Day Camps 2024

Please Note: Registration is closed. This camp is full.

From nature walks, to the formal gardens, to the goat dairy and beyond, campers explore the beauty of Hildene while gathering materials for projects. Campers create colorful drawings, paintings, sculptures and prints inspired by the styles and materials used by artists such as Georgia O'Keeffe, Picasso, Seurat and Monet.  Their imaginations soar as they learn about new techniques. The week ends with an art show for students’ families, exhibiting work created during this week-long artistic journey.

Please Note: Registration is closed. This camp is full.
 

Calling all nature explorers! How does a water scorpion breathe, a beaver eat under water without drowning or a Great Blue Heron catch fish? Come and learn the answers to these and other questions during our week exploring and comparing river, pond and wetland communities. We’ll catch and identify aquatic insects, build a river food web, investigate a beaver pond and identify common wetland plants. We’ll also play, do crafts, and read stories.

Please Note: Registration is closed. This camp is full.

Deep dive into exploring the ecosystems of Hildene. Campers learn about the plants that grow and the animals that roam the forests, wetlands and farms through hikes, field study, games, and crafts. How do these ecosystems stay balanced and what can we do to protect the beauty of Vermont’s Green Mountains are among the questions campers explore. Their curiosity and stewardship of nature are inspired during this fun-filled week of adventures!

Please Note: Registration is closed. This camp is full.

The 2024 youth corps team will complete a boardwalk on a forested trail that often leaves hikers with soggy shoes. This elevated walkway will better protect the ecology of the surrounding area and make the trail more accessible to hikers During the construction of the project, the Youth Corps team will develop basic carpentry skills under the guidance of Hildene's Building Superintendent, TJ Lillie. The team will also spend time learning about and exploring the ecology of Hildene, helping with chores at Hildene Farm, researching nonprofit organizations and enjoying crafts and games. This is a two-week summer program for 8 highly motivated young people.

Visit: https://hildene.org/learning/youth_corps for more information.

Please Note: Registration is closed. This camp is full.
 

Explore the largest group of animals in the world – insects. These six-legged wonders abound in our fields, forests, ponds and rivers. We’ll investigate their amazing adaptations, life cycles and ecology through field investigations, games, stories and art activities. Highlights include wading in a nearby stream in search of aquatic insects, setting up insect motels, creating pattern block insects and celebrating and exploring the vital role of insect pollinators.

Explore gardens, fields and forests of Hildene to discover and learn how the human and natural worlds are interconnected. We will be foragers of the field and forest! As naturalists, we will observe and identify plants through activities, games and projects including hunting and gathering for wild crafting and eating. From teas to dream pillows to terrariums and vine baskets, we will make crafts and foods to eat to become closer to the natural world around us.

Please Note: Registration is closed. This camp is full.

Campers tend to the care of sheep, chickens, pigs and cows at Hildene Farm in the Dene. They learn about the importance of composting, while getting their hands in the soil, cultivating and harvesting vegetables. They explore the operations of our greenhouse, including planting and harvesting micro-greens. At the goat dairy, campers learn about raising goats and the cheese making process. Farm-based crafts, stories and foods are also part of the mix, with the week ending in a mini farm-to-table celebration.
Both farm camps are the same. Please register for only one.

Please Note: Registration is closed. This camp is full.

Campers tend to the care of sheep, chickens, pigs and cows at Hildene Farm in the Dene. They learn about the importance of composting, while getting their hands in the soil, cultivating and harvesting vegetables. They explore the operations of our greenhouse, including planting and harvesting micro-greens. At the goat dairy, campers learn about raising goats and the cheese making process. Farm-based crafts, stories and foods are also part of the mix, with the week ending in a mini farm-to-table celebration.
Both farm camps are the same. Please register for only one.

Please Note: Registration is closed. This camp is full.

Come and discover how the forest is more than just trees! Campers explore the forests in and around Hildene and learn about the woodland ecology of the region from the ground up. Through the exploration and identification of the flora and fauna, habitat and life cycle studies, games and wild crafting, we’ll get to know the diverse forest communities of the Taconic and Green Mountains that surround us.