rock star nature camp (aka Timberlake Farm)

No surprise here, but T-man and Bear had the best time at nature camp last month. They’re real outdoorsy kids so I knew the thought of spending all day, every day outside would sound awesome to them, and it did.

I had my own reasons for believing that this would be a really good experience for them, and those turned out to be true as well.

The kids went to Timberlake Earth Sanctuary, a nature retreat with 165 acres of meadows, forests, ponds, and creeks. The man who owned the land spent the last thirteen years of his life creating a trail system with walking paths, bridges, and overlooks.

After Boyd Toben passed away the land was placed into a conservation trust and became home to a Center that was a sacred place where children and teachers learned to “fall in love with the earth.” The Toben family has opened the land to those seeking the presence of the natural world to renew mind, body, and spirit.

A man named Thomas Berry was considered a great friend and guide to the sanctuary:

“Through Thomas Berry’s ‘lens,’ we learn to see the sacred in every living form as we behold the miracles of daily life. From practices of noticing movements of seasons and cycles to small moments of drifting clouds, changing colors, smells of spring rain, intricacies of spider webs, we ‘see,’ as Thomas puts it, ‘the natural world…infused with the presence of the Divine.’ ” (Timberlake Earth Sanctuary)

To the kids, nature camp was a chance to spend long days outdoors enjoying nature. They built forest structures and a bamboo teepee. They hiked trails and swam in ponds. They caught mussels and watched butterflies. They went creek walking every afternoon, exploring the world around them.

In other words, it was heaven on earth.

To me, nature camp was a chance for the kids to slow down and really connect with the world around them. A time for them to appreciate the earth and be introduced to the idea that they’re responsible for protecting it. A space in which they leave the hectic electronic world and move at nature’s pace, giving them the chance to find a personal connection with the beauty, wonder, and mystery around them.