EARTH STEWARDS
Formerly known as Field Camp, the Earth Stewards (ages 12 to 16), experience Hawthorne Valley as “junior apprentices”. They spend their mornings in workstations across the campus, working alongside farmers, cheesemakers, chefs, and bakers, participating in the daily rhythms of our lively farm. After lunch, campers spend the rest of their day cooling off at the pond, making crafts, exploring our forests, and relaxing by the cabins with friends. Earth Stewards are given the opportunity to get unplugged from a high-tech culture, and become tuned in to the natural world around them. Campers will leave Hawthorne Valley with new skills, new friends, and a renewed connection to nature and self.
Home for the Earth Stewards is a campsite in a wooded glen on the farm. Campers stay in rustic cabins and canvas tents, and counselors live in adjacent yurts and tents. Our Dining Hall menu features delicious, mostly vegetarian meals and snacks prepared from scratch using Biodynamic and organic ingredients. Campers and staff eat together family-style, fostering the community-building spirit of the camp.
6-Day Earth Stewards Camp - Ages 12-14
13-Day Earth Stewards Camp - Ages 13-16
6-DAY camp
Sessions 1 + 3: Ages 12-14
Formerly known as Field Camp, the 6-day Earth Stewards session offers both first-time and returning campers a chance to encounter the farm as a “junior apprentice”. Earth Stewards will learn about sustainable agriculture and food production through hands-on experience across various enterprises at Hawthorne Valley.
Campers spend their mornings at workstations such as the creamery, bakery, deli, production gardens, and livestock. In the afternoons, Earth Stewards spend time together swimming at the pond, learning a new skill or craft such as whitling or fire building, and relaxing by the cabins. After supper, campers enjoy evening games like capture the flag, then wind down with songs and stories around a fire.
13-Day Camp
Sessions 2 + 4: Ages 13-16
The 13-day Earth Stewards session is designed for campers who have an expressed interest in agriculture or sustainable food production. Earth Stewards will work alongside farmers and other professionals who grow, process, and cook healthy food.
Campers will tend to the soil in the larger production gardens, assist farmers with herding our dairy cows, and they will help our staff in the creamery, deli, and kitchen, where they get to see Hawthorne Valley’s farm-to-table food system come to life. This longer session allows campers to spend more time at these workstations where they can explore their interests.
Traditional summer camp activities like swimming, crafts, wilderness exploration, games, and camp songs, add to the Earth Stewards’ experience. During the weekend of this session, we pause our weekday rhythms to make time for special activities and outings. Potential day trips include hiking in the Catskills, a visit to a local folk festival, or berry picking at a nearby farm. Campers in the 13-day session also get the chance to have an overnight campout under the stars at Hawthorne Valley, complete with s’mores around a bonfire, of course.
During this session, campers will develop agriculture and wilderness skills, gain a sense of responsibility for self, others, and the land, and have an unforgettable experience in our fun and safe farm camp environment.