For Parents

What is RAW Camp?

RAW Camp is Rising Appalachia's Summer Day Camp. We are a 501c3 non-profit organization that is focused on teaching children and the community that Appalachia is home to an absolute wealth of opportunities for outdoor play, adventure, and healthy lifestyles. Using a sustainable agriculture farm and as the backdrop for all that we do, RAW Camp operates each day with no electricity or running water in our main program areas. This unplugged environment is ideal for building a child's connection to nature, their own inner drive to learn and explore, and a strong sense of self-awareness and calculated risk taking, while curating a healthy camp community. Hosted entirely outside (except during hazardous weather), campers enjoy activities structured around native flora and fauna, adventure, exploration, environmental education, team building and leadership, ancestral skills, water quality, art, movement, and play. At the end of each week, parents often tell us that they've noticed significant growth in their child's confidence, integrity, and connection to the outdoors!

Typical Day of Camp

Specific activities are determined by the theme of the week, but three morning activity rotations are generally split into environmental education, sustainable practices, movement and play.

Our hands on approach to education means that an activity which may sound dull such as sustainable practices means a child will learn to dig clay from the ground with their own two hands, make crafts such as bowls or art using collected rainwater to soften the clay, and then build the kiln their crafts are later fired in. During environmental education activities, children can expect to splash through a creek overturning rocks on a salamander hunt, or net insects to drop into a terrarium for later identification and study. Movement and play activities typically focus on developing a strong sense of self-awareness and calculated risk-taking, team building, cooperation, and often have environmental themes.

During afternoon activities kids may take a dip in the pond, ride down our giant slip and slide, play field games, work on an art project, a special project with a small group of friends, or venture into the cool shade of the Forest.

Each week of camp has specific goals and objectives related to the theme, but the basic outline provided below describes the scheduling:

Check in
Morning Team Building Activity
Activity Rotation 1
Snack (provided by RAW)
Activity Rotation 2
Activity Rotation 3
Lunch
Pond, slip n slide, field games, board games, art, and/or forest play
Free play during pickup

Drop Off / Pickup

Drop off is between 8:40 and 9am
Pick-up is from 3:15 to 3:30pm
Aftercare from 3:30-5:00, can be selected during registration.

Check In does not require parent signature. However, this is an excellent time to meet the staff and let us know about any issues or complications we might expect for the day. If you suspect that somebody not on the approved pickup list is picking up your child, this is also a good time to let us know.

Lunch

Each day you will need to send your child to camp with a packed lunch. We will provide an additional morning snack, but don't forget lunch! While allergies and dietary restrictions should have been indicated in the registration form, if you have any further concerns please feel free to bring them up when you drop off your child on the first day of camp. Prior to each week of camp we will send an email detailing any restricted lunch items due to other camper allergies.

Packing List

Packing Checklist

We will be outside most of the day rain or shine: under a pavilion, in the woods, in the pond, or in the games field. Please send your child in clothing appropriate for outdoor activity.

Be sure to bring:

Hiking/outdoor shoes (not flip flops though strapped sandals are fine).
Pants or shorts
A hat to keep off the sun
Simple T-shirt
swimming suit and towel

water bottle
sunscreen
insect repellent
a full change of clothes
a hearty lunch

Watch the forecast, and provide the following if appropriate:

rain coat or poncho
rain boots or old shoes that can get wet
jacket or sweatshirt (in case it is cold in the morning-remember, we'll be outside at 9 am)

Extras if your child wishes: There will be some down-time after lunch for campers to hang out and play or enjoy peace and quiet.

Journal
Binoculars
Camera
Book
Card Games

Upon check-in on the first day, you can take your child and their belongings to drop them off on the front porch of the Cabin.

Video Games/Cellphones

Please no video games, cell phones, or electronic devices. Children can leave cell phones in the farmhouse and check messages before pick-up. If you need to reach your child, please contact our staff. Names and phone numbers will be provided after registration.

CONTACT INFORMATION

1st- Program Director Rina Caldwell 740-818-6196 rina@risingappalachia.org

2nd- Executive Director Weston Lombard 740-856-6299 weston@risingappalachia.org

Directions to the Farm

PLEASE DRIVE SLOWLY AND CAREFULLY ON LIARS CORNER ROAD!

There are portions of the roads to camp that are not wide enough to accommodate two vehicles in opposite directions. Our neighbors have children and pets, and the road is steep and narrow, so PLEASE DON'T RUSH. It is courteous to pull off to the side to let neighbors pass on narrow portions, and they appreciate the kindness.

13262 Liars Corner Rd, Millfield, OH 45761 (click the address to open google maps)

From Athens:

Take Columbus Rd or US 33 to St Rt 550 towards Amesville. After only a mile on 550, you will pass Performance Signs on your left. Take the next road to the left, Alderman Rd (Directly opposite the 550 park and pavilion). Follow Alderman for a few hundred yards and turn right at the first road. This is our road, Liars Corner. Follow Liars Corner for 1.4 miles up the big hill, down a little, up again, and around the corner. You will then see our hoop house/greenhouse on the right. Park in front of the hoop house and walk past the barn to our front yard. Call if you get lost (740-856-6299).

From the North:

Take 33 East to the 682/13 exit. The exit is on the left just after a sign for "Chauncey". After crossing the highway off the exit, approach the stop sign and go straight/left (not right) through the stop sign. Continue through Chauncey and stay straight past the Marathon Station (682 becomes 13). Less than a mile past the Marathon you will see the Dog Shelter on the right and then Job and Family Services. Turn left onto Sand Ridge Rd immediately across from Job and Family Services. You will see the sheriff's depot on the corner of Sand Ridge Rd. Follow Sand Ridge to the very top of the ridge and turn right onto Liars Corner Rd (First road to the right). Follow Liars Corner for 0.7 miles and look for a gravel parking lot on the left-hand side then our log cabin immediately after. Park in the parking lot or our driveway.

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