Words in the Wild with Building on the Best

About

In Words in the Wild, rising 1st, 2nd and 3rd graders grow their love of reading and find joy in writing while getting their hands dirty in the gardens of Fairyland, Lake Merritt Botanical Gardens, and the Kaiser Roof garden. The day begins with community building and interactive garden-themed readalouds, and winds down with “just right” quiet reading and a reflective closing circle. Hesitant readers and writers thrive in this small group environment by using their literacy skills for meaningful activities like reading about the life cycle of worms in order to care for our worm bin. 

With a ratio of 7:1 and specially trained instructors, this camp is designed for students who would benefit from an academic boost in a fun, supportive environment.

For more information and photos, check out our camp website: buildingonthebest.org/summer

Dates
Session 1: June 17th - June 21st &  June 24th - June 28th
Session 2: July 8th - July 12th & July 15th - July 19th
Session 3: July 22nd - July 26th & July 29th - August 2nd

​Times — 9am - 3pm (before & aftercare available) 

Location — Fairyland | 699 Bellevue Ave, Oakland

Ages — 6 to 9 yrs old (rising 1st, 2nd & 3rd graders) 

Rate — $880 per two-week session (early bird rate available)

Campers develop critical literacy skills in:

• reading and understanding text 
• enjoying text and using it for a purpose 
• building oral and print vocabulary 
• making connections between spelling and meaning 
• writing independently and fluently

Campers apply scientific practices to studying language as well as the natural world by: 

• observing closely 
• recording data 
• making predictions 
• comparing evidence to hypotheses

Of course, campers also engage in fun summer activities such as: 

• playing collaborative and cooperative games like park ranger and tag 
• creating art projects like seed mandalas and pop up books 
• relaxing with friends 
• exploring the natural world through bug hunts and food tasting parties

The beauty of this program is that it provides literacy embedded in hands-on garden science and connected to arts, cooking, and other enrichment activities in the afternoon. Campers blossom into garden scientists as they observe, document, and explore the natural world in the diverse Lake Merritt botanical gardens, the Kaiser Roof Garden and Children's Fairyland.

Additional Information

Minimum Age 6

Maximum Age 9

Camp Dates Session 1: June 17th - June 21st &  June 24th - June 28th Session 2: July 8th - July 12th & July 15th - July 19th Session 3: July 22nd - July 26th & July 29th - August 2nd

Camp Cities Oakland

Camp Length two weeks

Cost Per Week 440

Financial Aid Offered Early-bird special through Feb 22!