Camp Quest, Project GROWS team up on exciting week of summer camp

Camp Quest and Project GROWS will join forces to host a weeklong day camp in Staunton from Aug. 1-5.

Camp Quest at the Farm will offer a fun, inclusive summer experience that challenges campers to build relationships, develop critical thinking skills and explore humanist values. Through the partnership with Project GROWS, campers will engage in activities that encourage natural discovery, offering education about nutrition and sustainable agriculture.

The camp will be open to children entering grades 3-6, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m-4 p.m., with an after-care option from 4-6 p.m. The Project GROWS farm, a 10-acre experiential, immersive education farm in Augusta County, provides the perfect environment for campers to learn about agriculture and the local food economy through hands-on activities.

Camp Quest programs focus on an inclusive camp experience, which is shaped by celebrating diversity and allowing campers to discover the natural world around them as they forge lasting friendships in a supportive community. Participation will be capped at 40-50 campers.

“Camp Quest is very excited to launch our first day camp collaboration,” says Sarah Bingham Miller, executive director for Camp Quest. “Combining the programming and expertise from our two organizations will help us provide more children with enriching and nurturing summer programs.”

Project GROWS is a nonprofit, educational organization in Staunton, Waynesboro and Augusta County. Their partnership with Camp Quest aligns with their mission to improve children’s health through garden-based education and access to healthy food. Daily camp programming through this collaboration will include exciting outdoor activities led by Project GROWS staff, designed to  promote leadership and teamwork, as campers increase their knowledge about gardening and nutrition.

Innovative Camp Quest programming will also incorporate the latest in scientific inquiry, freethought, cultural literacy, natural discovery and social/environmental responsibility.

“The camp includes garden-based exploration and play, scavenger hunts, tasting, cooking lessons, kid-friendly farm tasks, special veggie games and art,” says Nichole Barrows, director of education at Project GROWS. “In addition to exploring the vegetable beds,  campers will also hike through the pasture, play in the stream and practice plant, tree and bird identification in teams.”

Open to all, Camp Quest programs help campers forge lasting friendships, cultivate an inclusive worldview and return home empowered to make an impact in their own communities.

Sign up now on Camp Quest’s website to receive newsletter updates and more information about the Camp Quest Project GROWS day camp, cost, and scholarships.