All in the Circle 2023: Council of Willow Pond

All in the Circle arts and nature camp is designed to give children the opportunity to fall in love with Earth and be co-creators of a culture of kindness. Informed by the wisdom, teachings, and experience of educators, spiritual leaders, and developmental psychologists, campers spend their days exploring, singing, doing art, playing games, learning, and gaining skills and "know-how" to live peacefully with each other and the natural world.

WHO: Children ages 4-9

WHEN: July 24-28, 2023; 10-3pm daily

WHERE: Kenwood Park and St Paul’s Church on Lake of the Isles, 1917 Logan Ave S. Minneapolis, MN 55403

COST: $300 for the week; scholarships available!

Register here!

About the 2023 Camp

In this year's camp, we will explore the Council of the Willow Pond with its resident beaver family and the complex web of animals, plants, insects and trees that live together in cooperation. Beavers are a "keystone species," which means they play a critical role in maintaining the health and function of all the beings that live around them. Beavers also work together to transform landscapes. They transform deserts into lush ecosystems that support sandhill cranes and deer, birds, plants, and trees. Beaver dams create silt-rich meadows and wetlands that break down toxins such as pesticides. In the cold winter months, beaver families have been known to welcome creatures who need shelter from the cold.

Through stories, council meetings, and nature-bases activities, campers will experience the wisdom of the beavers. We will build forts, befriend trees, dig rivers in the mud, create imaginary worlds, play hide-and-seek, become animals, go on adventures, hold councils, and experience the interconnectedness of all things.

Using imaginative, sensory, and nature-based play, campers will have fun while learning to express their insights and feelings, listen to others, work effectively through conflict, and act as a team to navigate adventures and challenges.

The curriculum, developed by AJ and Erin Pratt, is inspired by the work of Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods; David Sobel, author, psychologist, professor, and director of Antioch Center for Place-based Education; Bill Plotkin, author of Nature and the Human Soul, and others.