This Land is Your Land Summer Day Camp for children ages 5 – 15 blends the exciting science and nature studies developed by Sarah Shaffer, with art, music, hiking, swimming, and outdoor games. Our goal is for every child to have a summer filled with outrageous fun in a beautiful, natural setting. We say, “No child left indoors!” 

Early positive experiences in nature help develop a lifelong love and caring for the natural world.  The weird and wonderful world of nature provides a great way to “hook” kids on science.  Hands-on science projects and art activities connect children to the natural world, increasing environmental awareness and instilling a deep caring attitude about our world.

Weekly Themes and Program Highlights:

June 18 – 22 (No San Ramon)
Sneaky Science
Sneak a peek behind you with spy glasses
Build an electronic intruder alarm
Create a UV decoder to read messages in invisible ink

June 25 – 29 (No San Ramon)
Fossil Hunters
Learn about geological eras with a magnetic fossil matching game
Test your excavation skills with an electronic dinosaur digger
Make a plaster mold of a fossil imprint

July 2 – 6 (No Camp on July 4—Reduced Rate this Week; No San Ramon)
Weird Nature
Learn about bizarre animals and plants with an electronic matching game
Create a crawling Mata-mata turtle (you won't believe its strange appearance)
Get an up-close look at some of nature's weirdest creatures with Owen from the East Bay Vivarium

July 9 – 13
Wire-It-Up Electronics
Build a motorized helicopter
Complete the electric circuit on a ring-toss game
Make a light-it-up superhero

July 16 – 20
Wizard's Workshop
Create a wizard's magic wand
Mix weird and wild potions
Make objects disappear with a magic box

July 23 – 27
Rockin' Robots
Sneak up on your friends with a remote control robot
Buzz around with a vibrating mini-bot
Spin your top with a propeller-headed robot

July 30 – August 3
Under the Big Top – Circus Science
Create a pinwheel-powered acrobat
Catapult a lion through a flaming hoop
Defeat the law of gravity with an amazing balancing act

August 6 – 10
Zoom
Devise an air-powered marshmallow launcher
Win a race with a super-sonic dragster
Create a zippy zoomatron

August 13 – 17
The Invisible Force – Magnetism
Make a magnetic board game
Pick up cars with an electromagnet
Create a magnetic Gaussian bowling alley

August 20 – 24 (No San Ramon)
Solar Science
Make a solar-cell spin-art turntable
Build a mini-house with a solar-powered door bell
Tell time with a sundial

August 27 – 31 (No San Ramon or Berkeley)
Sarah’s Favorite Projects
Fabricate a flashlight
Make a mysterious come-back can
Fling things with a mini-catapult

Special Programs:

Counselor in Training (CIT) Program (For Campers Ages 11–15)
Our CIT Program is for older campers who are interested in taking on more responsibility and in developing leadership skills. CITs are teamed up with an experienced counselor to assist a group of younger campers; they also participate in the usual camp projects and activities. First Aid Certification and additional leadership training is provided. The CIT Program is available for single or multiple weeks and has the same fees and discounts as the regular camp program.

Advanced Projects (For Campers Ages 9–12)
For our 9–12 year olds we offer one or more challenging projects to work on throughout the week.

Locations:

Roberts Regional Park, Oakland click here for directions
Our Oakland site is in beautiful Roberts Regional Park off Skyline Boulevard in the Oakland Hills. This site is known for its lush second-growth redwood forest. It also has a pool, grassy playing fields, and play structures. There is ample free parking for drop-off and pick-up.

Tilden Park, Berkeley click here for directions
Our Berkeley site is located in Tilden Park at the Buckeye and Orchard Picnic Areas, lovely wooded sites below the Carousel. We are surrounded by great paths and streams, and we hike to Lake Anza to swim once a week. Free parking is available for drop-off and pick-up.

Little Hills Ranch, San Ramon click here for directions
Our newest site is located at beautiful Little Hills Ranch on Bollinger Canyon Road in San Ramon.  Although it's a mere ten minute drive from the I-680 freeway, Little Hills Ranch is a secluded, peaceful oasis removed from the hectic everyday world. This lovely, rejuvenating location next to Las Trampas Regional Park features 100 acres of open grassy areas and large shade trees, covered picnic tables, a fenced swimming pool, play structures and hiking trails. There is ample free parking for drop-off and pick-up.

Camp Directors:

Sarah Shaffer
Sarah, “Best Science Teacher for Kids” (East Bay Express, 2006), founded This Land Is Your Land Summer Day Camp 16 years ago. She continues to develop and shape the summer camp programs and oversees all three sites. Sarah is a Teacher, Science Consultant, and Naturalist. She has been offering science programs for children and teachers for over 23 years.

Riva Elliott, Oakland
Riva is a graduate of UC Berkeley and has a teaching credential from Holy Names University. She directed the Oakland site for three years and was Assistant Director of This Land Is Your Land Summer Day Camp for four years. She worked as a counselor with our camp for nine years.

Saul Zippin, Berkeley
Saul has directed the Berkeley site for the past ten years. He is a graduate of UC Berkeley and has an Emergency Medical Technician Certificate. During the school year, Saul teaches at Archway School.

Aaron Franzen, San Ramon
Aaron was Assistant Director of This Land Is Your Land Summer Day Camp in Berkeley for six years. This is his fifth year directing the San Ramon site. He has served as Director of Operations for Sarah’s Science for over ten years.

Camp Cost:

Cost:
$330/week if registration postmarked by 4/1/12.
$340/week if registration postmarked after 4/1/12.
$350/week "walk-in" registration (if space available.) No discounts apply.

Extended Care:
8:00 a.m.–9:00 a.m. an additional $20/week (daily rates available)
3:00 p.m.–5:30 p.m. an additional $60/week (daily rates available)

Discounts: (discounts cannot be combined)

Multiple week discount: Sign up for three or more weeks and deduct $15 for each week.
Sibling discount: $15 less per week for second child (cannot be used with multiple week discount).

Payment Policy:
Full payment is due on or before 5/1/12.
There is a $10 surcharge for payments received after 5/1/12.

Refund Policy:
Camper weeks are not transferable to other campers.
In the event of cancellation, $100 per week per child will be retained as a NON-REFUNDABLE deposit.
There will be NO REFUNDS issued after 5/1/12.

Please note the following:

• No camp on July 4
• No camp at Berkeley the week of August 27
• No camp at San Ramon the weeks of June 18, June 25, July 2, August 20, and August 27