Join us for a fully outdoor week of nature connection and exploration! Over the course of the week, your student will have a fun-packed educational experience with knowledgable and enthusiastic naturalist staff,  all in the outdoors. As they run, hike, and play throughout our endless green space, they will learn about the climate of southern California and study the plants and animals that have called this region home for millions of years. 
 
Who: 5 - 12 year old students
Time: 8:30am - 3:00pm
Week 1: 6/24 - 6/28
*Week 2: 7/7 - 7/11
*Week 3: 7/14 - 7/18
*Week 4: 7/21 - 7/25
Week 5: 7/28 - 8/1
Week 6: 8/4 - 8/8
 
**LA River Arts Camp!**
 
Location: Each day of camp meets at different parks throughout Los Angeles, including: 
Ernest E. Debs Park (Montecito Heights)
LA State Historic Park (Chinatown)
Lewis MacAdams Park (Elysian Valley/Frogtown)
Elysian Park (Echo Park)
Griffith Park (Los Feliz/Atwater)
Hahamongna Watershed Park (El Prieto Canyon, Altadena)
Eaton Canyon (Altadena)
 
Please note that these locations are subject to change based on weather or any other programming needs. 
 
More Details:
The class will meet at a variety of locations throughout the east side of Los Angeles to explore the chapparal and riparian environments of the Los Angeles River Watershed while examining the impact of human development on the region and connecting with our own human nature.  
 
What to expect: 
immersive wildlife observation,
plant and animal identification,
trail hiking, 
nature games,
interpretive artisitc activities,
conversations about:
environmental ethics &
social-emotional learning,
A VERY GOOD TIME
 
LA River Arts @ Everlasting
For the week of July 7th, 14th, and 21st, we will be joined by the facilitators and programming of LA River Arts to deepen and diversify our relationship with the watershed while growing our community. Over these weeks, students can expect:
 
Book and Zine Making
Our curriculum activates youth voices, narratives and perspectives as they write their own poems using river-related word banks. Campers respond with words and drawings to the plants, animals and other discoveries from the Arroyo to make their own books and zines.
 
Improv Games
Words and stories from the First People explain the plants and places here forming images in our minds.  Campers may embody these names and narratives in games foregrounding our interconnectedness and our place in the landscape; moving, orienteering and improvising with our teaching artists under the sycamores.
 
Sensory Awareness Activities
Students tap into their 5 senses to slow down and examine their environments throughout the week. Fun games and activities guide students to understanding the power of Owl Eyes, Deer Ears, Raccoon Touch, Fox Walking and more.
 
Sit Spots
Students take 5 - 30 minutes of silent and still time to examine their environment
 
Nature Connection Games and Activities
Identifying local plants and animals, hiking to peaks to examine topography, hiding in bushes, creating nature mandalas, barefoot walks, orienteering (learning cardinal directions in relation to sun, mountains, river, sea
 
City Connection
Riding the LA Metro, discussing the city’s history, admiring the skyline, examining the freeways and the concretization of the rivers, examining: what is Los Angeles?
 
Monumental Media
Hands-on skill-building with assemblage, lashing, and knot-tying. Cultivating transferable skills in place making grounded in location and community-based considerations encourages youth to site their work carefully by tracing solar paths, feeling the wind, learning to read where water flows over the land when it rains and establishing the cardinal points at the site as they work together to build a monumental work of art -- repurposing debris the river left behind.
 
Freeform Exploration 
Child-directed unstructured playtime. We believe that kids in Nature will discover fun and the laws of physics with minimal interference from counselors - who stand by to assist and maintain safety, but mainly just stay out of the way of campers’ organic explorations in this safe and fertile environment.
 
Each day, students should be prepared with: 
24 oz. water (minimum)
hearty snack
filling lunch
backpack to fit these items
sturdy and comfortable walking shoes
 
Note: some days will require water shoes and quick dry clothes. Details to come as the program dates near.
 
Please reach out directly with any questions you have! michael@everlastingeducation.org