Tribal Wisdom Academy Day Camps

Tribal Wisdom Academy Day Camps includes activities such as blacksmithing, cold metal working, maker projects, mine digging, and creating wooden toys to bring home. Campers use real tools and power drills, build forest forts and digs, work on treehouse building, and set up kid-made ziplines and tree-to-tree slacklines. The program also offers bow carving, “Robin Hood skills,” archery and BB gun safety, knife and tomahawk throwing, campfires at lunch, and a camp business using Tribal Coins and financial education as part of the 2-week experience.

• Ages: 7–12 years old
• Schedule: Flexible choice of 1-week or 2-week day camps during summer, with sessions available across multiple weeks
• Price: Standard Single Week Camps are $870 (optionally available in an automatic 3-pay plan of $290 with no added fees)

Odd-numbered camp weeks feature blacksmithing plus student-inspired take-home projects, and even-numbered camp weeks feature five new take-home maker projects and cold metal working. The Big Kid Adventure Maker Camp is described as the main camp, with about 100 kids taking command of a large village of tree houses, and it includes blacksmithing during odd-numbered weeks and cold metal working during even-numbered weeks. Wild Kid Graduate Camp is part of the Big Kid Camp and does not include farm animals or hot metal blacksmithing.

Alumni Village requires having attended any Tribal Wisdom Academy camp last summer, and alumni create their own advanced projects with a dedicated Mentor and wood shop. Alumni also create businesses, and some alumni work in tribal government jobs such as an MIT (Mentor in Training) or the Big Kid Camp Sheriff. The Alumni Treehouse Village experience is described as a tween’s last two summers of being a Big Kid.

The program describes its mission as “Tribal Wisdom camps are your forest tribe. We grow authentic social-emotional intelligence, and teach traditional life skills. ‘Preparing kids for any world future’.” It also states, “Tribal Wisdom Day Camps help your child rediscover healthy social development with our traditional outdoor curriculum,” and uses the phrases “Be prepared for any world future with the skills of tribal childhood” and “Historic organic childhood, in the forest where it all began” and “Experience actual ‘Analog childhood!’.”

The program states that the adult Mentors maintain an 8-to-1 ratio and that a large staff of camp Mentors allow kids to be kids. Some adult Mentors are described as tribal village kids from ten years ago. Master Crafter Staff help each camper create wooden toys to bring home, and the Big Kid Adventure Maker Camp and the Alumni Camp are featured in 21 camp videos.

All Tribal Wisdom Academy staff at every level are vetted with Child Safe Training, extensive reference checks, California Department of Justice LiveScan fingerprinting, and national F.B.I. background checks. The adult team of Mentors is described as role models of pioneer skills, safe practices, good character, mindfulness, and deep nature connection. Parents are asked to read the Behavior Contract with their children before they attend camp each year, and onsite First Aid support is available via the Camp Office phone number.

The Tribal Wisdom Academy program is locally designed by Ben Walker, who is described as having over half a century of creative camp program experience. Ben and Claire Walker have had a lifetime of careers in environmental and experiential education, and Ben has lived in the wilderness with tribal families around the planet. Ben and Claire Walker provide 24/7 parent support via the Camp Office phone number and email.

The program describes 2026 as its 12th summer and notes that 2026 will have longer extended camp days, to be announced. Round-trip shuttle van service is included, and the program notes that the elevation is nearly 2000 feet, with cool morning weather. Families are asked to have campers wear long pants, solid shoes, and bring a jacket all year.

Last updated March 6, 2026.