We love that a new summer camp season always means new (and familiar) faces, new friendships, and of course, new nature discoveries! We offer summer day camps at Gilsland Farm Audubon Center in Falmouth (Greater Portland) and at Fields Pond Audubon Center in Holden (Greater Bangor).
This year we’re excited to share a few small adjustments we’ve made to the summer camp program at Gilsland Farm Audubon Center. These changes reflect feedback from past participants and staff, and come after careful consideration from our leadership team. Read more below to hear what’s new in Falmouth:
More preschool spots and more full-day preschool sessions
We’re introducing new combined Sprouts & Saplings weeks, with options for half- and full-day schedules within the same camp group. This adds more spots overall for our youngest campers, while also increasing the number of weeks we’re able to offer full-day options for four- and five-year-olds.
This combined group of fifteen campers will be led by three educators. They’ll begin their days on the north end of campus, using the new Ann and Jim Hancock Native Plants Education Center as home base. After Sprouts campers head home at noon, the remaining Saplings group will make their way to the main campus for some Moose Woods free play and afternoon activities.
Shorter days for Sprouts
We’re excited to continue offering half-day spots for our three-year-old campers. Our Sprouts campers will benefit from a gentle and structured morning from 9 am-12 pm that includes free play, circle, snack, exploration time on the trails, and art. Campers will be picked up before lunch, allowing us to extend free play and exploration time in the outdoors, and facilitating an easier transition for those who nap.
Discovery Kids age range adjustments
We recognize that campers at the upper end of our age range are ready for more adventure and benefit from the company of their peers! To better provide those experiences, we’re making some small adjustments to the Discovery Kids program, including limiting the number of Discovery Kids sessions open to rising fourth graders. During these two select sessions (weeks of July 20 and August 3), we will offer differentiated themes and experiences for rising 3-4 graders and rising 1-2 graders. Both groups will be together for drop-off and pick-up, but after morning circle each day, the older group will split off for a day of exploration, using the Native Plants Education Center as home base.
All remaining Discovery Kids sessions are open to a slightly narrower age range of rising 1-3 graders. On these weeks, the group will continue to engage in a mix of large and small group activities.
Native Plants Education Center
The opening of the new Ann and Jim Hancock Native Plants Education Center on the north end of campus this spring opens up many new opportunities for our summer campers! We’re excited for campers to experience new demonstration plantings, make use of a dedicated space for native plant projects, and to have easy access to restrooms and indoor shelter while we’re exploring the north meadow. As described above, this space will also serve as “home base” for some camp groups throughout the summer. This gives everyone a little more breathing room and keeps groups feeling small and cohesive.
Lottery Registration
We’ve heard your feedback and will be shifting to a lottery system for Gilsland Farm summer camp registration! Please read this blog post for a full description of the new system.
What hasn’t changed?
We remain committed to providing high-quality day camps that include ample outdoor time and open-ended play, professional staff and low camper to staff ratios, and a safe and nurturing environment for campers. And of course, campers can still count on many of the experiences (Mystery animals! Moose Woods! Trips to the pond!) that they tell us they love most.
More info: Day Camps
