Summer Day Camp

 

After several attempts to arrange to have something similar to our regular summer sessions for children and teens, as well as Perennial Campers events for adults, it has just not been possible this year. However, as part of the Rappahannock community’s flurry of support for outdoor activities for young folks, we are offering a new August “Nature Immersion” event which will combine our Session 1 and Session 2 age groups. Campers will discover new places, hike in the Hazel River, pick berries, make music outdoors, spend the days with their camper friends. We expect that, along with our campsite visitation offerings during the off-season, this new event will become a part of our yearly program in the future. As a precaution, this year’s special session is open only to children residing in Rappahannock and adjoining counties. So that we may keep tabs on group size and make sure that applicants are fully aware of conditions related to this special session, enrollment application forms are available only by contacting Camp Director at rappnaturecamp@gmail.com.

 

Due to the many cancellations of other summer camps, we expect an influx of enrollment requests and we encourage applications for enrollment as soon as possible. Some of the main points are:

 

• Camp will be at our campsite at Singing Creek, three miles south of Sperryville on the upper Hazel River.

 

• We expect to be outdoors the whole day. If there are exceptions and we are indoors as a group, or as otherwise directed by our nurse on staff, we will wear face coverings. 

 

• We will usually maintain 6-foot spacing, but we want to make it clear that social distancing will not always be feasible, particularly during river activities. 

 

• Hours will be 8:30am to 12:30pm every day. Campers should bring a snack but there will be no time for lunch and no time for changing clothes on site. Expect campers to be WET at end of day. Hungry too.

 

• Unlike our usual attendance policy, there will be no requirement to attend every day. This is to encourage staying at home if a camper is not feeling 100% well. But there will be no pro-rating of cost, which will be $175 for the week’s activities.

 

Enrollment packets will be sent only upon request. It will contain information on what to bring, what to expect, our plans for CV management, and directions to the campsite.

 

See you at camp!

 

 

Rapp Nature Camp is set in southern Rappahannock County, Virginia and is a summertime day camp for boys and girls ages 8 to 16 years old. The 2020 Summer Sessions will be our 35th year!

 

The goals of the camp are:

 

•  to awaken an interest in our wonderfully beautiful and diverse natural surroundings

•  to observe living plants and animals in their natural habitats

•  to understand the role of human beings in this shared environment

•  to have fun and make new discoveries every day

 

Campers explore the forests, meadows, rivers and ponds of the Singing Creek property and surrounding areas, including the Shenandoah National Park which is within walking distance. The camp’s home base is on the Hazel River, two miles west of Route 231. Some of our favorite places to explore are: the Hazel River, Frog Pond, Secret Garden, Puckwudgie Tree, Azalea Rocks and our own individual Quiet Spots.

 

Most of our campers are Rappahannock County residents; some come each year from far away and are visiting grandparents or other relatives who live in the county. Our mission is “to allow individuals, especially children, to discover for themselves the wonder and beauty of the natural world, and to understand what it means to be a part of a community of living things.” The camp’s motto is “Nature lessons are life lessons.” Our activities are almost all outdoors and are focused on community building, nature observation, and respect for the natural environment and its inhabitants.  Everything we do is oriented towards such “life lessons” as developing listening, confidence in public speaking, vocabulary, working cooperatively, art and music, and imagination. Each camper has a special “Quiet Spot” and spends “Quiet Time” alone, just observing nature.  Every year, the campers write and draw for our 16-page annual newsletter.

 

Our on-site staff consists of the camp director, two adult assistant directors, a boys’ and a girls’ counselor, and usually at least one young counselor-in-training. Lyt Wood, the camp’s founding director, is an arborist, forester, alumnus of the Nature Camp at Vesuvius, Virginia (see naturecamp.net), and an experienced teacher and educator of natural history subjects. The camp’s home base is on his property, “Singing Creek,” three miles south of Sperryville on the Hazel River, within walking distance of Shenandoah National Park. 

 

Over the years, Rapp Nature Camp has been made possible by tremendous volunteer support.  Neighbors allow use of their properties, and volunteers have built the camp barn, a footbridge over the Hazel River, and the Frog Pond which is the focus of our habitat studies. Volunteers also help with registration and serve as visiting instructors.  For many years, one former camper’s parents have donated, delivered, prepared, and served all food and supplies for our one night of camp.  So Rapp Nature Camp is a true community effort!