Covid-Careful Outdoor Camp
Our in-person programs this spring and summer will follow the COVID careful Camp guidelines that we used successfully last year with some 2022 updates. Please read our COVID response page for all the details.
Choosing a Camp
Each of our spring and summer camps are UNIQUE and different from one another. ALL of our camps are AWESOME! But they each serve a slightly different age group and each camp has a very specific theme. These are not “one size fits all” camp experiences. Someone who wants to run around all day is going to be really happy at Toys and Games Camp—- and possibly really unhappy at Ukulele Camp.
It WORKS BEST to choose your camp by reading the camp descriptions carefully, noting the age group for that camp, thinking about what your specific child would love, and including your camper in the discussion. It generally does not work as well to choose camps only on the basis of the calendar and when you need child care. Please contact director Louise Omoto Kessel if you want more guidance in choosing the best camp/s for your young person.
Camp Fees & Registration
All camps are $300/week per camper. There is always scholarship assistance at Clapping Hands Farm. Please do not let $ be an obstacle. Our camp policy is No One Turned Away.
If you would like to contribute to our scholarship program, please see our donate page. There is a place to let us know you need a scholarship and a place to add a donation on our registration page.
To register for summer camps, please fill out a registration form for each camper attending.
Enrollment Information & What to do When a Camp is Full?
- Enroll Early. Our COVID-careful camps are limited in size and many of our camps, especially our camps for young children, FILL early.
- Selected Campers. Although early registration is very likely to secure a spot in your camp of choice, we will not be running on a strictly “first come first serve” basis. This is to ensure we have a good spread of ages, plus racial and gender balance each week.
- If a camp is FULL it is still a good idea to register; this gets you on our mailing list for early registration in the future, and also on a waiting list for that camp. It’s not uncommon for the first couple of people on the waitlist to get into that camp.
- Standby status will be offered to the first few people on each waiting list; we will ask if you can commit to come if a space is available, and if yes, we will collect camp forms from you and offer you a spot if one comes open. We have found that there are more last minute cancelations in the time of COVID than in the past.
Anything Goes Spring Break Camp Overview
Anything Goes Camp is an abundant sampling of all our favorite things at Clapping Hands Farm: Games, Art Projects, Nature Exploration, Outdoor Skills, Music and Dance, and all manner of creative, wonderful FUN. We might play rainbow tag, go for a hike, learn hula hoop tricks, climb trees, make forts, learn fire making skills, play ukulele, make slime–the choices are never ending! After all, FREEDOM TO CHOOSE is the signature feature of this camp. Campers choose what they want to do from a menu of offerings each morning and afternoon.
These offerings include camper’s ideas and requests as much as possible every day! Sometimes campers even teach us a new game or craft that we’ve never tried before! We have 100 acres to explore, supplies for a million different art processes, a collection of instruments, and a staff that loves camp & every camper and is skilled at creating a safe space to create and connect.
Anything Goes Camp Week 1: March 21-March 25, 2022. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Ages 7-12.
With Sarah Perry and a second glorious camp leader TBA
Sarah Perry will lead this week together with a second camp leader TBA. Sarah is excited about the collaborative creation of a tiny, magical village full of art, homes, forts, and characters which we can build with tons of craft supplies and natural materials
Anything Goes Camp Week 2: March 28-April 1, 2022. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Ages 7-12.
With Teli Shabu & Joelle Brummitt-Yale
Joelle Brummit-Yale and Teli Shabu will lead this week. Teli is excited about making music with people including drumming; taking broken things apart to see how they work and harvesting parts for other projects; tinkering and making sculptures and useful things out of found objects and junk.
Joelle is excited about playing imaginative games, making creatures and critters out of art materials, and creating and telling stories with the campers. Joelle also looks forward to hikes around the fields, forests, and ponds of Clapping Hands Farm where we can notice all of the amazing signs of life returning as we head into spring.
Anything Goes Camp Week 3: April 18-22, 2022. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Ages 7-12.
With Teli Shabu & Louise Omoto Kessel
Louise Omoto Kessel and Teli Shabu will lead this week. Teli is excited about making music with people including drumming; taking broken things apart to see how they work and harvest parts for other projects; tinkering and making sculptures and useful things out of found objects and junk.
Louise is excited to explore outside—hiking, pond excursions, firemaking, letter-boxing, nature art, etc! Louise is also enthusiastic about making art, especially finger painting, collage, printmaking, felting, fiber arts, and toy making.
Register for Spring Break CampArtful Life Camp, a gathering for young adults. May 16-20, 2022. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Ages 19-30.
With Teli Shabu & Louise Omoto Kessel
Our recipe for this week is a beautiful stirring together of ART, PLAY, REFLECTION and COMMUNITY. We plan on getting messy with visual art; moving and grooving with music and dance; diving deep in our journals, stories and conversations; getting silly with random activities; protecting space for some “serious” relaxation; and playing hard with some big all camp games!
Our vision for this camp is to bring together both Clapping Hands Farm alum and brand new people who share the experience of being young adults who value living intentionally and creatively in community. You do not have to identify as an artist to come to this camp, but we will explore artistic processes both for the joy of creating and also to see what these creative endeavors can show us and teach us about how to live!
The day will include an array of workshops in the morning and afternoon that you can choose from. Morning Choice Workshops might include: drumming, songwriting, book making, printmaking, music jams, finger painting, foraging, nature mandalas. Afternoon “Anything Goes” Workshops might include: ultimate frisbee, nap time with kora music, songwriting, body art, ecstatic dance. The Camp Day will also include morning and closing circles, a check in with a small group, and an invitation to begin the day with meditation, movement, or tea.
As a special feature of each day someone will share about their Artful Life and we will get a chance to reflect on our own journeys after hearing their story.
Our hope is that you will leave this week with some important (in-person!) human connections; something wonderful that you have made or helped to create; and a strengthened commitment to making yourself the hero of your best life!
Louise Omoto Kessel and Teli Shabu will be guides for this week along with a delicious selection of Guest Artists. Louise is a storyteller, a printmaker, and loves to felt, collage, and make all manner of things. She is also the founder and director of Clapping Hands Farm and the mother of one teenager and one young adult. Teli is a drummer, kora player, storyteller, instrument builder and a dad.
Register for Summer CampsWomen’s Week. May 30-June 3, 2022. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Ages 19 and older.
With Louise Omoto Kessel, Sarah Perry & Meghan Kerr
Our vision for this week is creativity, relaxation, and sisterhood in equal measure. We want you to feel nurtured, befriended, and inspired. Our days will include movement, thanksgiving, play, your choice of a different selection of morning workshops each day, a leisurely lunch, performances, more workshops to choose from in the afternoon, a deep check in with a small group, and circles to begin and end each day.
Workshops will include hands-on art, singing, outdoor skills, nature art, music, hooping, yoga, foraging, journaling, dance, and more! We want to create, stretch, get messy, sing, move, reflect, play, rest, try new things, listen, share, and invite you to bring home a new commitment to yourself and the things that make you happy.
Louise Omoto Kessel, Meghan Kerr and Sarah Perry will be our guides for the week, along with a selection of Guest Artists to round out our offerings. Louise is a storyteller, a printmaker, and loves to felt, collage, and make all manner of things. She enjoys taking walks, writing in her journal, and creating simple ceremony. She is also the founder and director of Clapping Hands Farm.
Sarah Perry is a singer/songwriter, ecstatic dancer, artist/crafter, natural builder, and teacher who found her love for camp as a dedicated intern/counselor and eventually became a talented lead artist and director.
Meghan Kerr is a yoga teacher, mindful movement leader, hoop artist, mom, reiki practitioner, a member of the Pickle Mama’s performing group, and crafter— including embroidery, painting on fabric, artful mending, sewing and upcycled clothing.
Register for Summer CampsToys & Games Camp. June 13-June 17, 2022. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Ages 7-12.
With Jan Burger & Louise Omoto Kessel
A joyous week of pure playful fun! A week of romping and running and creative cooperative games, along with some traditional favorites (yes! Capture the Flag!). Jan Burger, the king of play, joins us to lead games; Louise Omoto Kessel will lead the Toy Making workshop. Your children will spend the week entertaining themselves and one another using simple materials and raw imagination! This year’s featured projects have not yet been selected but previous years have included everything from traditional folk toys to hydraulic robots!
In the afternoon we have “Anything Goes” choice time. Campers help design Anything Goes and can request or lead any of their favorite activities. At Toys and Games Camp Anything Goes will include some of our favorite toy making projects from years past: parachutes, stomp rockets, hula hoops, puppets, and puppet theaters are all on the list of possibilities. For those that enjoy MORE running around, there will be plenty of running game options in the afternoon as well!
Register for Summer CampsCreative Writing and Watercolor Camp. June 20-24, 2022. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Ages 13-18.
With Sara Graybeal and Vessna Scheff
Creative writing and watercolor bring powerful beauty into our lives, and they also bring something else: the opportunity to develop mind-based skills which allow us to see and experience our worlds differently. At Creative Writing & Watercolor Camp, campers will use pencils and paint as vehicles for emotional expression, mindfulness, and community-building. Scaffolded exercises in both art forms will allow campers to practice vulnerability, patience, and commitment in a safe and supportive space.
During Creative Writing and Watercolor Camp each Camper will choose to FOCUS on Creative Writing OR Watercolor in a two-hour workshop each morning. In the afternoon they will have the opportunity to continue in their area of specialty, to try the other art form, or to combine the two!
Sara is artful at creating space in her writing workshops for safety, community, and being yourself. She is the rare leader who is equally at home accompanying people into realms of vulnerability and healing or joining in with goofy fun. Sara’s creative writing workshops always include the core elements of freewriting, collaborative prompts, creative word generation, and communal sharing. This workshop will draw inspiration specifically from themes of mindfulness, connectedness, and imagination. Campers will have the freedom to explore a wide range of genres: (lyric essays? flash fiction? the last chapter to your trilogy?) while collectively examining the concepts and values that unite our writing, as well as the creative and stylistic choices that make each of our work unique.
In Vessna’s watercolor class you will dive into the relaxing and mesmerizing textures of watercolor through a series of approachable exercises designed for confidence building from beginners to anyone looking to enhance their techniques. Activities we’ll engage in for watercolor technique development will include solo and socially-distanced partner painting games, freeze dance figure painting, painting from observation on woodland walks, color mixing for painting/imagining the landscape, developing forms in portraiture, playful abstraction, and fun with opacity through collage! Throughout the course you will be guided through easy and effective lessons for exploring our creativity and developing techniques with watercolor. The beauty in watercolors often comes from letting go of control and expectations. During this camp we’ll learn how to let go in ways that allow us to naturally fall in love with the fascinating world of watercolors. I look forward to exploring with you! Artists and non-artists are welcome– no prior experience necessary!
Outside of their focus during morning classes, campers will have the exciting opportunity to combine writing and watercolors through text/image activities (think poetry/paint collages, postcards, illustrated stories, etc.) if they choose, or simply dive deeper into their selected focus in imaginative ways!
BIOS:
Sara Graybeal was a camper at Clapping Hands Farm our very first summer in 2000! She graduated from the MFA writing program at UNC-Greensboro in 2020, co-founded a performance poetry group in Philly called The Poeticians, has published both poetry and short stories, and has been teaching wonderful writing workshops here at Clapping Hands Farm for more than a decade.
Vessna Scheff is a self-taught and acclaimed artist known for capturing natural textures of watercolor through portraiture and abstract nature scenes. The goal of her work aims to activate history, engage in the present and make fine art personal. She is currently a graduate student at the Rhode Island School of Design. We are pleased to have Vessna returning for her fourth summer at Clapping Hands Farm.
Register for Summer CampsBeat Builders Band Camp. June 27-July 1, 2022. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Ages 10-16 (younger or older campers considered on a case by case basis).
With Sarah Perry, Teli Shabu & Khallori Cosmey
Experience the art and exhilaration of being part of a band! At beat builders camp, a band is more than a group of campers making music together, it is a group learning the powerful art of listening, empowering, and collaborating! We will cheer each other on to play loud and proud, try out a solo, take center stage, and feel the rush of playing and performing as a BAND!
Music is part of ALL of us and every person, instrument, and experience level matters and belongs! You don’t need to have any previous musical experience to thrive at this camp! We LOVE helping brand new music makers find an instrument and a part in their band! If you already play an instrument, that’s FABULOUS and we encourage you to bring it to camp and play it! Every instrument is welcome. We will even use found objects to expand the idea of what an “instrument” is, and discover how music exists all around us in unexpected places!
Each camper will be part of Sarah Perry’s songwriting class and Teli Shabu’s class on the fundamentals of playing together as an ensemble. Throughout the day you’ll get the chance to practice with your band, write songs, jam, and try new instruments! We’ll also have some of our favorite camp games and art activities in the mix in the afternoons! Each band will pick a name, learn a cover song, write an original song, and perform at our Friday sharing for families. The Bands will even get the chance to record their original songs together at camp if they want to! You will be mentored and supported by Teli, Sarah, and our lead counselors/band leaders every step of the way!
Let the music begin!
Sarah is a working singer/songwriter and performing artist who fell in love with camp as a counselor and went on to become a dedicated intern and eventually a lead artist and director.
Teli is a professional drummer, kora player, storyteller, instrument builder and a Dad who has been a beloved camp teacher and lead artist for many years.
Register for Summer CampsTeen Everything Camp. July 11-15, 2022. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Ages 13-18.
With Alex Nelson & Sarah Perry
This camp is all about teens getting to spend the week outside playing, exploring, getting artsy, and connecting with peers and our outstanding staff! Every morning and afternoon we will have featured GUEST ARTISTS and CHOICE CLASSES to pick from. You’ll get to do a little of EVERYTHING that we have to offer at camp thanks to our talented staff, special guests, and extensive resources! Possibilities include an unbelievable variety of craft projects and art supplies to use; big games like capture the flag, ultimate frisbee, kickball, and rainbow tag; music jams, instrument lessons, and song writing; journaling, reading, and discussing topics you’re interested in; dancing; and exploring the forest, fields, trails, and pond with canoes.
You will have the opportunity to request your favorite activities and we will include as many of them as possible! We want to know each of you as individuals and work to make sure your identity, ideas, and preferences are heard and valued all week long!
Felting Camp. July 18-22, 2021. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Ages 10-Adult
With Louise Omoto Kessel & Casey Hayes
Ever put a wool sweater in the washing machine on hot by accident and it shrunk and got really thick and tough? That is felting! Felting is the art of harnessing those same scientific principles that made your sweater shrink (with a little more technique and artistic control) for making whimsical or functional objects from colorful wool.
Felting is fun and sensory! Wet felting in particular involves hot water and cold water, soap and wool; the process is slippery, fluffy, and rough and involves gentle touch at first and then pounding and rolling and agitating. . . . even throwing your work at a wall!
Each day Louise and Casey will demonstrate and introduce specific techniques and projects. Campers will develop skills in both needle felting and wet felting. A little bit of felting experience opens the door to a huge variety of projects. . . . fun felted animals, beads, jewelry, backpack charms, patches, decorations on clothing, wall hangings, pillows, pouches and bags, felted soap — and for more advanced felters, hats, mittens and slippers. This camp will give a structured tour of what’s possible and campers will have a lot of room to follow their muse when choosing and designing projects.
This workshop is appropriate for people who are brand new to felting and for experienced felters who would like to spend a week creating in our felt studio and expanding their skills. Louise Omoto Kessel is the founder and director of Clapping Hands Farm. She is a professional storyteller and loves to make things— especially in the realm of printmaking, collage, finger painting and fiber arts—- and FELTING is her current favorite!
Felt artist Casey Hayes will be co-leading this week! Casey is an experienced fiber artist with particular skills in wet felting, including slippers, hats, birdhouses, and more!
Register for Summer CampsUkulele Camp for Beginning and Intermediate Players. July 25-29, 2022. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Ages 10-adult. CANCELLED! Hope to bring Ukulele Camp back in the future.
With Sarah Perry & Alex Nelson
No matter where you begin, you will be blown away by the progress you can make in a week. Summer Camp Magic makes it so (and it’s the time equivalent of MONTHS of weekly music lessons!). Learning to play with friends and singable, familiar songs also enhance the process!
Are you a complete beginner? Learn to play songs on the ukulele in a week! Yes, this is possible! Sarah Perry will teach the beginners introductory ukulele, including basic chord formation, strumming, and creative exploration. This will be our sixth year of ukulele camp and every year the beginners amaze us all with their courage to pick up a new instrument and ability to play entire songs by the end of the week! Sarah adores teaching beginners and believes that the first experiences with an instrument should be empowering, inspiring, and FUN!
The intermediate group, taught by Alex Nelson, is for ukulele players who know some basic chords and songs but want to continue learning more! Alex cares deeply about helping intermediate instrumentalists grow and discover new possibilities whether it’s learning new songs, strumming and picking patterns, or exploring some music theory! As a teacher, he has a special talent for helping the group play together, connect, and have a BLAST while also making sure each player is being challenged and supported at their specific skill level.
After our beginner and intermediate class time in the morning, we’ll have MORE ukulele playing in the afternoon. Afternoon choice possibilities often include song writing, song recording, practicing favorite songs, learning new songs, and music theory. Every camper who doesn’t already have a ukulele will get one to take home after our informal “concert” for family and friends on Friday! So many campers have continued to play and learn after camp has ended. Adults have enjoyed this camp week solo or with their children so don’t hesitate to register if you’re a grown up.
Register for Summer CampsStepping Stones Camp. August 1-5, 2022. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Ages 5-9.
With Joelle Brummit-Yale & Louise Omoto Kessel
This camp is designed to give younger kids a stepping stone towards our “big kid camps.” We’ll have gobs of counselor attention, nurturing teaching artists, and all the parts of a big kid camp but in a shorter day. Young campers will get familiar with our place, with the flow of our camp day, and make connections with other campers all with a ton of gentle support from the staff.
Joelle Brummit-Yale and Louise Omoto Kessel will be leading this camp. Each morning Louise will work with the five to seven year olds and Joelle will work with the seven to nine year olds.
Five to seven year olds will get messy with a big assortment of art projects, learn a favorite camp game each day, and Louise will tell a story.
Seven to nine year olds will play cooperative games, make art— including working together on a big collaborative art project and telling interactive stories with movement.
In the afternoons we’ll have “Anything Goes” choice classes with a huge assortment of awesome activities to choose from—art, games, toy making, nature explorations, engineering projects, sensory activities, creative challenges, music, dance, and more.
Morning and Closing Circles, Buddy Group Check-in, and an all camp activity will round out our day!
Anything Goes Camp. August 8-12, 2022. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Ages 7-12.
With Sarah Perry & Alex Nelson
Anything Goes Camp is an abundant sampling of all our favorite things at Clapping Hands Farm: Games, Art Projects, Nature Exploration, Outdoor Skills, Music and Dance, and all manner of creative, wonderful FUN. We might play rainbow tag, go for a hike, learn hula hoop tricks, climb trees, make forts, learn firemaking skills, play ukulele, make slime–the choices are never ending! Afterall, FREEDOM TO CHOOSE is the signature feature of this camp. Campers choose what they want to do from a menu of offerings that they help to create for every morning and afternoon! Bring your interests and ideas! Teach us a new craft, read us your favorite story, ask for your favorite camp games. The opportunities are endless!
We have 100 acres to explore, supplies for a million different art processes, a collection of instruments, and a staff that loves camp & every camper and is skilled at creating a safe space to create and connect.
Sarah and Alex are thrilled to create a special focus around games and imagination with pretend games, live action role-play, theater games, board games, running games, and scavenger hunts/letter-boxing!
Register for Summer Camps
