MAY 14, 2009 ISSUE
Connecting with the Natural World
Area Summer Camp Offering First Ever EcoCamp June 14 to 20
Laurel Ridge Camp and Conference Center located in Ashe County will host its first ever EcoCamp from Sunday to Saturday, June 14 to 20. The camp is open to third to fifth graders.
For nearly 50 years, Laurel Ridge Moravian Camp and Conference Center in Laurel Springs has provided campers of all ages with unique spiritual experiences in the heart of the Blue Ridge. While the camp has long incorporated elements of the natural surroundings into its programming, this year marks the camp’s first ever EcoCamp.
EcoCamp is open to third through fifth graders and will take place from Sunday to Saturday, June 14 to 20.
“We’ve been wanting to do this for 30 years,” said Richard Sides, director of Christian education for the Moravian Church’s Southern Province.
EcoCamp was conceived by Sides and David Guthrie, director of the board of evangelism and home missions, and seeks to be a hands-on nature camp where kids build a positive relationship with the natural world through experiential learning and use of the senses.
Five tracks will be explored throughout the week including water, flora and fauna, ecosystems and more.
“We want to enable children to develop a more positive relationship with the natural world,” said Sides. “We want to give them unstructured time outside to explore the natural world and connect with their creator.”
According to Sides, EcoCamp will move at a leisurely pace, offering time for campers to learn to play in the out-of-doors, with room to get side tracked and with space to let discovery be more important than schedule.
EcoCamp will also provide campers multiple formats to capture and express their experiences including small groups, journals, story time, total camp community sharing, establishing a new nature study center, creating nature artwork and more.
Laurel Ridge is situated on more than 700 acres that straddles Ashe and Alleghany counties along the Blue Ridge Parkway. In addition to a summer camp and several unique lodging facilities, the property is home to 13 distinct ecosystems, numerous hiking trails and expansive overlooks.
For more information on Laurel Ridge’s EcoCamp or to register, call 336-359-8830 or click to www.LaurelRidge.org.
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