Between The Trees
Between the Trees is a weekly aftter school meetup for tweens aged 8-12 and their parents.
The group is focused on unstructured time outside. The goal is for the kids to “go be feral” in the woods while parents hang out at base camp and act as a predictable anchor and resource for explorations.
We hope to cultivate a “third space” outside in nature with a consistent group of kids who attend regularly. We can’t wait to see you at one of the next Between the Trees meetups!
The Important Details
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This meetup is intended for kids age 8 to 12. A parent/adult gaurdian must stay on-site during the meetup.
(If you would need to bring a younger sibling in order for your tween to attend, please email us to discuss prior to attending.) -
We meet at an unofficial access point of the Eno River in North Durham every Tuesday afternoon at 3:30pm (fall/winter). It is a very short walk from the parking area to our “base camp” location. The meetup officially wraps up before dusk when the park closes. Exact location information is included in your registration confirmation email and monthly reminder emails.
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The Between the Trees group leader is Erin. She is an avid hiker, camper, runner, dog trainer, dog sport participant, and mom to two boys ages 11 and 6.
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Fort building, creek wading, tree climbing, exploration, general socialization, and play are all encouraged (while remaining aware of envioronmental impact). Parents will remain essentially hands-off except for boundary setting and supervision.
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Kids should leave electronics or valued items at home - the focus of this group is building community outside without these items as distractions. The group leader will occasionally bring things like field guides, nets, or other nature-exploration tools as desired by the group and you are welcome to do the same. -
When you register for Between the Trees you will receive an initial confirmation email with all of the group details. You will then recieve a monthly email listing the next several meet up dates and location reminders. You will get a day-of email if a meetup is cancelled for any reason.
You don’t have to attend every meetup to be part of the group, but we hope to have a crew of regular attendees.
We know that preteens have a hard time finding their “place” in the world as they straddle the line between being a “little kid” and being a “teen”. We believe our tweens deserve play opportunities where they don’t always have to be watching out for little kids underfoot, moderating their speed or risk taking, or deffering to younger kids needs and play styles.
We created this group to meet the need for an outdoor, nature-based third space for tweens to connect and create community outside of school and family.
Read more about third spaces on our blog.