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Our Village School offers weekly outdoor programming for children ages 6+ on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Cohorts are mixed age groups. Our Explorer cohorts are geared for children ages 6-9 years old, whereas our Adventurer cohorts are for 10+ year olds. Every week children will travel from class to class in their mixed-age cohort. Each Explorer cohort will also have a consistent anchor teacher that spends the day with them. They will dig deeper into 4 Areas of Exploration each day: 2 in the morning, an hour for lunch/free play, and then 2 more in the afternoon.
Below you will find descriptions of each Area of Exploration. Please see the descriptions for the specific day it is being offered. If you want your child to experience all eight Areas of Exploration, be sure to sign them up for both Tuesday AND Thursday or both Monday AND Wednesday. All this beauty happens at YMCA Day Camp Streefland in Lakeville during spring and fall – a 64+ acre wooded wonderland. During our winter session, we head to Camp Sacajawea in Eagan, MN.
“A true love of learning happens as you hike along wooded trails with friends, plant a garden together and share in the wonder of exploration. Play and discovery are center stage and it's a delight to watch the learning unfold just as it should.”
Details at a Glance
Upcoming Semesters
Fall 2024 Semester
YMCA Day Camp Streefland
9/9 – 11/21 (11 wks)
$775 1-day | $1550 2-days
Winter 2025 Semester
Camp Sacajawea Retreat Center
2/11 – 3/11 (5 wks)
$355 (Tuesdays only)
Spring 2025 Semester
YMCA Day Camp Streefland
3/24 – *5/30 (10 wks)
$710 1-day | $1420 2-days
*In observance of Memorial Day, programming originally scheduled for 5/26 (M) will happen on Friday 5/30.
Classes
Let’s bring out the inner artist! As we progress through targeted lessons that highlight a famous artist, we will focus on a specific artistic element and/or technique. Students will explore the use of line, shape, form, value, color and how to create their own masterpieces!
Guide: Rita Ryan
Day Offered: Wed/Thurs
“Every child is an artist.”
Pablo Picasso
Not only are we cultivating future foodies but we are honing an important life skill. As we prepare a tasty dish, we train as a chef would–learning to measure, season, select ingredients, balance flavors, consider presentation, etc. We will also utilize any harvest we yield from our garden.
Guide: Sarah Lang
Day Offered: Mon/Tues
“No one is born a great cook, one learns by doing.”
Julia Childs
Children have an innate sense of curiosity and creativity that often go hand-in-hand. This portion of our day is spent tapping into that magic! We might spend time learning to finger-knit, completing a mosaic, or even building a catapult. It’s a time to bring out the maker in us all!
Guide: Arielle Abdallah
Day Offered: Mon/Tues
“We are born makers. We move what we’re learning from our heads to our hearts through our hands.”
Brene Brown
Welcome to our Forest Play class, where children embark on a journey of exploration and wonder amidst the enchanting beauty of nature. Through imaginative play, sensory experiences, and hands-on activities, kiddos learn to appreciate and respect the natural world around them. Guided by experienced educators, each session fosters curiosity, creativity, and a deep connection to the great outdoors, nurturing both physical and emotional development in a joyful, forest-filled setting.
Guides: Maria Stalsberg (Th) & Liz Markel (W)
Days Offered: Wed/Thurs
“Give children a chance to love the earth before we ask them to save it.”
David Sobel
Let’s get curious in the lab with our Scientists! Always hands-on and always focused on discovery, our Guides help us answer questions about the world around us…What makes a boat float? Why do leaves change colors? and SO much more!
Guides: Megan Henning (Th) & Jennifer Demetriades (M)
Day Offered: Mon/Thurs
“Millions saw the apple fall, but Newton asked why.”
Bernard Baruch
Here’s a chance for kids to exercise their dramatic talents and jumpstart their imaginations. Drama Lab uses improvisation, short scenes, monologues, character development and more. Your child will burst with laughter as they improve social skills, listen, problem solve and focus – all while making friends along the way!
Guides: Aaron Strawn (T), Bridget Benson (W) & Amy Strawn (Th)
Days Offered: T/W/Thurs
“Imagination is your mind’s playground.”
Vince Gowmon
Music brings so much joy into the world. Our Explorers are encouraged to unleash that joy and share their music into the world through the use of songs, instruments and movement. In the spring semester, we are focused on lyrics and group ensembles as we prepare for a spring concert for a local senior community.
Guide: Jessica Sieh
Days Offered: Tues/Wed
“As long as we live, there is never enough singing.”
Martin Luther
This is time devoted to getting our wiggles out, stretching our bodies and re-centering. Our movement hour includes youth fitness activities such as yoga, obstacle courses, field games, etc.
Guide: Kayla Ragborg
Days Offered: T/W/Thurs
“Movement is the song of the body”
Vanda Scaravelli
“And at the end of the day, your feet should be dirty, your hair messy and your eyes sparkling.”
Shanti
Learn by doing! This is a hands-on time to explore woodworking and carpentry skills such as measuring, marking, sawing, drilling etc. A space for the Adventurer aged maker to make!
Guides: Dave Stalsberg (T) & Zach Secrist (W)
Day Offered: Tues & Wed
“Give the pupils something to do, not something to learn . . . learning naturally results.”
John Dewey
We are empowering our kidtrepreneurs who have big dreams with the skills to bring those dreams into reality. Our cohorts will work together learning the basics of running a business and eventually bring a final product to the end-of-semester market at Our Village School.
Guide: Maria Stalsberg
Day Offered: Thurs
“Anytime is a good time to start a company.”
Ron Conway
This is dedicated time to work on arguably one of the most important life skills…teamwork! Our Explorers will practice how to best work together in a group, communicate effectively and problem solve while working through various challenge course initiatives, activities and puzzles.
Guide: Sarah Kjellsen
Day Offered: Mon
“If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.”
Henry Ford
Time to connect through teamwork and collaboration all in The Great Outdoors. In Connect, the cohort will practice important life skills such as leadership, perseverance, positive mindset and much more through an exploration of outdoor skills.
Guide: Erin Steinhibel
Day Offered: Tues/Wed
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”
Hellen Keller
Schedules by Day
Monday
Makerspace
Science
Lunch / Free Play
Cooking
Team
Tuesday
Music
Makerspace
Lunch / Free Play
Cooking
Movement
Wednesday
Drama
Music
Lunch / Free Play
Forest Play
Movement
Thursday
Forest Play
Drama
Lunch / Free Play
Art
Science
Tuesday
Drama
Cooking
Lunch / Free Play
Connect
Shop
Wednesday
Shop
Movement
Lunch / Free Play
Connect
Art
Thursday
Art
Science
Lunch / Free Play
Movement
Kids Inc.
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