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Give Your Child a Summer They’ll Never Forget

Three weeks of hands-on adventure across 16 acres of forest, creeks, and gardens. The kind of summer where kids come home with stories they can’t stop telling.

Shelter building. Wildlife tracking. Harvesting herbs from the garden. Caring for baby ducks. This is summer the way it’s supposed to feel. Outside, hands-on, and full of wonder.

Summer 2026 has wrapped. Planning for next summer is underway, and 2027 dates and registration details will be shared with our waitlist families first.

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Dates

Three Themed Weeks
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Ages

3-10 Years Old
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Hours

9:00 AM- 4:00 PM
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Setting

16 Acres of Forest School

Registration Opens

2027 Dates Coming

ages

3 to 10 Years Old

Hours

9:00 AM to 4:00 PM

only

25 Spots/Week

What Makes This Summer Different

This isn’t just camp.
It’s the kind of experience that changes how your child sees the world.

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Real Skills, Real Confidence
Your child won’t just hear about survival skills or gardening. They’ll build a shelter with their hands, start a fire safely, and harvest herbs they helped grow. That kind of hands-on accomplishment builds confidence no worksheet ever could.
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16 Acres of Adventure
Your child will spend their days exploring 16 acres of forest, creeks, gardens, and open meadow. Whether they’re under the canopy of trees or gathered under our outdoor shelter, every activity connects them to the natural world around them.
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Every Child Is Seen
With only 25 campers per week and four experienced educators, your child won’t get lost in the shuffle. Our team adapts activities so every child feels challenged, supported, and proud of what they accomplish.
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Adventures Worth Talking About
Tracking animal footprints through the forest. Feeding baby ducks. Building dams in the creek. These aren’t activities kids forget by dinnertime. They’re the stories your child will tell for years.

Camp Age Groups

Same adventure, different experience, every child right where they should be.

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Tadpoles
(Ages 3-5)
must be toilet trained
Explore through play-based discovery, sensory learning, and gentle skill-building. Think fairy shelter building, mud track-making, and feeding baby ducks by hand.
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Toads
(Ages 6-10)
Go deeper with critical thinking, teamwork, and real skill development like constructing child-sized shelters, building working water filtration systems, and keeping written field journals.

Three Themed Weeks of Exploration

Each week is a stand-alone adventure. Sign up for one, two, or all three. Every week brings something completely different.

WEEK 1

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Wilderness Survival Academy

Week 1

Real skills. Big confidence. Wild adventure.

Children explore primitive skills, shelter building (from fairy houses to full-sized survival shelters), fire safety, dam building, and water collection and filtration methods.

They’ll think like engineers, move like explorers, and discover just how capable they truly are.

Ages 3-10

9AM-4PM

Mon-Fri

activities include:

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Shelter Building: making shelters & fairy houses

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Fire – Safety & Building

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Water: Water Filtering, Water Samples

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Dam building

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Water still

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Forest games

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Mindfulness and observation

🐸 Tadpoles: Ages 3 to 5

Play-based discovery, sensory learning, and gentle skill-building

•󠁏 Build small fairy shelters and simple stick shelters
•󠁏 Water play with mini dams and stream exploration
•󠁏 Fire safety awareness through stories and demonstrations
•󠁏 Sensory exploration of natural materials
•󠁏 Build and nurture miniature “fairy fires”

🐸 Toads: Ages 6 to 10

Deeper skill development, critical thinking, and teamwork

•󠁏 Design and construct large, child-sized shelters
•󠁏 Learn basic knots and primitive tool concepts
•󠁏 Build working water filtration models
•󠁏 Experiment with solar still water collection
•󠁏 Study water flow while constructing creek dams

WEEK 2

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Little
Homesteaders

Week 2

Growing food. Caring for animals. Living simply.

Campers tend the garden, harvest veggies, grow sprouts in the greenhouse, care for baby ducks and chicks, care for mama and papa ducks and chickens, build compost systems, and learn about wild edible plants and herbs.

This week fosters responsibility, nurturing skills, and a deep understanding of the food and life cycle.

Ages 3-10

9AM-4PM

Mon-Fri

activities include:

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Making compost

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Harvesting Eggs

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Sprouts

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Baby ducks and animal care

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Wild edibles – berries and greens

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Garden keeping – tending, mindful harvesting, watering and care

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Herb exploration : Lavender, rosemary, mint, lemon balm, chives

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Forest games

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Mindfulness and observation

🐸 Tadpoles: Ages 3 to 5

Play-based discovery, sensory learning, and gentle skill-building

•󠁏 Collect eggs with assistance and help crack and whisk
•󠁏 Water and harvest from garden beds
•󠁏 Feed and gently hold baby ducks and chicks
•󠁏 Collect and pick blackberries
•󠁏 Explore compost through sorting games

🐸 Toads: Ages 6 to 10

Deeper skill development, critical thinking, and teamwork

•󠁏 Safely gather, wash and cook eggs
•󠁏 Measure and maintain compost ratios
•󠁏 Plant and monitor greenhouse sprouts
•󠁏 Harvest veggies from the garden
•󠁏 Identify beginner-level wild edible plants and herbs
•󠁏 Participate in daily animal care routines

WEEK 3

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Wildlife
Detectives

Week 3

Observe closely. Move quietly. Think like the wild.

Children learn to identify animal tracks, create their own track molds, practice camouflage and stealth, track wildlife signs, and engage in nature observation.

Curiosity becomes their compass as they step into the role of young naturalists.

Ages 3-10

9AM-4PM

Mon-Fri

activities include:

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Animal tracks and tracking

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Experimenting with soils

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Wild animal tracking

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Camouflage

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Hide and Seek

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Forest games

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Mindfulness and observation

🐸 Tadpoles: Ages 3 to 5

Play-based discovery, sensory learning, and gentle skill-building

•󠁏 Match animal tracks to pictures
•󠁏 Make tracks in the mud
•󠁏 Camouflage dress-up play
•󠁏 Discover various animal habitats
•󠁏 Guided observation walks and nature journaling (drawing-based)

🐸 Toads: Ages 6 to 10

Deeper skill development, critical thinking, and teamwork

•󠁏 Identify real animal tracks and wildlife signs
•󠁏 Create plaster track casts
•󠁏 Practice stealth movement and camouflage challenges
•󠁏 Keep field journals with written observations
•󠁏 Play predator-prey ecosystem games

Every Week Includes

No matter which theme your camper chooses, these are woven into every single day.

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Collaborative Forest Games
Building teamwork, leadership, and problem-solving through play in the forest.
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Daily Mindfulness
Practice
Cultivating emotional regulation, awareness, and gratitude through guided outdoor mindfulness.
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Outdoor Exploration & Discovery
Hands-on projects and child-led discovery across 16 acres of forest, creeks, and gardens.

Meet Your Head Camp Educators

Not camp counselors. Educators. Every one of them has advanced training, years of experience, and a genuine passion for helping children thrive outdoors.

Molly Orear founder and lead teacher at hidden meadow forest school olympia washington portrait of her standing in front of forest

Molly O’Rear

Founder & Lead Teacher
Molly Orear co-teacher at hidden meadow forest school olympia washington portrait of her standing in front of forest smiling

Dani T

Co-Teacher
Jake Orear assistant director at Hidden Meadow forest school olympia washington portrait of him standing in front of forest holding a cup of coffee

Jake O’Rear

Assistant Director
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Wilma

Pawsitivity Coordinator

A Summer Camp Designed With Intention

Every part of this program exists for a reason.
From the group sizes to the daily rhythm, nothing here is filler.

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Small Groups on Purpose
We cap each week at 25 campers with 10 preschool and 15 school-age spots. Four educators means your child gets real attention, not crowd management. We keep it small because that’s how kids thrive.
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Every Activity Has a Purpose
Nothing on the schedule is busywork. Shelter building teaches problem-solving. Tracking animals builds observation skills. Tending the garden teaches patience and responsibility. Play and learning happen at the same time.
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Thoughtful Daily Rhythm
Each day flows from morning circle to guided exploration to hands-on adventure to quiet reflection. Kids know what to expect, which means less anxiety and more freedom to dive into the experience fully.
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Educators Who Know Your Child by Name
Our team has decades of experience working with children ages 3 to 10. They don’t just supervise. They notice what lights your child up, what they need support with, and how to help them grow.

Pricing & Camp Details

Here’s how camp works. Tuition and dates for 2027 will be shared with waitlist families first.

Registration Opens

TBA 2027


PER WEEK
Camp Tuition
$TBA/week
Standard Price | $TBA/week
Sibling Discount | 10% Off
Registration Opens | TBA

Need to Know

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Hours

9:00 AM – 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday

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Ages

3–10 years old. Must be fully toilet trained.
Limited spots for 3-year-olds.

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Group Size

25 campers/week:
10 preschool + 15 school-age for small-group attention.

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Lunch

Not provided. Please pack lunch & snacks daily.

Join the 2027 Summer Camp Waitlist

Add your family to the list and you’ll hear from us as soon as dates, themes, and registration details are set. No commitment, just first word when planning is complete.


By submitting this application, you agree to our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Questions? We Have Answers

The most common questions from families considering summer camp at our Olympia forest school

Camp is open to children ages 3 to 10. All campers must be fully toilet trained. Spots for 3-year-olds are limited each week to ensure the best experience for our youngest campers.

Dates and registration details for Summer 2027 are still being finalized. Families on the waitlist hear first, before registration opens to the public.

Absolutely! Each week has a different theme, and campers are welcome to sign up for one, two, or all three. Sibling discounts of 10% apply to all weeks.

Each week has age-appropriate activities for two groups: Tadpoles (ages 3 to 5) focus on play-based discovery and sensory learning, while Toads (ages 6 to 10) dive into deeper skill development, critical thinking, and teamwork.

Every week includes collaborative forest games, daily mindfulness practice, outdoor exploration, hands-on projects, and child-led discovery, no matter which theme your camper chooses.

Yes! Molly holds a Master’s with Special Education endorsement, Jake is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, and Dani has 3+ years of special education experience. We welcome all children and create individualized support.

Lunch is not provided. Please pack a lunch and snacks for your camper each day. We’ll have water available throughout the day.

We go outside every day, rain or shine! Weather is part of the adventure. We’ll provide guidance on proper gear, and children learn how rain transforms the forest, where puddles form, and how animals respond to weather.

Be First to Hear About Summer 2027

Join the waitlist and we’ll reach out with dates, themes, and registration details as soon as they’re set.

Questions?