Unfortunately, none of us at Live Oak Collective have spent serious time at summer camp since the early 1990s. That made our trip out to El Ranchito, at the historic Shield Ranch southwest of Austin, all the more fun. El Ranchito is an overnight nature immersion camp for kids in 4th through 12th grades. It’s a chance for kids who might not otherwise get to spend much time in nature to hike, swim, ride horses and stargaze.

Last June, we spent three days with the campers and staff, hanging out at El Ranchito, eating in the mess tent (the chili dogs were a favorite of the more carnivorous Live Oakers), and visiting classic Texas Hill Country spots like Westcave Preserve and Reimers Ranch, where the kids hiked and tried their hands at rock climbing. The end result: hundreds of photographs of the campers in action and a film about El Ranchito which premiered to a crowd of 400 at an environmental education conference  Since then, we’ve worked with the camp to incorporate Live Oak’s video and still photographs onto El Ranchito’s fantastic new website.

Note to students (and parents of) high school sophomores, juniors and seniors: new this year, El Ranchito had started a Conservation Corps. Campers participate in conservations projects (and even score a modest stipend) while exploring nature and having fun. Check out their site for more details.