Earth and Sky School
Forest / Base Camp (woods setting), 1001 Pleasant Valley Way, West Orange, NJ 7052
About
Earth and Sky School offers organic, play-based, nature-led learning in a loosely structured, multi-aged magical Forest environment. Children spend time in Free Play at Base Camp, go on Adventure Walks to favorite spots in the Woods that are approximately 15–20 minutes each way, and take part in craft projects using craft materials on a tarp. Activities also include keeping a Listening Log, reading and hearing stories and legends such as Sleeping Giants, Dead Deer Valley, and Triple Twin-Tree Valley, and a “Paws not Claws” lesson where children are reminded to play-fight with their paws, not their claws.
• Schedule: The summer camp schedule includes a Listening Log with 3 deep breaths immediately upon arrival, a lengthy Free Play period at Base Camp, an Adventure Walk after time at Base Camp, and an afternoon group with a slower pace that may include another short walk.
Earth and Sky School states that it is committed to providing children with organic, play-based, nature-led learning in a loosely structured, multi-aged magical Forest environment and is rooted in the belief that children need emotional and physical space to allow themselves to unfurl. The program describes that the Forest welcomes the group and that children are given freedom to explore, discover, create, connect, and play while learning the values of the Leave No Trace outdoor ethics framework. The program notes that time together is intended to nurture children’s creativity and instincts and respect for the natural world, and that stories are woven through the day with the freedom to take what each child wants from them. Lessons such as “Paws not Claws,” in which Ms. Angelique shares how at first her two cats would fight with their claws, are used as a gentle reminder to bring interactions back to play.
Families are asked to pack whatever and how much food they think their child will need, and kids can eat whenever they feel hungry but are always asked to eat before Adventure Walks. During Adventure Walks, backpacks are left at Base Camp and children are encouraged to bring their water bottles.
Last updated July 6, 2026.
• Schedule: The summer camp schedule includes a Listening Log with 3 deep breaths immediately upon arrival, a lengthy Free Play period at Base Camp, an Adventure Walk after time at Base Camp, and an afternoon group with a slower pace that may include another short walk.
Earth and Sky School states that it is committed to providing children with organic, play-based, nature-led learning in a loosely structured, multi-aged magical Forest environment and is rooted in the belief that children need emotional and physical space to allow themselves to unfurl. The program describes that the Forest welcomes the group and that children are given freedom to explore, discover, create, connect, and play while learning the values of the Leave No Trace outdoor ethics framework. The program notes that time together is intended to nurture children’s creativity and instincts and respect for the natural world, and that stories are woven through the day with the freedom to take what each child wants from them. Lessons such as “Paws not Claws,” in which Ms. Angelique shares how at first her two cats would fight with their claws, are used as a gentle reminder to bring interactions back to play.
Families are asked to pack whatever and how much food they think their child will need, and kids can eat whenever they feel hungry but are always asked to eat before Adventure Walks. During Adventure Walks, backpacks are left at Base Camp and children are encouraged to bring their water bottles.
Last updated July 6, 2026.
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