Camp Acquires More Land

House In The Wood Acquires NEW land up the road from camp on Bay Road. At this time we have no plans for the land except as a way to limit development along Bay Road. We will keep it natural and use it as another place for outdoor lessons. Look at all of those GREAT rocks for geology!

House In The Wood at ISTA Conferences

Hey, look where we have been...Illinois Science Teachers Association Conference

Our Exhibitors Booth at Illinois State Teachers Association (ISTA) Conference

We are looking for schools grades three through twelve who would like to have their students experience a two to five day outdoor education and recreation adventure at House In The Wood. Kali and I spent time talking to teachers, principals and college students at the conference.

We gave away two raffle prizes--a Classroom Outdoor Explorer Pack and a Family Outdoor Explorer Pack. Both were full of goodies to help the teacher, parent or grandparent explore outdoors with a child.

Classroom Outdoor Explorer Pack

Watch for us at ...

INCS (Illinois Network of Charter Schools) December 2-3

WSST (Wisconsin Society of Science Teachers) March 13-15

For more information on House In The Wood please go to our website at www.houseinthewood.org

We are operated by

www.nush.org

Construction News...Elliott Lodge

We are doing pre-construction prep on Elliott Lodge (the dining hall). Watch here and on our Facebook page for the latest news and pictures. We expect the building permit any day now so we can't start to build yet BUT we can tear down, dig and get other things ready while we are waiting.

Compare the two pictures. What is different?

Brown Bats Mini Cabin BEFORE

Brown Bats Mini Cabin AFTER

For more information on House In The Wood please go to our website at www.houseinthewood.org

We are operated by

www.nush.org

WOW! Already Fall. Here's the News...

A lot has been going on since my last post in JUNE. Let me catch you up...

SUMMER CAMP

A group of campers learn how to use their magic wands!

We finished summer camp with a FULL camp of 70-80 campers per session, happy campers, and a very safe summer. We spiced up the last sessions (after a camper mentioned how much they liked them) with two theme weeks--pirates and super hero/villians.

We had a lot of resource people coming in to do special activities--Sara Rose and others from Adventure Stage Chicago to do theater, Brian, Gordy and others for fishing, and Tom and Simba from Urban Initiatives for soccer.

Fishing with our volunteers

 We ended the summer with a week for Summer Adventure (Northwestern Settlement's summer day camp) and a weekend Family Camp. Our family camp had the usual giant Drumming Circle for all 60 people on site, an evening campfire program with s'mores and we ended with a variety show facilitated by Adventure Stage Chicago staff.

NEW STAFF HIRED! 
In September our new full time year around staff started.
Kali Prouty our new Program Director runs all programs at House In The Wood. This includes Summer Camp, Outdoor Education/Recreation Programs and  Settlement Fall/Winter weekend groups.
Nathan Puckett, our new community relations coordinator, will take over ongoing communications with summer camp and Rowe OEC parents, summer camp registration and general communications like the website.
Angelo Valentin, our new cook/maintenance will be cooking for all groups year around and keeping up with maintenance at House In The Wood.
Existing staff Val Wright, Executive Director and Terry Fowler, Operations Director round out our full time year around staff.

NEW! FALL ROWE OEC SESSION

A Rowe trail group clears the area of Buckthorn

This year 5th/6th grade from Rowe attended House In The Wood for their one week Outdoor Education experience in Fall rather than Spring. So, of course, the theme of the lessons was "getting ready for winter". How do plants, animals and people get ready for the winter? Our conservation lesson was "Buckthorn--the Evil Tree". We cleared areas of Buckthorn so that we can plant new native trees in two years after the poison that Buckthorn trees put in the soil is gone. We also went on two field trips--to an organic farm and to a cave.

TREE FALLS ON WHITE PINES
OMG! There was a huge windy storm and a LARGE red oak fell on White Pines. It crushed the last two

Tree falls on White Pines

single rooms. Luckily NO ONE was living in White Pines when it happened. It happened over Labor Day Weekend when there was a group of 80 people at camp. The power was out for 10 hours! But Val said the hardest part of the whole emergency was having to deal with all of this with NO coffee (power was out for 20 hours at her house)!

AND NOW SOME GOOD NEWS...
WE RECEIVED THE DONATION FOR THE EXTENSION OF THE DINING HALL!
Kathy and Mike Elliott generously donated the entire amount needed to complete the Dining Hall expansion project! Here are the drawings of the new ELLIOTT LODGE to be completed by Spring. Upstairs will have a large dining area easily seating 120, two new restrooms, kitchen storage, a kitchen office, and a janitor closet. Downstairs will have a new year around shower house with convertible boys/girls side or just one gender. The entire building will be climate controlled with heating and air conditioning.

Front view of the new Elliott Lodge Dining Hall.

We are demolishing the existing Shower House and we have to move Brown Bats to accommodate the new addition. Watch for updates here and on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/House-In-The-Wood/74114827267

For more information on House In The Wood please go to our website at www.houseinthewood.org

We are operated by

www.nush.org

Summer Camp Going On NOW!

We are on the last full day of Session 1 Teen Camp here at House In the Wood...

Gaga Ball is our newest activity here at camp. Gaga Ball is like dodge ball only it is played in a "pit" and you can only slap the ball with an opened palm. You are "out" if the ball hits you below the knee or if you were responsible for a ball hitting someone ABOVE the knee. It is a fast and fun game.

Teens also did the House In The Wood favorites...
Swimming, Boating, Art and Crafts, Team Sports, Outdoor Skills (camping) and Nature.

And Afternoon Activities: Capture the Flag, Hound and Hare (hide and seek), and the House In The Wood Cabin Challenge--can you do the things you were just taught in all of the camp activities?.

If you are found in Hound and Hare, you are thrown in the water! (but only  if  you want to be)

And don't forget the Night Activities: Welcome Campfire, Egg Drop Team Challenge, Social with DJ, and tonight--the Variety Show!

This year for Free Time, we opened up the Nature Center and we have crafts and games in the Pavilion.

Checking out the stick that has been chewed by a Beaver with Alex.

Painting in the Pavilion.

Session 2 for children ages 7-12 and LIT Orientation starts on Monday.

WE STILL HAVE ROOM AT CAMP...
Our one week Session 3-1A--July 15-21.
Our two week Session 4--July 29 to August 9.

Go to our website at www.houseinthewood.org to pre-register or call Nathan at 262-728-2752.

Summer Camp Registration NOW

We are registering for summer camp now. 

We have FULL scholarships still available. 

Register at 1012 N Noble St. Chicago, IL. Every registration includes an information session, online registration, financial aid application and a private meeting to discuss your financial aid and payment plan. Allow about an hour--more if you have another child. Bring your social security information and your medical card. 

Summer Camp Registration

NO APPOINTMENT NEEDED!

Saturday        April 6             10am-2pm

Wednesday    April 10           10am-1pm

Saturday        April 13           10am-2pm

Wednesday    April 17           10am-1pm

Wednesday    April 24           Noon-5pm

Saturday        May 11            10am-4pm

Saturday        May 18            10am-4pm

Saturday        May 25            10am-4pm-LAST DAY!

SAVE TIME!

Start your camper pre-registration ONLINE at home. Then come to scheduled registrations sessions to COMPLETE your registration.

Need help with online registration? Stop your online registration at any time and see us at the registration session. But…remember your account information.

To register online: Go to www.houseinthewood.org , click “Summer Camp” and “Registration” for instructions.

For more information on House In The Wood please go to our website at www.houseinthewood.org

We are operated by

www.nush.org

Rowe Outdoor Classroom Starts Soon!

This year we have THREE weeks of Rowe Elementary School outdoor education sessions.

Our third, fourth and fifth grade will visit for ONE whole week each. Monday through Thursday are full days of outdoor lessons in everything from conservation to insects, forest to aquatic creatures.

Each grade has different lesson plans although they may have similar topics.








The whole point is to explore and learn through that exploration. To ask questions and find answers RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOUR VERY EYES!

Sometimes we have "experiments" that last from year-to-year. The fourth grade does a conservation experiment--they pull garlic mustard and then come back the next year to the same site. Is there any difference?

On Friday, we will leave for Chicago. BUT before we turn south, we will go on a Field Trip. Third grade will go to a working farm and learn about gardening, goats, and crops. Fourth grade will usually do a "Time Machine" visit to a nearby nature conservancy but THIS fourth grade already did that in third grade. So they will also go to the farm. Fifth grade will go to "Old World Wisconsin" where they will see how they did things in early Wisconsin.

For more information on House In The Wood please go to our website at www.houseinthewood.org

We are operated by

www.nush.org