Summer Survey!
What are you hoping we offer this summer? We are beginning to make plans  and want to make sure they work for YOU!
Please fill out this survey so that we can offer the best summer programs possible!
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Happy Holidays!
This fall, through new partnerships, we have been able to work closely in support of five different schools in our local area. Using  covid-safe protocols and teaching in the outdoors, we have connected with more youth in schools on a consistent basis than ever before. To see kids feel the freedom to move and play while learning outside, to see teachers become more comfortable teaching in new environments and with new methodologies, and for all of us to witness seasonal changes together has been priceless. We couldn't have done all this without your support.
Even while we continue our work with schools both in-person and via virtual formats to bring experiential learning to rural youth who need it the most, summer is never far from our thoughts. It is our hope that we will be able to offer camp sessions for small groups of campers because we all know the value of Tanglewood and Blueberry Cove summer experiences. Please complete the survey above to help us with our summer planning.
This holiday season, we hope you and your family remain safe and in good health. May we see the new year dawn bright and beautiful all around us.
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There's still time to submit a t-shirt design!
- The deadline to submit a design for our t-shirt contest is Monday, February 1, 2021.
- Visit our website for more information!
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Welcome, Ann & Lily!
Two women with strong ties to Tanglewood and Blueberry Cove have joined the board that oversees both camps.
Anne Stires and Lily Hyde Sytsma are both educators and former camp counselors. They bring to the board a shared belief in the value of children learning outdoors, together, understanding and respecting the natural environment that sustains us and all life.
Learn more about all our board and staff members on our website!
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Outdoor Programming Statewide
The Nature Based Education Consortium shared updates from the Maine Forum on Outdoor Learning that took place recently.
Educators are sharing how they have seen a transformational impact in their schools and are excited about building and expanding upon it. The widespread growing interest in outdoor learning demonstrates the likelihood that this will be a widespread educational practice even after the crisis has subsided.
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Try It!
Make a hypothesis about how many cups of water are in ten cups of snow— more than ten, less than ten, or the same amount— exactly ten!
Go outside, gather ten cups of snow with a measuring cup, put it in a pot, and bring it back indoors. You can watch the snow melt slowly or put the pot on your woodstove or cooking stove to help it melt faster.
Re-measure the water left. Make sure to do this right after the snow is done melting, or else some of the water will evaporate!
Was your hypothesis correct? What is the reason for your results? Here is a hint: water is not the only “ingredient” in snow...
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Check out the Educational Resources page on our website for additional activities you can try at home!
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Alumni Memories
To see alumni memories or submit your own memory, visit the alumni page on our website!
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Share our News
You can read previous issues of our newsletter or subscribe to it here!
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Support Us
Visit our website to see ways you can support our programs! |
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Ashby's Memories!
Unlike many staff, I didn't have any childhood connection to Tanglewood before I worked there. My senior year of college my friend Rachel (hey Rachel!) told me all about her magical summ er at Tanglewood the year before, and suggested I apply. Knowing I'd be entering the "serious grownup workforce" come September, two months as a woodland fairy seemed appealing and so off I went into the wilds of Lincolnville with my hiking sandals and a large collection of colorful skirts (the essentials).
There are too many ridiculous and perfect memories from that summer to recount in an entire book, but what stays with me most is the way everyone, staff and campers, found their niche at Tanglewood - there was never one "right way" to be, so everyone was just whatever they were, and others joined in enthusiastically. Electives illustrated this so perfectly - in one afternoon, campers would be choosing between sprout ball, songwriting (perhaps an acoustic rendition of Umbrella?), haiku composition, hair braiding, reading Harry Potter silently on the porch (very much my favorite elective to run), rugby, Viking Lichen Hiking, henna tattoo drawing or beaded lizard making. The freedom we had to bring our (weird) selves and our (strange) interests to our work at camp gave the campers the same freedom and man, did those campers show up with their own lights shining.
It has been my goal since that summer to raise my own kids as "Tanglewood Kids" - and if the dirtiness of their feet and the loudness of their singing voices are any indicators, I'm succeeding so far.
- Ashby (Connors) Bartke
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The University of Maine is an EEO/AA employer, and does not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender expression, national origin, citizenship status, age, disability, genetic information or veteran’s status in employment, education, and all other programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Sarah E. Harebo, Director of Equal Opportunity, 101 North Stevens Hall, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469-5754, 207.581.1226, TTY 711 (Maine Relay System).
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