Give your child the gift of our Wild Cooking & Herbology day camp which is excellent for focused learners, as it is like a mini college course on herbalism (and although very hands-on, not recommended for adhd students unless attending our survival or wildlife camps first to get used to our schedule). Camp includes optional wading/swimming and games/archery during lunchtime, depending on annual park rules, camper safety tests, weather and other conditions.
Wild Cooking & Herbology is celebrating its 28th summer as we continue our mission to provide real skills and connections to nature for a new generation of young people that need this experience more than ever. Campers will spend the week exploring the beautiful fields, forests, streams, ponds, and backyards around Lake Sammamish State Park to discover and utilize the most important wild foods and medicines of the Pacific Northwest.
Campers will work with the Top 10 Most Important Survival Plants of our area, and be able to identify their look-alikes. They will also learn to start and use fire safely, cook with ancient and modern methods, spin natural rope, purify drinking water, and come home with oils and creams they blended with herbs to heal common ailments, among so many other accomplishments.
We wish parents could watch the unfolding of this camp week and see the amazing journey that their young chefs and healers will follow. From discovering wild foods and medicine, to investigating their properties, to fully utilizing their gifts, and finally being able to tell their true stories, campers develop more skills and knowledge than you might imagine.
Camp Itinerary
Itineraries vary based upon location, season, camp group age range, instructor and student preferences, as well as natural resource availability. 3-4 pm cool-down time includes group options of berry picking, archery or creek wading when at Hans Jensen, swimming when at Sunset Beach, relaxed games at main camp.
Monday:
Morning Session: Introductions; Plant Walk – ID Nettle, Cedar, Plantain; Awareness Skills
Afternoon Session Options: Ethical Harvest; Harvest Plantain for Herbal Salve & Leaf Rubbings; Cedar Leaf Rubbings; Plant Fact Cards; Lightning Safety
Tuesday:
Morning Session: Mint Tea; Observe Fresh Mint Specimens; Mint Bouquets – Lavender, Lemon Balm, Basil, Rosemary; Bath Salts – Lavender & Spearmint; Mint Sprays
Afternoon Session Options: Plant ID by Smell; Leaf Venations & Arrangements; Scavenger Hunt of Venation & Arrangement; Herbal Tag; Intro to Top 10 Wild Foods
Wednesday:
Morning Session: Experience Parsey/Carrot Family, Spice Samples, Make Fennel Candy & Fennel Tea [Decoction]; Learn about and sketch Poison Hemlock;
Afternoon Session Options: Seaweeds; Nettles; Make Nettle Tea [Infusion]; Nettle Saute; Make Seasoning from Sesame Seeds, Ground Nettle, Make Nettle Hair Rinse or Shampoo; Finish Top 10 Wild Foods
Thursday:
Morning Session: Wild Foods Cook-off; Cattail Discussion & Fried Rhizomes; Finish Herbal Salve;
Afternoon Session Options: Introduction to Dandelion; Harvest Dandelion; Make Dandelion “Coffee”; Make Elderberry Syrup or Grind Bullwhip Kelp;
Friday:
Morning Session: Pine & Rosehip Tea; Review Top 10 Foods & Medicines; Practice Herbal First Aid Scenario; Gratitude Ceremony
Afternoon Session: Herbal Market Trade Circle & Closing Ceremonies
2026 Schedule for Wild Cooking & Herbology and related camps at Lake Sammamish
- Related Camp: June 29 – July 3, 2026 at Lake Sammamish State Park – Hans Jensen Group Camp: Wilderness Skills Sampler day camp for ages 7-14 with no prerequisite, includes a day of wild edible and medicinal plants.
- July 13-17, 2026 Lake Sammamish State Park – Sunset Beach: Wild Cooking & Herbology day camp for ages 7-14 with no prerequisite for campers who can be focused in group learning environments or who have attended a prior camp with us, runs simultaneously with the Advanced Wilderness Survival day camp for ages 9-16 who have attended Wilderness Survival Craft or two other Wolf Camp weeks.
- Related Camp: July 20-24, 2026 Out-of-this-World Wilderness Camp near Mt. Rainier includes a day of wild edible plant identification and harvesting, and runs from Sunday 4pm – Friday 4pm for ages 11-16 who have attended at least one of our overnight camps in the past, or two of our day camps or family workshops prior to this week; runs simultaneously with the Advanced Wilderness Skills & Survival Trek for ages 12-17 who have attended the Out-of-this-World Wilderness camp before, or two other overnight camps with us in the past.
- August 3-7, 2026 Lake Sammamish State Park – Hans Jensen Group Camp: Wild Cooking & Herbology day camp for ages 7-14 with no prerequisite, runs simultaneously with the Advanced Animal Tracking day camp for ages 9-15 with prerequisite of Wildlife Search & Rescue day camp or the family wildlife tracking workshop, or two other day camps or family workshop themes, or any overnight camp in prior weeks or years.
- August 10-14, 2026 Lake Sammamish State Park – Hans Jensen Group Camp: Wilderness Survival Craft day camp for ages 7-14 with no prerequisite, runs simultaneously with the Advanced Herbal Medicine, Cooking & Craft day camp for ages 9-15 with prerequisite of Wild Cooking & Herbology day camp or the family ethnobotany workshop, or two other day camps or family workshop themes, or any overnight camp in prior weeks or years. (Advanced Herbal Medics & Wild Chefs overnight camp for ages 10-16 also simultaneously, with same prerequisite as advanced herbal day camp.)
- August 24-28, 2026 Lake Sammamish State Park – Sunset Beach: Double Advanced Day Camps on Ethnobotany, Wildlife Tracking, Wilderness Survival, Conservation & Field Science for ages 9-15 with varying prerequisites. This week’s Double Advanced Ethnobotany – Wild Chefs & Herbal Medics camp requires graduation from our Wild Cooking & Herbology day camp, and a minimum of at least 3 total weeks since campers began with us. Step up and help us survey the rare and important ethnobotanical plants of Lake Sammamish State Park. Camp will run with 4-8 participants in a group.
We were voted Best Wild Day Camp in the last ParentMap Golden Teddy Awards!
Daily Camp Schedule
Suggested arrival time is 8:45-9:00 am, and best departure time is right around 4:00 pm.
8:30-9:00 Check-Ins & Morning Care
9:00-9:30 Songs, Stories, Stretches & Late Check-Ins
9:30-12:00 Morning Lessons with snack break at 10:45
12:00-1:00 Lunch, Games, Archery or Swimming Option
1:00-3:00 Afternoon Lessons with water break at 2:00
3:00-4:00 Camp Crafts, Creek Time, Berry Picking & Early Check-Outs
4:00-4:30 Aftercare & Final Pick-Ups (all-staff meeting starts at 4:30)
Camp Leaders
Kim or Chris Chisholm will be on site all week directing staff instructors at our hallmark 6-1 average student-teacher ratio that’s so critical for safe and profound outdoor experiences. Read our FAQ’s for more details and check out camp testimonials dating all the way back to 1997.
Day Camp Tuition at Lake Sammamish
• Tuition is $595 per week for campers returning from previous years. Discounts of $10 available per additional child and camp weeks. Day camps are not subject to sales tax, and we cover the state 1.5% B&O tax and other fees.
• Tuition is $695 for a camper’s first-ever week with us and then $595 per additional day camp week. Discounts of $10 available per additional child. Tuition includes all expenses except you’ll need to pack lunch and appropriate outdoor wear, and also includes organic t-shirt at your first camp with us, then at subsequent camps a choice of recommended field guides, orienteering compass, firesteel and other outdoor essentials depending on number of camps attended, age and availability.
• Sliding scale financial aid scholarships available via the Conservation College – Max Davis Scholarship. Just submit answers to their 8 simple questions and cc our email address to ensure receipt.
Registration Process
STEP 1 – If this is a camper’s first year with us, reserve the first week with a $200 deposit, plus $100 per additional week; returning day campers reserve spots with $100 deposits per week; via one of the following methods:
• Zelle using our email address with that extra “e” on skye plus try to add a note including camper name/age, camp start date/theme, plus your CONTACT INFORMATION (phone number is fine if system doesn’t allow sharing email) if we don’t already have your info since Zelle doesn’t automatically share that with us, or follow up right away with an email;
• Or use Venmo to @Chris-Chisholm-13 or • CashApp to $wolfschool but again, try to add your contact information, camper name, program theme and dates, or follow up via email;
• Or use Credit Card or Apple Pay by clicking here and follow up with an email;
• Or call us between 9am-9pm at 425-248-0253 ex 1 with a credit card to register over the phone;
• Or use PayPal system appearing below….
STEP 2 – If this is your camper’s first year with us, complete our once-in-a-lifetime Registration Form within one week of making your deposit. In case you’re having trouble downloading or making a copy of our Google Doc , please email us for a Word or PDF version of the registration form, and again, complete within one week to maintain your reservation. If your camper has attended Wolf Camp in the past, a new registration form is not needed.
STEP 3 – Pay balance during your summer camp weeks. We’ll email you an invoice this spring with camp prep info and balance payment options. All payments are non-refundable unless we refuse your registration. However, if you cancel (at any time for any reason is fine) we will save your payments as credit for you to use in future years, or you can choose to have us move the funds into our scholarship account if you prefer. The best practice is to make the minimum deposits to register, and then wait to pay the remaining balances during summer, but you are also welcome to pay your balance in advance if you prefer.
Or email us to be put on our list for this program in the future. We always keep your information absolutely private, and will never share it.
Refund Policy: Payments are not refundable unless we don’t accept your application. If you cancel for any reason, you may receive a full credit good through the following calendar year on appropriate and available programs listed on our schedule, although an additional deposit may be needed to secure your spot in the future program. If a program you sign up for is canceled and not rescheduled at a time you can attend, you may receive a full refund except in cases of natural (weather, geologic, wildfire, etc) disasters, grid failures, epidemics, government shutdowns, conflicts or curfews, or other unforeseen emergencies making it unsafe for staff and/or attendees to reach or use program locations, in which case all payments made will be held by us without expiration date for your future use in appropriate/available programs of your choice. Reasons include the expenditure of funds (property rentals, advertising, materials, admin staff time, etc.) long before programs take place, i.e. deposits make it feasible for Wolf Camp to schedule programs in the first place, but our mutually understood agreement is that Wolf Camp will run the program at the safest available time in the future. Finally, no refund, nor credit, is given if a participant is a no-show without prior notice, or asked to leave a program for inappropriateness as determined by our kids, youth and adult agreements for participation.
Day Camp Preparation: Agreements, Packing List, Health Protocols and FAQ’s
Day Camp Agreements for Participation
Hygiene protocols will remain the same as last year as long as there’s still little evidence of Covid/Cold/Flu transmission in the outdoors with room to spread out. To start each day, campers must pass our health screening. If there are reports of group participants who came in contact with an infection, we may provide n95 masks to wear when less than 3-6 feet from others. As before the pandemic, we require hand sanitizing when sharing tools and materials, before entering toilets, and we train campers with proper hand washing after campers exit toilet facilities with doors left open between uses to ensure ventilation.
Full vaccinations are strongly encouraged – we follow the scientific consensus – with tetanus shot (usually given as part of the normal Tdap vaccine series) considered the most important in the field of outdoor education. Otherwise, we know that due to our 100% outdoor setting, combined with health screenings, contact tracing, supervised hand washing, bathroom ventilation, mask use when exposure has been reported in a group, and individual/family style tenting at overnight camps, the risk of disease transmission has been negligible at Wolf Camp, so other vaccination records are not required.
Read our FAQ’s for more details, check out camp testimonials dating all the way back to 1997, and register asap to give yourself or a loved one the gift of camp! Or email us to be put on our our list for this program in the future. We always keep your information absolutely private, and will never share it.