Boulder Kids

For the virtual-camp inclined, Growing Gardens offers three ways to get kids excited about the natural world, all designed to keep them engaged for about four hours a day. Full Farmer camp pairs virtual programming with materials parents can pick up from the farm before the weeklong session begins (good for locals); Rustic Gardener sets parents up with the same programming and a supply list to prep before camp begins; and Bare Soil is a just-as-fun way to follow past curricula and spread the lessons and activities out over a longer time frame. Camp is led by Growing Gardens’ environmental educators, who have video calls with campers and supplement by video-based activities like crafts centered around gardening and growing, snack recipes, and games kids can get their families involved in. Image courtesy of Paul Hanaoka.

Women's Wilderness provides outdoor experiences and wilderness adventures for girls in the Rocky Mountains and Southwest desert. While the quality of the outdoor experiences it offers is amazing (your girl will come back with all kinds of newfound skills), the real takeaway here is the leadership, self-sufficiency, and confidence the camp fosters in young women. There are two amazing programs for high-school-age girls—a weeklong backpacking trip in Colorado and Wyoming, and a weekend-long rock climbing camp in southern Wyoming—and a camping/light backpacking program for middle schoolers. Side note: Their camps for grown-ups are pretty sweet, too.