Hayground SleepAway Camp!

Adventures and the arts

Year three! Last year we took 35 kids and 10 counselors on an epic six-day adventure to the Berkshires. In year three, we are offering two different opportunities: 8 days of SleepAway for kids ages 9-13 (June 17-24) and 6 days of SleepAway for kids ages 7-13 (July 20-25). We want to provide you with everything you need to know so that you and your camper are informed decision-makers. This experience is not for everyone. It’s for kids who want to explore the wider world with friendly, supportive Hayground staff and fellow campers. Ready to learn more? Keep reading…

So… Why are we doing this? We believe that our work is about helping young people explore the world around them in a psychologically safe environment where they can make mistakes, learn and grow. It’s all about figuring out who they are and what drives them. As Hayground Campers progress from Mini Campers to Lower Campers, Lower Campers to Middle Campers and Middle Campers to Upper Campers, they reach milestones along the way. (Click here to learn more about these milestones.) It’s a gradual release of responsibility and a shift from the idea that Hayground is a place to the idea that Hayground is a way of being in the world.

Our Hayground SleepAway Camp is an extension of those milestones. The focus will be Adventure and the Arts. Adventures are where we are challenged to find out what we are made of, to expand our comfort zones, to engage in shared experiences with others and build lifelong bonds as a result. The Arts are where we learn to express ourselves and live out loud, becoming more comfortable with ourselves and proudly telling the world, “We are here!”

We will be spending most of our time on the campus of Buxton School (more on this below), hiking the 100 acre woods, rolling down green hills, sitting around campfires telling stories, trying our hands at painting and ceramics and film photography. We will also be spending some of our time off campus, exploring all of the wonderful things the Berkshires have to offer - white water rafting, ropes courses, world-class museums and charming villages. But beneath the surface of the activities we are doing, we will just be living every day as a family - eating together, spending early mornings and late nights together, learning more about one another and ourselves in the process.

This is unlike any other sleep-away camp in that we are all coming from a day camp where we have already lived the values that we will bring with us. We will be entering the unknown together. And that makes this an exciting adventure for all of us.

FAQs

So there are two different trips? How does that work?

We will be recreating (with improvements) last year’s 6-day experience for up to 35 kids ages 7-13. That trip will take place from July 20-25. The second option will take place pre-Day Camp from June 17-24. This program is 8 days. It is for kids ages 9-13. It will be a more intensive trip and kids will make a lot of the decisions about how we run our days. This second week will offer more advanced opportunities, bigger experiences, later nights, deeper bonding. So if your child is 9-13, he or she has two choices: 6-day or 8. If your child is 7-8, he or she has one option: 6-day.

How will you be getting to and getting back from Buxton?

All of us will be riding together up and back on a private chartered Jitney.

Can my child choose their bunkmates?

We will take requests and do the best that we can. We want everyone to be happy.

Are boys and girls in separate buildings? Separate floors?

There will be a boys dorm with male counselors and a girls dorm with female counselors. This may be within the same building on different floors or it may be in separate buildings.

Some of the off-campus activities require a signed waiver. How will we deal with that?

Once you have enrolled, you will receive a welcome packet that will include waivers to be signed as well as packing lists.

What if my child doesn’t want to do some of the activities?

This trip will have a balance of choice (some kids do this, some kids do that) and group (Let’s all do this together as a bonding experience!) It is important that campers come prepared to step outside of their comfort zones. Kind and supportive staff will be right by their sides as they challenge themselves. A camper who looks at the list of activities above and says, “I am NOT doing that,” is probably not the right fit for this adventure. A camper who looks at the list and says, “I love some of this and I’m a little nervous about some of it,” is going to be just fine.

When does enrollment open? And is it possible I won’t get in?

Enrollment opens November 1 along with the rest of Hayground Camp enrollment! Once enrollment opens, it will be on a first-come, first-served basis. We will do our best to take everyone who is excited about this opportunity. In some cases, enrollment might require a conversation about readiness.