Earth Camp

Earth Camp offers activities such as “wanders” (hikes that follow the children’s wonder), solving mysteries through tracking and signs, understanding what is happening through bird language, rockhounding for arrowheads and interesting rocks, stalking ducks and frogs, and finding insects, reptiles, amphibians, nests, and clouds. Campers play in the creek, make forts, draw plants or scenes, keep nature journals, and take part in stewardship projects like clearing blackberries from play areas, along with gardening, pressing apple juice, and various solar projects. They also build solar ovens and cob and willow structures, preserve food with a solar food drier and pickling, make plant dyes and herbal salves, care for chickens and goats, milk goats, incubate eggs, make cheese, and join nature games and skills such as belayed tree climbing, slackline, climbing silks, trapeze from oak trees, archery, making fire without matches, building primitive and debris shelters, gathering water and wild foods, learning to use a compass, “lostproofing” games, whittling, camouflage hide and seek, animal imitation and predator-prey games, and making cordage, baskets, tule fish, cattail hats, cattail visors, and other nature-based crafts.

• Ages: 6–13 years old

Additional activities at Earth Camp include making flower crafts and “Andy Goldsworthy” style art, grass bracelets, leather pouches, bamboo and gourd rhythm instruments, homemade drills to make soapstone and seed necklaces, homemade looms for woven grass mats, pinhole cameras, woodworking, bird feeders, recycled art, and mushroom kits. Music is part of every day, with music featuring the kids, Farmer Buzz with his guitar and banjo, and a guest with didgeridoo. Campers also experience yoga, cob “bug ovens,” dyeing wool with plants, finger knitting, making a solar photovoltaic fountain, farm fun with chickens and goats, bundle bows and camper-made bundle bows, obsidian, turkey feather and willow arrows, bow drill fire kits, camper cob ovens, and an “epic coon cave adventure.” Earth Camp describes its mission as running with the innate exuberant wonder of a child toward nature and focusing on stewardship, nature arts, sustainable living skills, and use of natural resources so that children develop gratitude, a love of nature, and a connection to nature that they can return to throughout life. The program includes daily Elder Storytime and once a week honors a local elder with gratitude for their gift of story, and special guests provide 1–3 activities each week, including past offerings such as mushroom kits, yoga, cob “bug ovens,” dyeing wool with plants, finger knitting, and a solar photovoltaic fountain.

Earth Camp is described as a summer sustainability camp that mentors children to develop their connection to nature through discovery and primitive skills in nature and through sustainability skills, with a focus on stewardship, nature arts, and sustainable living skills. Earth Camp was founded in 2007, and in 2012 Vanessa Eyen and Kyle Collins passed Earth Camp on to Bev Buswell and Mark “Farmer Buzz” Buswell as owners, with Jamie Malone as director. Jamie Malone was director of Earth Camp for 6 of the first 8 years and became the new owner of Earth Camp starting in September 2021, beginning Earth Camp programs on her property in 2021. Jamie holds a clear single subject teaching credential and a Master’s Degree in Education with a focus on Wilderness Education, and the leadership team includes Jamie Malone (also known as “Sunshine”) as Owner and Director of Earth Camp, co-founders Vanessa Eyen and Kyle Collins, and Bev and Mark “Farmer Buzz” Buswell, who are co-founders of Wildflowers Nature School.

Last updated March 28, 2026.