Dear Friends of Adventure Building Camp,
I have started to receive inquiries about Adventure Building Camp dates for summer 2020, and thought it would be a good time to write all of you.
I’m very sorry to break the news that camp will not run this summer.
As many of you know, last year I started to do commercial artwork in Tokyo, building displays and installations out of cardboard. My work has grown steadily, and I have decided to put my full effort into developing my career in art and design.
I love that I am able to continue to work with children, as well as collaborate with adults and grow in new ways, and Tokyo has, so far been a fruitful place to find free-lance work.
While camp, most likely will cease to exist in its former glory, I hope that I have the opportunity to offer other kinds of programming in the future that would be an extension of the work I am presently doing with cardboard in Japan.
I know it’s a disappointment for many. We have had many wonderful years together!
I sincerely thank you for all of your support and enthusiasm over the years and for recommending Adventure Building Camp to your friends and co-workers. Pete and I have come to know some of the most interesting, unique and hardworking people in the community, which has made Marquette just that much more brilliant of a place to be in our eyes.
I must say, most of all I will greatly miss the unbelievable feeling of creating memorable experiences for kids; bracing a piece of wood as they find their confidence with a tool, watching them take a nervous leap off the rope swing as they plunge, not so gracefully, into the Dead River, or picking up frogs, crayfish, and leeches; overcoming little fears bit by bit.
Thank you so much for trusting me with your children and for sharing their curious and wild spirits with me. I am truly grateful.
Please, stay in touch and if you are ever curious as to what I am up to, I will still be maintaining The Warehouse website, as well as my portfolio website amberdohrenwend.com
Your in Making,
Amber
Summer 2019 Dates:
Ages 6-8:
Monday-Thursday July 8-11, 2019
Ages 9-13:
Monday-Thursday June 24-27, 2019
Monday-Thursday July 15-18, 2019
Cost: $275 (cash or check only) payable the first day of camp.
Monday-Thursday, 9:00am-5pm. (Have a work/time conflict? contact us for special arrangements: adohrenwend(at)gmail.com)
THERE WILL BE NO CAMP FOR ADVENTURE BUILDERS ON FRIDAY.
Location: Marquette, MI. We'll be setting up our workshop in a retired sawmill near The Dead River and North Country Trail. This is a rustic experience and we will be working in a building that is open to the outdoors. Please dress accordingly. Attendees will have access to drinking water and a toilet.
Schedule: The general schedule is to work on the adventure building project throughout the day. We take breaks to go berry picking, explore the nearby sandpit, catch crayfish in the river, bike the nearby trails, and of course, swim in the nearby Dead River. We usually set a rough schedule every morning and adapt it as the day, project focus, and weather permit.
Food: Adventure Builders should bring a lunch and snacks with them each day. We will take a snack break mid-morning, and eat lunch around noon.
Adventure Building: The goal is to build something AWESOME, as my friend Dustin would say, "Just for the glory of it." Kids are given an adventure protocol to ponder and they build a structure/ vehicle/thing and we (the staff) do our best to support kids in making it all happen.
The basic idea is this: build something incredible with a group of new friends and then take it out for a test drive (that's the adventure part!).
Examples of adventure building projects include: boats, bridges, rafts, forts and wheeled human-powered vehicles.
How Kids Learn to use Tools: At the beginning of Camp we do a workshop overview which includes basic information about our tools, how they work, and how to use them safely. We then support kids one-on-one throughout the week as they naturally get the repeated practice they need to build confidence in using a tool. With an adult ratio of 1-4, we use this approach to create a culture of safe tool use. We believe this is the best way for kids to learn to use tools safely and confidently.
We notice that when kids build and use of tools in social contexts and spend time making things that they care about, the most important thing they build is a sense of confidence in themselves and each other. That’s why we run Adventure Building Camp, to give kids a sense of what they are capable of doing. It’s also why kids return to camp every year.
What to Bring:
Trail worthy bike and helmet
Swimsuit, towel and wet bag
Your own lunch and snacks
Please wear hard-toed shoes in the morning for use in the workshop. Boots or durable tennis shoes are ideal. Sandals are not protective enough.
Crew: builders ages 9-14 with a ratio of 4:1 kids to staff. We seek a diverse, fun-loving, gender and age-balanced camp and staff.
Cost: $275 (cash or check only) payable the first day of camp.
Access: Our location is accessible from County Road 550. Please have a look at the map HERE. We will have signage out on the road to help you find the turn-off.
Staff:
Amber Dohrenwend: Splits her time between Marquette, Mi and Tokyo, Japan. For the past 15 years she and her husband have worked at international schools in Taiwan, Egypt, Pakistan and now Japan. She was born in Marquette, but spent most of her childhood growing up on a sheep farm in the northern lower peninsula. When she and her husband moved to Tokyo, Amber gained an interest in the city’s numerous adventure playgrounds, which she frequents with her two young daughters. She also builds grandiose costumes and other cool stuff out of cardboard at The Cardboard Collective.
Peter Dohrenwend: Teaches 7th grade science at The American School in Japan. He is a licensed lifeguard, bus driver and was formerly a white-water river guide. He loves nature, cooking and being outside in the elements. Beware of his punny jokes.
Bios of Additional staff will be added after registration is confirmed.
