Grey County: Colour It Your Way!
Did you know that spending time in nature promotes physical, mental, and social-emotional health for typically developing children and those with disabilities, especially autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)? This was a fascinating yet unsurprising finding for me; a nature escape is exactly what I need when I’m feeling anxious or stressed!
Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been learning about Grey County so I can get a better idea of what Larchwood Farm Children’s Nature Camp should offer. Here are some of my findings:
Grey County is home to many tight-knit communities. The vast majority of youth living in these communities report a sense of belonging. Our camp program will build on this culture by creating a welcoming and inclusive environment.
The Let’s Learn Kindergarten Registration program provides families with a growth and development screening for their children before they enter kindergarten. Families are referred to community resources if needed. However, children entering school in Grey County consistently score in the vulnerable range for motor and social-emotional skill development. As we begin to develop our camp curriculum, opportunities for skill development in these domains will be prioritized.
Children and families in Grey County experience higher rates of low income and poverty. Employment opportunities are also lacking for youth. Larchwood Farm Children’s Nature Camp is committed to providing a financially accessible program while creating employment opportunities for youth as summer student support staff.
The need for supports for children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) has been flagged by parents and professionals in Grey County. Our camp will operate an inclusion program where children with special needs (including ASD, ADHD, and FASD) and those who are typically developing come together and learn from each other.
There are many incredible services for children in Grey County that already exist including physical and mental health services, special education programs in the Bluewater and Bruce Grey Catholic District School Boards, specialized outdoor education programs and nature camps. So what makes Larchwood Farm Children’s Nature Camp unique? Our camp curriculum will be grounded in occupational therapy frameworks and theories, and we will use evidence-based occupational therapy assessments and interventions to address the needs of our campers.
COVID-19 Update
We are fortunate that we can continue with the development of Larchwood Farm Children’s Nature Camp while working remotely. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are uncertain whether we will be able to pilot our camp program in July and August 2020 as originally planned.
We will continue to closely monitor recommendations from public health authorities and we will only pilot our program this summer if it is safe to do so. Our priority is the health and safety of all visitors to Larchwood Farm.
If our therapeutic nature camp is something that you would be interested in for your children or someone you know, please click the form below and join our mailing list. You will receive email updates when a new blog post is created and we may also ask you for feedback during our development process!