Activities Offered at Forrestel
just a few of the reasons summer camp is fun!
Arts
Arts and Crafts
Campers have fun making jewelry with hemp, beading, or making creations with clay. Make a “Memory Book” from scratch, learn tie dye techniques, do a little scrap booking or decorate your woodworking project.
Lori Groth and Wayne Kyle make our arts program something special. Campers try their hand at all sorts of projects.
Drawing
Turn your love for horses into works of art with the help of professional illustrator Lori Groth. From pencil to water color, proportion to the finer points, campers will see their ideas take form and realize that “Yes! I can draw, and it looks good!”
Woodworking
Campers choose from a range of projects to build and finish under the supervision of master woodworker, Wayne Kyle. Campers get to work in Forrestel’s state of the art wood working shop.
Hunting and Riflery
Hunter Safety
Campers have the rare opportunity to learn how to hunt in a safe environment at the Forrestel Farm Hunting Preserve. Bill Keppler, Mary’s brother, teaches children the basics of small game hunting.
Campers participating in the program have an unparalleled opporunity to enjoy our beautiful property while learning to respect private and public property. While campers do not actually hunt at Forrestel, they will grow comfortable with the equipment and skills required. Responsibility and survival skills are honed while campers learn First Aid, sportsmanship, and the importance of conservation.
The Hunter Safety Course consists of classroom instruction and live range fire. A written exam follows the course, which participants must pass to earn a certificate. Campers who pass become eligible to receive their small-game hunting license.
Please register now for this exciting program as space is limited. Open to students 12 years and older.
Riflery
Our riflery program is run by Ben Vernille, a lifetime member of the NRA, an NRA Certified Instructor, and a New York State Hunter Safety Instructor.
Safety and enjoyment is our first concern. Children of all ages learn to shoot .22 rifles on our new rifle range at camp and target clay birds with 20 gauge shotguns at a local club. The program is designed as a first step to more advanced shooting.
The Riflery Program teaches campers firearm assembly, shooting fundamentals, cleaning and storage, and the safe handling of firearms and ammunition. On the range, campers take aim at certified rifle targets and action spin targets. All students learn how to fire a gun under the guidance of a certified NRA rifle instructor.
The program also welcomes campers familiar with firearms, wanting to improve their skills. Our instructors know how to challenge every shooter, no matter what their previous experience.
Please register now for this exciting program as space is limited. Open to all ages.
Field & Stream
Archery
Campers choose from a range of targets at varying distances. The archery program introduces beginners to the sport and keeps experienced archers challenged.
Campers will catch carp, perch, pike, wall eye, bull head, trout, small and large mouth bass.
Fishing
Dennis Button is a fixture at Forrestel; add to that the fact that he loves children and is never without a fishing pole…and you’ve got the start of something good. Dennis takes the kids to his favorites spots on the farm, secret fishing holes and private stocked ponds.
Other Activities
We play a wide range of team sports and games. Soccer and Ultimate Frisbee are camp favorites. Campers will focus on skills.
Mountain Biking
Justin Lloyd is our rock star mountain biker with a background in racing. Kids who participate in this activity will also find that Justin does a great job of tailoring the instruction to their ability level.
There are lots of trails to explore here on the farm as well as local rides off the property. Kids will spend some of their time working on technical skills such as negotiating obstacles, riding single track, hopping, or what ever is appropriate for their skill level.
Tennis
Chris Horgan, our tennis pro, has coached for over 20 years. He is a USPTR certified instructor, USTA National Clinician, and USTA’s Eastern District Coach of the Year. Chris offers group and private lessons for all skill levels.
Rocketry
Campers design, build, decorate and launch their own ESTES model rocket. Specially trained counselors work with the campers to build individualized rockets that the camper can then take home.
