The Elmwood Experience Every Step of the Way
At Elmwood, our mission is for each child to discover, celebrate, and be who they are supposed to be. We believe camp should grow with children, meeting them at each stage of their development and offering new ways to explore, connect, and challenge themselves.
While our values, relationships, and sense of belonging remain consistent, the way campers experience Elmwood evolves as they grow. Each stage brings new opportunities to build skills, discover interests, strengthen friendships, and take on greater independence.
🌱 A Camp Experience That Evolves
For our youngest campers, the focus is on feeling secure, exploring their surroundings, using their imaginations, and building foundational skills. Kindergarteners are gently introduced to a choice program during the second half of the summer, while campers in the Lower Village (entering 1st and 2nd grade) begin exploring their interests through a weekly elective.
By the time campers reach Upper Village (entering 3rd and 4th grade), they have more opportunities to make choices and develop deeper interests. They choose from a variety of weekly Clubs and participate in a five-week Intensive in performance, sports, visual arts, or science and engineering.
In Seniors (entering 5th and 6th grade), campers take on even greater ownership of their summer. Their program offers three distinct types of weeks:
🎨Majors: Campers choose an area of focus led by outside specialists, along with a week-long elective Minor.
ðŸ§Adventure: Campers head out on daily trips and participate in two overnight experiences.
🎉Traditions: Campers come together for community experiences like UV Bowl and Carnival.
As campers approach their middle school years, the Elmwood experience continues to evolve. EWD Voyagers, our program for campers entering 7th and 8th grade, extends that experience with a mix of day trips and overnight adventures. Designed to nurture friendships, encourage new experiences, and foster growing independence, Voyagers offers middle schoolers new ways to explore and connect while maintaining the supportive, caring environment that defines Elmwood. Most overnights last one or two nights, with one extended trip of up to three nights.
🌱 Growing Through the Years
The American Camp Association highlighted Cait Wilson’s article, All Camp Is Impactful, but the More You Go, the More You Grow, which explores the value of continued camp involvement. The idea resonates with our approach at Elmwood: as children grow, returning to camp year after year and taking on new experiences can offer continued opportunities to build relationships, explore interests, and develop greater independence.
From a camper’s first days at Elmwood through the middle school years, our goal remains the same: to create an environment where every child feels a sense of belonging and has opportunities to discover who they are meant to be. The experiences evolve, independence grows, and new interests emerge, but the relationships, values, and community at the heart of Elmwood remain constant.
The more they grow, the more they discover-and the more Elmwood grows with them!