Parents & Families | Camp Parents | American Camp Association

The Camp Resource for Families

Our comprehensive summer camp resource for families—offering expert advice from camp professionals on camp selection, readiness, child and youth development, and issues of importance to families. ACA helps you find the right camp for every child.

At camp, when children make new friends, explore the world around them, and learn that "I can" is much more powerful than "I can't", magic happens. In an environment created just for them, children learn real life skills, develop self-esteem, and gain a sense of independence and community. Whether children are playing, exploring nature, conquering new heights, or becoming part of a camp family, they are creating memories that will last a lifetime.

Because of Camp…® so much is possible.

Sign up today to receive timely information on the camp experience and our new e-Newsletter, CAMP: A Resource for Families.

Un recurso completo para las familias que ofrece consejo profesional de expertos en campamentos sobre la selección de campamento, el momento preciso, el desarrollo infantil y juvenil, y asuntos importantes para las familias.

 
 
Parents & Families | Camp Parents | American Camp Association

The Camp Resource for Families

Our comprehensive summer camp resource for families—offering expert advice from camp professionals on camp selection, readiness, child and youth development, and issues of importance to families. ACA helps you find the right camp for every child.

At camp, when children make new friends, explore the world around them, and learn that "I can" is much more powerful than "I can't", magic happens. In an environment created just for them, children learn real life skills, develop self-esteem, and gain a sense of independence and community. Whether children are playing, exploring nature, conquering new heights, or becoming part of a camp family, they are creating memories that will last a lifetime.

Because of Camp…® so much is possible.

Sign up today to receive timely information on the camp experience and our new e-Newsletter, CAMP: A Resource for Families.

Un recurso completo para las familias que ofrece consejo profesional de expertos en campamentos sobre la selección de campamento, el momento preciso, el desarrollo infantil y juvenil, y asuntos importantes para las familias.

Parent Home » Children and Nature

Children and Nature Belong Together
Leave No Child Inside

Richard Louv The Natural Gifts of Camp
By Richard Louv

Every summer, when I was in junior high and high school, my buddy Pete Sebring would disappear for a few weeks to a camp in the mountains west of Colorado Springs. I resented it. For me, those humid July weeks back in Kansas dragged, and then Pete would come home telling tales of adventure — as if he had been to some alpine Oz. Read More

How Camp Teaches Kids to Think Green!
Camp programs are among the very best ways for children to learn
a lasting appreciation for nature and a lifelong interest in caring for the earth.

Take the Nature Pledge!
Start a checklist for green living and ways to include the outdoors in your family activities.

ACA Resources
Camps share the value of outdoor educational experiences from farming and gardening camps to wilderness and experiential nature camps.

Online Resources
There are many Web sites that can help you and your child connect with nature.

Green Resources for Family Fun
Nature Rocks and Hooked on Nature's Nature Circle Cards

Read Green!
Here is a list of books—for parents and children—to help you get in a "Green" state of mind.

Family Fun Ideas to Get Green!
Ten ways for you and your child to connect with nature.
 

Some ideas for outdoor exploration, recommended by the National Wildlife Federation, are:

Top of page

 
Children and Nature
Take the Nature Pledge

Children & Nature Network
Reconnecting Children With Nature

Nature Club for Families Toolkit

 
 
 
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