While winter may be the quietest season for Tyler Arboretum’s education department, we are already thinking about our programs for the new year, especially Summer Camp!
Our year is filled with programs that get kids outside and excited about nature. From our Spring and Fall field trips, to our weekend Family Explorers programs, to School Year Mini-Adventure Camps and Summer Camp, we get the chance to meet and teach so many kids and their families.
As a Lead Educator at Tyler Arboretum, here are 3 key ways I see children grow stronger and more confident through their time spent in nature.
1. Developing Deeper Connections
One of my favorite parts of Summer Camp is getting to work with the same group of kids every day, sometimes for multiple weeks in a row! Campers become familiar with Tyler over time but don’t lose their excitement or wonder at all of the nature that the arboretum has to offer.
In fact, based on parent feedback, the longer kids stay, the more confidence and belonging they feel. One camper’s parent shared that their children felt “a sense of pride and connection to the arboretum” and wanted to show off all of their favorite spots.
Our guiding goal for summer camp is to foster a fun and supportive environment that allows children to build deeper connections with themselves, each other, and the natural world.
2. Reaping the Rewards of Outdoor Play
In our current climate, kids do not spend as much time outside as they used to. Even as an adult and certified nature-lover, I don’t get as many opportunities to be outside as I’d like. I cherish the times I spent outside as a kid and how those experiences shaped me. I am also so happy that my job is to help facilitate those experiences for children today.
In her study, “An Investigation of the Status of Outdoor Play,” Professor Rhonda Clements says that through “outdoor play, children learn the skills necessary for adult life, including social competence, problem solving, creative thinking, and safety skills” (Clements, 2004). The importance and impact of children spending time outside is something that might not be seen immediately, but outdoor play can help kids believe in themselves and teach them how to connect with not only their peers, but also the world around them.
Another Tyler camp parent said that their kids came home “excited about nature, more open to trying different plant foods, and showing confidence and independence.”
3. Building Self-Esteem and Resilience
Spending a summer at a nature-based camp can increase children’s self-esteem and their resilience. We definitely learned how to be resilient this summer, battling high temperatures, summer storm warnings, and learning how to adjust to spending consecutive hours outside. We came out the other side and learned how to have a safe and exciting summer, no matter what Mother Nature had in store for us.
The skills that children learn from being in nature are ones that they can use at home, at school, and for the rest of their lives. One Tyler camper had a “wonderful experience exploring and bonding with nature. She took so many creative activities and applied them in (her) home and backyard.”
Exploring Tyler’s woods, creeks, meadows, and gardens are experiences that we hope our campers will cherish for a life-time. I am already excited for Summer 2026. I can’t wait to see our returning campers after a year apart as well as all of the new faces that this year will bring!
