Nature Camp Counselor: Spring Camp

Nature Camp Counselor for Inspire Behavioral Learning's Call of the Wild Camps: Spring Camp in Vacaville

Do you love teaching children? Do you love the outdoors, nature, and hiking? Are you passionate about children's books, reading, and writing? How about combining your passions into one fun seasonal job? At Inspire Behavioral Learning, LLC, we are looking for a spring Nature Camp Counselor to work with kids in grades K-5 at Lagoon Valley Park in Vacaville, CA. We seek an energetic, dynamic, creative, and dependable outdoor enthusiast to join us in creating and implementing educational programs outdoors. Camp counselors lead children in outdoor Call of the Wild Camps. Our nature camps are for kids to connect with nature, hike, read, write, explore, learn, and play in forests of the Bay Area!

Our ideal camp counselor is a communicative and collaborative team player bursting with creative ideas, fun, adaptable, friendly, outgoing, energetic, and eager to inspire and engage children in learning by doing. Strong nature camp counselors have experience in early childhood education, elementary school education, special education, outdoor education, environmental education, nature education, literacy education, outdoor recreation, and related fields.

WHO WE ARE: Inspire Behavioral Learning, LLC believes that to inspire learning is to inspire action! We do this by moving individuals to learn in ways that are personally meaningful, motivating, and relevant to their entire lives.

WHAT MAKES US UNIQUE:

• We believe in the wisdom of "be kind to every kind" and the benefits of veganism on animals, health, and the environment.
• We value diversity and include children with disabilities and typically developing children alike in our programs.
• We value the integrity of the whole person and are dedicated to a well-rounded blend of head, heart, and body -- being constant learners, kind and caring, and focused on learning by doing.
• We incorporate emergent curriculum and principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA), the science of learning that focuses on observable interaction between the learner and environment.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

• Complete training online and onsite at Lagoon Valley Park, rain or shine, the week before camp (at least 2 days attendance mandatory)
• Punctually and reliably attend scheduled work hours, including training, staff meetings, and camp session dates
• Attend outdoor nature camps, rain or shine, each scheduled day for the season you are hired to work (spring camp in Vacaville is April 21-25)
• Safely lead hikes for K-5th graders in small groups
• Maintain a 4:1 or 5:1 student: staff ratio or ratio approved by the camp supervisor
• Implement age-appropriate, grade-appropriate, K-5 level nature-themed science, outdoor education, language arts, art, and motor activities for Call of the Wild Camps
• Facilitate fun and positive nature education curriculum on vegan topics such as animal rights, speciesism, health, food, clothing, and the environment
• Teach and facilitate outdoor language arts activities for children with nature and wilderness themes, including circle time with story time and singing, literary show-and-tell, skits, nature journaling, mapmaking, creative writing, and authoring and illustrating books
• Teach and facilitate science activities and lessons, such as topics in biology, ecology, zoology, environmental science, life science, outdoor education, environmental stewardship, conservation, preservation, etc., integrating naturalistic observation, group discussion, games, and relevant children's books and writing activities
• Teach and engage children in outdoor activities and motor play that blend recreation and education, such as nature-themed hide and seek, chase games, and scavenger hunts
• Teach and facilitate nature-themed arts and crafts
• Teach and engage children with a fun teaching style and high energy, creativity, adaptability, spontaneity, dynamism, and positivity
• Supervise and facilitate children's rest breaks, snack and lunch breaks, and physical play breaks
• Provide naturalistic executive function teaching across diverse activities
• Implement teaching and behavior management based on principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA), including prompting, positive reinforcement, and contingencies of reinforcement based on student preferences and choices
• Facilitate emergent curriculum and child-centered, student-centered, experiential, incidental, and play-based teaching and learning opportunities
• Work closely and cooperatively with the camp director and supervisor in creating and implementing both structured and incidental learning opportunities for the camp schedule
• Keep work materials neat, organized, and in good working condition
• Record accurate, objective incident reports
• Follow all health and safety requirements, and make sure campers follow them
• Follow all leave no trace principles, and make sure campers follow them
• Actively contribute and participate in staff training and meetings
• Proactively communicate camp questions and concerns to the camp director and supervisor
• Follow directions and implement feedback from supervisors
• Interact with students and staff in a kind, caring, respectful, positive, and professional manner
• Represent Call of the Wild Camps in a positive and professional manner with customers, staff, and park visitors
• Perform other duties as assigned

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Education:

• Provide proof of your high school diploma or higher degree
• Provide your academic transcripts (unofficial transcripts are permitted) in good standing

Certification and Safety Requirements:

• Provide proof of unexpired CPR and First Aid certification that remains unexpired through all camp dates you're applying to work
• Provide proof of full COVID-19 vaccination
• Pass a DOJ and FBI background check

Experience:

• Minimum 1 year experience as a camp counselor, outdoor educator, recreation leader, or teacher for outdoor education camps, outdoor recreational camps, nature camps, science camps, STEM camps, STEAM camps, literacy camps, after school programs, or equivalent experience
• Minimum 1 year experience working in person with elementary school age K-5th graders
• Experience hiking trails of moderate difficulty on hilly and uneven terrain up to approximately 6 miles per day
• Experience working with culturally, linguistically, and developmentally diverse children
• Experience working with students with widely diverse abilities, such as giftedness, typically developing children, children with disabilities (e.g., autism, ADHD, dyslexia, speech and language delays), and English Language Learners (ELL)
• Experience taking initiative leading groups of children
• Experience leading extracurricular enrichment activities for children
• Experience implementing effective and appropriate behavior management for elementary school age children
• Experience with child development and implementing age-appropriate, grade-appropriate, developmentally appropriate activities for elementary school age children

Skills:

• Ability to hike trails of moderate difficulty on hilly and uneven terrain up to approximately 6 miles per day each day
• Ability to carry a loaded hiking backpack weighing up to 20% of your body weight for the duration of each camp day
• Fun and engaging teaching style with high energy, creativity, adaptability, spontaneity, dynamism, and positivity
• Kind, caring, compassionate, and patient with learners of all skill levels
• Demonstrate care for children and a desire to help the whole child learn and grow in enjoyable ways, in addition to language arts and/or biology subject-matter competence
• Command of American English phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics
• Eagerness and openness to continually learn and develop your skill set, no matter how minimal or extensive your experience
• Excellent ability to break concepts down into simple and easy steps
• Excellent time-management and organizational skills
• Outstanding oral and written communication skills
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Punctuality and reliable attendance
• Demonstrable love of nature and the outdoors, eco-conscious, and health-conscious
• You can articulate how veganism benefits animals, health, and the environment
• Demonstrable love of language arts and literacy teaching
• Enthusiastic about making education relevant to children's lives

Other Requirements:

• You are an adult (age 18 )
• Valid CA driver’s license
• Possess your own reliable vehicle for commuting to and from work

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Experience hiking in Lagoon Valley Park and familiarity with its flora and fauna
• Majoring in or degree in biology, environmental science, education, or closely related field
• You are vegan, and you understand that veganism is an ethical philosophy and lifestyle

​PERKS AND BENEFITS:

• Have fun teaching kids in the outdoors!
• Paid training
• Paid rest breaks
• Off-duty meal breaks
• Supportive and friendly environment with coaching and mentorship
• Successful hires may be invited to return for additional seasonal camps
• Become part of a company that truly cares about both the employee’s and student’s happiness and success!

LOCATION: Lagoon Valley Park, Vacaville, CA 95688

SCHEDULE: camp is Apr 21-25. All camp hours for employees are 8:25 AM-4:35 PM. Spring season training: the week before the camp begins (flexible dates with at least 2 days attendance mandatory).

CLASSIFICATION: Non-exempt employee for temporary, seasonal work.

To learn more about Call of the Wild Camps, visit: www.inspirebehavior.com/call-of-the-wild-outdoor-nature-camps-academic-camps.

APPLY: Have a relevant resume, and complete the application questions in the Google Form here: https://forms.gle/Z21CFpibQEC6uHiH9

You may alternatively apply from Inspire Behavioral Learning's website www.inspirebehavior.com. We look forward to connecting with you!

INTERNSHIP: if you do not meet all of the required qualifications for employment, you are welcome to apply for the Nature Camp Counselor internship, a free Counselor in Training program for high school students and college/university undergrads, to gain experience and skills: https://www.inspirebehavior.com/nature-camp-counselor-teen-college-internships.

Keywords: Vacaville camp counselor, spring camp counselor, spring nature camp counselor, camp leader, camp teacher, camp instructor, outdoor educator, outdoor camp educator, outdoor camp counselor, naturalist, environmental educator, nature camp counselor, science camp counselor, reading camp counselor, writing camp counselor, youth leader, youth group leader, lead camp counselor, and elementary program leader.

Job Types: Full-time, Temporary

Pay: $20.00 - $22.00 per hour

Benefits:

• Referral program

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Day shift

Work Location: In person

Salary : $20 - $22