Last week of JuneOpen
Week 1: Fire circle
Fire sites, tinder, kindling and fuel wood, and a first fire lit with an adult beside you.
- Ages 10 to 15
- 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Fire and shelter camp in Sisters, Oregon
Learn fire, shelter and trail craft the careful way
Kindling is a summer day camp in the pines outside Sisters, Oregon, for kids 10 to 15. Campers learn to choose a fire site, lay and tend a fire with an adult beside them, build a shelter and read a trail, one badge at a time.
- Ages 10 to 15
- Six weeks, late June to early August
- Thirty campers a week
The skills path
Five badges, one at a time
Every camper works through the same path at their own pace. A badge is signed off when a counselor has watched the skill, more than once, and you are ready for the next.
- 01
Tinder: camp craft
SkillsPack and carry a day pack
Tie a taut-line, a bowline and a clove hitch
Read the day's fire level and the weather at the gate
Moving upA counselor watches you do each skill on your own, on more than one day, and signs it off.
- 02
Kindling: the fire site
SkillsChoose a site and clear it to bare soil
Build a ring and set the bucket and shovel in reach
Sort tinder, kindling and fuel wood by size
Moving upYou lay and light a fire on two different days, and an adult checks the site before and after.
- 03
Fuel: tend and put out
SkillsFeed a fire in small steps and keep it small
Take a turn as the fire watcher for a whole block
Put a fire out with water and stir until the ashes are cold
Moving upYou run a fire from the first match to cold ashes, with an adult watching and saying little.
- 04
Frame: shelter
SkillsChoose a shelter site away from dead branches
Hang a tarp on a ridgeline
Build a branch lean-to with a partner
Moving upYou and a partner build a shelter and a counselor checks it, then you take it down again.
- 05
Compass: trail and weather
SkillsRead a map and take a bearing
Keep a group together on a trail
Cross a creek with a plan
Moving upYou lead a short leg of a trail day while a counselor walks at the back.
Where to startWhere a new camper starts
Sample levels.
Summer
Six weeks, one theme each
Book one week or several. Every week runs Monday to Friday, and badges carry from one week to the next.
Summer
- First week of JulyOpen
Week 2: Shelter
Tarps, ridgelines and branch lean-tos: picking a site, building a frame and taking it down again.
- Ages 10 to 15
- 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- Second week of JulyWaitlist
Week 3: Trail days
Maps, compasses and a long day on the trail with packs, snacks and a creek crossing.
- Ages 10 to 15
- 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- Third week of JulyOpen
Week 4: Camp kitchen
Stoves, a cooking fire, food storage and cleaning up a camp kitchen so nothing is left behind.
- Ages 10 to 15
- 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- Fourth week of JulyFull
Week 5: Weather and wildfire sense
Reading the sky, the wind and the fire level, and what a camp day looks like when the fire level is high.
- Ages 10 to 15
- 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- First week of AugustOpen
Week 6: Plan a camp day
Campers plan and run a camp day for their families, from the fire site to the shelter, with counselors at the back.
- Ages 10 to 15
- 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Sample sessions.
Weeks open, fill and gather waitlists as families register. Our registration page has the latest.
Fire and safety
How fire is handled at camp
Who watches the fire, when we light and when we don't, how a fire is put out, and how many counselors are with each age group.
License
Kindling is a day camp that is not licensed as child care by the Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care.
Adults to children
1 adult to 6 children
10 to 12 years
Group size: 12
1 adult to 8 children
13 to 15 years
Group size: 16
Capacity
30
Ages 10 years to 15 years
Staff checks and training
- Background checks
- CPR and first aid
- Medication training
Safety routines
An adult at every fire
Every fire has an adult beside it from the first match to the last cold ash. Campers take turns as the fire watcher, and the watcher's only job is to watch.
Fire only when the county allows it
Central Oregon has fire restrictions in the dry months. We check the county's fire level and the air report every morning. On a restricted day we practice fire lays without lighting, cook on a stove, or move to shelter work.
The fire site
A fire goes in a ring on bare soil, inside a cleared circle, with a bucket of water and a shovel in reach and the wood stacked back from the ring. We look at the site together before anything is lit.
Out means cold
A fire is out when we have poured water on it, stirred it and poured again, and the ashes are cold to the back of an adult's hand. Then the camper who watched checks it too.
Clothing, tools and fuel
Closed-toe boots, long pants and cotton or wool on fire days, with hair tied back. No axes or hatchets: an adult splits the wood before camp. Lighters and matches are handed out by an adult and returned at the end of the block, and no lighter fluid or gasoline comes to camp.
Smoke, heat and storms
When the air is smoky, the fire level is high, or a storm is near, we move indoors for knots, maps and shelter models, or we close and text families before 7:30 a.m.
Sign-in and pickup
An adult on your list signs your camper in and out at the gate. We ask for ID until we know you, and we call you if someone new is coming.
Allergies, medicine and illness
Tell us about allergies and medicine at registration, and we ask what we need privately. A camper with a fever stays home. If a camper feels ill at camp, we call you and a counselor stays with them until you arrive.
Sample details.
A day at camp
A day built around one fire and one build
Camp opens at the gate at 9:00 a.m. with the day's fire level and the plan. The rest of the day goes in this order.
Arrival and the day's fire level
Circle: the plan and each camper's job
Morning skills block
Lunch from home and quiet time
Afternoon build block
Closing circle and pickup at 3:15
The team
The adults at every fire
Three leads run the camp, and a counselor walks with every group.
Avinash Biswas
Director and fire lead
Avinash started Kindling to teach kids what he learned on trips with his own family: how to pick a spot, build a fire that behaves and put it all the way out. He leads the fire circle and shelter weeks, and he answers the phone.
Yoana Tello
Trail and weather lead
Yoana plans the trail days and the weather week. She teaches map and compass work, checks every creek crossing before the group gets there, and walks at the back of the line.
Hiroki Harada
Shelter and camp kitchen lead
Hiroki builds the shelter frames with each group and runs the camp kitchen week. He likes a good knot, a tidy site and a stove that does not need a second match.
Questions
What families ask us
What ages and weeks do you serve?
Kindling is for kids 10 to 15, in six summer weeks from late June to early August. Each week has its own theme, and campers can book one week or several.
Will campers really light fires?
Yes, on the days the county allows fire, from the Kindling badge up. An adult stands at the ring, lighters and matches are handed out by an adult and returned at the end of the block, and every fire ends with cold ashes.
What happens when fires are restricted or the air is smoky?
We check the county's fire level and the air report every morning. On a restricted day we practice fire lays without lighting, cook on a stove, or do shelter and map work. If the air is too smoky to be outside, we move indoors or close, and we text families before 7:30 a.m.
What do we bring?
Closed-toe boots, long pants, a cotton or wool top, a rain shell, a brimmed hat, sunscreen already on, a filled water bottle, a day pack and lunch.
How does pickup work?
An adult on your list signs your camper out at the gate between 3:15 and 3:30 p.m. We ask for ID until we know you, and we call you if someone new is coming.
How does tuition work?
It depends on the weeks you book and what your camper needs. Our registration page has the figures.
Save a place for the weeks you need
Registration opens in February. Register on our enrollment page, or call and ask about fire levels, trail day or pickup.