Philly Outdoor Science Education

Q. Where will the camp be located?

A. Our Outdoor Skills Camp is located at the Valley Green Inn Outdoor Pavilion in the Wissahickon Woods: Valley Green Rd, Philadelphia, PA 19128  During days with heat advisories, severe thunderstorms, or wildfire smoke, camp will take place at Summit Presbyterian Church 6757 Greene St, Philadelphia, PA 19119.

Q. What are the COVID safety protocols at camp?

A. Hand sanitizer will be available to use for before and after eating and the camp will take place entirely outside. In addition, all children will have a parent or guardian sign a form stating "If my child is exhibiting any symptoms of COVID-19 (Fever > 100, cough, shortness of breath or other respiratory issues, loss of sense of smell or taste, nausea or diarrhea, or body aches) I will not send them to camp. I understand that if my child is exhibiting any of these symptoms of COVID-19 at camp, they will be sent back home." Masks are not required at camp.

Q. How do we know our kids will be safe at camp?  

A. All lead teachers are Adult and Pediatric First Aid/APR/AED Certified. The ratio of  campers:teachers will never be more than 6:1 which means all campers will have a staff member close by to supervise all activities. 

Q. Do you perform background checks on your employees?

A. Yes. All teachers, adults, and volunteers present must undergo and pass a Child Abuse History Clearance, Fingerprinting, and Criminal Background Check.

Q. What experience do you have teaching a group of kids? 

A. Adam Darer (lead teacher at the Outdoor Skills Camp) teaches Science and Hands-on Skills at Main Line Classical Academy in Bryn Mawr, PA and has been teaching there since 2016. He regularly leads Outdoor Skills and Science classes to explore the woods around the school property.

Q. Will the other teachers be college kids (or younger)?

A. All instructors will be teachers or educators. Everyone working at the camp must undergo and pass a Child Abuse History Clearance, Fingerprinting, and Criminal Background Check. Depending on the size of the group, there may be a high school student present to assist with basic tasks. 

Q. How large of a camp is this? Will there be 50 kids? 

A. The camp is limited to just 12 campers at a time. This small size allows for an intimate and safe learning environment for all. 

Q. What is the routine during camp? How much free play versus instruction/lesson time will there be?
A. Each morning after arriving and settling in, we will go on a 20- 30 minutes observation walk around a section of the Wissahickon to look at plants, listen for birds, and really just notice what we notice (cloud patterns/types), wind direction, moss patterns, shadow angles. From there, we will spend the day blocked off into sections by topics (natural shelter building, tree, bird, and animal track identification, natural navigation and orienteering, primitive fire making, and practical knot tying, and even some woodworking if time allows). There will be a few blocks allotted for free play to let the students explore and engage with the woods. We will have a snack time mid morning, lunch at mid day, and another snack time/break in the early afternoon. At the end of the day, we will come together for a group share to reflect on what we learned that day.

Q. Will camp still take place if it is raining?  

A. Yes! As part of the Outdoor Skills Camp, we strive to keep campers outside as much as possible. We will relocate to the covered outdoor pavilion at Valley Green Inn  in the event of a sudden downpour, lightning, or thunder.

Q. Will camp still take place if there is severe inclement weather such as head advisories, severe thunderstorms or wildfire smoke?  

A. Yes! We have an agreement with Summit Presbyterian Church in Mt. Airy to use their indoor parlor room during days with severe inclement weather. If there is a forecast of a heat index of over 98, wildfire smoke over 120 AQI, or severe thunderstorms, camp will take place inside at Summit Presbyterian Church in Mt. Airy. During these days drop and and pick up will take place at Summit Presbyterian Church 6757 Greene St, Philadelphia, PA 19119.

Q. Will campers be transported to Summit Presbyterian Church from the Valley Green Inn during days with severe weather?

A. Drop off and pick up will take place at Summit Presbyterian Church during those days. There will be no transportation between Summit Presbyterian Church and the Valley Green Inn.  We will decide if camp will take place at Summit Church by 8 pm the night before.

Q. Where will the campers use the bathroom?

A. We  will be using the bathrooms at  Valley Green Inn.

Q. What does my child need to bring to camp?

A. Lunch (full day campers), snack, water bottle, hat, sunscreen and bug spray, and on potentially rainy days a jacket and rain boots. Campers may bring money to purchase lunch and snacks from the Valley Green Inn.

Q. I would like to send my child to camp for several weeks. Will the topics covered be different each week?

A. Though each week we will be learning Outdoor Skills, we will be doing slightly different activities week to week. For example, one week we will be working on a woodworking project, while another week we may focus more on natural navigation and orienteering. That being said, returning campers will also be expanding on the skills that they have previously learned during past weeks.

Q. My child is 11. Are they too old for the camp?

A. Not at all! The camp is open to all students ages 7- 12.

Q. Will campers be split into cohorts by age or will there be one large group?

A. Currently the plan is to stay as one group. Since the maximum amount of campers will be 12 and there will be at least 2 staff present to maintain a 6:1 camper:staff ratio, the group remain be intimate and allow for lots of direct attention from the staff. If there is a large difference in ages in a larger group, we may split up into two cohorts.

Q. I noticed the registration cost has increased compared to last year. Why is that?

A. This year's price reflects the increased cost of using an indoor facility (Summit Presbyterian Church) as a back up during severe inclement weather. This allows us to continue offering camp on heat advisory days or days with wildfire smoke or severe thunderstorms.

Q. We haven't heard of the camp or Philly Outdoor Science Education before. Is this your first year?

A. This is actually our fourth year! We're really excited to share our passion for Science and Outdoor Skills education with young learners. Read more about Philly Outdoor Science Education on our About Page

Q. I work until 5 pm. Is there an extended day option available?

A. Given the small size of the camp, we are unable to offer extended day options. 

Q. Do you accept special needs students? Do you have experience working with special needs students?

A. We do accept special needs students and have some limited experience working with students with special needs. Please contact us directly via email (phillyoutdoorscienceeducation@gmail.com) or via our Contact Us Page and we can be in touch.

Q. How do I sign up my child?

A. You can click HERE to access the google form registration for the Outdoor Skills Summer Camp

Q. I just registered for camp! How do I submit my payment?

A. We accept payment via Paypal, Venmo, or Check. If you prefer to pay another way, please get in touch!    

Paypal: paypal.me/PhillyOutdoorScience   
Venmo: @Adam-Darer-1   
Check: Philly Outdoor Science Education LLC 
Mailed to: Philly Outdoor Science Education, 242 West Harvey St Apt 2F, Philadelphia, PA 19144