SUMMER JOY!

Journeys Out Yonder provides place-based adventure programs for young children. We utilize the vast outdoor landscapes to feed children’s curiosity, advance childhood play, develop self efficacy and social connections, while building strong, capable bodies. Children who learn to love where they live learn to care for it. Our purpose is to support families who want their children to learn about nature, in nature and with nature.

Our summer outdoor adventure program offers young children outdoor adventures in the woods, along rivers and streams, to bike and skate parks, swimming spots, and more. Each day we will meet at a different, predetermined location, taking into consideration the need for staying cool in the summer heat. 

Journeys Out Yonder, LLC operates as a Childcare provider with the State of Colorado. 

Our small group, 100% outdoor program, and mask-wearing policies accommodate our and family’s desires to limit exposure to the COVID-19 virus. 

New SUMMER 2024 Weekly Sessions 

In the past I’ve required children to be enrolled for sessions that ran for 3 weeks. This summer I’m changing things up! Now, you can enroll your child in weekly sessions, picking and choosing which weeks work best for your summer vacations and other family activities.

As in the past, all children who have completed the JOY registration process will have priority. A $100, non-refundable deposit will be required when you enroll your child(ren) in any of the summer 2024 weekly sessions. 

Monday, Wednesday, Friday,  9am – 4pm  

$250 per week, per child

Week 1:  June 24 – 28

Week 2: July 1 – 5

Week 3: July 8 – 12

Week 4: July 15 – 19

Week 5: July 22 – 26

Week 6: July 29 – August 2

Week 7: August 5 – 9

REGISTRATION

• A minimum of 4 and a maximum of 8 children will be registered per session.

ENROLLMENT PROCESS

Step 1: Email Mary to schedule your phone call and tour

Step 2: Complete registration paperwork

Step 3: Submit enrollment and session tuition payments

Step 4: Begin your Journeys Out Yonder

PLEASE NOTE:

1. New inquiries are asked to review JOY’s website to determine if this is the right program for you and your child/children.
2. New inquiries for enrollment will be considered after both a phone call and a scheduled meet-and-greet with parents and child/children is completed with Mary. 
3. After Mary has confirmed your child/children are accepted for enrollment a registration form will be sent to you to be completed, and a required enrollment fee will be required to complete the process. 
4. Once full registration is complete, Mary will share JOY’s “Family Orientation Document”, and you can begin registering for the programs you want your child to participate in. 

LOGISTICS

• Parent/guardian drops child(ren) off and picks child up at designated locations on each session’s schedule. 
• Children must be sun-screened when dropped off.
• Sunscreen will be reapplied during the day.
• Masks are optional.
• Mary will send you an email on Sunday, confirming weekly locations and necessary gear (bikes, hammocks, bathing suits, etc.) 
• Mary will provide morning and afternoon snacks, and extra water. 
• Children will come with their own backpack with all of the following:
  • Lunch
  • Drinking water in a water bottle
  • Sun hat
  • Extra clothes (shirt, pants, socks)
  • Rain coat
  • Closed-toes shoes – please, no flip flops or dress shoes
  • Hammock and hanging straps

• Optional items in child’s backpack:
  • Umbrella
  • Books, Colored pencils, pad of paper
  • Magnifying glass 
  • Binoculars
  • Rope/twine, etc.
  • Frisbee, ball, etc.
  • Other

“If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, (they need) the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with (them) the joy, excitement, and mystery of the world we live in.”
– Rachel Carson

 CURRICULUM: Outdoor Adventure Through Play

David Sobel’s Childhood and Nature Principles

1. Make forts and special places;
2. Play hunting and gathering games;
3. Shape small worlds;
4. Develop friendships with animals;
5. Construct adventures;
6. Descend into fantasies;
7. Follow paths and figure out shortcuts;

Leave No Trace 

What we bring out in our backpacks, pockets, etc. will return home with us. Of course, using trash receptacles we find in the community is completely appropriate. Wild animals do not need our help with food, and we discourage feeding them. Packing lunch and snacks in reusable containers creates less waste.

Using our Observation Skills

In order to maneuver the world, children must learn to use all of their senses – seeing, hearing, speaking, smelling, touching, intuition, feelings, etc. As children grow and mature, adults can support their need for independence by respecting their own, unique gifts of observation. 

Creature Care

While outdoors, we will encounter wildlife. We will instill a sense of respect and compassion for all living creatures, by modeling a sense of wonder and amazement at all bugs, animals, spiders, and reptiles we encounter, and teach the children to become allies with them, not adversaries. All creatures will be left in their natural habitat, where we found them. 

School Rules

1. Ask for something you need, and wait your turn. No grabbing. 
2. Walk away and create a safe space for you and others. No one gets to touch others in harmful ways. 
3. Use kind words with a caring voice. No mean words. 

Managing Risks and Avoiding Hazards

It is imperative that children learn to identify and manage moderate risks. Teachers enable and coach children throughout the entirety of the program, reminding children and parents that all children progress at their own level of comfort and by allowing them to do so we are helping children build self-efficacy.

1. Manage risks – something within their awareness and control (using their critical thinking, problem solving, physical, emotional, and social skills to learn new skills, meet new people, etc), and,
2. Avoid hazards – something they cannot see and control  (being hit by a car in the street or a falling tree toppled by the wind, or being struck by lighting).
   
   1. In Case of Lightning: Depending on the location, children will be ushered to the safest spot to avoid being struck by lightning. In most cases, we will be close to a stand of trees, which limits the possibility of lightning strikes. In some cases, we will have access to buildings and shelters. As a final precaution, children will be ushered into Mary’s van. 
   2. Water Play: Mary is extremely cautious around water, and her background as a water safety instructor and lifeguard trainer with the American Red Cross will kick into high gear. If and when a day near water (ditches, lakes, swimming pools) is scheduled, all precautions are used to ensure children understand when they can enter the water. Mary will be in the water with the children 100% of the time. 

With this in mind, Mary will ensure children understand and practice managing both risk and hazards in outdoor play. Children love a challenge, and Mary will support their desires to climb up and down dry ditches, trees and rocks, to wade in streams, play with sticks, throw rocks, and build forts. 

 To discuss my program please call Mary at  970-618-1450                               

 Or, email Mary at journeysoutyonder@gmail.com