Assistant Nature Camp Director

Assistant Nature Camp Director for Call of the Wild Camps: opening for hire in Oakland & Berkeley 2026 summer day camps June 1-July 17.

Do you love teaching children & camp counselors?Are you an avid hiker with a love of nature & the outdoors? Are you vegan? Assistant Nature Camp Directors supervise camp counselors & lead children in outdoor nature camps. Open a door to the wonders of nature as a living classroom in Call of the Wild Camps, where kids in grades K-5 come to hike, read, write, explore, learn, & play!

You may be the ideal Assistant Nature Camp Director if you are:

• A communicative & collaborative team player bursting with creative ideas, fun, adaptable, friendly, outgoing, energetic, & eager to inspire & engage both children & staff in learning by doing.
• Experienced in early childhood education, elementary education, outdoor education, environmental education, nature education, literacy education, outdoor recreation, & related fields.
• Vegan or open-minded about veganism:"Veganism is a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of animals, humans and the environment. In dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals."
  
  - The Vegan Society

WHO WE ARE:We believe that to inspire learning is to inspire action! We believe in experiential, lifelong learning. Outdoor educators in Call of the Wild Camps provide a fun, safe alternative to screen addiction; inspire nature connection & curiosity; & foster healthy, positive relationships with flora & fauna in our natural environments.

WHAT MAKES US UNIQUE:

• Belief in the wisdom of "be kind to every kind" & the benefits of veganism on animals & the environment
• Value the integrity of the whole person & dedicated to a well-rounded blend of head, heart, & body -- being constant learners, kind & caring, & focused on learning by doing
• Emergent curriculum & principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA), the science of learning that focuses on observable interaction between the learner & environment
• Small company focused on quality over quantity

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

• Assist the camp director in managing, administering, & overseeing daily operations of youth programs on-site for outdoor nature camps
• Reliably attend & actively participate in camp training online & on-site, rain or shine
• Reliably & punctually attend outdoor nature camps on-site, rain or shine, M-F, 8:25 AM-4:35 PM for the season
• Assist the camp director in supervising & training camp counselors on-site, providing modeling, prompt fading, positive feedback, & constructive feedback
• Greet parents at drop-off & pick-up times, checking children in & out
• Communicate with parents/guardians in a friendly & professional manner
• Communicate with parents/guardians a brief summary of their child's day at pick-up time
• Safely lead hikes in parks for K-5th graders in small groups, up to approx. 6 miles per day
• Maintain a 4:1 or 5:1 student: staff ratio or ratio approved by the camp supervisor
• Lead theme weeks such as Enchanted Forest Stories, Enchanted Forest Art, Enchanted Vegan, & Trailblazers
• Implement age-appropriate, grade-appropriate, K-5 level nature-themed science, outdoor education, language arts, art, & motor activities for Call of the Wild Camps
• Teach & facilitate fun & positive nature education curriculum on vegan topics such as animal rights, speciesism, health, food, clothing, & the environment
• Facilitate outdoor language arts activities for children with nature & wilderness themes, including but not limited to story time & singing, literary show-&-tell, skits, nature journaling, mapmaking, creative writing, & authoring & illustrating books
• Facilitate science activities on topics in life science, biology, ecology, zoology, environmental science, stewardship, conservation, preservation, etc., integrating naturalistic observation, exploration, games, group discussion, children's books, & writing activities
• Facilitate & engage children in outdoor activities that blend recreation & education, such as nature-themed field games, hide & seek, chase games, forest "I Spy" games, & scavenger hunts
• Engage both children & staff with a fun teaching style & high energy, creativity, adaptability, spontaneity, dynamism, & positivity
• Supervise & facilitate children's rest breaks, snack & lunch breaks, & physical play breaks
• Provide naturalistic executive function teaching across diverse activities, including planning, organization, & time management
• Implement teaching & behavior management based on principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA), including prompting, positive reinforcement, & group contingencies of reinforcement based on student preferences & choices
• Facilitate emergent curriculum & child-centered, student-centered, experiential, incidental, &…