Our Program
At Camp Twigs at Bells Bend Beaman, children will spend every day outside. Our programming encourages imaginative play, nature education, and outdoor skills development. Above all, our goal is for every camper to increase their appreciation and respect for nature. A flexible schedule allows campers to collaborate with their counselors and peers to choose their own adventure, and decide where each day takes them.
Activities include: nature education, hiking, camp games and songs, crafts, outdoor cooking, archery, fishing, geocaching, creek exploration, animal tracking, camping skills, and more. All camp activities are lead by caring, enthusiastic staff who are building careers in education, sports and recreation, and child development.
Camp is where your child will be supported and encouraged as they develop their independence, imagination, creativity, teamwork, collaboration, and social skills. They will spend every day playing, learning, and growing: surrounded by natural beauty.
What To Bring
Your camper will need to be dressed and ready for an active day of outdoor exploration. This often means getting wet and muddy, so please come prepared for a full day of fun!
Campers should come to camp each day with the following items:
- WEAR tennis shoes or hiking boots; PACK sports sandals or closed-toed water shoes. No flip-flops. A separate shoe for the water will help prevent blisters – wearing sport sandals instead of sneakers is okay but we suggest still having separate water shoes.
- WEAR sunscreen & bug spray; PACK more for later. Spray is easiest for us to apply. We may ask your camper to use our bug spray if they have trouble not playing with it.
- WEAR a hat to keep the sun off of delicate faces; PACK a rain jacket or poncho. Camp adventures will not be stopped by rain. We will seek shelter during lightning or severe weather.
- Additional packing items:
- An extra set of clothes (or swimsuit)
- A lightweight reusable water bottle
- Trash-free lunch: we encourage campers to participate in our trash-free lunch challenge! We practice leave-no-trace principles and campers will pack out what they pack in each day. Camp is a great time to work on reducing our footprint by eliminating single-serving packaging.
PLEASE NOTE: If a child forgets their lunch, CBBB will call the listed contact person. Lunch can be dropped off or CBBB will provide a pre-packaged lunch for a fee of $5.00. CBBB is not responsible for lost or stolen items. Please label all of your child’s belonging. Unclaimed items will be held for 1 week, displayed at checkout, then donated to charity.
Camp Behavior Policy
*Please review with your child before arriving at Camp Twigs at Bells Bend Beaman.
Camp Twigs at Bells Bend Beaman wants to cultivate the naturalist in your child and engage them with their immediate environment. It will be a fun week at camp, especially if the campers already know what is expected from them. Read these guidelines with your child.
Camp Twigs at Bells Bend Beaman Campers are expected to be respectful to each other, their counselors and themselves. We are a camp that encourages each other and that does not tolerate put downs. We are trying to learn something that is challenging and new, so we need to have patience with the process and with each other. We always pitch in to clean up and help out. We always think about safety first! This means we make good decisions, ask questions and listen to the instructors at all times.
Camp staff will work with your child to redirect minor behavior issues with listening, cooperation or positive participation. More disruptive behavior will be brought to the attention of the camp director and the parent will be notified at check-out or called by phone.
A camper may be asked to leave camp (without a refund) if the director determines that the camper is compromising the safety of themselves or their group. This could include verbally threatening other group members or acts of aggression/violence such as hitting, kicking or biting. Also, if a camper repeatedly leaves the group unannounced and is unable to be kept safely supervised, they may be sent home without a refund.
To guide us, we use the ACORNS* philosophy.
We strive for Camp Twigs at Bells Bend Beaman campers to be:
- Active
Be active in your group. Participate and try new things. - Curious
Ask questions & try and find out answers. Explore your environment. - Observant
Pay attention to world around you. Listen and notice small things. - Respectful
Respect all things: people, animals, plants and our environment. - In Nature
Being outside makes us mentally and physically healthier. Unplug and enjoy! - Safe
Make good decisions. Be careful with ourselves, others and our words.
(*Adapted with permission from Kalamazoo Nature Center – PDF)
Boo-boos Happen Sometimes…
Our camp staff is trained in First Aid and CPR, so they are ready to help keep your child safe at camp. Sometimes scrapes, cuts, bumps, and bruises happen while we play and explore. Every staff member has a first aid kit in the backpack and is ready to care for your camper as they need. For simple first aid injuries, like a band-aid fixes, we just take care of it and move on with the day. For any injury that requires a bit more attention, we will give you a call/text to let you know what is going on. We do stock a few children’s over-the counter medicines in the camp director’s first aid kit including Benadryl, Advil, and Tylenol. The camp director will call you before giving these to your child.
Too sick to play?
Our camps do not have on-site health care facilities for resting or sick campers. If you suspect your child is sick, please keep them home from camp. If your child gets sick at camp, we will troubleshoot the basics first. For example, do they need more water, a shade break, a snack, a popsicle (these can work miracles on sick campers!!), or just a bit of chill time??? If these simple fixes don’t work, and your child is too sick to play, then we will give you a call to figure out when you can pick them up.
Emergency Communications Plan
Although we do our best to stay safe and prevent injuries, sometimes accidents happen. In the case of an injury or an emergency, we will do our best to communicate with parents or emergency contacts as soon as possible.
*Please note, that camp does not provide any transportation. In case of an injury or emergency, the camp staff will assess the situation and call emergency services as appropriate. Once the nature of the injury/emergency has been established, parents will be notified by the camp director or the CEO. If the child’s parents cannot be reached, the designated emergency contacts will be called. If the injury or emergency is not life-threatening but requires further medical attention, the parents or emergency contacts will need to provide transportation to seek care.
Further Reading
NATURE DEFICIT DISORDER
This term was coined by Richard Louv to describe the effect that increased time indoors has on children. Examples range from increased rates of obesity and behavioral problems to lack of focus at school. Time spent outdoors quickly combats many of these issues. Learn more
