Nature Camp Counselor (Berkeley & Oakland Summer Camps)
6 days ago
Oakland
Job Description Nature Camp Counselor in Call of the Wild Camps This employment position is full-time for the summer camp season June 1, 2026-July 17, 2026 in East Bay summer camps in both Oakland and Berkeley. Inspire Active Learning's Call of the Wild Camps are day camps and nature camps for elementary school aged kids, ages 5-10, grades K-5. The summer nature camps are outdoors in multiple parks, forests, and nature sites. Apply: complete the application here or complete Inspire's application in the Google Form . YOU MUST COMPLETE THE APPLICATION IN ORDER TO APPLY. This job is for outdoorsy people who are avid hikers and nature lovers, who love working with children, and who have a minimum of 1 year of relevant experience working with groups of elementary school aged children. Being an ethical vegan for animals or the environment is a plus. Essential Duties • Punctually and reliably attend training, staff meetings, and camp sessions, rain or shine, Monday-Friday, at Call of the Wild Camps for the summer camp season, • Safely lead nature walks and hikes for kids aged 5-10 in grades K-5 in small groups up to approx. 6 miles per day, • Maintain a 5:1 student to staff ratio or ratio approved by the camp supervisor, • Implement age-appropriate, grade-appropriate, K-5 level nature-themed science, outdoor education, language art, art, and motor activities for Call of the Wild Camps, • For summer camps, implement activities for theme weeks such as Enchanted Forest Art, Enchanted Forest Stories, Enchanted Vegan, Trailblazers, and Nature Explorers, • Supervise and engage children on occasional science museum and science center visits, • Teach and facilitate fun and positive nature education and animal education curriculum on vegan topics, such as animal rights, speciesism, health, food, clothing, and the environment, • Teach and lead outdoor language arts activities for children with nature and wilderness themes, such as story time, literary show-and-tell, skits, nature journaling, mapmaking, creative writing, and authoring and illustrating books, • Teach and facilitate science activities on topics in biology, ecology, zoology, life science, environmental science, outdoor education, stewardship, conversation, preservation, etc., integrating naturalistic observation, group discussion, games, children's books, and writing activities, • Implement teaching and behavior management based on principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA), including prompting, positive reinforcement, and contingencies of reinforcement based on student preferences and choices, • Facilitate emergent curriculum and child-centered, student-centered, experiential, incidental, and play-based teaching and learning opportunities, • Create both structured and incidental learning opportunities, • Keep work materials neat, organized, and in good working condition, • Record accurate, objective incident reports, • Drive by personal vehicle during the work shift for emergency or safety-related situations or to access reception as needed under supervisor direction, • Follow the three camps rules: (1) be kind, (2) be safe, and (3) leave no trace, and make sure campers follow them, • Follow all health and safety requirements, and make sure campers follow them, • Follow all seven leave no trace principles, and make sure campers follow them, • Actively contribute and participate in staff training and meetings, • Proactively communicate camp questions and concerns with the camp director and supervisor, • Follow directions and implement feedback from supervisors, • Interact with students and staff in a kind, caring, respectful, positive, and professional manner, • Represent Call of the Wild Camps in a positive and professional manner with customers, staff, and park visitors, • Mentor and support Counselors in Training (CIT) participating in the internship program, • Meet all of the physical requirements for the job, including standing, bending, sitting, squatting, walking, occasional lifting and carrying up to 50 lbs., hiking up to approx. 6 miles per day on varied terrain in varied weather with a backpack weighing up to 20% of your body weight, and visual acuity for reading books, maps, interpretative panels, and signs, • Perform other duties as assigned Required Qualifications Required Education • High school diploma or higher degree, • Most recent academic transcript in good standing with 3.5 minimum GPA (unofficial transcript permitted), • Proof of declared major or minor in a relevant discipline or completion of one or more relevant courses Certification and Safety Requirements • Unexpired CPR and First Aid certification from a live skills assessment with an instructor (asynchronous, online-only certifications are not accepted) that remains unexpired for all camp session dates, • Current COVID-19 vaccination obtained within 12 months of hire before hire or obtain an exemption for medical or sincerely held religious belief reasons, • Pass a DOJ and FBI background check Required Experience • Minimum 12 months experience as a camp counselor, outdoor educator, naturalist, recreation leader, coach, instructor, or classroom teacher working in person with GROUPS of elementary school aged children at K-5th grade level, ages 5-10 (Babysitting or nannying are not equivalent experience), • Frequent, regular experience hiking, trail running, or backpacking trails on varied terrain at least 6 miles in a day, • Experience working in person with culturally, linguistically, and developmentally diverse children, • Experience working in person with students with widely diverse abilities, such as giftedness, typically developing children, children with disabilities (e.g, autism, ADHD), and English Language Learners (ELL), • Experience teaching extracurricular enrichment activities in person for groups of children in grades K-5, ages 5-10, • Experience implementing effective and appropriate behavior management in person for children in grades K-5, ages 5-10, • Experience with implementing age-appropriate, grade-appropriate, developmentally appropriate activities in person for children in grades K-5, ages 5-10 Required Skills See the full job description on Inspire Active Learning's website: Other Requirements • You are an adult (age 18+), • Proof of a valid California driver's license, • Proof of auto insurance Preferred Qualifications • Experience hiking in the parks where you are applying to work Locations: multiple parks in Oakland and Berkeley. By applying for this job, you are applying to work at all East Bay summer camp sites. Park names: Joaquin Miller Park, Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park, Roberts Regional Recreation Area, Tilden Regional Park and Tilden Nature Area. East Bay Schedule: Summer Camps June 1-July 17, Monday-Friday, 8:25 AM-4:35 PM. Estimated work hours during camp sessions: 38-39 hrs/wk. See the full job description on Inspire Active Learning's website: Learn more about Call of the Wild Camps on Inspire's website: Apply: complete the application here or complete Inspire's application in the Google Form . To learn more and apply from Inspire's website: Internship Option: If you do not meet the qualifications for employment, and if you are a current student, you may apply for the unpaid internship: YOU MUST COMPLETE THE APPLICATION IN ORDER TO APPLY. Company DescriptionInspire Active Learning provides experiential learning throughout the Bay Area. Learn more at Active Learning provides experiential learning throughout the Bay Area. Learn more at .