Words in the Wild Summer Nature + Literacy Camp
St. Paul’s Episcopal School / Gardens at Lake Merritt, 116 Montecito Avenue, Oakland, CA
About
Words in the Wild Summer Nature + Literacy Camp combines garden science, art, games, nature journaling, and playful exploration of both language and nature. Campers read about the life cycle of worms, write a worm story, and explore the natural world through bug hunts, as well as play on the playground and in Lake Merritt’s fields. Daily activities also include guided nature journaling, collaborative games and challenges, art projects like seed mandalas and pop up books, dancing, singing along to Earth science songs, telling stories, and sharing meals.
• Ages: 6–14 years old
• Schedule: Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM–3:00 PM, with one- and two-week sessions across June, July, and August and options for before and aftercare
During camp, children read and understand text, build oral and print vocabulary, write independently and fluently, observe closely, record data, make predictions, compare evidence to hypotheses, and share findings with friends. They draw, write, count, and study plants and animals, investigate words in context, practice phonological and phonemic awareness, and explore stories of words through an evidence-based Structured Word Inquiry approach to language and literacy development. The camp is a Summer Nature + Literacy Camp that merges literacy and outdoor education through playful nature exploration, and reading is taught as a scientific practice that connects structured literacy with children’s curiosity about the natural world.
Words in the Wild Summer Nature + Literacy Camp is designed to support neurodiverse learners working with dyslexia, ADHD, or other learning differences in a strengths-based and student-centered environment that values diversity and individual variability. Rising 1st–4th graders (and 5th graders on a case-by-case basis) attend as campers, and 6th–9th graders participate as Counselors-in-Training. Campers are encouraged to attend more than one session, and returning campers explore new themes such as pollinators, life cycles, adaptation, bugs, plants we eat, and the five senses. Tutoring and educational therapy can be added during camp or after-care at the camp location, and St. Paul’s offers early drop off, after-camp care, and a variety of other camps, such as art and basketball, for siblings.
Words in the Wild began as a two-week summer camp called Readers and Writers in the Garden in 2013. The program was created by Dr. Alexis Filippini and is led by teachers with specialized training, including lead teachers Alexis Filippini and Ryan Nepomuceno, Words in the Wild teaching fellows, and experienced Words in the Wild educators. It is taught by educational therapists and Teaching Fellows with experience connecting with diverse learners, and all teachers have passed comprehensive background checks. Words in the Wild operates its programs as a mission-driven business in partnership with the Words in the Wild Foundation, and the Teaching Fellowship, supported by the Foundation, is described as the heart of the community. Programs and tutoring are offered year round in East Bay parks, at the Words in the Wild office, and online. The program’s stated mission is that every child deserves the power, joy, and freedom of learning to read and write, and that Words in the Wild makes learning to read and write a joyful pursuit for children and the adults who teach and love them.
Last updated June 22, 2026.
• Ages: 6–14 years old
• Schedule: Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM–3:00 PM, with one- and two-week sessions across June, July, and August and options for before and aftercare
During camp, children read and understand text, build oral and print vocabulary, write independently and fluently, observe closely, record data, make predictions, compare evidence to hypotheses, and share findings with friends. They draw, write, count, and study plants and animals, investigate words in context, practice phonological and phonemic awareness, and explore stories of words through an evidence-based Structured Word Inquiry approach to language and literacy development. The camp is a Summer Nature + Literacy Camp that merges literacy and outdoor education through playful nature exploration, and reading is taught as a scientific practice that connects structured literacy with children’s curiosity about the natural world.
Words in the Wild Summer Nature + Literacy Camp is designed to support neurodiverse learners working with dyslexia, ADHD, or other learning differences in a strengths-based and student-centered environment that values diversity and individual variability. Rising 1st–4th graders (and 5th graders on a case-by-case basis) attend as campers, and 6th–9th graders participate as Counselors-in-Training. Campers are encouraged to attend more than one session, and returning campers explore new themes such as pollinators, life cycles, adaptation, bugs, plants we eat, and the five senses. Tutoring and educational therapy can be added during camp or after-care at the camp location, and St. Paul’s offers early drop off, after-camp care, and a variety of other camps, such as art and basketball, for siblings.
Words in the Wild began as a two-week summer camp called Readers and Writers in the Garden in 2013. The program was created by Dr. Alexis Filippini and is led by teachers with specialized training, including lead teachers Alexis Filippini and Ryan Nepomuceno, Words in the Wild teaching fellows, and experienced Words in the Wild educators. It is taught by educational therapists and Teaching Fellows with experience connecting with diverse learners, and all teachers have passed comprehensive background checks. Words in the Wild operates its programs as a mission-driven business in partnership with the Words in the Wild Foundation, and the Teaching Fellowship, supported by the Foundation, is described as the heart of the community. Programs and tutoring are offered year round in East Bay parks, at the Words in the Wild office, and online. The program’s stated mission is that every child deserves the power, joy, and freedom of learning to read and write, and that Words in the Wild makes learning to read and write a joyful pursuit for children and the adults who teach and love them.
Last updated June 22, 2026.
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