Summer Camp Information
1. Shuttle bus instructions:
To reduce traffic and parking problems, we provide a "shuttle bus" to and from the Ecology Center for our camp programs. The shuttle-bus meeting location will be in the parking lot of the Wild Duck Pub/ Golf Clubhouse. This is the first major parking lot on your left once you enter the Highland Green community--about 3/4 of a mile in. We will be there to meet you in the morning and again in the afternoon, and we will transport children to and from the Ecology Center using this shuttle bus.
- First shuttle @ 8:45
- Second shuttle @ 8:55/9am (or whenever the last camper arrives)
For families new to CREA camp who have never seen the Ecology Center before, you are welcome to follow the shuttle bus to the Ecology Center on the first morning of camp--come take a quick look around to see where your child will spend his/her week with us. We need to use the shuttle bus to resolve traffic and lack of parking, but we also want to be sure that parents and children feel comfortable and happy as we begin our day together. Please contact sarah@creamaine.org with any questions about the shuttle bus.
2. Packing list
Required items:
-Lunch,
-Snack,
-Refillable water bottle,
-Extra clothes,
-Extra socks,
-Shoes (not flip-flops!) for walking in the river (watershoes, Crocs, Keens, or even just a pair of yucky old sneakers that it's okay to get smelly...)
-Shoes (not flip-flops!) for playing tag and walking in the woods (sneakers are fine-- you do not need heavy duty hiking boots)
-Inhalers/ Medicine/ Epi-pens/ Etc: Any medical supplies must be clearly labeled in a bag with your child's name, including detailed instructions on dosage and use. Please make a point of talking directly with our staff on the first day of camp so we can go over any medical instructions together.
Other helpful items: hat, sunscreen, bugspray (pre-apply sunscreen and bugspray at home if possible)
3. Schedule & Activities: Camp will run Tuesday through Friday, from 9am-3pm each day. There is no camp on Monday. Please plan on dropping your child at our shuttle bus area between 8:45- 9am. We will be back there to meet you by 3pm.
Each day includes a mixture of active games, hikes, science explorations and art projects. Sample activities: scooping for bugs in the pond, making a birdfeeder, fishing, catching frogs, making clay birds, turtle-trapping, dissecting an owl pellet, and playing group games like ‘Bat &Moth’ or ‘Arrow Stalking’.
Each day begins with “morning circle” where we outline the plan for that day, and play some group games. We place great emphasis on group dynamics and getting to know each other, as much as we do on the science and art projects. We have a minimum of 6 staff for the group of 24 campers each week, dedicated to helping campers get to know each other and have fun together, while learning about the outdoors and exploring this special nature preserve.
Every child will do at least one science activity/ hike & one art activity each day, as well as group games. During most afternoons, campers are given “option time”, to choose between (for example) going on a river exploration or making a birchbark picture frame.
4. Emergency Contact info: If you need to contact our staff during camp hours, we will probably be off hiking in the woods, but we do carry cell phones.
CREA Cell Phone (207) 331-3202 ext. 3 (We carry this camp phone with us 8:30am-3:30pm)
5. Ticks: Just as in your backyard and any other outdoor area in southern Maine, there are ticks at CREA. We remind the campers to check for ticks throughout camp, but you should spend a minute each night doing a more thorough check with your child. Bugspray is not an effective deterrent against ticks--careful inspections each night are the best prevention.
Please email sarah@creamaine.org with any questions or concerns about camp.
We’re getting excited!
-Sarah, Andrew, Shane, Heather, Mel, Eliza, and the rest of our summer camp staff
