Outdoor Education

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Goals of Outdoor Education at Camp Friedenswald

• To foster wonder, joy and delight in the natural world through direct experience in the out of doors.
• To provide hands-on learning experiences which familiarize students with Friedenswald’s natural communities and to encourage children, youth and adults to explore these communities.
•  To promote wise use and care of our natural resources.
•  To develop the skills needed to live in harmony with the environment, family, classmates, and neighbors.
•  To demonstrate the relationships within and between the natural and human realms, and to demonstrate our dependence on the environment for food, water, shelter, etc.

Camp Habitats

Camp Friedenswald's property includes a wide variety of areas for study. These include an old-growth Red Oak/Hickory forest (rated among the top ten of its kind in the state by the Michigan Nature Conservancy), a meadow, a beech/maple climax woods, a tamarack fen, a marsh, two lakes (one completely undeveloped), and mixed hardwood forest at many different successional stages.

Deer, raccoons, fox squirrels and red squirrels are frequently seen on Friedenswald's property and the fen is home to at least one federally endangered species and an active muskrat colony. In addition, a wide variety of birds visit the Nature Center's feeding station.

Facilities

Our Dining Hall has a dining area with seating for 240, a commercial-style kitchen, game room, piano, lounge with fireplace, and restrooms.

Our Chapel/Activity Center is a large winterized, multi-use building ideal for indoor recreation and other programs. It has gym-size floor space, a basketball goal, volleyball net (available as needed), two dorms, restrooms and a piano.

We have 6 Modern Cabins and 6 Rustic Cabins. The Modern cabins are handicapped-accessible and have their own bathrooms. The Rustic Cabins have a bathhouse within close walking distance of the cabins.

Teachers and other adults that are not cabin chaperones for the children typically stay in Sycamore Lodge or the Guesthouse. Our Guesthouse accommodations sleep 36 people; each room has two bunk beds (the lower bed of one is a double bed) and a private bathroom.

Our Nature Center contains displays on local and general topics and includes a bird feeding/observation station.

Staffing

The full-time year-round Program Director and Program Coordinator organize the details and host the school. The Friedenswald staff will provide one instructor to teach up to five sessions per day, will equip other instructors, and provide lesson plans.

Teachers and chaperones from the visiting school are encouraged to teach additional classes and lead activities as well. Our goal is to foster wonder, joy and delight in the natural world through direct experience in the out of doors.

History and Mission

Camp Friedenswald is a non-profit organization supported by the Central District Conference of Mennonite Church USA.

The Camp began in 1950 to provide a unique Christian outdoor experience for Mennonite youth. In the 1960's, as Friedenswald expanded into a year-round facility, the Camp moved to become a more active member of the community by providing a variety of experiences for children of all ages. Serving families from Missouri to Ohio and beyond, Friedenswald continues today to offer eight weeks of distinctly Christian camping for campers from many denominations.

Camp Friedenswald is committed to providing quality and variety to the ever-changing needs of the community.