Camp Friedenswald seeks to inspire growth through outdoor experiences. School groups from all over Northern Indiana and Southern Michigan bring entire grades and classrooms for one to three days to live the “camp life” and deepen connections to themselves, each other, and nature.  Through outdoor, hands-on learning, and highly engaging activities, students have memorable and profound camp experiences. Check out this video about Outdoor Education at Camp Friedenswald.

An important feature of the Friedenswald program is the option to select your own classes. We encourage schools to utilize Friedenswald staff to teach up to five sessions per day. However if desired, we offer instructor-friendly lesson plans for a number of classes to help prepare teachers and chaperones to teach a larger variety of classes. Class sizes should be limited to a maximum of 15 students. Each trip is custom designed to meet the needs and wishes of the schools who visit us.

See a list of the classes and activities we offer here. Email us (amy@friedenswald.org) for more information.

You may also choose a themed camp to help focus your students’ experience. We offer two different themed camp experiences (still custom designed just for your school): Sustainability Camp and Environmental Explorers Camp

Sustainability Camp

Your students will experience what it takes to build a sustainable world while having a blast at camp. Experiential learning through games and activities will help students explore ways everything is connected. They will race to zero waste, experiment with energy from the sun, hike through rare habitats, and perhaps even taste some cricket cookies! A pinnacle experience playing the Survival game – in which students role play an animal in the peaceful woods and try to survive – may top off their sustainability adventure. See an overview of a three day sustainability camp experience for your students here.

Environmental Explorers Camp

Students will get up close and personal with nature in all its beautiful forms at Environmental Explorers Camp. Highlights include catching macro invertebrates and determining water quality based on their finds, hearing the story of the endangered Mitchell’s satyr butterfly and walking through its rare fen habitat, playing detective in the woods during Critter Scene Investigation, and searching for fish and turtles via canoe on gorgeous Shavehead lake. Role playing an animal in the much loved Survival game, or heading out on the trails for some creative fun in the Ultimate Scavenger Hunt will top off their environmental exploration.

Can’t decide which theme you like best? Custom design your trip with your absolute favorites to create your own unique camp experience.