Nature Immersion Camp
Apple Scouts
What is Apple Scouts?
Apple Playschools’ Apple Scouts program is a gender-inclusive, multi-age outdoors camp based on the belief that all children have the right to connect to the natural world. Aligned with the international movement to “rewild” childhood, children in our camp programs are immersed in nature in all kinds of weather. Through child-initiated activities like hiking, tracking, mapping, playing, building and creating, Apple Scouts explore the rich surroundings offered by local preserves, woods and trails. Campers grow alongside the plants and animals they encounter, provided with meaningful experiences and trusting relationships that nurture the environmental stewards of tomorrow.
Key Features
Camper-initiated activities, field trips, and lots of time devoted to open-ended play
Outdoors 99% of the day, Rain or Shine
Visits to multiple local parks and natural areas
Opportunities for independent problem solving and conflict resolution
Encouragement to take risks, build skills, make mistakes, and get messy
1:10 staff to camper ratios
Knowledgeable, passionate, and enthusiastic staff with CPR/First Aid certification
We offer three groups based on the last grade level completed. One group for Young 5’s/Kinder, another for 1st and 2nd graders, and one for our 3rd-5th graders. These groupings could shift slightly depending on ages of children who enroll.
2026 Summer Camp Sessions
Location: Drop off and pick up for Apple Scouts Summer Camp will be at West Side United Methodist Church, 900 S 7th St, Ann Arbor. Scouts will leave from this site for their daily adventures via hiking. All camp sessions include hiking to nearby nature areas and parks, art, open play/exploration time and activities guided by each session theme.
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Nothing is better than playing in the mud. Explore every pebble, grain, and clump of the soil below your feet. Get to know the critters that live in the depths of the dirt and investigate how rivers of water flow underground through our community. Don’t forget to hike, make clay sculptures, and compost, too, as you face off with family and friends in the Mud Day Challenge! Tentative Badges: Mud Day, Clean Water, Dirt & Rocks, Ceramicist, Flower Power, Compost Maven
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Use your hands to build and construct with real tools. Design models, break them, and try building again to improve your design. Work with your team to create a project that benefits our community. Bring your imagination and get ready to make mistakes. Hard hats are optional. Tentative Badges: Wood Working, Draft & Design, Solar Power, Simple Machines, Tallest Tower, Egg Drop
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Spend two weeks filled with foraging, visiting markets, cooking, and making care products. Learn to prepare seasonal produce and natural remedies, experiment with canning and dehydrating, and explore the local food system that sustains our community. Challenge yourself to try new foods and to identify edible and healing plants growing in the wild areas all around us. Tentative Badges: Soap Making, Forager, Master Chef, Knife Skills, Community Gardening, Canning, Natural Healer
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Sort through clues and complete missions to help solve the mystery of a missing hero. Read maps, follow cryptic codes, and trek the neighborhood trails and sidewalks to hunt for treasure and adventure. Collaborate with your teammates and you’ll reveal some big surprises along the way! Tentative Badges: Map Designer, Compass Builder, Super Seeker, Museum Marauder, Master of Disguise
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Practice all the skills you might need to explore the great outdoors. Discover how to pack for an expedition following the 10 essentials. Pitch a tent, make a bushcraft shelter, and practice building a real fire. Plus go for hikes in the woods, learn survival skills, and do lots of exploring! Tentative Badges: Crafty Camper, Bushcraft, Fire Building, Big Hiker, 10 Essentials, Wilderness First Aid
Registration Info 2026
Registration and fees will be made through Procare. Completing a registration request will add you to a session interest list. Enrollment in the session will be manually confirmed by our staff in the order registration requests are received.
You will receive an email confirming your child’s enrollment status 1-3 business from submitting the registration. The email will confirm which session(s) your child is enrolled in, as well as, instructions on how to create a child profile in Procare.
Sessions are open to youth who have completed Young 5's/Kindergarten-5th grade. Campers will be assigned to a mixed-age group during their session.
Sessions 1-4 are two weeks long, and the weeks overlapping Juneteenth (June 19th) and 4th of July are not prorated as staff are paid for the holidays. Each session fee is $655.
Session 5 is only one week long. Session fee is $328.
Camp Runs 8:30-4 pm daily, with extended day care from 4-5:30 pm. Extended care fee is $175 for Sessions 1-4 and $88 for Session 5.
Is Apple Scouts the right fit for my camper?
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Apple Scouts campers spend each day hiking and exploring nature areas, parks, and community sites around Ann Arbor. Campers should be able to walk 2-5 miles per day while carrying their backpacks with additional energy to explore while at the park.
Campers should also be able to toilet independently and comfortably with a flush toilet as well as in an outhouse or port-o-potty. Because we will be outside or in nature areas for much of the day, bathroom access is not always quickly available. If using unfamiliar bathrooms, or being far away from a toilet for extended periods of time may be challenging for your camper, please reach out to the camp director to discuss how we may be able to accommodate them.
Apple Playschools supports neurodiversity among our campers and staff. We also understand that the nature of our camp program can be stressful or poorly-matched for what some people’s brains and bodies need to feel safe. Our program leaves from our home base and travels each day by walking, sometimes city buses depending on location, to local parks, nature areas, museums, and local businesses. There are many transitions throughout the day and many hours of open-ended, unstructured play and discovery time. While Apple Scouts is designed to be accessible to as many children as possible, the schedule, location, and supervision of our program cannot provide what every child needs to be safe, confident, and successful. If your child exhibits behaviors such as: physical aggression, resistance or discomfort in new places and new routines, elopement or running away in periods of high stress, or if they need fast or frequent access to a bathroom, please contact us (applescouts@appleplayschools.org) so we can determine if Apple Scouts can provide the camping experience your child deserves, and if so, what strategies may help your child be successful in our program.
Additional Camp Information
Location: Drop off and pick up for Apple Scouts Summer Camp will be at West Side United Methodist Church, 900 S 7th St, Ann Arbor. Scouts will leave from this site for their daily adventures via hiking. All camp sessions include hiking to nearby nature areas and parks, art, open play/exploration time and activities guided by each session theme.
Additional Camp Information
Morning and afternoon snacks provided
Campers must bring a lunch, water bottle, sun protection and weather-appropriate clothing, and two face masks each day (optional depending on Covid and Air Quality Levels)
Every camper must have completed all paperwork prior to the first day of camp
Payment and Cancellation Policies
All registration fees include a $50 non-refundable deposit per child.
Full payment for camp registration fees is due within 7 days of receiving an invoice or at least 2 weeks before your camp session, whichever is earlier. Children may not attend camp unless their registration fees are paid in full prior to the first day of camp. If you have questions or concerns please contact mariarios@appleplayschools.org.
Sessions 1-4 are two weeks long and cannot be prorated, Session 5 is one week long.
Registrations canceled on or before April 30, 2026 will be issued a 50% refund minus the $50 deposit.
No refunds will be issued for registration canceled after May 1, 2026.
If a participant fails to attend a registered session without notice, no refund will be issued. In cases of homesickness, dismissal or voluntary withdrawal, there will be no refund of any registration fees.
All requests for cancellations or changes must be made in writing to mariarios@appleplayschools.org.
Apple Playschools reserves the right to grant exceptions to these policies.
All paperwork is due by Friday, May 30, 2026. Below you will find the Handbook from Summer 2024. This will give you a good idea of what to expect. Updates for the 2026 camp session will be made in spring 2026. This handbook includes important information about Apple Playschools policies and procedures. If you have any questions regarding our programs or policies, please contact applescouts@appleplayschools.org.
We are working on updating how families submit forms. Please look for an email from our Camp Director regarding camp forms once your child is enrolled. Thank you for your patience!
Required Camper Paperwork
Contact Us
Let Us Know If You Have Any Additional Questions!
Email Our Camp Director
applescouts@appleplayschools.org