Back to the Earth
Ages 9-12
Sunday-Friday | $895-$1,095 (Sliding-Scale)
July 6-11 | July 13-18 | July 20-25 | July 27-Aug 1
Embrace the Adventure!
Gain foundational outdoor skills to last a lifetime. Overcome challenges with creativity, while playing hard, eating well, gaining independence, finding new interests and building self-confidence.
Campers will make a home base around the comforts of wilderness cabins and venture into the surrounding forests and waterways to practice new skills among friends and reconnect with the wild earth. To end the week, they will embark on an adventure on a wilderness overnight trip and sleep underneath the stars.
Some skills you may practice during the week:
- Carve fire kits & make fire
- Cook over open fire
- Identify and harvest wild edible plants
- Build and sleep in a natural shelter
- Knife Sharpening and safety
- Craft and use tools from stone and wood
- Create a musical masterpiece
- Play EPIC games
Choose Your Week
The Forest Awakens
Ages 13-16
Sunday-Friday | $895-$1,095 (Sliding-Scale)
July 13-18 | July 20-25
Ignite your inner spark
Campers will awaken to the sounds of birds and rustling leaves in a forest camp made of tents, tarps and natural shelters that they build. They will base their activities out of this home in the forest, share stories together and connect to the land; forming a community of nature-inspired leaders.
Camp leaders will offer advanced skill development and opportunities for more independent challenges and leadership development, as well as deep relaxation and rejuvenation. They’ll guide campers in making choices with intention and purpose, crafting meaningful stories and relationships, and mastering skills of self-reliance.
Some skills you may practice during the week:
- Tracking animals and interpreting bird calls
- Develop your archery skills
- Awareness Games and Challenges
- Finding your voice as a leader and a storyteller
- Playing a musical instrument crafted natural materials
- Cook an outdoor feast
- Identify plants to eat and to use in so many ways
- Lighting fires from friction with found materials
- Stars gazing & sleeping to the sounds of the nighttime forest
Choose Your Week
Long Bow Camp
Ages 13-16
Sunday-Friday | $995-$1,195 (Sliding-Scale)
fee includes $100 material fee
July 27-Aug 1
One Week Only!
Craft your own, iconic longbow and fletch your own arrows as you advance your archery skills to the next level. Walk in the footsteps of your ancestors and learn to harvest bow staves, weave strings, read wood grain and tiller your bow to the shape of the crescent moon.
Some skills you may practice during the week:
- Explore the fundamentals of aiming, shooting, safety and sports etiquette
- Develop your carving skills and and ability to focus with a relaxed mind
- Connect to the other forest inhabitants through guided observation and interpretation
- Play games to develop stealth and awareness
- With the help of experienced bowyers, use a variety of hand tools
Full Moon Camp
Ages 13-16
Sunday-Friday | $875-$1,075 (Sliding-Scale)
July 6 – 11
One Week Only!
The Forest Awakens at night! This will be a specialized week for night time adventures under the light of the full moon. Playfulness and creativity will light our way as we craft stories and dream big together. Time for reflection, personal discovery and rejuvenation (think, sleeping in!) will abound.
Some things you may do during the week:
- Explore the nighttime forest as never before!
- Make and tell stories
- Connect to the other forest inhabitants through guided observation and interpretation
- Play nighttime games
- Journal, craft, reflect, rejuvenate
- Cook delicious food over the fire
Primitive Pursuits affirms that Black Lives Matter. We promise to do our best to, and to continue to learn how to, be a part of the work to eliminate structural racism and white supremacy in all of the spaces of our camp and the rest of our lives.
Primitive Pursuits is committed to the ongoing work of equity, diversity and inclusion. More importantly, we let all families know up front that Primitive Pursuits is a safe spacefor youth and bullying, harassment, or anything less than exuberant acceptance is not tolerated.
Primitive Pursuits is a non-profit 4-H program in partnership with Cornell Cooperative Extension Tompkins County.