Adventure Architects
Cost
$475*
Where
Maxon Mills
37 Furnace Bank Road
Wassaic, NY 12592
When
July 7–11, 2025
9:30 AM to 3:30 PM
Who
Rising grades 6–10
Calling all young adventurers! Join educator and builder Matt Dilley for a unique blend of learning and hands-on fun as we delve into the fascinating world of shelter-building. We'll learn about common shelters — from cozy lean-tos to sturdy debris huts — through engaging discussions and interactive lessons. Then, it's time to roll up our sleeves and put our newfound knowledge to the test as we venture into the wilds of Whatthewhat to construct our very own shelters using natural materials. From weaving branches to stacking stones, every moment promises excitement and discovery. Students will be invited to work solo or with a buddy as they build and spend the day in a shelter they made on a final day camp out. The group will also collaborate on a built element for the final performance. It may be a massive, Andy Goldsworthy-style tunnel crafted of sticks or the bridge across the creek of the troll Inan Doubt. So grab your gear and join us for an adventure-packed journey into the wild!
* Campers will use tools such as drills and hand saws during the course of this camp — always under adult supervision, wearing personal protective equipment, and after receiving safety training. Please consider this when signing up for camp!
· · ·
* We have a no-questions-asked scholarship policy to ensure our education programming is accessible to everyone who wants to participate. If the cost of camp presents a significant financial barrier, please reach out to jill@wassaicproject.org for a partial or full scholarship. If you do so before December 18, we will send you a discount code before registration opens.
We will issue a refund minus 20% for cancellations received two weeks in advance of the camp start date. There will be no refunds of cancellation notices received within two weeks, as it is difficult for us to fill the spots on such close notice, and we operate within a narrow budget. We will waive this policy in the event of an emergency or hardship — please email jill@wassaicproject.org should you need to request this.
About Vagabond Time Killers
Welcome to the town of Whatthewhat, a magical place in a steep valley where fairies build villages in tree roots, apples ripen to the color of indigo, and when you dig a hole in the ground, you never know where it will come out. The moon is always visible in the sky and the water flows uphill (except on Mondays). To enter and leave, you must tell a joke to the bridge troll Inan Doubt, and everyone trades in the blue rocks called slag strewn through the riverbeds. Pantyhose the Billy Goat roams the hills and the horses three, Charlemagne, Antoinette, and Bill, graze happily on the grassy slopes of Rattlesnake Mountain. Here dwell the Vagabond Time Killers, a group of kids expert at killin’ time, the wizard Azorazad who guards the top-secret time machine, and the Unruly Band of Renegade Music Makers, who perform never-before-heard works of music on never-before-seen instruments.
One afternoon, the Vagabond Time Killers are hard at work killing time. They are launching homemade rockets high into the sky, but when they run out of rocket fuel they decide instead to use chunks of slag. The blast goes wrong and causes the entire town of Whatthewhat to shake and quake and the hundreds of slumbering snakes on Rattlesnake Mountain to awaken. The snakes have been asleep for 203 years! They do not appreciate being disturbed. Old Gray Beard, the Keeper of the Rattlesnakes, interprets the snakes’ hissing and delivers a message to the Vagabonds:
In order to appease the snakes, you, the Vagabond Time Killers, must bring an offering of the snakes’ choosing — this year and every year after — from far away in time and space. The first offering they require is the tooth of a live sabertooth tiger, so fresh from the tiger’s mouth it is still dripping with saliva. Without this offering, they will take over Whatthewhat and claim it as their own. Beware, they say, for the sabertooth has particularly stinky breath.
Join the Vagabond Time Killers in restoring balance to the town of Whatthewhat! With the help (or sometimes hindrance) of Azorazad the Wizard, Pantyhose the Billy Goat, the troll In an Doubt, the inventor Eddie, the mad emu Mother, the Unruly Band of Renegade Music Makers, the Keeper of the Rattlesnakes himself, Old Gray Beard, and many more friends, the Vagabond Time Killers will travel into the beyond. Will they succeed in their mission of claiming the tooth of the sabertooth? Only time will tell.
We need you to join on this adventure!
Adventure Architects
Cost
$475*
Where
Maxon Mills
37 Furnace Bank Road
Wassaic, NY 12592
When
July 7–11, 2025
9:30 AM to 3:30 PM
Who
Rising grades 6–10
Calling all young adventurers! Join educator and builder Matt Dilley for a unique blend of learning and hands-on fun as we delve into the fascinating world of shelter-building. We'll learn about common shelters — from cozy lean-tos to sturdy debris huts — through engaging discussions and interactive lessons. Then, it's time to roll up our sleeves and put our newfound knowledge to the test as we venture into the wilds of Whatthewhat to construct our very own shelters using natural materials. From weaving branches to stacking stones, every moment promises excitement and discovery. Students will be invited to work solo or with a buddy as they build and spend the day in a shelter they made on a final day camp out. The group will also collaborate on a built element for the final performance. It may be a massive, Andy Goldsworthy-style tunnel crafted of sticks or the bridge across the creek of the troll Inan Doubt. So grab your gear and join us for an adventure-packed journey into the wild!
* Campers will use tools such as drills and hand saws during the course of this camp — always under adult supervision, wearing personal protective equipment, and after receiving safety training. Please consider this when signing up for camp!
* We have a no-questions-asked scholarship policy to ensure our education programming is accessible to everyone who wants to participate. If the cost of camp presents a significant financial barrier, please reach out to jill@wassaicproject.org for a partial or full scholarship. If you do so before December 18, we will send you a discount code before registration opens.
We will issue a refund minus 20% for cancellations received two weeks in advance of the camp start date. There will be no refunds of cancellation notices received within two weeks, as it is difficult for us to fill the spots on such close notice, and we operate within a narrow budget. We will waive this policy in the event of an emergency or hardship — please email jill@wassaicproject.org should you need to request this.
About Vagabond Time Killers
Welcome to the town of Whatthewhat, a magical place in a steep valley where fairies build villages in tree roots, apples ripen to the color of indigo, and when you dig a hole in the ground, you never know where it will come out. The moon is always visible in the sky and the water flows uphill (except on Mondays). To enter and leave, you must tell a joke to the bridge troll Inan Doubt, and everyone trades in the blue rocks called slag strewn through the riverbeds. Pantyhose the Billy Goat roams the hills and the horses three, Charlemagne, Antoinette, and Bill, graze happily on the grassy slopes of Rattlesnake Mountain. Here dwell the Vagabond Time Killers, a group of kids expert at killin’ time, the wizard Azorazad who guards the top-secret time machine, and the Unruly Band of Renegade Music Makers, who perform never-before-heard works of music on never-before-seen instruments.
One afternoon, the Vagabond Time Killers are hard at work killing time. They are launching homemade rockets high into the sky, but when they run out of rocket fuel they decide instead to use chunks of slag. The blast goes wrong and causes the entire town of Whatthewhat to shake and quake and the hundreds of slumbering snakes on Rattlesnake Mountain to awaken. The snakes have been asleep for 203 years! They do not appreciate being disturbed. Old Gray Beard, the Keeper of the Rattlesnakes, interprets the snakes’ hissing and delivers a message to the Vagabonds:
In order to appease the snakes, you, the Vagabond Time Killers, must bring an offering of the snakes’ choosing — this year and every year after — from far away in time and space. The first offering they require is the tooth of a live sabertooth tiger, so fresh from the tiger’s mouth it is still dripping with saliva. Without this offering, they will take over Whatthewhat and claim it as their own. Beware, they say, for the sabertooth has particularly stinky breath.
Join the Vagabond Time Killers in restoring balance to the town of Whatthewhat! With the help (or sometimes hindrance) of Azorazad the Wizard, Pantyhose the Billy Goat, the troll In an Doubt, the inventor Eddie, the mad emu Mother, the Unruly Band of Renegade Music Makers, the Keeper of the Rattlesnakes himself, Old Gray Beard, and many more friends, the Vagabond Time Killers will travel into the beyond. Will they succeed in their mission of claiming the tooth of the sabertooth? Only time will tell.
We need you to join on this adventure!
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