Summer is on the way, pandemic or not, and Taproot Summer Camp is happening! We will follow the same COVID-19 safety practices as last summer: Masks, distancing, and hand cleaning. I am confident that we will continue our perfect record of zero known COVID-19 transmission as we go play outside like Nature intended!
Spring Taproot Sessions
Ages 5-12
March 29-June 4
We are offering weekly Taproot excursions in the mornings and afternoons this spring, similar to the way it ran last fall. Registration is open now.
Mornings run from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and afternoons from 1 to 5 p.m. Kids sign up for one or more specific time blocks each week.
Our meeting place is Upper City Park, and we’ll ride from there to our day’s destination in the Taproot van.
Since the pandemic is still a factor, we will still avoid spending any time indoors. This means that severe weather may cancel or cut short the Taproot outing.
Taproot Leadership Camp
Ages 12-18
June 11-19
True to the Taproot philosophy, Leadership Camp will provide participants with time to relax and enjoy nature in structured and unstructured ways, in between rigorous training sessions in several areas. Junior Leaders return later in the summer for a week (or more) of teaching with the younger campers. We also schedule Fall and Spring Reunions to reconnect and relax. All of this is included in the $1250 tuition. 2021 TLC runs from Friday evening, June 11 to Saturday noon, June 19. Because the first day of TLC is the last day of school, it is a fast turnaround. While stressful for some kids (and parents), we quickly settle down and relax into Taproot mode.
Our vision is for a 2021 TLC that is very similar to past years—camping overnight in tents, sharing communal meals, engaging campfire conversations, canoeing down a river, playing Capture the Flag, and most of the other stuff that makes TLC special. We take COVID-19 very seriously, though, so we will find the balance between reducing the risk and enjoying the benefits. I will publish the full plan when it’s ready, and payments will be refundable if folks change their mind because of COVID-19 concerns.
Full Day Sapling Camp
Ages 8-12
Sapling Camp takes kids on a 5-day odyssey of nature, friendship, and adventure around Iowa City and further afield. Each day we visit one or two destinations—Turkey Creek, Harvest Preserve, Lon Drake’s Place, Kent Park, Scattergood Farm, and others—for fishing, swimming, archery, tree-climbing, running games, mindful observation, ephemeral art, forest yoga, and general nature love. (Sadly, our longer field trips to Maquoketa Caves and Wildcat Den are not happening this year because COVID).
Sapling Camp hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and kids bring their own lunch and snacks. Cost: $395/week
Full Day Cambium Camp
Ages 5-8
The Cambium group seeks adventure and takes care of each other in natural environments close to Iowa City and some that are a bit further afield. This all-day camp has built-in rest and quiet time each day.
Cambium Camp hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Kids bring their own lunch and snacks. The cost is $395/week.
Half Day Seedling Camp
Ages 5-8
Seedling Campers visit a variety of natural areas in and around Iowa City over the course of the camp week. Self-guided and loosely-structured play, and an atmosphere of Unconditional Positive Regard, form the foundation of the Seedling Camp experience. Gentle and experienced teachers provide safety supervision and are tuned-in to the constant spontaneous lessons and learning opportunities that arise.
Seedling Camp hours are 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Kids bring lunch and snacks, and the cost is $240/week.
Summer Sprouts Camp
Ages 3-5
Another casualty of COVID, we will not be offering Sprouts Camp this summer. We look forward to Summer 2022 when enough people are vaccinated and the pandemic is under control.
Financial Aid Available
Taproot does not turn away children just because their family cannot pay. If your family needs assistance in order to afford Taproot programming, please contact Zac directly at Info@TaprootNatureExperience.org.
If you are able to contribute to the Taproot Scholarship Fund, we gratefully accept donations. Please donate!