pick-up until we know you, and this must match the names of individuals authorized to take home your child.

We also ask that if there is someone that your child knows well (parent, uncle, grandparent etc.) who is NOT authorized to pick them up due to custody issue or restraining order or similar situation that you let us know so we are aware of the situation.

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Separation Anxiety Note: Camp separation anxiety isn’t uncommon, especially for younger kiddos. Rest assured, our staff are trained to help make the transition as smooth as possible by creating a friendly fun atmosphere at sign-in that includes fun activities, stories, and games. Earth Native instructors will never force an unwilling child to leave their parents. While we have a lot of tricks up our sleeve to get reluctant kiddos to willingly integrate into camp and get engaged, if your child is unable to separate at drop-off (within 15 minutes of attempting to sign-in) the best course of action is to head home and try again the next day. A willingness to participate in camp is required to ensure each child's safety

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What Your Child Should Wear:

  • Comfortable clothes that can get very dirty/wet and are appropriate for the weather

  • Sturdy, closed-toe shoes that can get wet and very dirty

  • Raingear or poncho if significant rain is in the forecast

 

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What to Pack:

Please send the following items with your child in a small/medium backpack that can fit ALL of their personal items including their lunch and water bottle. (Please do not send your child to camp with a bag on wheels or a satchel they have to carry over one shoulder or send your child with a pack that is too small to fit all of their items in.)

  • Packed lunch

  • Mid-morning snack

  • FULL 27 oz. (or larger) water bottle is REQUIRED (Please do not send disposable water bottles.)

    • ​In the heat it is critical that your child drink enough water. If your child does not bring a water bottle they will not be able to attend camp until they have one.

    • ​If you ordered an Earth Native water bottle during registration it will be given to you at sign-in on the first day of camp and there will be a filling station near-by. 

  • Personal supply of sunscreen

    • Please apply your child’s sunscreen before you drop them off. While our instructors will do their best to monitor and remind campers about re-application, it is very helpful if campers of a reasonable age are able to monitor and help themselves.

  • Bug spray!!

  • Extra pair of shorts/bottoms and undies

  • Optional - Notebook & pencil 

 

Note: Please make all purchases in advance of camp. Our instructors are not authorized to take payment at camp.

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What NOT to Pack:

  • Electronics/Phones

  • Excessive sugary snacks or caffeinated energy drinks

  • Excess extra clothes

  • Extra items of any sort. We will be covering a fair bit of ground on foot each day, and heavy backpacks become a challenge for all. Bring what you need and nothing else.

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Safety Note:

We take safety very seriously at Earth Native and summer heat is definitely the number one hazard we face here in Texas. In order to prevent heat related illness, we will require your children to drink water throughout the day. If your child does not like to drink water, please consider adding about 1⁄4 or 1⁄2 juice to the water to give it some flavor. Alternately EmergenC or similar drink packets can help the kids to drink more and replenish their electrolytes. Also, please consider packing your child some salty snacks to encourage drinking and to help replenish the salt they are losing through perspiration.

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Though we have lots of tricks up our sleeves to get reluctant children to drink a safe amount of water, on occasion we have a child who is unwilling. If your child is unwilling to drink a safe amount of water throughout the day we will call you to help, or perhaps to pick them up if the unwillingness persists.

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Preparing for a Hot Camp Week:

Earth Native has safely and successfully hosted thousands of kids and hundreds of camps in 100+ degree weather. After all of this experience we’ve noticed that our campers often have a harder time on Mondays. We believe that this is largely due to the fact that many kiddos are not hydrating well on Sunday (so they show up at camp a little dehydrated) and with the late summer nights and no school, many kids also often don’t get enough sleep the night before camp. 

 

Given these observations, we highly recommend having your kids drink lots of fluids the weekend before camp and that they get a solid night’s sleep (early bedtime) on Sunday so their bodies are fully operating and ready for adventure.

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Weather Policy:

Our camps run rain or shine, however we will delay or cancel a day of camp in cases of dangerous/severe weather (such as tornado warnings, flash flood warnings, etc.) If camp is canceled for a day you will be notified via email, text and it will be clearly marked on the webpage for your camp. If you have questions about cancellations please first check our website, if you don’t get the answers you are seeking then please call the main school number at 512-299-8870.

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What to Expect:

Monday Morning

Please arrive at the sign-in location between 8:00am and 8:30am to sign your child in. An instructor or our Camp Director will greet you at the sign-in table. Please keep your child with you until after your camper is signed-in! At that point your child will be invited to join the rest of the group in a game or explore our hands-on “nature museum”. This is a good time to check-in with the Camp Directorr or an instructor if you have any questions or concerns.

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Daily Schedule

Each morning there will be a group game that campers can join as they arrive, and a nature-table set up for those who prefer a quieter or more stationary activity to start off their day. This is followed by one of the staff sharing a nature story that introduces a general theme or focus for the day. After the story, campers start their adventure for the day!

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Dirty Clothes

At Earth Native School we encourage campers to really connect with the natural world! Often that means getting right in...be it mud, charcoal or berry-juice face paint. Don’t be surprised to see children and adults with dirty faces at the end of the day. Please send your child to camp in clothes and shoes that can get dirty and wet. Bringing a change of clothes and/or keeping some large trash bags in the car during camp week for kids to sit on at the end of the day is a great way to minimize the impact of dirty campers! We also recommend a bath/shower for your child each day after camp.

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Lastly, please take a moment to read our Student Code of Conduct

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If you have any questions, please contact us at (512) 299-8870 or info@earthnativeschool.com

We look forward to seeing you this summer!

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What did Your Child Learn at Summer Camp Today?

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Is it “enough” for your child to come home from camp with a sparkle in their eye and dirt on their knee? We think so, but some parents might wonder, “‘Where is the curriculum?’ Is my child actually learning anything at this nature camp?” And well you might wonder, for it is only what we teach that is right in front of us – how we teach it is what we like to call “invisible”. (It’s not really invisible, you just have to know what to look for!)

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Our curriculum is taught in a variety of ways – through storytelling, games, hands-on doing, challenges, and the art of questioning. Furthermore, only a portion of our camp curriculum is set in stone – it is more important to us to notice who your child is and what in the natural world captures their excitement and curiosity! Nature provides many more opportunities for learning and discovery each week than we could ever follow. So, within very broad guidelines and intentions, we allow nature and the children to be our guide.

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If your child says “We had fun! We sneaked and hid and ambushed and wandered around and got lost,” please understand that this is our pedagogical method at Earth Native School. Based on how hunters and gatherers taught their children, camp is designed to be an “invisible school” that flows with the energy cycles of your children and the opportunities that nature presents. We are confident you will find that, in one short week, we’ve begun to reach our goal for your child: to awaken awareness, to provide tools for inquiry; and to create learning routines for life-long naturalist studies.

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So, if you ask your child what they “learned” at camp, you might get a vague answer, or none at all. Instead, we invite you to ask them questions that will allow them to show you what they know... here are some suggestions:

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- Are there any wild plants that you like to eat? Can you show me? (Instructor Tip: Be sure to ask them if they know of any similar looking plants that cannot be eaten! Ask them how to tell the difference, and if YOU don’t know, look them up in a field guide! We emphasize and role model this important safety technique when eating wild edible plants and encourage you to do the same!)

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- I’ve heard you can build a shelter out of branches and leaves; can you tell/show me how?

(Instructor Tip: To build a human-size shelter can be a several hour project in a location where all the natural materials are close at hand. You can build a doll-size shelter much more quickly, and then test its effectiveness with a “rain storm” from a water bottle.)


- Is there a way to move silently to get close to animals? (Instructor Tip: Ask your child if they learned any sneaking games that they’d like to show you.)

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- Is this an animal track? How many toes does it have? Which way do you think the animal was going? Does it have claws? What kind of animal might have made it? (Instructor Tip: Asking lots of questions before deciding “who” it is can lead to more learning! Animal track field guides are lots of fun.)

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Summer Camp Sign in Areas - McKinney Falls.png
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