Summer Camp

Welcome back! In the Summer of 2024, we’ll be offering a variety of residential summer camp sessions for campers age 5-18. We’ve enjoyed improving and strengthening our program, staff and facility and are excited to welcome you back, or for the first time! 

DuBois Center summer camp sessions offer campfires, crafts, waterfront time, and more. Many of our camp sessions have themes – if your talents and interests lie with sports, swimming, horses, science, art, or “a little of everything” – we have a session for you! 

PDF version of Summer 2024 Schedule


Helpful links and Info:

How to Prepare for Camp

Summer Camp FAQs

Packing Lists

Register!

Summer Camp Registration opens Monday, March 4th.
Register between March 4-18 and save $20 for each camp registered. 


SESSION INFORMATION

Just You and Me – a session for younger campers with adult chaperones 

(Adults & youth ages 5, 6, 7) 

Session #1: June 2-4

Session #2:  June 30 – July 2

Cost: $250 per person ($500 for youth and adult)

Our special offering for campers outside of the 8-18 age range! Adults can return to camper life as the special friend and chaperone to a younger camper. Come spend a half-week of classic summer camp with a special young person: your child, grandchild, neighbor, godchild… Play and laugh together, make new friends on a hay ride, and share meals around the table with a balance of change and comfort, new and familiar, challenge and choice. 

Housing: main camp – close to the mess hall and most activities, with full-service bathrooms and optional climate control.

Check-in: Half-week sessions that start on Sunday will check in with all arriving campers. Sessions that start on Wednesday go through the same process but are usually our only midweek arrivals so the check-in process is a little quicker and quieter. 

Schedule: You and your camper companion choose your activities to fill free-choice activity blocks each day. While meals and some evening activities are for the entire group, there are blocks of time through the day for you to explore fishing, crafts, canoeing, creek walks, sports games, and our horse barn. It is always an option to rest in your bunk, take a quiet walk, or self-direct if needed.  

Parking: We provide parking for adult chaperones in specified areas. You will be directed to the designated lot upon arrival. 

Packing list for Just You and Me

Half-week camps for younger campers 

(for campers who have completed 1st, 2nd, or 3rd grade – or equivalent)  

We offer bite-sized camp options to our younger campers to build confidence and a love for camp. Many of our half-week campers come back to full-week sessions and feel more prepared to handle a full week of new friends and adventure. We pack a full camp experience into the half-week – our campers have the chance to try horseback riding, swimming, crafts, and more while knowing they’ll be back in their own bed after a few nights away. 

Housing: main camp – close to the mess hall and most activities, with full-service bathrooms.

Please note: For half-week sessions that start on Sunday, check out is 7:00 pm Tuesday. 

Packing list for half-week camps

Discovery Camp (half-week)

Session #1: May 26-28

Session #2: June 9-11

Session #3: June 23-25

Session #4: July 7-9

Session #5: July 14-16

Cost: $325

Camp Quest and Discovery have merged to make one awesome program! Discovery Camp closely resembles our sessions for older campers. Explore all of our classic camp activities and build your confidence as a DuBois Center rock star! 

Camping list for Discovery Camp

Summer Camps for Grades 3-7

Welcome to a full week of camp! Arrive on Sunday excited and leave on Friday tuckered out and eager to return. With five full nights at camp, there’s plenty of time for the full camp experience. 

Whether or not you had the chance to come for a half-week when you were younger, you are welcome to come out to camp for a week of new friends, activities, and adventure. Our camps for this age group are specialized for certain themes, so bring all your talents and silliness!

Housing: main camp – close to the mess hall and most activities, with full-service bathrooms, climate control, and ADA accessibility. 

Packing list for full-week camps

Settler Camp 

(for campers who have completed 3rd and 4th grade or equivalent) 

Session #1: May 26-31

Session #2: June 9-14

Session #3: June 23-28

Session #4: July 7-12

Session #5: July 14-19

Cost: $620

The classic summer camp – for a whole week! Do you like your marshmallow lightly toasted or burnt to a crisp? Do you like hayrides or horse rides better? Canoes or kayaks? Crafts or Gaga ball? Come find out! Our Settler camp is designed to help you Settle in and get to know our camp and all it has to offer. 

Packing list for Settler Camp

Imagine That! 

(for campers who have completed grades 5, 6, 7 or equivalent)

Session #1: May 26-31

Session #2: June 2-7

Cost: $620

Join us on an investigation of the weird and wacky. Perform goopy experiments, get messy with paints, and let your imagination run wild with scientific and art projects in addition to all our usual camp activities. If you’re ready to get messy, colorful, wild, and creative, this is the perfect camp for you!  

Packing list for Imagine That

Movin’ and Groovin’

(for campers who have completed grades 5, 6, or 7 – or equivalent)

Session #1: June 2-7

Session #2: June 9-14

Cost: $620

Improve your aim. Move to the music. Learn a new yoga pose. Score the winning point. Learn a new sport or two or three! We invite our sport-loving campers to join the athletes on our staff to explore all the healthy ways to move and groove here at camp. All our camp activities are possible in addition to dance parties, races, and pickup games. 

Packing list for Movin’ and Groovin’

Summer Camps for Grades 5-9

These camps are your first chance to be at rustic entirely, dedicated to a highly specialized theme, finding your special talents at camp for swimming, horsemanship, sports or science. 

These camps might be your ticket to your first stay in Rustic! Enjoy a classic camp experience or a camp entirely dedicated to a highly specialized theme! Find your special talents at camp for swimming, horsemanship, science, and outdoor skills. There’s a camp for everyone!

Horsin’ Around

For campers who have completed 5th or 6th grades or equivalent

Session #1: June 9-14

Session #2: July 14-19

Cost: $665

Housing: rustic cabins

Are you eager to get into the barn? Were trail rides always your favorite part of camp? Would you like to learn more about all things horse? 

Horsin’ Around is our session for younger horse fanatics. We love our horses here at DuBois Center, and we especially love our horse lovers. No matter how much experience you have, Horsin’ Around is the right session if you’re ready for tacking, grooming, riding, and mucking. In addition to all the hands-on experience with our herd of friendly horses, you’ll have the option to take our Horse Sense class to learn about herd dynamics, horse health, anatomy, and more. 

Packing list for Horsin’ Around

Saddle ‘Em Up

For campers who have completed 7th or 8th grade or equivalent 

Session #1: June 2-7

Session #2: June 23-28

Cost: $665

Housing: rustic cabins

Ready to take your love of horses to the next level? 

No matter your level of past experience, Saddle ‘Em Up is a great camp choice for anyone hoping to get started or go further with their skills and love for horses. All we ask is that you be a compassionate animal friend, ready to learn and befriend some of the best four-legged animals around! In addition to all the hands-on experience with our herd of friendly horses, you’ll have the option to take our Horse Sense class to learn about herd dynamics, horse health, anatomy, and more.  

This camp is dedicated to horses – we will introduce you to basic skills and train you on riding, tacking, grooming, and more every day of camp. Come a basic (or brand new!) rider and leave with some saddle confidence! 

Packing list for Saddle ‘Em Up

Outback

For campers who have completed grades 5, 6, 7, or equivalent 

Session #1: June 9-14

Cost: $620

Housing: blended!

Ready for a wilderness adventure? Are you a fan of Gary Paulsen’s Hatchet or other survival in the wild tales? We offer this outdoor-adventure focused session so you can try your hand at fire building, primitive camping, campfire cooking, and shelter building in a totally controlled environment. Far enough from camp to feel adventurous, but close enough to assistance to relax, our Outback camp gives you a taste of survival with 2 nights spent hammock or tent camping in remote parts of camp. 

Packing list for Outback

Splash! 

For campers who have completed grades 5, 6, 7, or equivalent

Session #1: June 9-14

Session #2: June 23-28

Cost: $620

Housing: main camp cottages

Water, water, water! The perfect camp for dolphins, merfolk, and any water lover who might be part fish. Make waves exploring the lake, canoeing, kayaking, or making the most of our beloved Watermat – a soft floating dock for bold leaps, graceful dives, giant cannonballs, and sunny snoozing. Our Splash! campers enjoy the most waterfront time of all – don’t forget your sunscreen! 

Packing list for Splash!

Trail Mix – main camp cottages! 

Session #1: June 2-7

Cost: $620

Trekkin’ It – rustic cabins! 

Session #1: May 26-31

Cost: $620

For campers who have completed grades 5, 6, 7, or equivalent

Is camp your favorite thing about camp? Are you already daydreaming about days filled with archery, nature walks, crafts, hiking, swimming, Nine Square, creek mud, fishing, horses, canoeing, and gaga? Trekkin’ It and Trail Mix are our “classic camp experiences” for middle-school-age campers. Both of these sessions focus on “a little of everything” and are the perfect choice for camp lovers who want it all! 

Please note: the difference between Trekkin’ It and Trail Mix is housing! Trail Mix campers stay in our main camp cottages, which have attached bathrooms, climate control and are closer to Main Camp buildings. Trekkin’ It campers who may be ready for a little more adventure stay on the far side of camp near the barn and enjoy our cabins – which still have power, ceiling fans, and ready access to the shower house – and are a great choice for campers who are ready to get a little closer to nature and a little further from it all. 

Packing list for Trekkin’ It

Packing list for Trail Mix

Music, Art, and Drama (M.A.D) Camp

Session #1: July 14-19

Cost: $620

For campers who have completed grades 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, or 11th grades

Lodging: Main Site Cottages

This fresh camp choice is a creative hub bursting with music, art, and drama. Alongside traditional camp fun, get set to unleash your inner rockstar, dancer, actor, or artist! It’s time to let the creativity flow!

Packing list for M.A.D. Camp

Summer Camps for Grades 8-12

HIGH SCHOOL WEEK: June 16-21

(for campers who have completed grades 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 or equivalent)

High schoolers will be the only ones at camp! 

This week is full of adventure, making friends, and filling your time with choice-time activities! Options range from chair ball in the field to musical chairs on horseback to yoga at Meditation Point to a dock-to-dock swim in our 15-acre lake! This year, for our Thursday night all-camp activity, we will be hosting a talent show. Campers should bring something under 3 minutes to share their talents. Please keep in mind, that anything inappropriate will not be allowed to be shown in the show.  

Whether it’s your first time here or your last time as a camper, before the end of the week you’ll know you’ve found home. We love to welcome our former campers back as staff, so remember that it’s always “see you later” and not goodbye!

Enjoy a week where your whole self is welcome and celebrated while creating memories that you will cherish forever. 

Survivor 

High School Week: June 16-21

Cost: $620

Housing: blended!

Do you feel at home while outside? Are you interested in an “off-grid” lifestyle, emergency preparedness, first aid, camping, hiking, exploring, and being prepared for whatever nature might bring your way? Survivor camp is your chance to bring your existing skills and curiosities and find out more! All camper belongings will stay inside while you stay outside. All week long, you can sleep around different parts of camp, in a tent or hammock, right underneath the stars. Perfect your bushcraft skills at Survivor! 

Packing list for Survivor

Drenched! 

High School Week: June 16-21

Cost: $620

Housing: main camp cottages

Can’t get enough sun? Thinking about being a future lifeguard at camp? Are you a beach bum? Drenched is the most epic water sport-related camp around. Here, we flip canoes, slip ‘n slide down the grassy knoll, strike a water yoga pose, and launch water balloons! Be in the sun, be in the water, be at camp!

Packing list for Drenched

X-plore

High School Week: June 16-21

Cost: $620

Session #2: June 23-28

Housing: rustic cabins

 

As your last few years of being a camper, you can still experience everything camp has to offer – X-plore has it all! Every camp activity you can think of, you can do. As this is our “classic camp” option, expect to experience things like cooking dinner over a campfire, field games in the meadow, and a horse ride on the trails!

Packing list for X-plore 

Wrangler

High School Week: June 16-21

Cost: $665

Housing: rustic cabins

Horse camp taken to a whole new level – designed for campers that want the full equine experience. Join us for a ride through Canter Alley, in-depth learning of horse care, making homemade horse treats, and more. This is an immersive experience for horse lovers who already know their stirrups from their spurs. This beloved program has turned many horse campers into barn staff. It is designed to teach and explore everything revolving around horses, to allow a camper to one day become a barn specialist!

Packing list for Wrangler

Summer Camps for Future Staff

LEAD: Leadership Experiences and Development 

(for campers who have completed grades 10-12)

Housing: Hickory

Session #1: May 26-31

Cost: $185

Nothing is more rewarding to DuBois Center than watching campers become a part of the summer staff team. LEAD campers gain skills that will help them grow as positive leaders while making new friends and building their own community. Together, LEAD will learn to create a fun and safe environment, teach basic camp activities, and master techniques to aid in becoming a great counselor. This program has everything to set LEAD campers up for success in becoming a DuBois Center Camp Counselor!  … Did we mention how excited we are to have more campers become staff members?!

LEAD Application Materials

Packing list for LEAD – we also encourage LEAD campers to bring any tools or instruments they need to demonstrate their special talents, whether sporty, arty, survival, or musical! Silly (but still functional) clothing, costumes, props, and more are encouraged – just be mindful of safety and do not violate our contraband rules. 

An additional application packet is required. Contact DuBois Center for details: call 618.787.2202 or email dcinfo@DuBoisCenter.org

 

Registration Information

Summer Employment – we’re hiring!