Words in the Wild

Campers grow their love of reading and writing through garden science, art, games, and more in the gardens of Fairyland, Lake Merritt Garden Center, and the Kaiser Rooftop garden. Our young scientists sharpen their powers of inquiry as they observe, document, and explore both language and nature.
 
Our excursions are shorter distances for our rising 1st grade campers, and word science is tailored to beginning readers. With curiosity as our guide, we explore both nature and words- Reading is an adventure!
 
Campers blossom into garden scientists as they explore the natural world in three different environments: our classroom sensory garden, the St. Paul’s courtyard gardens and the diverse Lake Merritt botanical gardens. Campers will exercise their bodies as well as their brains on the SPES playground and in Lake Merritt's wide open fields.
 
While having fun in nature, campers develop critical literacy skills in:
reading and understanding text
enjoying text and using it for a purpose
building oral and print vocabulary
making connections between spelling and meaning
practicing strategies to read unfamiliar words
writing independently and fluently
 
We de-emphasize reading for reading’s sake. Instead children apply scientific practices to studying language AND nature, such as:
observing closely
formulating questions
recording data
making predictions
comparing evidence to hypotheses
 
Of course, campers also enjoy a well-rounded summer camp experience by:
playing collaborative and active games like Park Ranger and Favorite Word Tag
creating art projects like seed mandalas and pop up books
dancing and singing along to our favorite Earth science songs
relaxing with friends, telling stories, and sharing meals
exploring the natural world through bug hunts and food tasting parties
 
The beauty of this program is that literacy is embedded in hands-on garden science and connected to arts, cooking, and other enrichment activities.