summer 2023 at clapping hands farm
This summer at Clapping Hands we are offering two camps for adults in May and two weeks of Toys and Games Camp, toward the end of the summer, for ages 7-12. We have streamlined our camp season to make room for growth and renewal in several key areas. In June and July we will be:
- improving our counselor training;
- expanding our volunteer program;
- deepening connections with sister organizations in Chatham County; and
- restructuring some of the behind the scenes things in our camp ecosystem.
We are excited about these initiatives and the positive impact they will have on our whole camp community for years to come!
SPECIAL NOTE FOR TEENS AND PARENTS OF TEENS! Although we are not holding a camp for TEENS this summer, there will be a lot of opportunities for teens in our camp community to help build and test our new counselor training. Teens are also needed as counselors for Toys and Games camp. Teens who are on staff or volunteering with us this summer will be invited to a “mini camp” in June or July.
And we have lots of ways for adults and young people in our camp community to get involved as VOLUNTEERS. We will need campers 7-12 to show up for some of our training days in June and July to help us test things out. And we have dozens of ways for Teens and Adults to volunteer by clicking one of the links below.
If you want to volunteer AT A CAMP this COUNSELOR APPLICATION is for teen counselors, adult volunteers and junior counselors.
If you want to volunteer “behind the scenes” this VOLUNTEER FORM is for teens and adults who would like to help with farm maintenance, fundraising, events, office work, etc.. And for children ages 7-12 who would like to volunteer for our counselor training days in June and July.
covid protocols 2023
Our in-person programs in 2023 will be mask and distance optional for most people. We will continue to actively support people who choose to mask and distance. We will run a survey for symptoms and exposures the weekend before each camp, and people who have tested positive or who have had known exposures will have guidelines they need to follow. Please read our COVID response page for all the details.
camp fees & registration
All camps are $325/week per camper. We have a “no one turned away” scholarship policy at Clapping Hands Farm. We do not want money to be an obstacle to attending camp.
If you would like to contribute to our scholarship program, please see our donate page. There are also places to let us know if you need a scholarship or if you want to make 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. In 2023 we have only two camps for children on the schedule and we anticipate these camps to fill fast and have waiting lists.
- Selected Campers. We do not enroll our camps 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 it also puts you on a waiting list for that camp. It’s not uncommon for the first few 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. 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 cancellations since COVID than in the past.
• Once you have REGISTERED we will let you know within TWO WEEKS what your status is.
○ If we confirm your place in the camp, we consider that a commitment on your part to attend. It is essential that you LET US KNOW if you have changed your mind or made other plans.
○ If the camp is full, we will put you on a waiting list. It is not uncommon for people on the waiting list to get in.
○ In some cases your status might be pending. That means you are still being considered, but we are working with the overall factors of the camper mosaic to see if we can get you in.
artful life camp, a gathering for young adults. may 15-19, 2023. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ages 19-30.
With Louise Omoto Kessel & many wonderful guest artists!
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 into 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 alums 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 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, archery. 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 art.
As a special feature during the week, our guest artists 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 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 will be our guide for this week, along with a delicious selection of Guest Artists. Louise is a storyteller and a printmaker, and she 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 two young adults.
GUEST ARTISTS CONFIRMED SO FAR are: Jan Burger, Teli Shabu and Emma Skurnick. More to come!
Register for Summer Campswomen’s week. may 27-31, 2023. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ages 19 and older. note this is saturday-wednesday of memorial day weekend.
With Louise Omoto Kessel & a fabulous collection of Guest Artists
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 may 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 will be our guide for the week, along with a delicious selection of Guest Artists to round out our offerings. Louise is a storyteller and a printmaker, and she 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 and the mother of two young adults.
GUEST ARTISTS confirmed so far: Meg Kerr, Emma Skurnick
Register for Summer Campstoys & games camp. two options: #1. july 24-28, 2023 or #2 august 7-11, 2023. 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!). Each morning campers will play running around games and make toys or play table games in our Toy Making studio. 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 Camps
