Camp Fontanelle is an outdoor place by design. Being outside isn’t something we add on. It shapes the rhythm of each day and the way camp is experienced. When campers arrive, they step into open space, fresh air, wooded trails, and room to move, explore, and breathe.

We believe kids grow best when they spend real time outdoors. Nature gives them space to stretch their bodies, calm their minds, and reconnect with the world around them. It creates an environment where learning and growth happen naturally, without being forced.

Why Being Outdoors Matters

Time outside changes how kids feel and how they function. Research continues to show what many of us already sense. Being outdoors supports physical health, improves focus, lowers stress, and helps regulate emotions. Kids who spend time in nature are often more attentive, more resilient, and better able to manage challenges.

At camp, we see this play out every day. Campers arrive carrying the weight of busy schedules, constant stimulation, and pressure to perform. After time outdoors, they slow down. They settle into their bodies. They become more present with one another. Conversations come easier. Laughter shows up more freely.

Nature also creates space for reflection. Without screens or constant noise, campers begin to notice what’s happening around them and within them. This awareness builds confidence and self-trust in a way few indoor environments can.

What the Outdoors Look Like at Camp

Our outdoor spaces are intentionally woven into daily camp life. Campers hike wooded trails, gather around campfires, swim, climb, explore, and spend unstructured time outside with friends. Some activities invite challenge and courage. Others invite rest and curiosity.

Not every moment is big or loud. Sometimes growth happens while walking quietly with a friend. Sometimes it happens while watching the sky change at the end of the day. These moments matter just as much as the activities that get more attention.

We believe the outdoors should offer both challenge and safety. Campers are encouraged to try new things, supported when they feel unsure, and given room to grow at their own pace.

Learning Through Creation

Being outdoors also deepens a camper’s connection to creation. When kids spend time in nature, they begin to care for it. They notice details. They ask questions. They develop respect for the world they are part of, not separate from.

At Camp Fontanelle, time outside invites campers to see creation as something to be explored, appreciated, and cared for. These experiences naturally connect to faith, gratitude, and responsibility without needing to be overexplained.

What Campers Take With Them

The outdoors at camp are not just a setting. They shape how campers relate to themselves and others. Shared experiences outside build trust and community. Campers learn how to encourage one another, how to wait, how to lead, and how to belong.

Long after camp ends, these lessons stay with them. Confidence built on a trail. Calm learned through quiet moments. Resilience practiced through small challenges. These are the kinds of things that continue to show up in school, at home, and in everyday life.

An Invitation to Step Outside

In a world that asks kids to sit still, stay connected, and move quickly, camp offers a different pace. Here, kids are invited to move their bodies, engage their senses, and reconnect with the natural world.

At Camp Fontanelle, the outdoors are not just where camp happens. They are part of how campers grow.

Research Shows

• Being in nature is a proven help to mental as well as physical health. “Go touch grass” as the kids say these days, has researched based merit in making us healthier.
• Three years after attending summer camp, affinity for nature and willingness to try new things persists. (Spielvogel, Warner, & Sibthorp, 2022)
• Six months after their programs, students maintained significant growth in 5 key areas: self-awareness, sense of shared humanity, wonderment, openness to new experience and desire to impact others. (Rustic Pathways)
• Check out this article from the American Camping Association Blog on the importance of giving kids a traditional OUTSDOOR summer camp experience: https://www.acacamps.org/blog/why-summer-camp