COVID-19 Impacts, Updates + Parent Resources
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School Break Programs

When school is OUT, we’re in the woods!

Spring Camp

Spring Break 2, 3 or 5 days
April 10 – 14, 2023

AGES 6-12

9:00AM – 3:00PM

Learn More

FaLL + Winter BREAK Days

Single Break Days
Fall 2023 and Winter 2024

AGES 6-12

9:00AM – 3:00PM

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Winter Camp

Winter Break 2, 3 or 5 days
Winter 2024

AGES 6-12

9:00AM – 3:00PM

Learn More

Spring camp

April 10-14, 2023
Ages 6-12

Help us welcome Spring back to the Finger Lakes as we explore 4-H Acres for a full week of outdoor fun and adventure. Come for 2, 3, or all 5 days!

Each day runs from 9:00AM to 3:00PM filled with fun and adventure for participants ages 6-12. 

Self-selected sliding scale and scholarships available!

Learn More or Register
Winter To-Bring list

Single School Break Days

Come outside to enjoy the best the natural world has to offer – with us!

New Dates Coming Soon
For Ages 6-12

Run, Play, Laugh and explore winter skills—shelter, water, fire and food! We’ll practice fire skills, make wild tea, follow tracks, play games and more! Each day runs from 9:00AM to 3:00PM filled with fun and adventure for participants ages 6-12.

STAY TUNED
Winter To-Bring list

Winter camp

New Dates Coming Soon
Ages 6-12

4-H Acres will come alive with winter fun! Snow forts, tracking, magical ice sculptures, followed by warming up by the fire with stories and games. Grab those snow pants and meet us there! Come for 2, 3, or all 5 days of fun and adventure!

Each day runs from 9:00AM to 3:00PM filled with fun and adventure for participants ages 6-12. 

Self-selected sliding scale and scholarships available!

STAY TUNED

Spring Camp

Help us welcome Spring back to the Finger Lakes region with 5 days of wild adventures, outdoor skill-building, and resounding FUN!.

April 10 - 14, 2023

For Ages 6-12

Full Week or Partial Week Enrollment:

  • 2 Days: Monday and Tuesday $150 – $175
  • 3 Days: Wednesday through Friday $225 – $250
  • Full Week: Monday through Friday $325 – $425 

Deposit is $75 for the full week, $50 for W/F, M/T is paid in full upon registration

Self-selected sliding scale and scholarships available!

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Choose-Your-Price Sliding Scale System

At Primitive Pursuits we are committed to making our programs available to as many people as possible. To this end, we generate scholarships via our choose-your-price sliding scale program costs, on a program-to-program basis. The base rate of our programs covers the cost of the program. Any payments above the base rate are tax-deductible donations to our scholarship fund. When filing for taxes Primitive Pursuits is listed under “Cornell Cooperative Extension” Tax ID #16-6072897. 

Registration Information

Space is not held until we’ve received payment in full. Use a computer or laptop with Firefox or Chrome to register online, since Safari and Explorer, and phones and tablets, are not compatible with our registration software.

Program Policies

Our Choose-Your-Price Sliding Scale System

At Primitive Pursuits, we are committed to making our programs available to as many people as possible. To this end, we generate scholarships via our choose-your-price sliding scale program costs, on a program-to-program basis. The base rate of our programs covers the cost of the program. Any payments above the base rate are tax-deductible donations to our scholarship fund. When filing for taxes Primitive Pursuits is listed under “Cornell Cooperative Extension” Tax ID #16-6072897. 

To learn more about financial assistance, please visit our Scholarships page.

Common Online Payment Troubleshooting Tips

  1. Please login to your Account Portal on a computer (not smartphone or tablet)
  2. Use Firefox or Chrome as your browser (not Explorer or Safari)
  3. Wait at least 30 seconds after submitting your payment for the screen to change (there is no visual symbol showing that the credit card payment is processing).
  4. If the payment does not go through and you are on a computer using Firefox or Chrome, it may be that your credit/debit card has a past expiration date on file. Try entering your current card as a ‘new’ card in the Account Portal.
  5. Check with your bank to determine whether your account has enough balance to cover the payment.
  6. If you have gone through the above steps, please email us for additional assistance:[email protected]

Pick Up/Drop Off Policy:

If your child is late to be picked up (or is dropped off early) you will be charged $20 per instance. By making payment for our programs you agree to this policy and agree to be charged accordingly. We are unable to provide supervision outside of the times indicated when you signed up for the program.

Should you need to pick up or drop off during a program:

Our camps are unique in that our programming occurs away from the drop-off area. Due to this aspect of our programs, getting a child to the parking lot or getting them to their group during program time can require extra staff and/or a restructuring of that day’s planned activities. We understand that your family is busy and everyone has a lot going on! Advance notice helps our instructors maintain the program’s structure with minimal disruption.

Contact our office via email ([email protected]com) or phone (607-272-2292) at least 24 hours in advance to let us know if you need to pick up your camper early or drop them off late. (If your request is for Monday, please let us know by 4pm the Friday before.) The more advance notice, the better! Please understand that we reserve the right to deny these special requests if we do not have enough time to provide accommodations.

Receipt Requests

If you require a receipt for program fees, please email [email protected] the name of the account holder and the time period for which you need the receipt (eg. summer of 2019; fall of 2018). We do our best to respond within a week; in the busy summertime this may take longer.

Waitlist

Please look for your registration status in your Account Portal. If you see “waitlist” then that participant is on the waitlist. Our registration software will not accept payment for a waitlisted participant. If a spot opens, we call and email the next waitlisted person and include a deadline for reply and payment arranged through the office. Our field staff cannot accept payments for programs.

Cancellations due to Weather and Other Acts of Nature

If a single-day program (such as a school-break day) is canceled due to inclement weather, we will credit your payment toward a future program or refund your payment minus a $15 processing fee. If a single day of an ongoing program (such as a week-long camp, Homeschool program, or after-school programs) is canceled, no refunds will be made.

We will cancel our programs if the Ithaca City School District cancels school due to snow or hazardous weather. We will cancel Afterschool if ICSD cancels after school programs due to snow or hazardous weather. If the program takes place on a school break day or holiday, we will cancel our programs if the Tompkins County sheriff declares that the roads are closed due to hazardous conditions. If there is a 2 hour delay, we will delay our program for 1 hour. As always, we encourage people to travel only when they feel it is safe. You can check here for current school and road closings.

Our programs may also be canceled by the mandate of the Department of Health or other such regulatory agencies in the case of disease outbreaks and other existing health hazards. We consider such causes to be acts of nature beyond our control, and therefore can not offer refunds for programs that are canceled for these reasons.

Family-Initiated Cancellations

This section applies to cancellations and refund requests made by the Account Holder:

Please email [email protected] with your full name, phone number, the participant’s name, the full program name(s), and the program start date(s). 
No phone calls.

Refer to the program-specific policies below:

 

Academic Year (except Ithaca Forest Preschool):

  1. If you cancel 30 or more days prior to the program starting date, you are entitled to a full refund, minus the deposit & any donation above the sliding scale base rate.
  2. If you cancel between 14 and 30 days prior to the program starting date, Primitive Pursuits will retain half the program tuition, after the deposit & any donation above the sliding scale base rate.
  3. If you cancel fewer than 14 days prior to the program starting date or after the program has begun, there will be no refunds.
  4. Epic Day fees are non-refundable/transferable