2024 Spring and Summer Camps | Clapping Hands Farm, LLC

overview

We’re excited to offer weeklong in-person camps for kids, young adults, and women of all ages this spring and a full complement of summer camps for ages 2 through adults! Early enrollment for returning campers will begin in early January and will open to the general public a few weeks later.

For a listing of our one-day and weekly spring programs, please visit our 2024 Winter and Spring Programs page.

camp fees & registration

All camps are $325/week per camper, with the exception of Art Party* Camp, which has it’s own pricing.
Women’s Camp** has the option of signing up by the day.

We have a “no one turnedaway” 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 on your camp registration form to let us know if you need a scholarship or if you want to make a donation.

To register for spring break & summer camps, please fill out a registration form for each camper attending.

* ART PARTY Cost: $325 for first child + parents. $200 for each additional child. $50 for babies and toddlers under 2.
PER DAY: $75 for first child + parents. $50 for each additional child. $10 for babies and toddlers under 2.
NOTE: enrollment priority will be given to people who sign up for the whole week. Families signing up by the day must sign up for at least 2 days.

** WOMEN’S CAMP Cost for partial week is $70/day. Ideally, we would like everyone there on SATURDAY; we would like everyone to come for at least TWO days. (But most of all we want women to come to camp! So, space permitting, we will work with you!)

enrollment information & what to do when a camp is full

Enroll Early. Camps 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.

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.

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.

2024 covid protocols

Our in-person programs and workshops in 2024 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.

anything goes spring break camp. #1. march 25-29, 2024*. #2. april 1-5, 2024** ages 7-13.
9 am-5 pm.
friday schedule: parents invited for end of camp sharing at 4 pm followed by potluck dinner until 6 pm.

*The following schools are out the week of March 25th: Central Park School, Lee County, Willow Oak, Empowered Minds Academy, Woods Charter, Durham County.

**The following schools are out the week of April 1st: Alamance County, SABA, Chapel Hill-Carrboro, Chatham County

With Louise Omoto Kessel and Clapping Hands Farm Counselors

Spring Break Camp at Clapping Hands Farm is a glorious sampler of lots of our favorite things: outdoor adventures, building & making, gobs of art, games, music, and a good measure of random, crazy, wonderful fun.

artful life camp. may 13-17, 2024. 9 am-5 pm. 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!

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: We are in the process of lining up Guest Artists now, please keep checking back!
Davis Bates, MON-THUR. Storytelling, songs, plays the spoons
Andy Upshaw, WED. Tree and bird walk.
Jon Champion, MON. Stand up comedy, storytelling, radio.
Milbre Burch, TUE. Storytelling.
Sara Graybeal, T, Th, F. Creative Writing.
Tarish Pipkins, Th. Puppetry, art.
Jan Burger, F. Big Games!
more to come!

women’s week camp. may 25-29, 2024*. 9 am-4 pm. ages 18+. day by day sign up is an option.

*This is Saturday-Wednesday of memorial day weekend. We heartily encourage coming for all 5 days!
You may sign up by the day— It’s ideal for everyone to come on Saturday and to come for at least 2 days, but we will work with your schedule.
Cost per day is $70/day.

With Louise Omoto Kessel & a fabulous collection of Guest Artists

Women’s Camp is about creativity, relaxation, and sisterhood in equal measure. We want you to feel rested, nurtured, befriended, and inspired. Camp days will include movement, thanksgiving, play, a selection of different workshops, a leisurely lunch, a check-in with a small group, and circles to begin and end the day. Along with lots of permission to do what YOU are called to do, including a lot of beautiful “nothing” if that is what you choose! 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: We are in the process of lining up Guest Artists now, please check back!
Trans, non-binary, gender-fluid, and gender-creative humans who would like to participate in Women’s Week Camp are welcome.

art party camp. june 10-14, 2024. 9 am-2 pm. ages 2-8 and their parents.

Cost: $325 for first child + parents. $200 for each additional child. $50 for babies and toddlers under 2.
PER DAY: $75 for first child + parents. $50 for each additional child. $10 for babies and toddlers under 2.
NOTE: enrollment priority will be given to people who sign up for the whole week. Families signing up by the day must sign up for at least 2 days.
MORE INFO ABOUT ART PARTY

We are so delighted to bring this very special camp back after a long pandemic provoked hiatus!

Art Party is a family camp for parents and young children to enjoy together. Each day the Clapping Hands team sets out a spectacular array of visual art explorations, and each day a different Guest Artist shares music and dance experiences for all-around fun time. At our ART PARTY, come ready to: finger paint; make colorful slime; play in shaving cream; draw with pastels, colored chalk, and other mediums; learn to embroider on burlap or sew your own stuffed animal; make your own toys; and so much more! Much of the day will be for adults and children to enjoy together. Each afternoon we offer a workshop with our guest artists specifically for the creative exploration and rejuvenation of PARENTS while other artists and camp counselors work with the CHILDREN. Singing games provide a lively morning circle and our day ends with a closing circle and a story told by Louise.

In the past we have allowed children 5-8 to come on their own as “Bridge Campers.” Truth is, parents of these “older” kids often continued to come to camp because the PARENTS have a great time being campers too, and we love creating this family camp experience. So, this year we plan to fill the camp with parents and children attending together. IF we have room, we may open up to bridge campers later on. Meanwhile, Stepping Stones camp for children ages 5-9 is definitely on our 2024 camp schedule and a great choice for young children who need to come to camp on their own.

If you have a child/ren who are OLDER than 8, and want them to come to Art Party camp too, please contact us. They may be able to come as a camper, or they can apply to be a Junior Counselor. Have a YOUNGER sibling that’s not two yet? They can come too! See details on our registration page.

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stepping stones camp. june 24-28, 2024. 9 am-3 pm. ages 5-9.

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.

Each morning Louise Omoto Kessel will work with the five to seven year olds. We 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 have their own leader. In the past this group has played cooperative games, made art— including working together on a big collaborative art projects, built forts and told interactive stories with movement. We are finalizing leaders for all our camps now, so check back soon for more details on this groups leader and activities!

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!

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teen everything camp. july 8-12, 2024. ages 13-19. 9 am-5 pm. sharing for parents & families 4 p.m. on Friday, followed by potluck dinner.

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 store of games, art supplies, and cool stuff! 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!

toys & games camp. #1. july 22-26, 2024. #2. aug 5-9, 2024. ages 7-13. 9 am-5 pm. sharing for parents 4 p.m. on Friday, followed by potluck dinner.

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!). Your children will spend the week entertaining themselves and one another using simple materials and raw imagination! This year’s featured toy making 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!

NOTE about Toys & Games Camp: on our registration for, you can choose ONE of these weeks, or indicate that you are available for EITHER. In the interest of serving as many campers as we can this summer, we will probably not allow campers to come to both weeks.

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