Camp Keystone Registration is Open!

We are so excited to announce that registration is now open for our 5th year of Camp Keystone, a licensed, outdoor nature-based program where campers ages 3-6 can learn all about salmon, a keystone species in our region. There will be 9 weeks of camp to choose from, starting on June 23rd and ending on August 22nd with both full and half-day options available. We can’t wait for the campus to be filled with laughter and excitement once again!

This summer, we’ve got something special in store – this will be our first year implementing emergent learning in our curriculum. Instead of having activities centered around predetermined themes each week, the curriculum will change every day based on each group's unique interests which they will discover through outdoor play. Whether it’s flipping over logs, searching for frogs, cooking up new concoctions in the mud kitchen, or something else entirely, themes naturally emerge in play. Our wonderful camp educators will tailor each day’s curriculum to allow the campers to explore these themes on a deeper level. This approach to curriculum is dynamic, engaging and endlessly fun!

Of course, camp will still feature many of our old favorite activities. Each day will start with a salmon circle, which includes salmon songs, salmon yoga and a land acknowledgement to honor our Indigenous neighbors who have stewarded this land since time immemorial. Campers will learn the different stages of the salmon life cycle through movement, games and songs. They will also learn to name all five species of Pacific Salmon using their hand. Each week, campers will build important social and life skills and foster an appreciation and connection with the natural world.  

Field trips will also be a regular weekly feature of camp. Half-day campers will spend one day at a property located along Tenmile Creek with and full-day campers will travel to Larrabee state park, Birch Bay State Park and Fairhaven Park.

Camps fill up quickly, so register early to make sure your child gets a chance to spend an exciting summer with NSEA! As a licensed program, we offer subsidies to make camp more accessible to families in Whatcom County. If you’d like your child to attend camp with a sibling, we offer a 10% discount for the second camper enrolled.

To register, visit the Camp Keystone page on our website at https://www.n-sea.org/camp-keystone. If you have any questions about Camp Keystone, please contact Nathan Zabel at nzabel@n-sea.org.

We hope to see you there!