Category: Super Activities for Super Kids

Wanderers Camp in the San Fransisco Bay Area offers 5-7 day sleep-away camps, day camps, and backpacking trips, for kids grades 2-8. While kids at other SF Bay area camps are stuck in one place, these campers spend their days touching tide pool starfish, finding huckleberries, spotting tule elk, playing among the redwoods, rock climbing on granite, and camping and backpacking in remote wilderness areas throughout Northern California. We interviewed founder Kurt Gantert about the camp’s beginnings and missions.

Tell us a little about yourself and how you started the camp.

I grew up backpacking, canoeing, skiing, etc. in upstate New York.  My parents were very outdoorsy and loved to take me and my brother out on long trips into the wilderness of the Adirondacks in northern New York.

I remember having a natural affinity for the outdoors, but those first backpacking and canoe trips were pretty hard.  A big, heavy pack on my back, long miles of hiking, the bugs, rain, etc.  However, the positives of those experiences far outweighed the negatives.

I felt so proud of hiking far and pushing myself to get to the top of a peak, or paddle across a huge lake.  The food tasted better out in the wilderness, the smells of the forest were amazing, learning how to survive outdoors and being self-sufficient, the feeling of freedom, seeing wildlife up-close, learning about the natural history of the areas we camped in, and the calm and serenity of nature were some of the things I became aware of being in the wilderness on those trips.  I could go on, but these experiences early in my life were very formative.

During my late teens and early twenties, I worked at a summer camp called Pathfinder in Algonquin Park, Ontario, Canada.  It is a boys canoe tripping camp that will be 100 years old this year.

I worked as a lifeguard and swim instructor at first and eventually graduated to become a canoe trip leader there.  As a canoe trip leader, I led 3-15 day canoe trips for boys ages 7-15 into the wilderness of Canada.

These trips were very challenging, but fun and life-changing in many ways for both the staff and the campers.  I saw the campers gain confidence, physical strength, learn teamwork and leadership skills, and much more.  The experience working at Pathfinder made me want to pursue a career in the outdoors.  After seeing how transformative these trips were for the boys, I was sold on doing this for a living.

After 10+ years experience working as a backpacking guide, ski instructor, natural history educator and program director for numerous outdoor education and adventure travel companies, I felt like I was ready to start my own camp.  It was a dream I’d had since working at Pathfinder, and I felt like I was finally ready to go for it.  I was settled down and married with 2 kids in San Francisco.  I was enjoying living in SF, but was realizing that my family I weren’t spending a lot of time in the outdoors because our lives were so busy with work, school and social events.

I read the book “Last Child in the Woods” by Richard Louv and it was the final inspiration for me to start the camp.  Louv’s book was about how modern children weren’t spending as much time in nature as the previous generation and it was having some serious negative effects on their mental and physical well-being.  The book had given me a focus for my camp: re-connecting children to nature!

Are there any special lessons or experiences you are trying to provide during the camp?

Wanderers is focused on connecting children to nature by:

• Hiking and exploring spectacular places.  At Wanderers, we take the kids to all the places my staff and I love to go.  We go to spectacular waterfalls, fun creeks, beaches, high alpine lakes, and mountain peaks in some of our favorite national and state parks in Northern California.  I get inspired by these places, and I think kids do too.
• Having fun in the outdoors.  At Wanderers, fun is a very important ingredient to connecting to nature. Fun = games we play, creek exploration, beach time, tidepooling, building forts, nature art, skits, night hikes, s’mores, campfires, rock climbing, etc.
• Challenge.  I like to challenge the campers because nature is not something that is just pretty to look at, but also rugged and challenging.  To understand and connect to nature, I think kids need to work hard and accomplish something.  Examples of challenge are rock climbing, long hikes, peak ascents, group initiatives, etc.
• Natural History Education.  I like to teach the kids at least some aspects of the natural history of all the areas we travel to.  It gives them more of a “sense of place” or an understanding of the uniqueness of the area they are in.  Some examples of the natural history lessons we cover are:  redwood ecology in Armstrong Redwoods, geology of Yosemite Valley, what is a watershed? in the Marin Watershed district, natural history of Tule Elk in Pt. Reyes National Seashore.

There’s plenty more lessons and experiences Wanderers provides, but these are some of the most important.

What surprises/delights the kids (or parents) most about your camp? What sets your class/camp apart from the rest?

I think what surprises most kids about their Wanderers experience is that they generally come away from it with a love of spending time outdoors with a group.

Many children going into camp are a little hesitant about camping, long hikes, bugs, being away from mom, etc….however, by the end of the week, I’d say 99% of the kids come away from it being surprised at how much they enjoy being outdoors in nature.

I think what sets Wanderers apart from many other camps is that we are a completely mobile camp.  This gives us the flexibility to go to almost anywhere we want and gives the kids a chance to experience some of the most spectacular places in northern California.

At most other camps, kids are tied to a building or a campus….which I think limits the experience, especially if it’s supposed to be about nature immersion.

We are also unique in that our groups rarely exceed 15 kids.  This also allows us to have a great staff to camper ratio (usually about 1 to 3) which makes it a safer experience than most camps as well. This small group experience also allows the kids more of a chance to bond with each other and have a more memorable group experience.

We also hire very qualified outdoor leaders, which, I think sets us apart as well.  Our leaders must be 21 yrs +, have a clean driving record and background, good experience leading groups in the outdoors, a Wilderness First Aid and CPR certification and love working with kids.

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Wanderers Camp in SF Bay Area is now taking registrations for summer trips. For more info and their current schedule, check out Wanderers Camp on ActivityHero.

Written by Sarah Antrim

Kids participate in summer camps and after school programs year round. While family schedules certainly vary by region, one thing seems to be true throughout – kids are busier than ever before, and in turn pocketbooks are being stretched further and further. Between camp, swim lessons, sports team tryouts, art, music and field trips – the cost of extracurricular activities can really add up quickly. It is important to plan out a reasonable budget to spend on these enriching events that will deepen your child’s passions and sense of self but don’t necessarily need to deepen debt.

What You Should Spend

Having a “what you should do…” category is somewhat unfair and misleading, as the answer will vary greatly from family to family.  The true answer comes from not what amount you SHOULD spend, but rather what amount you can and want to spend.  Extracurricular activities should never send you into financial peril – though it is important to provide your child with their own interests and identity whenever you are able to.

The average American family tends to spend on average $200 per month, per child. Obviously if you have only one child, the cost will be much easier to handle than if you have a brood of five. Again, just do what you are able, and provide a healthy, happy home for the rest of the time!

Average Costs

Depending upon the activity your child is involved in, your costs will vary greatly.  Below are some examples of what you can expect to spend, though again this varies by region and family commitment level.

Dance

A little girl with dreams of becoming a ballerina can expect to set back her parents’ 2^nd honeymoon fund approximately $60-150 per month in tuition costs. This number is dependent upon the number of classes taken each week.

• Most recreation programs will charge around $60-80 for a once-per-week basic class in ballet, tap, jazz or hip hop.
• Performing & Competition Dance – this is where things get a bit more expensive. A dance recital usually costs around $75 per costume, which may or may not include dance shoes, tights, etc. If your child plans on hitting an elite level, your monthly tuition cost will be much higher as many more classes will be required. Finally, competition teams tend to average around $400 per competition.

Sports

These can be one of the most expensive extracurricular activities around and it doesn’t really seem to matter which sport it is.

• Softball can average $15 per child, not including uniform, bat, glove, cleats and more.
• Youth football’s going rate is approximately $400 per child.
• Soccer, basketball and tennis are also within the $400 range
• Sports clubs and competitive leagues carry additional costs – especially for travel

If your child(ren) plan to participate in sports – it’s fair to say that $9,000 will cover three kids in the family playing three different sports.

Martial Arts

• Youth classes at a community center average around $30-60 per month
• Elite instructors typically charge between $50-150
• Outside of tuition costs are uniform and travel costs at times

Ways to Save

Fortunately, there are some things you can do to cut costs and save your sanity while still letting your daughter try out for the figure skating club. Be wise with where and how you spend your money – especially if you are new to an activity, it is easily to be swindled into spending more than you need to.

• Look into used or free equipment. Many cities have second hand stores for musical instruments and sports necessities. You can also search around online, look in your local newspaper listings, or just put out a plea on Facebook for the item you need.
• Ask parent friends what they’ve thought of a particular coach or studio. Research them online too and see if you can find any reviews, positive or negative. Cost will often be mentioned if a person felt their time was or was not worth it. You can find dozens of free parent reviews and recommendations at ActivityHero.com!
• Make a family rule to keep costs under control – allow only one extracurricular per child per season. Or, settle for only rec center programs versus private studios during the school year, with more intensive opportunities made available over the summer.
• Research locations that offer financial aid or some sort of assistance that your family is eligible for and try them out before the more expensive places.

In the end, kids thrive and succeed in a successful home environment – extracurriculars are icing on the cake of life. Do what you can and find simple and free ways every day to build up your child’s self-confidence and interest in the world around them.

Written by Tamara Warta