Escape to Nature 2023 Summer Camp Recap

Reflection Riding would like to give a big shout-out and thank you to everyone who made our 2023 Escape to Nature Summer Camp a huge success; this includes the summer camp kiddos, the counselors and all RR summer staff, parents, volunteers, and our amazing sponsors Rock/Creek and Local 3 News—each week had a fun theme that inspired the campers to appreciate nature in different ways.

This summer, I had the incredible opportunity to be a camp counselor and had a blast! I loved meeting and working with all my co-counselors and the summer campers. We loved igniting that love and respect for nature in the summer campers. As a counselor, I was often seen as a "teacher" by the kiddos, but they did not know that I was learning as much as they were with all their curiosity and creativity. Some of my favorite activities this summer were going on hikes, doing pond studies, and having mud days. Sometimes, the counselors would end up muddier than the campers!

Here is what some of the parents had to say about all the fun their kids had while at summer camp:

“My kids have looked forward to Reflection Riding *all* year. They love their counselors, friends, and freedom to be a kid! They get in the car in the afternoon FULL of stories to share and fun facts, like how GA flat-backed millipedes smell like cherry soda when you shake them! We will definitely be back next year!”
“My 10-year-old son loved camp! He came home daily jabbering about what they had done, seen and learned. He loved the hikes and seeing different animal ambassadors.”
“My girls did 3 different week-long camps this year and RR took the #1 spot. They’ve already requested to go back next year!”
“This was our family’s first summer at Reflection Riding. The camp exceeded my expectations! I was so impressed by the quality of the staff. My kids attended for 6 weeks, through all kinds of weather, and never got bored. I felt my kids were safe and well cared for. If my child forgot their water bottle, or needed more sunscreen, or had a negative interaction with a fellow camper, the staff took care of it right away. I couldn’t be more pleased. I will be telling all my friends and also enrolling again next year. Keep up the good work! Thanks for helping my kids fall in love with nature!”
“My boys love nature camp! We absolutely love the staff! I love that my boys are well cared for, have fun, are active and learning.”

It is so important to have summer programs like this. The campers got to have fun outdoors and learn about extraordinary native animals and plants and why they're so important. They had so much fun while practicing problem-solving skills, teamwork, and social/emotional learning through lots of hands-on experiences. They also overcame challenges not present in a typical classroom setting, like overcoming a fear of snakes and bugs (and sometimes mud) and trying new things like climbing trees and building fairy houses.

There's a reason why Escape to Nature Summer Camp was voted the best outdoor summer camp in Chattanooga! Our 300 acres of land are so beautiful, and our campus has so many options for exploration with the campers, so each day was different and engaging.

And, of course, we also want to give a BIG thank you to Local 3 News and Rock/Creek for being our camp sponsors this year! They helped make this summer our best one yet. We hope to see you all again for our 2024 Summer Camp next year!

Check out some photos from our time at camp:

During our Get Lost week, campers learned to make paint from different natural materials, like leaves, berries, flowers, and ashes. The campers took a creative approach and created face paintings from the ash paint.

The campers have 300 acres to explore. Here, the kids are in a gully created by water runoffs. While playing, they learn about the different kinds of plants and animals and compare them to other campus areas, like the meadows, ponds, and the bamboo forest.

Our camp provides a lot of hands-on experience with nature, and here, a group of girls from our Red Wolves (the oldest group) are proud to share a mud ball that they put together with the help of the rest of the group. Each week, campers loved creating things with objects that they found in the woods, like mud, vines for basket and crown weaving, and clay for pottery.

Our littlest group ( The Opossums) loved getting creative when building their fairy houses. Our middle-aged group (The Bobcats) enjoyed making leprechaun traps for all the pesky leprechauns that destroy fairy houses. Our oldest group (The Red Wolves) would create fairy cities and neighborhoods with Fairy Homeowner Associations.