Welcome to Davis Waldorf Summer Camp Program!
Davis Waldorf School welcomes your family to our summer camp programs. We emphasize:

Great Programs: Both our Kinder Camp and Summergarden programs feature wholesome, age-appropriate activities in a natural setting. We strive to provide a mix of hands-on, teacher-led activities and supervised, child-directed play.

Healthy Food: Nutritious whole-food lunches and snacks are included in tuition. All meals are organic and local when possible.

Mature and Experienced Leaders: Our teachers are caring and mature adults, many of whom are Waldorf-trained teachers.

Beautiful Location
Davis Waldorf School is located in North Davis. It sits on five acres amidst grassy playspaces, gardens, herbs and wildflowers, and plenty of shade trees.

 

Ages 3–6 (Age 3–Entering 1st grade)

Our summer program for our youngest children has a daily rhythm of indoor and outdoor play, circle time, project time and rest time. Each session is 1 week long. Snack and lunch are provided.

Click here for more information on Kindercamp.

 

Ages 7 –10 (Entering 2nd grade-Entering 6th grade)

In our Summergarden program, children will learn specific skills in Fiber Arts. Cost includes a healthy organic lunch and snack.

Click here for more information on Summergarden.

 

Registration
Return the registration form and full payment to Davis Waldorf School office via mail or in person. Register for 4 weeks and pay in full by May 15 and receive a $50 discount.

Download our Summer Camp brochure (or call our office and ask
for one 530-753-1651)

Download the registration form.

 

Staff Bios

Jennifer Tan – Director (All Sessions)
Fiber Arts Specialist (Sessions I, III, IV)

Mrs. Tan grew up near Mt. Lassen and received her BA at UC Davis. She taught in Southern California for 5 years where she received her M.A. in Education Administration, and then served as a school administrator for 9 years.  In 2007, Mrs. Tan and her family moved to Fair Oaks where she homeschooled 3 of her children in a Waldorf environment and taught handwork.  The Tan’s moved to Davis in 2010 when husband Rick started teaching at Davis Waldorf School.  Mrs. Tan enjoys time at home with her four children, volunteering at DWS, teaching fiber arts workshops, consulting with homeschoolers through Syrendell, teaching music lessons, and officiating and playing flute in weddings. She has been featured in magazines and on HGTV's show Uncommon Threads for her Tunisian crocheting and spinning. This will be her third year at Summergarden.

 

Jenn Rexroad – Culinary Coordinator (Sessions I, II, III)

Mrs. Rexroad grew up in the Silicon Valley before goingto Los Angeles for college. She taught in Los Angeles for 5 years, where she received her M.A. in Educational Technology, before getting married and moving to Woodland.  For three years, Mrs. Rexroad was the Technology Coordinator at Natomas Charter School before having her first child, Abigail, in 2004.  Her son, Adam, was born in 2006.  Mrs. Rexroad has stayed "at home" with her kids and enjoys volunteering at DWS, reading, scrapbooking, running, Pilates, swimming and traveling.  She also enjoys entertaining, cooking, and trying new healthy recipes! This will be her second year at Summergarden.

 

Bill Critchfield – Woodworking Specialist (Session II)
Garden Specialist (Sessions I, III, IV)

Mr. Critchfield loves both woodworking and gardening and is excited to be part of the Summergarden program this year! During the school year he enjoys teaches woodworking to 5th - 8th grades at Davis Waldorf School. In the realm of gardening, he operates a market garden where he grows local organic produce. Mr. Critchfield has a son who will be entering the 8th grade at DWS next year. His daughter graduated from DWS in 2009 and is in the class of 2013 at  Sacramento Waldorf School. Mr. Critchfield studied biology as an undergraduate and has a Doctorate in Nutrition from UC Davis.  Before teaching woodworking at DWS, he was a Project Scientist on HIV immunology studies at the UC Davis School of Medicine.

 

Yelena Ivashchenko – Culinary Coordinator (Session IV)

Ms. Yelena is originally from Russia and is excited to be involved for her second year in Summergarden.  During her time spent traveling and living in many countries, she collected a variety of spices and recipes, thus creating her own experimental fusion way of cooking. Ms. Yelena has Bachelor Degree in Food science from the Kemerovskii Tehnological Institute of Food Industry in Russia, and is very passionate about food and teaching cooking and art classes to children. Experienced in working at restaurants, farmers markets, schools, after-school classes, and summer camps, her goal is to integrate international cooking and food preparation into school curriculum, connecting children with the garden, and introducing new tastes. Ms. Yelena is also an experienced fiber artist and sells her crocheted creations through her company Snoozles both online and in shops. She currently is an aftercare assistant at DWS.

 

Heather Nichols – Garden Specialist (Session II)

Ms. Heather loves plants and has been gardening since she was a child growing up on 60 acres in the hill country of Texas. She has a nine year old daughter at DWS and has been teaching the 3rd grade garden class this year. Her day job is working with farmers, ranchers, and conservation partners in Yolo County and throughout California to protect and improve ecological functions on working landscapes. She has a Bachelor of Science from Humboldt State University in Sustainable Systems of Plant and Soils, and a Master of Arts from the Conway School of Landscape Design. This will be Ms. Heather’s first year working at Summergarden.

 

Karen Hansen-Downey – Aftercare Specialist

Ms. Karen is presently The Waldorf School's Sunflower Aftercare Program Coordinator. She recently moved here from British Columbia where her family was running a buffalo ranch and wilderness retreat, offering workshops, tours, nature retreats to families, and educational field trips to children and adult groups. She is a mother of 3 (2 adults), and has worked with children most of her life. She has worked as a Certified Birth Assistant (Doula) assisting pregnant couples and families. She was introduced to Waldorf Schooling when she lived in a community where all the children on the farm (5 families) were home-schooled in the Waldorf tradition. Later, she did Waldorf homeschooling with her oldest two children in Santa Barbara. Ms. Karen worked at The Garden School, a Waldorf-inspired preschool, and later at The Country Side Private School where she assisted a Waldorf Teacher. The greatest gifts she feels she brings to the children is genuine holistic care, a wonder of life, and love for the natural world. She sees children as her Teachers, as well. This will be Ms. Karen’s first year at Summergarden.