2024 Alaska Summer Camps
for ages 5-6 and 7-9
Weekly Session Dates and Themes: Monday-Friday
June 3-7, 2024:
Walking with Alaska's Dinosaurs
June 10-14, 2024:
AK Bugs and Birds & Biodiversity
June 17-21, 2024:
Alaska’s Young Paddlers Camp
June 24-28, 2024:
Walking with Alaska's Dinosaurs
July 1-5, 2024:
CLOSED for 4th July Week
July 8-12, 2024:
AK Bugs and Birds & Biodiversity
July 15-19, 2024:
Alaska’s Young Paddlers Camp
July 22-26, 2024:
AK Bugs and Birds & Biodiversity
July 29-August 2, 2024:
Alaska’s Young Paddlers Camp
August 5-9, 2024:
Walking with Alaska's Dinosaurs
August 12-14, 2024:
AK Bugs and Birds & Biodiversity
Alaska Youth Summer Camps and Multi-Day Courses
Availability Coming Soon! (December 15!)
Availability Coming Soon! (December 15!)
Outdoor Education & Leadership Course for Teens 14-17
Summer Camp Details
Scroll below for details and FAQs on 2024 Summer Camps for ages 5-9, or search for info you need!
Make summer 2024 stand out.
We offer small-batch, Alaskan-adventure inspired summer camps designed with three things in mind: friendship, outdoor safety concepts and skills, and sustainable use of the wild spaces we love!
Our summer camps are bookable as Monday-Friday weekly sessions from June 3 to August 14, with the week of July 4th closed.
What We'll Do:
Our summer camps focus on Alaska outdoor science and education for Alaska kids! Our youth summer camps specialize in learning foundational outdoor skills, environmental science, and wilderness safety.
Each summer camp theme is scaffolded to adapt to each cohort’s age level. Every summer camp includes education in wilderness skills, including but not limited to wilderness first aid, gear management and personal organization, personal and group outdoor leadership and teamwork skills, and of course, bear and moose safety skills.
Led by passionate counselors, our small group camps provide a cozy environment for making new friends and enjoying outdoor adventures together.
Where & When
Where
Drop-off and Pick-up: Kincaid Sand Dunes Park Trailhead
[8200 Jodhpur St, Anchorage, AK 99502]
Most days, we will play, learn, and explore in beautiful Kincaid Park, which boasts several distinct ecosystems: forest, sand dunes, and maritime. 1 day per week, we will load up in the van and head out for a field visit.
Field Visit Days:
Age cohorts 5-6 on Tuesdays
Age cohorts 7-9 on Wednesdays
Depending on the group, instructors may take youth for a short day hike in the Front Range, a visit to the Alaska Museum of Science and Nature, or the Coastal Wildlife Refuge. Instructors will communicate with parents the day before/morning of what our plan is for the day.
Camp Days and Hours
Monday–Friday
Drop-off Time: 9-9:30am
Pick-up Time: 5-5:30pm
(early drop off available from 8-9am, $15/day)
Daily Itinerary
8-9am: Early drop-off
9-9:30am: drop-off
9:30-10:15am:
morning meeting and snack with group - instructors finalize group plans with kiddos, expectations, and our fabulous four:
bear and moose safety,
leave no trace,
our three be’s: safety, kindness, respect, and
“Know your bag and what’s inside it!”
10:15am-12pm: explore the park
12-1:30pm:
lunch and play at trailhead. For parents/caregivers that need to do a mid-day drop-off or pick-up, this is the time (except for field visit days, when we won’t be at the park mid-day!)
1:30-5pm: more play, lessons, and fun!
12-1pm: lunch and play at trailhead
5-5:30: pick-up
Weekly Itinerary
Monday:
Wilderness First Aid skills, Fun and Games!
Tuesday:
5-6 age cohort: Field visit day
7-9 age cohort: Explore, play, and fun in the park!Wednesday:
5-6 age cohort: Explore, play, and fun in the park!
7-9 age cohort: Field visit dayThursday:
Wilderness First Aid skills, Weekly Theme Learning, Fun and Games!
Friday:
Final day! Kids will make their own play for our “Theater in the Woods” and act out what they learned over the last three days.
**Lesson plans and itineraries are subject to change based on group needs and other factors out of our control, like environmental conditions. The only times that are fixed are drop-off and pick-up; all other times are flexible and up to instructor discretion.
**field-visit days will follow a similar schedule but will adjust to account for the driving times and corresponding logistics.
2024 Alaska Summer Camp Weekly Themes
Themes for the 5-6 and 7-9 year old cohorts:
-
Cost: $450
Session 1: June 10-14, 2024
Session 2: July 8-12, 2024
Session 3: July 22-26, 2024
Session 4: August 14-16, 2024
Our Bugs and Birds camp focuses on the environmental science behind ecosystems, what they are, indicator species, and the role climate change plays in ecosystems.
-
Cost: $360
Session 1: June 3-7, 2024
Session 2: June 24-28, 2024
Session 3: August 5-9, 2024
Delve into the ancient world of the dinosaurs that roamed Alaska while making friends and acquiring essential Alaskan outdoor safety skills.
Kids will take a walk through Alaska's prehistory in the lush forests, towering sand dunes, and silty beaches of Kincaid Park. With an inquisitive eye and our imaginations, kids will be able to see remnants of times long gone and live in the time when Alaska's wilderness was dominated by dinosaurs.
-
Cost: $420
Session 1: June 17-21, 2024
Session 2: July 15-19, 2024
Session 3: July 29-August 2, 2024
Most Alaskans spend at least some time recreating, subsisting, or working on, near, or in the water. This camp is designed specifically for our young Alaskans in mind, to give them solid foundations and awareness of Alaskan water safety skills.
Water Ecology
This week's Field Visit will take our camp to local waterways, where our little explorers will learn all about stream ecology; from microscopic invertebrates to megafauna, we will spend the week discovering through play and hands-on experiences what is necessary to sustain healthy streams, lakes, and oceans. We will also learn about all the bacteria and critters that make water filtering and purification necessary for healthy drinking water!
Water Safety Foundations
In the calm waters of Little Campbell or Delong Lake, we will talk about what it means to explore Alaska's waterways safely and develop the foundational knowledge essential in good decision making while recreating in water-based activities. Our little explorers don't have to go in the water to learn about it - kids can choose to take turns going on the water with a guide, or they can stay on shore. All participants will be wearing a life jacket while near any water source. Water safety in Alaska is probably one of the most important foundational skills youth can start developing from a young age. This week, we will invite special guest speakers to come talk to the kids about water safety from the Alaska Office of Boating Safety and local enthusiasts who adventure in Alaska's waterways.
Fishing
In addition to learning about water ecology and water safety, this week we will help our little explorers learn about fishing - tying flies, casting, rod and reel, and the types of fish we can find in different bodies of water in Alaska.
FAQs & More
What We’ll Learn & The Power of Failure (or, “The Power of Overcoming Challenges”) in Outdoor Education
As humans, we learn through play and making mistakes! In terms of learning outdoor safety skills, it is essential to have the chance to make a lot of mistakes in a controlled, risk-mitigated setting in order to maximize learning. A growth mindset and a cool head is what keeps adults and children safe while having our amazing Alaskan adventures. Consequence
For our youngest outdoor adventurers, this means that they’ll have many chances to learn; under the watchful eyes of our instructors, we hope they get dirty, have fun, and make a lot of mistakes! Our goal is for youth in our program to feel a sense of freedom from perfection. We hope kiddos will push boundaries and test their limits and develop the concept of organization, personal leadership, decision-making, observing and caring for others in their group, and self-care.
At Into the Woods AK, we help kids work on creative problem solving and developing critical thinking skills in the wilderness setting. Part of this is allowing them to overcome challenges and failure, rather than just giving up! Please support your child by letting them pack their own bag, know what is in it, and take ownership over their learning. Most importantly, please allow them the opportunity to experience set-backs, learn from them, and overcome them.
Our daily schedule and lesson plans are subject to change:
Our instructors may need to make a quick change to planned activities for safety, or other reasons out of our control. Sometimes, plans don’t pan out - we may encounter a mama moose and calf on the trail, our instructors may observe that the group’s needs are to relax a bit longer (living under the midnight sun can be exhausting!), or that the group needs to play a bit more before transitioning to the lesson plan. A lot of what we do is focused on helping kids build authentic friendships and learn valuable life lessons in the context of outdoor education. That, and safety being our priorities, mean that sometimes we adapt the schedule to best fit the group’s needs for that particular moment.
This itinerary and what we learn each day is subject to change based on environmental conditions and our unique groups' particular logistics and needs. Our focus is to have fun, play, and make friends - and hopefully learn some solid wilderness skills and inspire youth to learn to be advocates for our beautiful wild spaces along the way!
Enrollment and Ratios:
10:1 Youth to Instructor Ratio. We also have a “Teen Explorer” program where local teens take a course in outdoor education with us, part of which is shadowing and learning from our lead instructors as they lead their group.
Max. Enrollment: 10 participants
MIn. Enrollment: 6 Participants
What are the themes?
We have three separate themes for ages 5-9, and ages 10-13. While each camp focuses on helping youth develop foundational Alaska wilderness safety skills, the three themes focus on separate types of outdoor activities that Alaska youth are likely to do with their families: water safety week covers paddling and Alaska water safety, using our stand-up paddleboards on Delong or Little Campbell Lake as a classroom. During water week, we may go for a short hike to an alpine lake or stream to teach water ecology. “Dinosaur” and “bugs and birds” weeks cover day hikes and the art of being comfortable and prepared in mountain and forest excursions, in addition to the science that goes along with being in those environments.
Gear and Clothing - What to Pack:
Inclusions:
Curriculum supplies for learning (magnifying glasses, wilderness first aid learning supplies, art -supplies, clipboards, etc.);
Water and Some snacks;
Transport on field visit days to and from trailhead;
SUP (stand up paddleboard) & water safety equipment for paddling weeks.
What to Pack:
See our page “gear list” for a full packing list. We are outdoors all day - please have your kiddo come with appropriate outdoor shoes and clothing for the day.
1 liter bottle of drinking water,
extra clothing layers and appropriate outer layers,
big lunch with lots of snacks.
A backpack the size of a school backpack or an 18-30 liter day hiking backpack are good sizes.
A large duffle for paddling weeks to hold: towel, extra outer layers and comfy clothes, snorkel, PFD
All participants are expected to wear appropriate clothing for conditions. We will send out a packing list and “what to wear and how to wear it” guidebook to all participants prior to camp start date.
Need gear or clothes? We may have equipment and clothing to lend out on a first-come, first-served basis.
This program is 100% outdoors!
On rainy days we may have a shelter where we can hang out, however, we also use “bad weather” to teach youth how to manage gear and even have fun with the rain!
Enrollment requirements:
must have attended a kindergarten/pre-k previously (for 5 year old kiddos);
must be able to use an outhouse toilet and recognize when they need to use the bathroom;
must be able to eat, drink, and change clothes on their own;
must have verbal skills to communicate needs to guides;
Participants must arrive ready to go with appropriate gear for the weather conditions of the day, with adequate food and water;
We expect all of our participants to be safe, kind, and respectful to themselves, their friends, and the environment.
A note on special needs and Into the Woods AK Summer Camps:
Our summer camps programs are not ideal for kiddos that require 1:1 instructor:student ratio
Please keep in mind that we are not trained as special needs educators, and while we can accommodate many different learning styles, we are not well equipped for children that need a 1:1 guidance. If a child runs away, is non-verbal, has difficulty differentiating safe situations/actions from unsafe ones, and/or has trouble adhering to safety instructions from instructors, we are not the best-suited program for your child.
We strive to provide a fun, engaging, and of course safe environment for all kiddos at our camps. Some youth may not have as much fun if they need a lot of structure and consistent activities and transitions throughout their day - for example, sometimes our snack times or lunch times may not happen at the expected times, coming across a mama moose and calf on the trail will change our route and lesson plan itinerary, or our instructors will recognize that the group needs to play more, or relax more, or to move on to something else, or will make a call/quick adaptation to the plans for safety or environmental reasons.