Week of October 1, 2023 – October 7, 2023
by Tom Meier, Camp Director & Program Manager
Peter Mulvey’s song, The Milkman, laments change. A line that always sticks out to me goes, “Children off hiding behind aluminum siding that’s painted to look just like wood.” In our world of screens, sturdy shelter, linoleum, and convenience, have we given up opportunities for direct experience to light up our senses? What have we traded when we spend an October day inside instead of going for a walk on maple leaf covered trails?
All month long we will be celebrating the benefits for childhood connections to nature, and adults can still reap those benefits, too. Have you ever built and slept in a stick fort covered in leaves? Flipped logs to look for salamanders and noticed the dampness of the wood and mushrooms? Stood by a small pond covered in floating crimson leaves and taken a deep breath? Stopped in wonder at the swirling dance of leaves kicked up by the wind?
Try it. Challenge yourself this fall to connect with nature like you did when you were a kid, with all the joy, wonder, and stimulation your senses can take in. Tap into the deep nature of being human in a world of real wood, earth, leaves, water, and weather that no scented candle could ever match. And give the children in your life the chance to do the same.
We have two fall Nature Day Camps this year, October 9th and November 10th. Find details on our website. If you are interested in what our campers do here, join Lizzy on October 27th for a Secret Camp Spots Tour.