There's something special that happens when we're out in nature. It's when many of us, especially children, feel most alive. But the reality is that children these days spend so much time indoors, in front of screens, stranded away from the natural world. As a result, they are not gaining the wholistic life experience that nature can bring.
Nature provides an uncharted world where a young mind can grow. There, imagination can run wild, and children can gain the creativity, confidence, and new skills that help develop social emotional growth. Through building new worlds in the middle of the woods--whether it's constructing a stick fort or forging a new trail--children can exercise their creative minds uninhibited, allowing for exponential creative growth.
Problem-solving skills are also given room to blossom. The natural world is full of puzzles, waiting for young minds to invent new solutions. The opportunity for observation and reflection can foster a healthy sense of self, solid self-worth, and a vivid worldview. These skills developed through experiences in nature can set kids up for success during the school year and beyond.
This summer, in 2022, there's an opportunity for 6th- 8th graders to spend meaningful time in nature through The Outpost Village, a new two-week outdoor adventure specialty camp at JCC Camp Chi in Lake Delton, Wisc. This program takes a holistic and individualized approach to outdoor education.
Campers will gain a deeper understanding of how they relate to the natural world, and how it in turn relates to their everyday lives. There are 600 beautiful acres to explore, custom yurts to sleep in, and wilderness survival skill activities to participate in from fire building to outdoor cooking to creating natural art and so much more. Campers will become part of a special community of like-minded people who, through The Outpost Village, will develop an even stronger connection to the great outdoors.
For more information on The Outpost Village please visit campchi.org/outpostvillage. If you have questions, contact Jordan Goldberg, Camp Chi's Outdoor Adventure Coordinator and leader of all outdoor programming including The Outpost Village and The Pacific Northwest Trip, at
jgoldberg@jccchicago.org
.
JCC Chicago is a partner with the Jewish United Fund in serving our community.
