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A fun-filled, sensory rich summer camp for kids
What can your child expect at Camp LEAP IN? First and foremost, your child can expect to have a fun-filled and safe week! Your child will Learn to Explore And Play In Nature, hence our name, LEAP IN!
Research shows that children learn through sensory play and exploration. This camp will provide a sensory-rich environment for children to encourage the development of age-appropriate sensory processing skills, motor skills and social skills. Camp is sure to be loads of sensory fun as children Learn to Explore And Play In Nature or LEAP IN!
Let the children be free; encourage them; let them run outside when it is raining; let them remove their shoes when they find a puddle of water; and when the grass of the meadows is damp with dew, let them run on it and trample it with their bare feet.”
Dr. Maria Montessori
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See the fun for yourself! Check out photos from Camp LEAP IN!
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Camp LEAP IN is an inclusive camp for children in both regular and special education programs.
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Our curriculum was created to include all children. Activities are inclusive for children with autism, ADHD and sensory processing deficits. This camp will provide a sensory-rich environment for all children to encourage the development of age-appropriate sensory processing, motor and social skills.
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Five Focus Areas
- Sensory: We will work to integrate the senses (tactile, vestibular, proprioception, olfactory, vision, auditory and taste) in natural ways through imaginative play schemes. We will be walking on logs as balance beams, splashing, jumping and digging in mud puddles, swinging with the wind blowing in our faces, jumping off stumps, rolling down grassy hills, walking over crunchy leaves and building forts with sticks and wood. Your child will have the opportunity to seek out what their body needs and direct this to be in the optimal state to participate in other activities. The environment will be equipped with a variety of tools to facilitate all of the senses such as hammocks, swings, tents, slack lines, and alternative seating. Nature in and of itself is the best sensory playground!
- Gross Motor: Immersion in nature will focus on the development of large muscle coordination, core strength, the body awareness needed to motor plan and problem solve, build an obstacle course and other play-based activities.
- Fine and Perceptual Motor Activities: We will use our tactile and touch systems, and with our own two hands build and construct cool things. We will facilitate the development of mature patterns by grasping tools to complete nature art and picking up and manipulating multi-sensory materials a variety of shapes and sizes. We work on developing the right amount of force needed to work with items in nature to play.
- Language: As the children use their bodies to engage in nature, language-rich vocabulary and concepts will be taught in the environment where language naturally occurs. Children will work on following directions and using expanded sentence structure as they play, work, and most importantly have fun!
- Social and Emotional Development: Children will work on problem-solving as a team to create, build and play with multi-sensory materials. Skills that will be encouraged and addressed “in the moment” include being demanding, compromise, transitioning, sharing, listening to others ideas, taking turns, waiting for one’s turn and addressing any anxieties that may be present with trying new things or new sensory experiences. Camp LEAP IN is a safe place for children to experience all levels of feelings and emotions. We are equipped to identify appropriate ways to handle and cope, with the behaviors and emotions that will surface while working in groups with others. The tools that we use to facilitate this domain include, but are not limited to, Michelle Garcia Winter’s “Social Thinking,” Becky Bailey’s “Conscious Discipline” and Leah M. Kuypers’ “Zones of Regulation.”
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2023 Camp Schedule
A limited number of partial camp scholarships may be available. Click here for more information.
Where The Wild Things Are
Do you like adventures? Exploring all of the wild creatures that live in nature? Monsters don’t have to be scary. Come to Camp LEAP IN to explore all of nature's creatures that roam wild and free! You will have the opportunity to play wild and free, while gaining in social smarts, and fulfilling your sensory needs in nature.- 5-12Ages
- July 10-13Date
Recycle Mania
Camp LEAP IN believes in recycling and that it is a vital step in preserving resources on our planet. Reducing waste is a key element of sustainability. Join us this week where you will have a chance to change trash into treasure using entirely recycled materials. Go green with us while we gain social smarts and engage in multisensory play and construction in nature. Your children will use their creativity and imagination to build works of art from recycled goods.- 5-12Ages
- July 17-20Date
Blast OFF!
Rockets, planets, aliens, and more await your child during a week in outer space. We will shoot for the stars and learn social smarts, while interacting with friends in Nature. Launch your kids into a spectacular world of discovery about outer space where they will be encouraged to explore space themes while using all of their senses while their imagination soars OUT OF THIS WORLD!- 5-12Ages
- July 24-27Date
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Camper Requirements
Camp LEAP IN may require follow up information or assessment to ensure each camper can get the most out of their camp experience, and to ensure the safety for all campers and staff.
We believe every child can benefit from our programming. Therefore, it is our goal to create a few spaces each session to allow a camper who may not have all of the above the skills to attend camp. If you feel that your child that has not yet developed the above skills, please reach out to us so we can discuss if we are able to meet your child’s needs.
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Register for Camp LEAP IN now!