An Action-Packed Day in the Life of an Oakland Camper
This summer, we welcomed over 100 campers to our second year of Oakland Camps! But what exactly were these campers up to that whole time?
Let’s find out! In this blog, you’ll follow our campers through a full day at Oakland Camp, jam-packed with hands-on activities, learning opportunities, and time to play and socialize. Our eight sessions each delved into different themes, from nature-inspired crafts at our Outdoor Art Studio camp to exploring new heights at our aviation-themed Oakland From Above camp.
We’ll be walking you through a day at our Garden to Table camp. This active, especially tasty camp session explored the full journey of food, from planting seeds in the soil to cooking up healthy, delicious meals.
9 AM - Arrival
Campers arrived bright and early at 9 AM, and enjoyed free time in the open grassy space in Oakland’s Visitor Center Courtyard, perfect for jumprope, tossing a football, or a lively game of tag!
9:15 AM - Morning Meeting
Next it was time for campers to gather for their morning meeting, where they learned what their day was going to entail. The possibilities are big — field trips, games, lessons, crafts, and more! The morning meeting also served as a chance for campers to review lessons and skills that were covered earlier in camp, and talk to counselors and staff about any questions they have.
9:45 AM - Cabbagetown Community Garden
You don’t learn everything there is to know about gardening behind a screen or a desk, so next it was time to get out into the community and experience some plant life firsthand! The campers headed to the Cabbagetown Community Garden, where they got a guided tour of the plots and all the colorful fruits and vegetables growing in them. The diverse variety of plots allowed the campers to learn about different farming and gardening techniques!
10:45 AM - Morning Snack
After their tour, it was time for a morning snack! Snack breaks gave kids a chance to refuel, use the restroom, and check in with counselors if they needed anything. Since they were already on the move, they ate their snack at Cabbagetown Park!
11:30 AM - Junior Chef: Melon Kabobs
Next, campers returned to their home base of the Oakland Overlook to put the “table” in “Garden to Table” camp and do some cooking! The campers followed step-by-step instructions to make delicious melon kabobs, stamping out honeydew with cookie cutters, scooping out melons with melon ballers, cubing cantelope, and arranging their colorful fruit salads on a skewer. A few lucky members of Oakland’s staff were even invited to sample the snack, and of course gave it a five-star review!
12 PM - Lunch + Recess
After a refreshing, melony snack, it was time for lunch. Campers enjoyed their lunches in the Oakland Overlook, then after cleaning up, headed outside for some free time!
12:45 PM - Junior Chef: Roasted Vegetable Medley
Next on the menu: a roasted vegetable medley featuring bell peppers, yellow squash, and zucchini. Campers sliced, seasoned, and took turns roasting their creations in a mini oven. Fun fact: all the recipes selected for Junior Chef activities used ingredients that grow right here in Georgia, so the campers could walk away with practical knowledge of how to grow and prepare these treats at home.
2 PM - Afternoon Snack
What’s better than making your own food? Getting to eat it, of course! Campers dug into the dishes they made earlier and had a little downtime to check in with counselors.
2:15 PM - Junior Chef: Elote
The next Junior Chef activity provided campers a chance to make their own elote! They dehusked ears of corn, cut it off the cobb, and learned how to grill the corn in a skillet. Then, they mixed up a flavorful blend of mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, and chives, combined it with the corn, and topped it all off with cotija cheese and Tajín. Junior Chef recipes were chosen to represent a variety of cultures and cooking traditions, and this one gave campers a delicious taste of Mexican cuisine!
3 PM - Lotería
After a busy day of exploring and cooking, it was time for a game! The campers played a game of Lotería, a traditional Mexican game of chance (comparable to BINGO). They had lots of fun shouting ¡Lotería! while getting to know the colorful characters and artwork on their boards. Pairing food with cultural activities was one way to help connect the flavors with language, art, and community traditions.
4 PM - Camper Dismissal
As the day wound down, it was time for pickup—and for campers to proudly tell their parents and guardians about everything they cooked, tasted, and learned. Oakland Camp activities are carefully designed to provide campers with challenging, yet satisfying learning opportunities, boosting their confidence and sense of accomplishment as they unlock new skills!
Thanks for joining us for this busy day of Oakland Camp, packed with fun activities, new skills, and in this case, delicious food!
Other themes such as Oakland Rocks Geology or Nature Detectives meant a whole different set of hands-on activities and excursions. Each camp went on several field trips to spots that fit the session’s theme, including the Atlanta Botanical Garden, The Center for Puppetry Arts, Legoland, Fernbank Museum of Natural History, and the Georgia Aquarium!
Want to hear what parents had to say about their campers’ experiences?
"We had such a fantastic experience with the Oakland Camp summer sessions! From the very first e-mail, the staff made us feel welcome, and our kids were excited to come back each morning. The counselors were not only friendly and attentive, but they clearly cared about each camper and made a real effort to get to know them. We attended four weeks with a different theme each week—every day brought something new, fun, and enriching. Whether it was arts and crafts, sports, bee houses, nature walks, or solar ovens, our children came home full of stories and smiles. Thank you to the amazing team at Oakland for creating such a fun learning environment! We’re already looking forward to next year.”
“This camp was great! My child had a blast and I appreciated how well organized it was. The communication from camp staff was excellent and I felt confident that the kids were safe, well supervised, and having a fun and educational experience. The counselors and staff seemed to really get to know my child and were able to meet his individual needs.”
“My child absolutely loved her experience both camp weeks. She did several different camps this summer and she has rated Oakland camps at the top of her list each time.”
“Our child thrived at Oakland's summer camps. The activities and learning were fun and engaging, and the weekly field trips around Atlanta were a big plus, as our child got to experience the best of Atlanta's museums and learning spaces. We'll be back!”
“Our daughter had a blast at Oakland cemetery camp. She learned a lot, had fun, made friends, and seemed truly engaged. We were very impressed with how caring [Director of Education] Ted and the counselors were, and how well thought out the activities were.”
“Oakland provides a fun camp experience in a beautiful, historic setting. Their activities are thoughtful and engaging. This is definitely one of our favorite Atlanta summer camps!”
"As a frequent visitor to Oakland for more than 25 years, I loved the idea of sending my 10-year-old son to camp at Oakland so they could build their own appreciation of this special space in Atlanta. The idea became reality thanks to great camp counselors and curriculum (solar s'mores! building butterfly feeders and bee houses!). I loved hearing the stories at the end of each camp day. Highly recommend this camp for Atlanta families!
“Our 7-year-old daughter had an absolute blast at the nature-themed summer camp! Great counselors, staff and programming!”
