Home Base K-8 school program operates at New England Base Camp

[RememberSchiff 3662]

Home Base  outdoor K-8 school program founded by Dan and Amy Warren operates out of New England Base Camp.

"The main program at Home Base, which runs Monday through Wednesday, now includes 40 fully enrolled children in grades K-8. Their five teachers lead classes in everything from writing and math to learning how to tap trees for maple syrup. An additional 10 students are enrolled in optional weekly STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) sessions on Thursdays.

Dan, an Eagle Scout , first visited New England Base Camp, which includes acres of forest, extensive outdoor training facilities, cabins, and an indoor swimming pool. The camp seemed like a perfect fit for a concept the Warrens call “Open Spaces,” which involves matching underutilized resources like museums, libraries, and camps with the needs of children and families.  

The Warrens were also inspired by Ken Danford, the founder of North Star in Amherst, Massachusetts, a facility that supports self-directed learning by children from registered homeschool families. Working with the former Scout executive of the local BSA council, Chuck Eaton, the Warrens set out to create a similar program and bring their “Open Spaces” idea to life. 

Since its start in 2016, Home Base has blossomed from a parent-operated cooperative into a professionally staffed learning community operating under the umbrella of the Boy Scouts’ Spirit of Adventure Council."

More at Source:

https://now.tufts.edu/articles/outdoor-schooling-gains-popularity-during-pandemic

[fred8033 1591]

Cool.   I love hearing stories like this. 

I'm familiar with a local camp that served as a small charter school also.  In addition, most of our camps have school groups, sports groups, etc coming in through-out the summer.  Our in-city camp seems to have a school group daily.  A cub camp that's about 30 miles out hosts sports groups during the week in the summer.  I remember visiting a week when a soccer league was using it as a training site.  

 

 

Edited May 20, 2021 by fred8033