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The badge path

Five badges, from Acorn to Pinecone

The badges are for looking, doing and taking care. Campers of any age start at Acorn, and each badge opens the next.

01
Acorn
Where every camper starts
Skills
- Walking the trail in a line with a buddy
- Naming five sounds we hear on a still morning
- Packing and carrying our own daypack
- A tick check with a buddy
Moving up
When a counselor has seen the skills on the trail and signs the badge sheet
02
Sprout
Skills
- Telling three plants apart by their leaves
- Following a track across soft ground
- Keeping a field journal with a pencil and a page
- Knowing which plants we leave alone
Moving up
When a counselor has seen the skills on the trail and signs the badge sheet
03
Creek
Skills
- Crossing shallow water with a partner
- Netting, looking and returning what we find
- Reading how high and fast the water is
- Wearing water shoes and a life jacket when asked
Moving up
When a counselor has seen the skills at the creek and signs the badge sheet
04
Fern
Skills
- Finding north with a compass
- Tying a square knot and a hitch
- Helping to build a lean-to from fallen branches
- Leaving a place as we found it
Moving up
When a counselor has seen the skills on the trail and signs the badge sheet
05
Pinecone
Skills
- Reading a simple trail map with a counselor
- Taking the front of a short walk for the group, one stop at a time
- Showing a younger camper a knot
- Looking after the camp's field guides and nets
Moving up
The last badge on the path, signed by a counselor when the skills have been seen

Where to startRegister for a session

Sample levels.

Badges are signed in the field, never by a test, and a camper moves along at their own pace.

How a badge is earned

From trying it to wearing the patch

Four steps, the same for every badge.

01
Step 1: Try it on the trail
A skill comes up during the day: a plant to name, a knot to tie, a track to follow.
02
Step 2: Show a counselor
When a camper is ready, they show it in the field, with the counselor beside them.
03
Step 3: Sign the sheet
The counselor signs the camper's badge sheet once they have seen all of the skills.
04
Step 4: Get the patch
Each badge comes as a small cloth patch for the camper's daypack, theirs to keep.

Start at Acorn

Pick a week and your camper begins with the first badge.

Register for a session Call the camp