A healthy place for children, the environment, and sustainable futures
Address: Camp Arroyo, 5535 Arroyo Road, Livermore, CA 94550

• About Camp Arroyo
• The Site
• The Curriculum
• Reservations Information
• Camp Arroyo Fact Sheet
• Awards

About Camp Arroyo

Camp Arroyo is a new state of the art environmental education center and youth camp located south of Livermore. It introduces students, primarily from Alameda and Contra Costa Counties, to important concepts about sustainable living. The unique curriculum not only teaches students about our natural, cultural and built environment, but also provides a healthy atmosphere for students to develop a sense of community with their classmates.

The oak woodlands and surrounding hills provide an ideal setting for students to fully immerse themselves in nature exploration. The creative, hands-on projects that the students participate in and take ownership of take place on hiking trails, in an organic garden and orchard, and in outdoor learning villages. The outdoor setting provides experiences that cannot be recreated in the classroom; the new and beautiful surroundings spark an intense curiosity in students, which significantly aids the learning process.

[ Download Camp Arroyo Brochure (147 kb, PDF, 14" x 8.5", 2 pages) ]

The development of Camp Arroyo and its curriculum has been generously supported through funding, grants and donations from:

• East Bay Regional Park District
• The Taylor Family Foundation
• State Department of Parks and Recreation
• California Resources Agency
• California Integrated Waste Management Board
• Alameda County Waste Management, Source Reduction, and Recycling Board
• Regional Parks Foundation

"My favorite thing about Camp Arroyo was the garden." --A 6th grade student from Edendale Middle School.

"I particularly enjoyed watching the students challenge themselves and express themselves outside the boundaries of the classroom." --Sarah Stickle, 6th Grade Teacher, Edendale Middle School, San Lorenzo.

"My favorite thing was how pretty and peaceful it was." --4th grade student from Berkeley Arts Magnet.

"It is a very interactive program with no limits on growth for all involved. Programs like this will improve our society; it builds stronger and nicer students who are going to take on the problems we will leave to them." --Sarah Booth, Teacher, Horizons Alternative High School.

Back to top

The Site

Camp Arroyo is a 138-acre park owned and maintained by the East Bay Regional Park District since 1995. The site retains a sense of isolation as it is situated at the end of a winding road in the countryside.

The "green" camp design not only provides beautiful living and learning facilities, but also serves as a tangible example of sustainable development. A core goal of the site construction is to incorporate responsible building practices such as using recycled, sustainable materials; installing energy efficient lighting and climate control; preserving natural features including trees and wildlife habitats; and reusing existing infrastructure. The ecologically friendly design encourages students to visualize innovative building practices.

The site contains six duplex cabins that comfortably house 144. Each side of the duplex has its own bathroom and sunroom as well as sleeping quarters for ten students and two chaperones. The nutritious meals are served in the large, multifunctional dining hall. The site also has a large, guarded swimming pool and adjoining bathhouses, an infirmary, an indoor/outdoor arts and crafts yurt, and portable outdoor classroom structures.

Back to top

The Curriculum

A central goal of the program is to foster critical thinking about the environment and help students develop creative solutions to issues that they will encounter throughout their lives. Through a series of fun, hands-on activities the students will increase their understanding of and respect for the environment and each other. The intensive, project-based curriculum fully addresses the California State Frameworks and Standards.

Camp Arroyo not only helps produce the next generation of environmental stewards, but also fosters community leaders. A unique aspect of the curriculum is that it allows children to make choices about their studies and extracurricular activities. Students choose one of four themes to focus on throughout the week.

Wild Places

Students hike throughout the area, observe, learn and creatively record their thoughts about the earth, wildlife and plant species in nature journals.

Voices of the Past

Students investigate the history of those who occupied the region before us, particularly the Ohlone Indians. They recreate Ohlone artifacts and create a dramatic presentation for the camp.

Food, Gardens and Worms

Students explore the complex natural systems at work in the organic garden, cook healthy meals, and create visual art based on the beauty in the garden.

Everyone is a Designer

Students consider aspects of sustainable design in the structures of both animals and humans. They build functional items and structures with recycled and reused materials.

This week-long, project-based approach provides students with a deeper understanding of individual concepts as well as an awareness of the interrelationships among the different themes. Students learn alternative living skills through peer presentations, mealtime discussions, and afternoon choice activities.

In addition to the academic curriculum, Camp Arroyo provides a variety of community-building experiences for the students including:

• Swimming
• Campfires
• Night hiking
• Arts and crafts
• Camp chores and service projects
• Social mealtimes

Camp Arroyo provides opportunities for all students to:

• Improve their critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills
• Become more self-reliant and confident
• Advance their cooperative skills
• Respect social and cultural differences in the community
• Enhance their communication skills
• Develop personal knowledge about sustainable life-styles
• Create solutions and alternatives for a healthier planet

Students will develop cognitive knowledge of and an appreciation for the environment by:

• Exploring natural systems and interrelationships
• Studying the history of the land and its people
• Analyzing alternative food production and waste reuse methods
• Investigating natural habitats
• Exploring environmentally healthy, sustainable communities and our role in maintaining them

Back to top

Reservations Information

For information and reservations about school uses call Trizia Hill at the YMCA at (925) 371-8401, ext. 12. Camp Arroyo is open to groups by reservation only.

During the summer The Taylor Family Foundation uses the site to serve children with life-threatening illnesses.
See their Camp Arroyo Web page.

During the school year, the East Bay Regional Park District's residential outdoor school is open to classes in fourth grade and above.

Back to top

Awards

Back to top