Apple Scouts Summer Camp 2023
Registration is now open!

Required Camper Paperwork - Due Wednesday, May 31, 2023

  1. Sign and return a Child Information Record & Release Form for each camper enrolled. Please return your contract by email. Print or hard-copy contracts will only be accepted in extenuating circumstances. A separate contract must be completed for each child. To complete the contract you may:
    1. In your web browser: Create a free account on DocHub, and upload the attached PDF to fill and sign it before downloading and returning by email. (Recommended)
    2. On your computer: Download the file to your computer and complete the fields and signature in Preview (Mac) or Adobe (Mac/Windows).
    3. By hand: Print the PDF, fill it out by hand, scan and return by attaching to an email
  2. Complete additional information forms if needed: If your child has an injury, medical condition, takes medication, or simply would benefit from specific support from our staff, please complete and return all relevant additional forms:
    1. Neurodiversity Support Plan: Complete this if your child would benefit from specific support, language, or strategies from our staff in order to help them feel comfortable, safe, welcome, and successful at camp.
    2. Medication Authorization Form: This form is required if your child will be administered medication at camp. This includes epi-pens and asthma inhalers, as well as non-prescription medication like Lactaid, pain medication, and Benedryl/Cortisone topical cream.
    3. Allergy Action Plan: This form is required for children who have severe allergies and helps us understand what triggers allergies, what the warning signs are, and what treatment is required.

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 of the Apple Scouts Summer Camp Experience
  • Deep dive into place-based environmental education, ecology, and stewardship
  • Camper-initiated activities, field trips, and lots of time devoted to open-ended play
  • Outdoors 99% of the day, in all weather conditions
  • 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
  • Small, child-centered, multi-age group with a maximum 1:8 staff to camper ratio
  • Knowledgeable, passionate, and enthusiastic staff with CPR/First Aid certification
  • We will be following all CDC guidelines for risk mitigation regarding Covid-19. To view what we are currently doing at our preschools to mitigate risk, visit Our COVID-19 Response.​
Registration Information 2023
​Sessions are open to youth who have completed Young 5's/Kindergarten-5th grade. Campers will be assigned to one of two mixed-age groups during their session.

All sessions are two weeks long, and the week overlapping 4th of July is not prorated as staff are paid for the holiday.

Camp Runs 8:30-4pm daily, with extended day care from 4-5:30pm. Camp fees include a $50 non-refundable deposit and credit card processing fees upon registration (the total amount comes out to $54.50/session per child). Families will be invoiced for the remainder of their fees through QuickBooks Online.
  • $595/child for any 1 (single) two week session​
  • $1154.30/child for any 2 two-week sessions
  • $1677.90/child for any 3 two-week sessions
  • $2142/child for any 4 two-week sessions
  • $2528.75/child for all 5 two-week sessions​​
Extended Day Care is $115 per session regardless of how many sessions a child is registered for. In the event of low registration numbers for Extended Day Care, we will notify you of cancellation no later than May 1, 2023.
A limited number of scholarships are available. Please visit the Scholarships Page of our website to learn more about the scholarship application process.

Payment and Cancellation Policies
Is Apple Scouts the right fit for my camper?
  • 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 to a new park each day. 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 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.
If you have additional questions, please email applescouts@appleplayschools.org.

​Important Policies and Information

​​Please review Family Policy Handbook before enrolling! WE WILL REVIEW AND UPDATE COVID-19 Policies in May but we anticipate resuming riding the public bus this summer now that children have access to a vaccine and if cases continue to be low. We are awaiting recommendations from summer camp health professionals and the State of Michigan regarding other COVID-19 policies.

2023 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.
​Session 1 | 6/12-16, 6/19-23| Magic and Legends
Let nature inspire your imagination in this camp all about storytelling, characters, and fantastical events! Put on a play about an adventure-gone-wrong. Create your own character, make costumes, and plan quests with your adventuring party. Invent legends about your favorite places and document your journey on scrolls or in comic books as you explore the imaginary and magical side of Ann Arbor. Tentative Badges: LARPing, Legendary Leader, Character Creator, Tall Tale Teller, Woodland Wanderer.​
​Session 2 | 6/26-6/30, 7/3-7/7  (no camp 7/4)|  Into the Wild
Practice your outdoor survival skills while discovering the wonders of using nature as your playground. Climb, crawl, stomp, sneak, track, trek, build and seek as you venture into the wild. Seek out the murkiest, muckiest spots in the woods and fields to celebrate International Mud Day! Tentative Badges: Mud Day, Seeds & Soil, Track Star, Animal Impersonator, Expert Navigator.​
​Session 3 | 7/10-14, 7/17-21  |  Museum Mayhem
Explore exciting collections from art to archeology as you learn about the way museums tell stories and share artifacts. Then, study our community or create your own works to display in the Apple Scouts Museum of your own making. We will visit at least two different museums during this session. Tentative Badges: Archeological Investigator, Curator, Art Interpreter, Public Transportation, Museum Maverick.
​Session 4 |7/24-28, 7/31-8/4  |  Neighborhood naturalists
​How many ecosystems can we find in our neighborhood? Explore the woods, river, and fields to learn about the plants and animals that live in our town. Create your own naturalist journal, practice field sketches, and discover how to identify plants that are great to eat or poisonous to touch. Bring your hiking boots and bug spray! Tentative Badges: Nature Classification, Poison Ivy, Forager, Sketch Artist, Backyard Birder, Citizen Scientist.​
​Session 5 | 8/7-11, 8/14-18  |  community constructors
It takes everyone to build a happy, healthy community! In this two-week session you will search for and make your own shelters in the woods, construct cardboard creations, and interview people who are helping our community thrive as you travel around Ann Arbor. This camp session will include a mutual aid or community service project and a field trip to the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum. Tentative Badges: Master Architect, Draftsperson, Zero-Waste Designer, Community Connector.​
REGISTRATION  is now OPEN!
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
  • Every camper must have completed all paperwork prior to the first day of camp​
​Questions: If you have questions about enrollment, please email applescouts@appleplayschools.org.
Payment and Cancellation Policies
  • ​All registration fees include a $50 non-refundable deposit per child per session
  • Full payment for camp registration fees is due at within 30 days of receiving an invoice or at least 4 weeks before your camp session, whichever is earlier. If you need to set up a payment plan, we will work to accommodate you. Please contact mariarios@appleplayschools.org after receiving your invoice.
  • All sessions are two weeks long and cannot be prorated
  • Registrations cancelled on or before April 15, 2023 will be issued a full refund minus the $50 deposit.
  • Registrations cancelled on or before May 15, 2023 will be issued a 50% refund minus the $50 deposit.
  • No refunds will be issued for registration cancelled after May 15, 2023. 
  • 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.
Family Policy Handbook
Below you will find the Handbook from Summer 2022. This will give you a good idea of what to expect. Updates for the 2023 camp session will be made in spring 2023. 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.

apple_scouts_family_policy_handbook_-_updated_3-10-2022.pdf
File Size: 1154 kb
File Type: pdf
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Child Information Record & Release Form
File Size: 440 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
Neurodiversity Support Plan
File Size: 120 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
Medication Permission Form
File Size: 121 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
Allergy Action Plan
File Size: 2801 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File