Nature-Based Day Camp in East Asheville

Welcome: Welcome back if you are a returning camper family! And hellooooooooo if you are thinking of joining us. You are in for a treat. The camp was created for WHAT we would ideally want to do, and HOW we would want to feel as a child. Camp Summer Haven truly is just that.

It is a week of having your child honored for who they are, exactly as they are. It is a week of celebrating how amazing life is. It is a week that we feel is an antidote to some of the more challenging aspects of our modern day life. It is a week where we are free to be slow, to be in nature, to be creative in a very accepting container and to laugh and yell, all while being safe and kind.

What do we do?

• forest and field games
• creek walks
• gardening
• nature arts and crafts
• story-telling
• music
• community-building

Who are we? Joanie Lamb is the Founder and Director of the Center for Inspired Education and our summer camps. She has 30 + years as an educator having been an elementary, middle and high school teacher, and has worked with all types of learners including amazing, magnificent, creative, students who may also have ADHD, ASD, and/or learning differences. The additional counselors are cherished by the campers, and make the week exceptionally fun, safe, and creative. The camp is at her home, their 1.5 acres, and the 300 acres a few minute walk from their property down a dirt road in East Asheville.

The Ethos of Camp Summer Haven: We practice deep attunement to each child's unique spirit while nurturing their innate connection to the earth. Our approach honors the spiritual dimension of childhood and the natural world through practices that respect all faith backgrounds. Enlivening and child-centered affirmations, prayer, meditation, and intentional kindness form the foundation of our community.

A Living Legacy: We are honored to be mentored by the renowned Center for Education, Imagination and the Natural World. Our program builds on Thomas Berry's transformative work, which recognizes children's natural sense of wonder as the foundation for environmental stewardship. Berry believed that fostering a child's emotional bond with nature in their early years creates the foundation for lifelong earth care—a perspective that deeply resonates with parents seeking meaningful experiences for their children.

Celebrating Diversity: Our camp seeks to be filled with campers from different backgrounds, and those who may otherwise not go to camp due to financial constraints. We are proud to have campers coming from newly arrived refugee families for the 3rd summer in a row.

Embracing Neurodiversity: All children are warmly welcomed in our program. We believe neurodiversity reflects the beautiful biodiversity of the earth itself. Our Center for Inspired Education is a community leader in working with children of all neurotypes, celebrating ADHD, autism spectrum, and various learning differences as valuable ways of experiencing the world. Summer camp naturally creates an ideal environment where physical movement, freedom of expression, and the profound regulation offered by nature combine to support every child. The loving attention of our staff and the calming connection to the natural world create a truly equitable community where all children thrive together.