Our Philosophy

Learning by Doing

Humans learn best when they are making things and making things happen. We believe that art, engineering, building, making, and play are all essential and deeply personal forms of creativity and expression and that kids and adults both thrive in communities of creative practice.

Identity & Belonging

Creativity flourishes in a space where you can be fully yourself. We are a queer-friendly, trans-affirming, anti-racist community. We celebrate all identities and experiences, and we work to make our camp a safe and welcoming space for all.

Sliding Scale

Access matters. Choose the price that fits—no paperwork, no questions. If you can contribute more, you help fund spots for families who need it; if less, that’s okay too.

A Place to Be

Day to day life for children in the 21st century is often overscheduled, overstructured, and overly focused on performance. The primary project that kids need to be working on is learning about and becoming who they are. Our job as grownups is to create an environment and community that supports that process.

We are all at our most-alive when we chase our curiosities. We provide tools, ideas, and guidance, then step back so campers can steer.

Other Writing

In the course of our work we have written a number of essays and given presentations elaborating on our philosophy and style of teaching and learning. Here are a few links to those:

• The Art of Hands-On Science (Michael Nagle, Edweek, 2008)
• Free Schools and Makerspaces (Katie Gradowski and William Macfarlane, AERO, 2014)
• Teaching and Learning Axioms (William Macfarlane, Bringing Making into Learning, 2017)