The Bay Area is one of the most beautiful regions in the world, and by participating in Nature Camp, your child will have the chance to experience the wild and urban beauty that surrounds us as well as to grow through enriching outdoor adventures.
Our mission is to inspire children to love and preserve nature while living an eco-friendly life.
For summer 2025, Nature Camp will be offering two sessions:
1) Experienced bike riders (rising 4th to rising 8th graders):
Thursday, June 18th to Friday, June 26th (7 days)
Note: Due to this year's school calendar, there will only be one Experienced session with 32 spaces. The 32 students will be divided into two groups of 16 after enrollment based on age, riding ability and gender. On some days of Nature Camp, all 32 students will be participating in the same activity. On other days, the two groups will be doing alternate activities, but all students in the Experienced session will eventually enjoy the same days. If you would like your child to be grouped with one or more friends in the 16 student groups, please email Sally James after you have registered at sally@james5.com.
2) Advanced bike riders (rising 5th to rising 8th graders):
Pre-ride with leaders at a tune-up is required or participation in an earlier Nature Camp
Monday, June 29th to Wednesday, July 1st (3 days)
All participants should be experienced bike riders with a multi-gear, non-electric bike who love being outdoors and learning about the places, plants, and creatures of the Bay Area.
Please note our drop dates and refund policy: Before March 24th at 8:00 (Full refund); March 24th (75% refunded); May 1st (50% refunded); June 1st (25% refunded): June 10th (no refunds)
Our daily sessions will begin at the South School. On many days we will begin at 8:15 am and conclude at 3:00 pm, but some adventures will require different starting and ending times. We will inform participants by daily emails. Students will always bring a lunch, snacks, water bottles, a beach towel (or other ground cover to sit on at lunch), their personal health products (hand sanitizer, sunscreen, chapstick), their Nature Camp journal, and their Clipper Card (for use on trains and ferries). Nature Camp Educators will have bike locks and first aid equipment.
Students will be provided with a nature journal in which they’ll record the sights of each day. Nature journaling stimulates curiosity and improves observations skills. Plus, it was a practice of John Muir and other famous naturalists.
We'll post pictures of our activities daily on Instagram (you'll need to request access from @bayareanaturecamp).
The Nature Camp Educators will again offer a series of biking "tune-up" days on one Tuesdays in May (26th) and two Wednesdays in June (2nd, 9th) from 3:45 to 5:30 pm. This is an opportunity for students to get their bodies and their bikes fit for summer's Nature Camp sessions. Any students can sign up with Hillsborough Recreation for the days they'd like to join (regardless of whether they are participating in Nature Camp in June), and participants will meet at the front of South School.
Four seasoned educators and nature enthusiasts will lead Nature Camp's activities in Summer 2024.
Jenelle Graville is the reading specialist at South Hillsborough Elementary School. She enjoys exploring the biking, hiking and walking trails in our local, state and national parks.
Aisling Harvey is a third grade teacher at South Elementary School. She enjoys spending time outdoors hiking, paddleboarding, kayaking and swimming alongside her two daughters, her husband and their dog Nico.
Sally James is the retired teacher/librarian at South Hillsborough Elementary School. She has spent almost every summer at a remote cabin in British Columbia--backpacking, hiking, canoeing, biking, swimming, fishing, and creek walking in wild nature.
Perry Kittredge is a sixth and eighth grade math teacher at William H. Crocker Middle School. Perry has been an avid cyclist for his entire life, and he bicycled across the U.S. following his graduation from high school.
All of these educators have noticed that the animals, forests, and habitats they have enjoyed over their lives are changing. They want to share their love and knowledge of nature with students who will grow up to be stewards of the Earth.