Rappahannock’s ‘ambassadors of nature’ find wonder at camp
Curious Nature Campers, many first-timers, discover a county tradition this summer
Family, friends and Rappahannock residents gathered on Friday to see projects made by students a part of this year’s Rappahannock Nature Camp
“Each week of Rapp Nature Camp this summer has held a wonderful ar-ray of discoveries and experiences in our natural world, and contagiously curious and creative campers,” said camp director Rachel Bynum, who works alongside Nature Camp found-er Lyt Wood.
Nature Camp, which takes place at Wood’s Sperryville home and on surrounding properties, is a Rappa-hannock ÿ xture that has been going since the late 1980’s with the goal of educating children about the natural world through hands-on, immersive experiences.
The theme this year was “wonder,” and Bynum said the campers worked on “honing their senses” and develop-ing observation skills. “We spend a lot of time each day observing the natural world using our own senses as the pri-mary tools for discovery,” she said.
The campers’ curiosity was evident in the projects that were presented to attendees during last Friday’s open house. Bynum calls each student an “ambassador of nature,” and the stu-dents displayed expertise in their cho-sen project, which included an analysis of venomous snakes, frog habitats, dif-ferent types of larva, and a mighty ma-ple tree, among others.
“Quiet time, a favorite activity with everyone at camp, is both simple and complex,” Bynum said. “Each camper selects a spot in a special area of camp that they will return to during quiet time each day. It’s a time for observa-tion, re° ection, listening, and some-times drawing or writing if they choose to do so.” Many of the campers found inspiration for their projects during quiet time.
Bynum said about two-thirds of the campers this year were ÿ rst timers, with some coming from as far as Wis-consin to experience what nature has to o˛ er in Rappahannock County. “We have public and private school stu-dents, and many campers visit their grandparents for a week or two to at-tend camp,” she said. “It’s great to see people expanding their friendship circles and learning from one another.”
Founder Lyt Wood, who has led the camp for 37 years, is still the host and property caretaker, and plays his ban-jo and ukulele during their frequent musical breaks. Wood also wrote many of the songs that the campers know and love.
Bynum encourages residents to pick up or look online for a copy of the camp newsletter, News from Singing Creek, which includes the campers’ work. You can ÿ nd some in the Rappahannock Li-brary, or at www.rappnaturecamp.org. Rapp Nature Camp runs each summer in 4 one-week sessions, for campers ages 8-16. Dates for 2024 will be June 10through July 5.