Nature Camp Counselor
1 day ago
Cupertino
Job Description Nature Camp Counselor in Call of the Wild Camps: Spring Break April 13-17 in Cupertino/Los Altos This employment opening is full time for the spring break camp (38-40 hrs), Monday-Friday for five days from April 13-17. Open for immediate hire. Call of the Wild Camps is a day camp and a nature camp. Spring break camp is in Rancho San Antonio County Park and Open Space Preserve in Cupertino, Los Altos, and Los Altos Hills. This is a 100% outdoor camp held rain or shine. 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 children. Being an ethical vegan for animals or the environment is a plus. Summer camp employment is also open in Cupertino/Los Altos and Los Gatos, but the opening for immediate hire is for spring break. Essential Duties • Punctually and reliably attend training, staff meetings, and camp sessions, rain or shine, Monday-Friday, April 13-17, at Call of the Wild Camps at Rancho San Antonio County Park and Open Space Preserve, • 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, • 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 licence, • Proof of auto insurance Preferred Qualifications • Experience hiking in Rancho San Antonio Location: Rancho San Antonio County Park and Open Space Preserve in Cupertino, Los Altos, and Los Altos Hills. 22500 Cristo Rey Dr, Cupertino, CA 95014 Schedule: • Spring Break Camp April 13-17, Monday-Friday, 8:25 AM-4:35 PM, • Summer Camps July 20-August 14, Monday-Friday, 8:25 AM-4:35 PM 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