Gross Out Camp returns this year and promises to teach kids about the world around them through dirty and old-fashioned exploration.
“The seniors and young ones enjoy each spending time together. Our residents love it when the children are on campus — just hearing the laughter and watching the children playing brings smiles on their faces,” said Randolph Pickell, executive director of the Village at Cook Springs.
According to a press release about the event, Gross Out Camp returns children to the “summer days of finding crawdads in the creek, playing with roly polies, building forts of sticks and stones.”
Gross Out Camp, which is a Fresh Air Family science camp, allows participants to learn though exploring the world.
“It’s really hands-on field biology. We studied the best way to get the brain engaged and found it was the old way — through nature exploration,” said Verna Gates, executive director of Fresh Air Family. “Kids love things that are icky, sticky and gross!”
The camp is held June 12-16, June 19-23 and July 10–14 in the old red barn at the Village at Cook Springs. The camp runs from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. typically, but there is an option of 8 a.m.-6 p.m. The camp is open to students from first grade to seventh grade. The cost is $250 for the week, and financial aid is available.
In 2022, Fresh Air Family awarded $25,000 in financial aid to families so they could attend camp.
“We have never turned a child away because they couldn’t pay. We make a way,” said Gates. Fresh Air Family was founded in 2006 and has served thousands of families in camps, weekend adventures and school field trips.
According to their mission statement, Fresh Air Family is dedicated to environmental and scientific education, outdoor exploration, and an appreciation of the beautiful and biologically diverse state of Alabama. For more information, visit www.freshairfamily.org.