Abundant Beginnings

My kids, currently 5 and 10, LOVED summer camp and have enjoyed school-​break camps as well.

My kids absolutely love their time at camp and I feel so fortunate to have my two daughters there. They have the opportunity to explore on their own terms and play outside all day, choosing from activities such as painting, creating a show, making and selling lemonade, building simple machines, climbing trees or playing with their friends on the playground. I also so appreciate the way that the amazing staff there approaches all of the children — with great love and support, and fostering community between them all. The kids are encouraged both by example and through discussion to respect one another, to learn from one another, and to understand what it means to be in our collective community. With the mixed ages of the kids and the junior counselors and the staff, it feels like a family — and my girls are always thrilled to know its a day they get to go to Abundant Beginnings.

Shayna and her fellow counselors have created an amazing space where kids get to feel like they are in charge, while they are also supported and safe. Her all-​day-​outdoors summer and school break camps are much beloved by my 7-​year-​old, who has been attending since he was six. Some of the things that make the camp unique are the mixed age grouping, the kid-​led selection of activities, and the high level of education, skill, and experience of the staff who hold or are pursuing master’s degrees in psychology and child development.
My son’s favorite activities have included the week that they kids wrote and performed a play and also made the costumes and sets, the time they built a fort in the redwoods, the week they decided to make and sell jewelry and art, urban farming… The other best part? The camp is super affordable relative to the rest, and offers sliding scale below already low rates for families in need.
To give perspective on my standards for great camps, our other favorite camps (we divide our loyalties each summer) are Trackers and Galileo. The difference, which we welcome, is the smaller size and relative mellowness at Abundant Summers. We enjoy the high energy and highly-​structured formats of the other camps, but we also appreciate having a camp where things are more kid-​scale, relaxed.
Full disclosure: I was lucky to meet Shayna when my son was just a few months old and she was one of the caregivers at Yogalayam’s mom and baby yoga class. She and my son had a connection the day we met and we’ve been a part of her nanny shares ever since. It was a natural progression for her (and for us) to go from those lovely shares to starting this camp.