Camp Availability 2023

Session 1: 3 spacesavailable
Session 2: 2 spaces available
Session 3: 2 Spaces available
Please text 978-853-7873 to reserve

Outside With Your Kids Since 1974

Gloucester Adventure Camp

Outside with your kids since 1976...

GMS Adventure Camp fosters a sense of wonder, environmental stewardship, and critical thinking skills. The open spaces of Essex County serve as a living classroom for campers to learn, appreciate and understand the natural resources of the greater Cape Ann area.

Hiking through the Woods

COVID-19 Policy Guidelines Summer 2021

Covid 19 Plan

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As the summer progresses, we expect that most of the restrictions and guidelines for safe behavior and social distancing will be lifted. We will update these guidelines for each camp session. Unless otherwise notified, this notification covers all regulations for the current session your child/children is/are attending.

Jo-Anne Crawford will be responsible for responding to any COVID-19 concerns. Please contact her via email or phone (978 853 7873) if you have any questions.

On the first day of each camp session, we will review our COVID protocols with campers and counselors. We will educate campers about COVID symptoms, encourage them to report any symptoms, and require that they stay home if they are sick. We will also ensure that each camper knows how to obtain a replacement mask if needed.

Visitors and parents will not be allowed to accompany campers during the day.

Daily Dos and Don’ts:

  • All campers and staff are required to bring a mask with them to camp every day.
  • Parents are responsible for dropping their children off with a mask and hand sanitizer in their backpack.
  • We will have extra disposable masks and hand sanitizer available for any camper who loses or misplaces either one during camp hours.
  • We will also have extra hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes available for cleaning before and after lunch, snack, and bathroom breaks.
  • Unvaccinated campers will be required to maintain 3 feet of distance between each other.
  • As always, we will be asking parents to sign everyone in upon arrival at camp. This year, you will also be certifying that no one in your household has experienced any COVID-19 symptoms in the last 24 hours, that your camper(s) is not required to be in COVID-19 isolation or quarantine, and that they have not been given any fever reducing medication. These forms will be maintained on file for the duration of each session.
  • Any COVID vaccination records must be submitted with camper health records.
  • All shared equipment will be cleaned and disinfected after each use.
  • In the event one of our campers tests positive for COVID-19, we will notify the Mass Department of Public Health Sanitation Program, the Gloucester Board of Health, and all parents of campers enrolled in the session as soon as possible and no later than 48 hours.

Transportation and Bus Guidelines:

  • In order to stay as safe as possible, campers will be required to wear masks on the bus, and we will have assigned seating for each session.
  • Bus windows will be open at least two inches at all times.
  • Counselors will be assigned to ensure that all campers adhere to these health and safety guidelines.
  • We will have extra disposable masks available on the bus for any camper who cannot find their mask.
  • As usual, we will be transporting our campers on one of the Gloucester School system’s buses. We will clean and disinfect all high-touch surfaces after each bus ride and will require that the interior of each vehicle is cleaned and thoroughly disinfected at least once in every 24 period.
  • Exceptions to masks: Campers with medical, behavioral, or other challenges who are unable to wear masks may wear face shields as an option. These campers must maintain 3 feet of distance between themselves and others.

Cohorts:

  • Unvaccinated campers will be assigned to the same cohort for the duration of the program session. Cohorts will not be combined at any time, and staff will not float between cohorts unless needed to provide supervision of specialized activities or to provide breaks for other staff.
  • Two or more cohorts of campers and counselors may gather in the same area. If indoors, campers will be required to wear masks and each cohort will keep 3 feet between them.
  • We will ensure that campers/staff belongings are stowed and carried in a manner that prevents groups from congregating in the same area.
  • We will stagger use of bathrooms, require campers to wash their hands, and disinfect in between uses.
  • Each cohort will be limited to groups of under 25 not including staff. We will require campers to wear masks and practice safe social distancing (3 feet) indoors. Outdoors, we will not require campers to wear masks but we will ask children not to congregate too closely in the same area.

Isolation and Quarantine

In the event that any camper or counselor exhibits signs and symptoms of COVID, we will isolate the child from the rest of the group and notify their emergency contact for immediate pick up. The camper will not be allowed to return to camp until we receive a negative test result.

Please note that we will be unable to refund camp tuition in the event of a positive COVID event that requires suspension of any ongoing session.

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We are thrilled to announce that we plan to run our Adventure Camp this summer!

While we still have not received the exact details about what this will look like, we will apply all guidelines that the state and the City of Gloucester dictate. At this time, we are planning to run smaller groups and require social distancing and mask wearing. Our first priority is always to keep our campers and staff safe and healthy!

Mila and Willow are looking forward to seeing old and new campers this summer.

Please register early because we will have very limited space this year. You can download our 2021 brochure and registration forms here.

As always, we will refund all tuition payments if pandemic regulations or concerns interfere with our current plans.

Note: We are not raising prices this year, and we will be offering a 5% discount for campers that pay the deposit amount by April 30,  or a 10% discount for all campers that are paid in full by April 30! Earlybirds will also get a free GMS Camp mask.

Yours in adventure,

Jo-Anne and Jeff

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Science says we ALL need to wear a mask

Back to School – The Kids say these masks are really comfortable!!

Please show your support and buy one for everyone in the family!
We have a limited supply of 6 designs so we will fill your orders on a first come, first served basis. We had 6 of our favorite Camp photos printed in the UK on organic 4.6 oz weight cotton and added an organic cotton lining.

Marsh Jump Mask
Marsh Jump
Dory Row Mask
Dory Row
Technical Climb Jump Mask
Technical Climb Jump
Secret Spots Mask
Secret Spots
Black Rock Jump Mask
Black Rock Jump
Red Rock Mask
Red Rock

The masks were hand sewn by our friend from Nepal, Tsedam Sherpa. Tsedam will be donating 100% of his proceeds to support HomeAwayfromHome in his village of Namche Bazaar. Namche Bazaar is the last big village before the Mt Everest Base camp and it is where he houses and educates Sherpa children who have lost parents in climbing accidents over the years.

Thank you for your support of both GMS Adventure Camp and HomeAwayFromHome, Nepal

Sizing Info:
The Adult medium size will fit most kids so we have a limited quantity of child sizes available.
order child size only if your face is very petite.
Both Mila and Jo-Anne wear Medium, and Jeff prefers the large.

Adult masks include a very comfortable safety nose wire to adjust to your face and prevent fogging of any glasses.

Please click here to order masks for your family.
Questions? Please call Jo-Anne at 978 853 7873 or send her an email.

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Hello campers, parents, and friends of GMS!
Happy summer!

School is out, the weather is gorgeous, and it’s aboutthe time we normally start getting excited about being reunited with camp friends and counselors after a long winter apart. 
Unfortunately, camp cannot begin as usual this week – but that doesn’t mean we can’t all be together! Tomorrow, June 23rd, Adventure Camp will be hosting a virtual gathering to kick summer off on the right foot! 

Missing your GMS buddies? Dreaming of death pits and games of Tap, Tap, In? Wishing we could all have snack at Picnic Point? This Zoom will be the next best thing to actually fulfilling your dog-days-of-summer desires!
This virtual discussion will mimic our lunch meetings – we’ll “circle” up to chat about anything from remote school to the best way to build a hermit hut.
Reach out to us with your interest by responding to this email, and we’ll get back to you with a link to the meeting room. Campers 10 and under will meet from 5:30-6:00 pm and campers over 10 will meet from 6:00-6:30 pm. We can’t wait to see you there!

Peace out,
The Adventure Camp Staff
 

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Hello Adventure Camp Families 🙂

Please join us for a zoom chat today!!
Kids under 12 @ 5:30
Kids over 12 @ 6
We are still working on details with the State licensing Board – but, for now – they are not allowing kids to gather in groups to do field trips (which is what we do all day), to travel on a bus, or to go in boats together.  All our activities are currently not allowed – so, we want to chat for a bit today and see your faces 🙂
We will continue to work on virtual activities that will be available on our website and we will keep you posted about when we will be allowed to gather in person safely!
The Dory boats are all ready to go – with fresh new paint, new seats, etc!

See you on the computer screen later today!
xoxo
Jo-Anne and Jeff
Along with our Adventure Staff!!

Jo Anne Crawford is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Gloucester Adventure Camp !!
Time: Jun 23, 2020 05:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83005611388







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Hello to our GMS Adventure family and community,

We received a copy of the detailed Massachusetts COVID-19 regulations for operating a summer camp earlier this week. Although camps may be allowed to reopen for the summer, the new guidelines will prevent us from running our GMS Adventure Camp the way we have traditionally and in a manner that keeps both our campers and counselors safe and healthy.

Despite this news, we are still committed to helping the children of Cape Ann immerse themselves in the natural beauty of the outdoor environment that surrounds us. Fortunately, we have a dedicated and imaginative group of leaders and counselors who are creating a series of activities, videos, and life lessons that your children and entire family can participate in outdoors—in your backyard, at the beach, in the Great Salt Marsh, in the woods, and all over Cape Ann and the North Shore—over the course of the summer. We also hope to create workshops that families can attend together to row dory boats, hike new places, explore mud pits, and more!!!!

Please check our website, Facebook page, and Instagram feed for more details as we begin to post our new adventures online. We will also continue to email our families regularly with news about our 2020 summer program.

As we mentioned in our last letter, we will be providing free online content for the month of June to all families. In July and August, we plan to introduce a variety of fee-based activities for our community. Our commitment to keeping the camp accessible to every child on the North Shore remains steadfast so please stay tuned for scholarship opportunities.

Our founder, Jim Schoel, will be introducing the principles of the Full Value Contract that guides our community values in a few days, and our staff will be launching our summer program ideas shortly thereafter.

As always – we wish you health and peace in the midst of this pandemic chaos.

Please stay tuned for a summer full of outdoor adventures with GMS,

Jo-Anne, the Board of Directors, and our wonderful team of counselors.