Camp SHINE
Private farm in the hills of Martinez, 2560 Franklin Canyon Road, Martinez, CA 94553
About
Camp SHINE offers hands-on time with farm animals, including collecting eggs, feeding the animals, grooming mini ponies, and caring for chickens, horses, and a bunny. Campers take part in horseback riding, trail riding, group horse lessons, floor skills with horses, hiking, exploring, swimming in a pool, games, and mindful time outdoors. The program also includes biodiverse gardening, growing food, nature-inspired art with good quality natural materials, woodworking projects such as whittling and sanding walking sticks, assembling and painting birdhouses, pottery, natural dyeing, leather working, weaving, wet felting, soap and lotion making, tree house building, creative writing class, exploring science, calculating the cost for animal feed, talent shows and plays, and child-led exploration of the farm, games, group play, and building.
• Ages: 4–16 years old
• Schedule: Summer camps run Mondays–Thursdays, with sample morning and afternoon sessions that include circle time, a main lesson, snack, lunch, pool time, farm life activities, child-led exploration, and a closing circle; Summer 2023 sessions were offered in eight sessions from early May through late July.
• Price: Aftercare for Morning Sessions is available from 2:30pm–5:00pm for an additional $40 per day, with no discounts on aftercare; Early Bird Registration offers 15% off for siblings or multiple sessions during the first three days of enrollment, and ongoing enrollment discounts of 5% off for siblings and/or multiple sessions.
Camp SHINE was established in 2019 and is described as a 100% outdoor, farm-based program for boys and girls that includes homeschool and leadership programs, an experiential homeschool program reflective of the seasons, JR. Camp Counselor Leadership Training for middle schoolers, Horse Play group horse lessons, and a Farm Stand program where children create businesses based on a win/win model. The SHINE Curriculum focuses on resiliency, emotional intelligence, conscious leadership and kindness, and self-counseling, and the mission states that the camp uses time in nature, holistic health experts, empowerment tools, nature-inspired art, horsemanship, and life on the farm to remind kids that the world is a beautiful place and that it is their job to take care of it. Holistic health education is taught mainly by guest teacher Andrea Telfer Karbo, FNP, a functional practitioner and founder of The Remedy, and founder/owner Stephanie Marie Telfer became a certified yoga instructor in 2010 and received her master’s degree in Spiritual Psychology in 2015.
The program includes yoga, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), mindfulness, counseling, and mindful time outdoors as part of its activities. Camp SHINE describes itself as a mind, body, spirit retreat for kids and a child-led program with freedom and exploration in a safe and nurturing environment, and it is for kids of all ages. Field trips to the farm are open to children in kindergarten through 12th grade and can be stand-alone special class trips or hand-tailored monthly continued learning and partnership. Camp SHINE was named the #1 Summer Day Camp in the Best of the East Bay Series by Diablo magazine and was voted the best by readers, parents, and campers.
Camp SHINE states that a private pool is located at camp with a lifeguard provided, and that the program is 100% outdoors. The program notes that aftercare is not available for the Bonus Session and Sessions 1 and 8, asks families to keep children home if they are feeling ill or have been in contact with someone with Covid-19, and states that since the program is outside and in the sunshine, masks are optional. Testimonials from Camp SHINE parents describe children taking care of farm animals, riding horses, calculating the cost for animal feed, writing creative stories, joining homeschool and creative writing classes, returning for summer sessions and Farm Stand classes, and experiencing educators who create a learning rhythm that brings together awareness about the world, play, and nature.
Last updated April 27, 2026.
• Ages: 4–16 years old
• Schedule: Summer camps run Mondays–Thursdays, with sample morning and afternoon sessions that include circle time, a main lesson, snack, lunch, pool time, farm life activities, child-led exploration, and a closing circle; Summer 2023 sessions were offered in eight sessions from early May through late July.
• Price: Aftercare for Morning Sessions is available from 2:30pm–5:00pm for an additional $40 per day, with no discounts on aftercare; Early Bird Registration offers 15% off for siblings or multiple sessions during the first three days of enrollment, and ongoing enrollment discounts of 5% off for siblings and/or multiple sessions.
Camp SHINE was established in 2019 and is described as a 100% outdoor, farm-based program for boys and girls that includes homeschool and leadership programs, an experiential homeschool program reflective of the seasons, JR. Camp Counselor Leadership Training for middle schoolers, Horse Play group horse lessons, and a Farm Stand program where children create businesses based on a win/win model. The SHINE Curriculum focuses on resiliency, emotional intelligence, conscious leadership and kindness, and self-counseling, and the mission states that the camp uses time in nature, holistic health experts, empowerment tools, nature-inspired art, horsemanship, and life on the farm to remind kids that the world is a beautiful place and that it is their job to take care of it. Holistic health education is taught mainly by guest teacher Andrea Telfer Karbo, FNP, a functional practitioner and founder of The Remedy, and founder/owner Stephanie Marie Telfer became a certified yoga instructor in 2010 and received her master’s degree in Spiritual Psychology in 2015.
The program includes yoga, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), mindfulness, counseling, and mindful time outdoors as part of its activities. Camp SHINE describes itself as a mind, body, spirit retreat for kids and a child-led program with freedom and exploration in a safe and nurturing environment, and it is for kids of all ages. Field trips to the farm are open to children in kindergarten through 12th grade and can be stand-alone special class trips or hand-tailored monthly continued learning and partnership. Camp SHINE was named the #1 Summer Day Camp in the Best of the East Bay Series by Diablo magazine and was voted the best by readers, parents, and campers.
Camp SHINE states that a private pool is located at camp with a lifeguard provided, and that the program is 100% outdoors. The program notes that aftercare is not available for the Bonus Session and Sessions 1 and 8, asks families to keep children home if they are feeling ill or have been in contact with someone with Covid-19, and states that since the program is outside and in the sunshine, masks are optional. Testimonials from Camp SHINE parents describe children taking care of farm animals, riding horses, calculating the cost for animal feed, writing creative stories, joining homeschool and creative writing classes, returning for summer sessions and Farm Stand classes, and experiencing educators who create a learning rhythm that brings together awareness about the world, play, and nature.
Last updated April 27, 2026.
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