All summer camps (as described below) will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Unless noted, camp sessions are weekly. Sessions start June 15th and run for 4 weeks.
Registration is open to the public.
The following camps will be offered this summer:
(Listed by age group)
Children’s Garden Camp
Age/Grade: 3 to 6 years of age
Instructors: With over 40 years of combined experience, Instructors will vary between Tara Fathabadi, Katrina Hampton, Wendy Jackson, and K. Kiley.
Sessions:
- Week 1: June 15 - 19
- Week 2: June 22 - 26
- Week 3: June 29 - July 3
- Week 4: July 6 - 10
Cost: $395/week
This camp is an annual favorite and fills up fast! It is designed to mirror much of the Waldorf Kindergarten rhythm where young children develop and thrive by being encouraged to run, play, dig, explore, garden, and build. Led by our own WWS teachers, this camp creates a healthy, safe environment in which the children's imaginations flow with the wind (and the water sprinkler!).
Note: Children must be potty trained.
Art, Music & Movement (Eurythmy)
Age/Grade: Different per session - see below
Instructor: Eva Binamu
Sessions:
- Week 1: June 15 - 19 / Rising 1st & 2nd grades
- Week 2: June 22 - 26 / Rising 3rd & 4th grades
- Week 4: July 6 - 10 / Rising 5th - 9th grades
Cost: $395/week
This camp will give students the chance to explore the joy of Eurythmy. Eurythmy is the art of movement which is at the very core of Waldorf education. It brings the child into a balance through movement and restfulness and the many expressive gestures that our bodies can make.
Younger campers will work with folk, fable and stories and for the older students, there will be more mature themes taken from poetry and literature. We will begin our day in the beautiful space of the school’s purposely fitted Eurythmy room. We will enjoy Eurythmy exercises of healthy physical movement both as individuals and in coordinated groups, exploring the richness of language and music.
Art work at the end of the day will be a chance for students to express the day’s activities through their imagination, embellishing our stories with illustrations.
About Eva Binamu: Ms. Binamu has been teaching Eurythmy movement for 18 years. She trained in Cape Town, South Africa, where she was also a class teacher for lower school pupils. She has taught pupils of all ages from Kindergarten to Class 12 at Waldorf schools in Cape Town, London, and Washington.
Adventure Camp
Age/Grade: Rising 1st through 4th grade
Instructor: Sarah Heirman
Sessions:
- Week 1: June 15 - 19
- Week 2: June 22 - 26
Cost: $395/week
Can’t choose one particular activity? You don’t have to with this option! Each morning campers are bused to a different excursion (water parks, Glen Echo park and the National Zoo to name a few!). In the afternoon, children will have a variety of activities such as art, music, and lots of games and free play to choose from.
About Sarah Heirman: Sarah has been working with children for over 10 years in various capacities. Currently Sarah is the WWS Middle School Math teacher and has two children at WWS.
Nature Detectives Camp
Age/Grade: Rising 2nd & 3rd grades
Instructor: Gogi Kalka
Sessions:
- Week 2: June 22 - 26
- Week 3: June 29 - July 3
Cost: $395/week
Come explore NATURE with us! Campers will turn into nature detectives and investigate critters and plants and the environment they live in. We will discover scientific phenomena that we encounter along the way with lots of hands-on exploration. In the afternoon, campers will accompany our discoveries with art, activities and lots of play.
About Gogi Kalka: Gogi teaches WWS High School science. Before teaching biology, chemistry and geology at WWS, she spent years teaching hands-on environmental sciences to many different age groups on three continents and even on the ocean during a year-long semester-at-sea sailing program.
Around the World Camp
Age/Grade: Rising 2nd through 6th grades
Instructor: Reva Hamilton
Sessions:
- Week 1: June 15 - 19 - Italy
- Week 2: June 22 - 26 - Australia
- Week 3: June 29 - July 3 - Asia
- Week 4: July 6 - 10 - Caribbean
Cost: $395/week
We will have lively opportunities to explore through our country, region, or continent of the week (see session list above for where we will venture each week). The students will enjoy a nurturing and wholesome experience through art, dance, storytelling, meditation, and movement in a safe and caring environment. They will be invited to explore their many capacities, build friendships, and encourage interest in the world around them.
About Reva Hamilton: For over a year, Reva has been working at the Washington Waldorf school as the LS Aftercare Program Director. She has been in the field of teaching for over thirty years from classrooms to Early Childhood Intervention Center to private yoga classes. Her passion about our children of the world stems from her sense of commitment to make a difference and increase the flow of love.
She is a dancer, a storyteller, a traveler, an artist, a poet and a biophilist... she believes we are all connected!
Circus Camp
Age/Grade: Rising 3rd through 7th grades
Instructor: Christian Gardiner
Session:
- Week 2: June 22 - 26
Cost: $395/week
Join one of our most beloved games teachers, Mr. Gardiner, for challenging and fun circus activities. Campers can learn to juggle, stilt walk, and unicycle. They will have a chance to walk on a tight wire, practice rings and aerial silks. Everyone can tumble, do acrobatics, and play balancing games and be in a show at the end of the week. Campers who just want to try new things without participating in the show will also have that opportunity.
Archery Camp
Age/Grade: Rising 4th through 8th grades
Instructor: Peter Yencken
Session:
- Week 1: June 15 - 19
Cost: $395
Campers will make a wooden bow by hand from hickory wood, wooden arrows with real turkey feathers, and a leather quiver. They will also learn to shoot their bows using the instinctive archery or traditional archery methods.
About Peter Yencken: Peter has been making bows for more than 25 years. He started making bows while working at Tom Brown Jr's Tracker School. He is a guest teacher to many wilderness schools here in the U.S. and in Australia. Peter has taught the art of making bows to well over 1,500 people ages six to 89. You may have met Peter as a vendor selling his leather goods at the Fall Bazaar.
Leather Work & Knife Creation Camp
Age/Grade: Rising 4th through 8th grades
Instructor: Peter Yenken
Session:
- Week 4: July 6 - 10
Cost: $395
In this hands-on camp, students will make the handle of a knife and the leather sheath in which to carry it safely. Campers will form the handle to fit their hand so each handle is particular to the individual child. Once the handle is created, Peter will glue the blades into the handles (the blades will be Mora Scandinavian blades).
Campers will then make a leather sheath to fit their knife. After making a leather sheath, next is to make a leather shoulder or hip bag. This will be a bag that is either carried over the shoulders or carried around the waist. They will design them to fit their individual needs of how they prefer to carry the knife and sheath.
Students will also spend half a day learning to make fire by building structures and learning a couple of different methods for lighting the fire from matches to flint and steel.
About Peter Yencken: Peter has been making bows for more than 25 years. He started making bows while working at Tom Brown Jr's Tracker School. He is a guest teacher to many wilderness schools here in the U.S. and in Australia. Peter has taught the art of making bows to well over 1,500 people ages six to 89. You may have met Peter as a vendor selling his leather goods at the Fall Bazaar.
Soccer, Soccer, and More Soccer!
Age/Grade: Rising 5th through 8th
Instructor: Mark Hoover
Sessions:
- Week 1: June 15 - 19
- Week 2: June 22 - 26
- Week 3: June 29 - July 3
- Week 4: July 6 - 10
Cost: $395/week
During this camp we will focus on conditioning and building a strong foundation by working on fundamentals. Each morning we will begin with conditioning which includes learning to warm up properly so that one does not get hurt, endurance training, and proper running techniques. Afternoons will be used to work on basic fundamentals for beginners as well as more advanced techniques for those already playing. We will go over positioning in the field and discuss rules of the game and how they apply to play. This core work will be followed by scrimmages to practice all of the things learned during the day.
About Mark Hoover: Mark has two daughters who attend WWS, both of who play on the High School and Lower School Soccer teams. Mark has coached the girls 5th-8th grade soccer team at WWS for several years. He also played soccer on both his High School and College soccer teams.
Beautiful Local Bike Camp
Age/Grade: Rising 6th through 12th grades
Instructor: Geoff Baker
Session:
- Week 1: June 15 - 19
Cost: $395
Students will explore the local bikeways of the Washington, DC area. They will explore Rock Creek Park, the National Mall and Tidal Basin, Arlington National Cemetery (and see the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier), Roosevelt Island, and along the Potomac River towards Mount Vernon. Students will look at the map to figure out distances and other sights along the way, including the best ice cream parlor available on that particular route! Come see DC on your very own spokes.
Note: Bicycles and helmets will not be provided but are required.
About Geoff Baker: Geoff Baker is the WWS Middle School English Teacher who also has a thirst for the great outdoors. In addition to English, Geoff teaches the Outdoor Education program at WWS and comes with many years of experience both in outdoor education and the classroom.
Overnight Bike Camp/Harper's Ferry
Age/Grade: Rising 7th, 8th, and 9th grades
Instructor: Geoff Baker
Session:
- Week 2: June 22 - 26
Cost: $795
Monday, Campers will study maps of the route and plan the details of our trip including the menu, shopping for the food as a team, packing the bikes, and - time permitting - do a test run down the Canal path.
Tuesday through Friday, Campers and instructors will be dropped off at Harper’s Ferry on Tuesday and for the next three days they will bike and camp along the C&O Canal train visiting historic sites along the way. The group will average 13 to 17 miles per day.
Campers will need: a well-tuned hybrid bike and pannier bike racks on their bike (or have a pull behind trailer), since we will have a lot of gear to haul, helmets and water bottle/water bottle holder (mounted on bike). Bike pants and bike gloves are highly recommended but not a necessity.
About Geoff Baker: Geoff Baker is the WWS Middle School English Teacher who also has a thirst for the great outdoors. In addition to English, Geoff teaches the Outdoor Education program at WWS and comes with many years of experience both in outdoor education and the classroom.
Overnight Appalachian Trail Hiking and Backpacking Camp
Age/Grade: Rising 7th, 8th, and 9th graders
Instructor: Geoff Baker
Session:
- Week 3: June 29 - July 3
Cost: $795
In this exciting camp, campers will be doing a section of the Appalachian trail in Pennsylvania, covering at least 6-10 miles per day in the Cumberland Valley section. We will be hiking in the vicinity of Boiling Springs, Pine Grove Furnace, and Caledonia sections of the Trail. Exact details will depend upon the age and enthusiasm of the participants, and will be developed as we get closer to the date!
Students will need a sturdy internal frame pack and be able to carry gear for a 4 night trip. This would include clothes, sleeping bag, a sleeping pad, mess kit (plate, cup, and eating utensils), and basic toiletries. A good rule of thumb is to not carry more than 20% of your body weight for overnight backpacking.
Participants need to be in reasonably fit condition and be enthusiastic about exploring and hiking in the woods. On our hike we will learn about tracking skills, compass work, map reading skills, foraging, and cooking meals on camp stoves and open fires, among other wilderness skills.
About Geoff Baker: Geoff Baker is the WWS Middle School English Teacher who also has a thirst for the great outdoors. In addition to English, Geoff teaches the Outdoor Education program at WWS and comes with many years of experience both in outdoor education and the classroom.
Flip, Swipe, Paint!
(Limited space for 7 students only)
Age/Grade: Rising 7th through 12th grades
Instructor: Barb Bancroft
Cost: $440/week (includes materials fee)
Acrylic Paint Pouring with a Different Focus Each Session
- Week 1: June 15 - June 19
Watch as galaxies of color unfold across your painting surfaces, moving with your own subtle direction through the easy and addictive art of acrylic paint pouring. Creating a canvas each day, you will leave this workshop with at least five gorgeous paintings to display at home or give as gifts. Release your artistic genie and join the fun!
- Week 2: June 22 - June 26
Using the methods of acrylic paint pouring, we will create new compositions with different techniques and experiment with other uses for paint skins, such as book covers, pendant jewelry and collage. You will leave with a trove of unique and beautiful items and lots of experience with this fantastic art form.
About Barb Bancroft: Barb chairs the Washington Waldorf School High School Art Department. She has taught college, middle and high school students here and in NY for over 20 years in a great variety of mediums. Barb is a working artist/designer in paint and fibers based in her barn- studio in Hyattsville, MD.
Games and Cooking Camp
Age/Grade: Rising 7th through 12th grades
Instructor: Chef Eron Picus
Session:
- Week 1: June 15 - 19
Cost: $445
Chef Eron loves to cook, but he also enjoys playing too, so why not do both? Play chess, ping pong, or golf (just to name a few) in the morning and learn some of the many aspects of cooking in the afternoon. Learning about sautéing and how to “checkmate” all in the same day couldn’t be more fun, so sign up for this diverse camp fast because you can only have so many cooks in the kitchen and so many holes-in-one!
Musical Theater Camp
Age/Grade: Rising 6th through 9th grades
Instructors: Jane Christenson & Nevin Bender
Session:
This two week camp starts on June 22nd with the final performance on July 3rd.
Cost: $790 for two weeks
During the course of this two week camp, students will work with singing, acting, and movement techniques to prepare a fully staged musical production which will be performed on the final day of camp. The two week format allows time for students to memorize material and to really focus on singer/actor performance technique. Some performance options include: Bye, Bye Birdie, Into the Woods, Little Shop of Horrors, You're a Good Man Charlie Brown, Seussical, The Ordinary Princess, or A Year With Frog and Toad, among others. The show choice depends on the number of campers and the interest of the group and will be decided soon after the camp begins.
Jane Christenson has been directing and teaching in the Washington D.C. area for over twenty years. Her directing work in the Washington, D.C. area has included productions for the In Series, Opera Theatre of Northern Virginia, Adventure Theatre, Victorian Lyric Opera Company, and Montgomery College among others. She has worked with Tony Award winning theatre artists and completed a directing internship at the Guthrie Theatre. She has a BFA in Theatre Arts Performance, an MFA in Directing, and completed teacher training studies with the Nova Institute.
Nevin Bender has degrees in piano performance from Eastern Mennonite University and The Catholic University of America. He currently works as an instrumental and vocal coach in the Washington DC area, Music Director at Washington Waldorf school and pianist at National United Methodist Church.
Mr. Bender collaborated most recently with Ms. Christianson on directing a WWS senior class production of “Urinetown”.
