Activities
How To Apply
FAQs

Meramec Adventure Learning Ranch programs offer individuals opportunities to discover and capitalize on their strengths and to inspire changes in perspective. Experiential outdoor adventure activities and programs focus on means to continued development of character, integrity, positive relationships and, ultimately, to making even a greater positive impact in the world.

Time for renewal

Dealing with the developmental or behavioral disabilities of a child with autism is challenging.  This camp was created to give families the opportunity to get away from their daily environment and spend positive, fun time together involved in adventure and outdoor activities.  This will be a week of extraordinary opportunity for families to relax, enjoy the great outdoors, and more importantly, enjoy and support each other. Skilled, caring and compassionate support personnel direct activities and assist with sensory, communication and/or behavioral support as needed. Activities are designed to foster the development of self-efficacy, wilderness knowledge, teamwork, and family/team interdependence.

• To allow families who have children on the autistic spectrum a chance to break away from day to day schedule and enjoy togetherness in an outdoor environment.
• To challenge each member of the family as well as the family as a whole to grow in synergy, camaraderie, and understanding; and to gain a new perspective on their individual and family efficacy.
• To provide opportunities to develop relationships and networking opportunities with other families in similar situations.
• To provide an exciting program within a supportive and compassionate environment that allows families to leave the program feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.
• To facilitate families further developing effective communication skills and techniques unique to their situation.
• To provide an environment that fosters opportunities for families to make meaningful lifelong memories, laugh together, and have fun.

What to expect
Working and living with children on the autism spectrum can be extremely challenging. This camp was created to give families the opportunity to get away from their daily environment and spend positive, fun time together involved in adventure and outdoor activities.  This will be a week of extraordinary opportunity for families to relax, enjoy the great outdoors, and more importantly, enjoy and support each other. Skilled, caring and compassionate support personnel direct activities and assist with sensory, communication and/or behavioral support as needed. Activities are designed to foster the development of self-efficacy, wilderness knowledge, teamwork, and family/team interdependence.

Camp runs Monday morning through Friday afternoon. This family camp experience includes a myriad of activities such as climbing, swimming, canoeing, horseback riding, fishing, survival skills, water adventure activities, challenge courses, bonfires, games and other activities.  Each campsite is assigned a guide who facilitates the group through the daily activities.  Each day families choose which activities they would like to participate in.  Daily themes, challenges, and special events will be conducted in the evenings to add to the family’s enjoyment of the experience.  Wednesday evenings feature an opportunity for adults to take a break while the kids enjoy activities with our youth care staff.

This is a primitive camping experience. The family will be camping in family tents that are provided and cooking their meals over a campfire (with help from an expert guide). There is no electricity or running water at the campsites. Hand-pumped water and vault-style toilet facilities are in close proximity to each campsite.  Limited shower facilities are available each day for those who desire them.

What if I’ve never been camping?

Take comfort that our professionally trained staff members are accustomed to making campers and families feel welcome and at home. An expert guide, who will be with you throughout the week, is highly knowledgeable and experienced in camping and thoroughly trained in all activities at the ranch. Our camp staff includes nursing staff and licensed autism specialists.

Activities
Your week at summer camp will be filledwith new and exciting adventures and challenges. Each morning after you wake up and eat a hearty breakfast, the activities will begin. You will be able to select from many different daily activities. One day you may head out to the high challenge course where you and your family push new limits on the most extensive high ropes course in Missouri, culminating in a soaring ride through the sky on the dual 800’ zip lines. The next day, you may decide that you and your family want to spend an exciting day at the lake. At the lake you could find yourself canoeing or rafting, or if you are feeling a little more adventurous, playing on the rolling log, launching each other on the blob, or swinging on a trapeze. Just think, these are just a few of the activity options.

In the evening, after your adventure-filled day, there will be a camp-wide activity. After dinner, the families will meet together at the designated location for this activity. The evening activities include bonfires, Lake Olympics, or a mud obstacle course. These evening activities will be action packed and focus on creating an exciting and entertaining environment while building family and group camaraderie.

On Wednesday there will even be the option for the parents to have a much needed evening of relaxation. The kids and youth will be cheering each other on during an exciting evening of challenges with the camp staff, while the adults can enjoy an evening of a nice dinner and entertainment.

Each day will be a new adventure! Be prepared to have a ton of fun, have lots of laughs, and make memories that will last a lifetime.

Activity offerings

Each evening you will talk with your guide about which activities you and your family would like to attend the next day. There will be several activity offerings during the day:

• 10-acre recreational lake with Adventure Platform (The Blob, 150’ water zip line, rope swings, trapeze, rolling log, watermat, waterslide, & more)
• 28-element high challenge course
• Dual 800-foot zip lines
• Power pole, giant swing and vertical playground
• 8-element covered vertical challenge course
• 40-foot climbing wall
• Buddy Team low ropes course
• Team development course
• Alpine rescue course
• 3 miles of single track, flow tracks, and a pump track for Mountain Bikes
• Full-court covered basketball/volleyball pavilion
• Equestrian instruction and trail rides
• Arts and crafts
• Balance area
• Play area with swings
• Kayaking or canoeing in lake
• Primitive skills (fire building, shelters, cordage, traps, tracking, crafts)

Meals
Meals will be provided by the camp. Each meal is hearty, well-balanced and healthy. The menu can be found below (menu will stay very close to what is listed, side items could change). If you have any special dietary needs, please contact the ranch to discuss this need.

Each campsite will be cooking breakfasts and dinners over a campfire in their campsite. Guides will be available at each campsite to lend their expertise in cooking and cleaning procedures for each meal. After each meal, the campsites wash their dishes with soap and sanitize their dishes with bleach. Wednesday and Thursday dinners will be cooked by camp staff for the families.

Snacks will be provided each day between lunch and dinner. There will also be an evening snack provided each night. These snacks vary throughout the week, but can be anything from granola bars, fresh veggies, or cookies. The snack on Tuesday evening will be s’mores and on Thursday evening the snack will be ice cream sundaes.

Monday

Lunch: Lunch meat and cheese sandwiches, mustard and/or mayo, fresh fruit, carrots, side (trail mix, granola bar type) sweet snack, drink mix

Dinner: Chicken fajitas with onions and green peppers, sour cream, salsa, canned fruit, tortilla chips

Tuesday

Breakfast: Eggs, sausage links, biscuits, jelly, juice, granola bars

Lunch: Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, fresh fruit, celery, side, sweet snack, drink mix

Dinner: Beef stew with corn, potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, and onions, canned fruit, crackers

Wednesday

Breakfast: Cereal, milk, pop-tarts, juice, cantaloupe, granola bars

Lunch: same as Monday

Dinner: Adults’ Night Out Dinner
Youth: Army Meals Ready to Eat

On Wednesday evening, after the second activity block, the adults will be invited to an evening especially prepared for them.

Don’t worry parents, your kids will be well taken care of. After the day’s activities end, our expert youth care staff will take the kids back to camp to enjoy an evening of exciting competitions and games. The guides will also cook dinner with the kids, hand out evening snack, and put them to bed.

While your kids are being taken care of, you will have the opportunity to relax and enjoy some time with the other adults at camp. After the day’s activities, you will have the opportunity to shower and get ready for the evening. This night is for you. The evening will start with a delicious dinner and dessert served to you at our beautiful lodge facility. Evening entertainment and time to socialize will follow. Adults are welcome to head back to camp whenever they so desire.

Thursday

Breakfast: Pancakes with optional chocolate chips, syrup, juice, apples

Thursday Lunch: Same as Tuesday

Thursday Dinner: Pork steaks with BBQ sauce, baked potato, baked beans, salad, watermelon, soda

Friday

Breakfast: Cinnamon rolls, cereal, milk, juice

Lunch: Hot dogs, chips, cookies, soda, fresh fruit

Accreditation
The ranch prides itself on its safety, competency, and professionalism. Boys & Girls Town of Missouri has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval™. The Meramec Adventure Learning Ranch is also an accredited member of and follows all standards of operation of the American Camp Association. The director is a certified Single Pitch Instructor through the American Mountain Guides Association and a Single Pitch Guide with the Professional Climbing Guides Institute. All challenge courses are built, inspected and certified by Association of Challenge Course Technology professional vendors. All activity staff are trained extensively and regularly to the highest standards using state of the art equipment, training, and techniques in all activities.  Programming staff also have advanced backcountry/wilderness first aid training and certifications.

How to Apply
The week-long camp is free for families residing in St. Louis County who support a child or children with diagnoses on the autism spectrum.  All participating family members must be at least 7-years-old.  Space is limited. Application deadline is May 27, 2011. 
All family members must be over 7 years of age.

click here to download an application
click here to download the parent packet
click here to download the camper forms

Camp dates
July 18-22, 2011
July 25-29, 2011

FAQs
What do we pack?

Please bring appropriate clothing with you, taking into consideration the weather forecast and the camp activities. We encourage you to bring old clothing to camp. We have provided a packing list below. These are basic items needed for a camper to live comfortably through the week. Luggage should be compact and easy to carry. Duffle bags and backpacks work great. NOTE: There are no public laundry facilities at the Meramec Adventure Learning Ranch. Please pack enough clothing for your entire stay.  Please contact camp with any questions regarding what to pack.

Each camper will need:

• 1 pair swim trunks or one-piece swimsuit
• 1 towel
• 1 wash cloth
• Hygiene items (toothbrush, deodorant, etc.)
• Journal, books, Bible (optional)
• Tennis/hiking shoes
• Water shoes or old tennis shoes that can get wet
• Lightweight jacket/fleece
• 1 hat with brim
• 1 pair shower shoes/ flip-flops

Each of the following items, we have listed suggested amounts:

• 3 long pants
• 2-4 pairs of shorts
• Undergarments
• 3-5 light weight short sleeve shirts
• 1-2 long sleeve shirts
• 5-7 socks

Optional: Camp provides these supplies, but you can bring your own

• Rain coat (camp does provide ponchos if it rains)
• Flashlight (camp does provide two per campsite)
• Water bottle
• Sleeping pad
• Sleeping bag (it stays very warm at nights, a sheet or fleece blanket is normally plenty warm)

All items should be in a duffle bag, backpack or other form of luggage that is weather resistant. It is a good idea to pack your belongings in plastic trash bags in case it rains prior to placing them in a dry tent.

What camping supplies are provided by the camp?

The ranch provides fleece sleeping bags, sleeping pads, tents, and all items needed for campfire cooking. You are welcome to use our personal supplies or bring your own.

What if a family member is having a birthday that week?

Please let us know if someone in the family will be celebrating a birthday at camp! Birthdays at camp are a cause for great celebration and our staff will ensure that it is a birthday that your camper will never forget. We will also provide a birthday cake for the camper and their campsite, but feel free to bring anything else you would like to make their birthday a special one.

A qualified nurse will be on-site throughout camp for emergencies and sickness.  Very rarely do we have sick campers who are kept at the nursing station for more than 24 hours.  However, if we feel the camper will get better, we will keep him/her at the nursing station. In more extreme cases, we may ask that parents/guardians of ill campers care for their camper at home and see their family doctor.  A CAMPER WHO IS SICK BEFORE CAMP BEGINS SHOULD BE KEPT HOME FOR HIS/HER OWN SAKE AND THAT OF OTHERS. Many contagious diseases begin with cold-like symptoms.

What if my child wets the bed?

Our staff are trained to handle bed wetting discreetly. Please notify your guide upon arrival if your child may wet the bed and notify your guide if it happens during the week. The camp does have emergency laundry facilities available for these situations.

All medication brought into camp must be either in the original container or accompanied by written orders, signed by a physician. They must include the camper’s name, dosage, and time. All medications, including over-the-counter (vitamins, creams, etc.) must be turned in to the camp nurse as required by Missouri laws. Camp stocks most over-the-counter medications needed at camp, so it is not necessary that you bring those. You may call us anytime if you would like to know if we stock a particular item. Upon arrival to camp, the family will check in all medications. If someone in your family has an inhaler, make sure to keep it with you. You are welcome to carry a daypack or if a guide will be with you, they can carry the inhaler with them.  Make sure all medication has been picked up from the nursing station before departure.

What happens if there is an emergency at home while I am at camp?

Emergency calls to campers should be done through the camp office (573) 775-5513 or (573) 263-2736. If there is a situation where our phones are down, call (573) 265-3251. We will make sure that the message is relayed and that you receive a response.

Can I bring and use my cell phone while I am at camp?

Adults may bring cell phones; however, we ask that you limit their use to emergencies, since this is a time to focus on your family.  We believe that it is important to break away from the day to day routine and be physically, mentally, and emotionally present at camp, and part of doing that requires us to break away from the distractions of things at home. We ask that minors do not have their phones or other electronics at camp.

Who is this camp for?

This camp is for families who are supporting a child or children on the Autism Spectrum. The child can be anywhere on the Autism Spectrum: mild to severe.  All family members must be over 7 years of age due to the programming of the camp.   If you have questions about whether camp is the right fit for your family, please contact us.

What if I smoke?

There will be designated smoking areas at each of the different activity areas. However, smoking times during the actual activities will be limited due to the nature of the activities.