By Wendi Reardon Price
Clarkston News Staff Writer

Independence Township — The eighth year of Camp Wild at Clarkston Family Farm wraps in the next week with a fifth session and like every year it was a good year.
Clarkston Family Farm Executive Director Chelsea O’Brien shared even though each year is the best, 2023 was “the best camp ever.”
“We sold out five weeks in two days and had 32 families on our waiting list,” she said, adding they added a fifth week when the first four sessions sold out in less than a day.
“Some of the kids we have been seeing for years weren’t able to get in,” said Sierra Bonser, a Camp Wild counselor and is working at the farm through the Michigan State University Extension Internship Program. “It’s so sad, but it’s also so magical to see new faces, to know our program is growing and it’s growing so fast.”
O’Brien added as years past they had campers from Clarkston, Oxford, Lake Orion and surrounding areas. But this year they had a camper who is an exchange student from Japan and a pair of siblings from England who wanted to spend a week of their four-week vacation at Camp Wild.
Three of the camp sessions were half days from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. The last two sessions were full days with the same morning routine as the half days but extra in the afternoon.
“In the afternoon we really elevate the experience and do a cooking lab,” said O’Brien, adding on the first day they made salsa and made tie dye T-shirts. “We take our mini horses and our donkey for a walk. Those are new, too. We try to do as much animal interaction as we can.”
Alexis Teran was horse handlers for the mini horses, Bubbles and Biscuit.
“It is just awesome because I learn more about the horses as I am helping with them like how much food they eat and what they eat,” she said.
Teran became a counselor this year after attending Camp Wild for a couple of years
“It’s really exciting,” Teran said. “Ever since I started camping here I have wanted to be one of the counselors so it’s a big accomplishment for me.”
She had taken a few field trips to Clarkston Family Farm and thought it was a cool environment. Then, her mom found out about Camp Wild.
“I love the environment and everything I was learning was very interesting,” Teran shared about why she kept coming back. “I also loved all the activities, the animals and everybody is just one big happy family.”
Zander Aguire attended Camp Wild last week and has for at least six years.
“It’s very fun,” he said about why he keeps going back. “I like it here. I want to find a caterpillar this year.”
Aguire also shared he wants to be a counselor one day.
“I am good with kids,” he said.
O’Brien added Camp Wild continues to be a multisensory experience for the kids and the counselors. Each day at Camp Wild has a different theme and is about different ecosystems with the themes being Wonderful Wetlands, What’s Under Our Feet, Marvelous Meadows, Fantastic Forests and Getting Our Thumbs Green.
“We just try to keep it fresh,” O’Brien added.
Teran shared her favorite day was Marvelous Meadows.
“I love butterflies,” she said. “I love learning different parts and it is very interesting to learn about the butterflies.”
Aguire had a hard time picking a favorite day as Wonderful Wetlands, Marvelous Meadows and Fantastic Forests all sprang to mind for different reasons.
“I like them all to be honest. They are all different,” he said. “Fantastic Forests I remember when we built a fort.”
Kendall Allen, a second year counselor, shared she enjoyed Fantastic Forests.
“I love building the forts and I love how the campers love that day,” she said. “They get to be in the woods and deep in the woods.”
Camp Rowan VanGorder added he liked building forts, too, along with going to the pond.
Bonser shared her favorite day is the last day – Getting Our Thumbs Green. The campers and counselors go to Bittersweet Farm on Allen Road.
“We plant a row for the hungry,” she added. “The field trip really emulates and reflects what our mission is at the farm. Kids get to play all week and then on Friday we have this capstone and wrap it up in a nice bundle. It’s fun for them. They enjoy it, and we are making a difference at the same time.”
Bonser shared it was Clarkston Family Farm’s mission which led her to be an intern for the farm, where she was hired in to be team leader three years ago.
“She is really dialing it up even better,” O’Brien said.
As an intern, Bonser works full time as opposed as just seasonal.
“There are three objectives for my internship: the business aspect of the Clarkston Family Farm; nature-based education part of Clarkston Family Farm; and elevating landscaping at Clarkston Family Farm. I love CFF’s mission. I love what it stands for and I love the people I encounter and work with. This is a great place for me to network for the future.”
Clarkston Family Farm, a non-profit educational farm, is located at 6800 Hubbard Road, hosts the Clarkston Monarch Festival on Saturday, August 26 at 4 p.m. For more information about the farm and more, visit them on Facebook or clarkstonfamilyfarm.com.

PHOTO: The blue group at Camp Wild gives thumbs up, digs Clarkston Family Farm last week. Photo: Wendi Reardon Price