every person needs a place to start
Hike and Heal Beginnings is a space for youth to build skills, benefit from nature-connection and mindful self-care, learn how to express themselves in healthy ways and a space where they are acknowledged for their talents. Parents are invited to join in on the fun throughout their developing years as they participate year-long. In several of our programs, parents breathe, explore and grow in nature with their children!
Root & Bloom MentoringThis small group program focuses on leadership, yoga & mindfulness in nature for tweens & teens. Learn to mentor younger kids!
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Camp BeginningsCamp BEGINnings offers summer programming for 4-10 year olds. Mindfulness, Nature, Leadership & Adventure are part of all camps!
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Family BeginningsImportant learning comes full circle, helping the family thrive as a unit. Benefit from family outings full of exploration and adventure!
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Hike & Heal's Resource Hub
Helpful Links for Kids & Adults
Grab & Go Handouts
Thank you to friends & previous instructors to Camp Beginnings:
Mary Michaud, MPP, Sarah Delany, MS, OTR-L, and Megan Barrow, MS, OTR-L
Thank you to friends & previous instructors to Camp Beginnings:
Mary Michaud, MPP, Sarah Delany, MS, OTR-L, and Megan Barrow, MS, OTR-L
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root & bloom |
Root & Bloom is a program where 10-14 year olds who have experienced summer camp with Mo learn to mentor others. In their first few years at camp they learn the routines, expectations and social-emotional skills needed to take the next step. Root & Bloom is for youth who enjoy being active, helping others, problem solving and spending meaningful moments in nature. They take the skills they learn in our leadership sessions and directly apply them to mentoring they do at other youth & family programming like at Jedi Camp, the caregiver-child series or family adventure club.
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camp beginnings |
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Camp Beginnings
Breathing, Exploring & Growing In Nature... as a whole community! While offerings can change from year to year, Jedi Camp has been a staple from our BEGINning. Each session uses Star Wars to motivate 4-10 year olds to 'move up in the ranks,' mastering Yoga & mindfulness skills just like Yoda. Check out our other camps too!
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Caregiver+Child Nature Play Series
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Family Adventure Club
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Family Camp | October 4-5, 2025 (tentative)
@ Local Campground in Dane County This experience is for families of all varieties. Take a deep breath and full body stretch as you shake off winter’s dust and come out of hibernation. As your guides, we will help facilitate a deep connection - with your family, the land and your truest self. Through this experience, you will be able to benefit from new and refreshing ways to interact with one another and our outer landscape. Parents & children will receive time away from each other (if preferred) for self-care, and then come back together for tons of memory-making, fun. |
community resources
These are organizations we believe in and encourage you to seek out. Some are partners, others are acquaintances, many are resources, but all have made an impact on the Hike and Heal Wellness Community.
C H I L D I N T E R V E N T I O N S |
L I T E R A T U R E |
what sets us apart
we breathe together every morning to find solutions
We begin and end each day with gratitude. At camps we build community by learning new breathing skills and practicing playful yoga to help focus the mind and calm the body. In every youth program we share answers to a social-emotional prompt for connection and then spend time learning about what it means to be a leader through problem solving games. Children will feel stronger, supported, more confident and creative after each community circle. We help provide strategies to deal with life's common struggles, while giving the child encouragement and recognition for their strengths.
small teacher to student ratio for quality education
Being a part of a large group can be anxiety producing. For many, it is overstimulating, which can lead to poor decision-making and behavior problems. Hike and Heal Beginnings programs are small on purpose. Big numbers impact the quality of instruction. Our teaching team cares deeply about your child's education and sees the benefits in quality teaching. Small learning pods will be used so that we can target the whole child and meet individual needs.
We begin and end each day with gratitude. At camps we build community by learning new breathing skills and practicing playful yoga to help focus the mind and calm the body. In every youth program we share answers to a social-emotional prompt for connection and then spend time learning about what it means to be a leader through problem solving games. Children will feel stronger, supported, more confident and creative after each community circle. We help provide strategies to deal with life's common struggles, while giving the child encouragement and recognition for their strengths.
small teacher to student ratio for quality education
Being a part of a large group can be anxiety producing. For many, it is overstimulating, which can lead to poor decision-making and behavior problems. Hike and Heal Beginnings programs are small on purpose. Big numbers impact the quality of instruction. Our teaching team cares deeply about your child's education and sees the benefits in quality teaching. Small learning pods will be used so that we can target the whole child and meet individual needs.
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intentional curriculum to help campers love who they are
We have developmentally designed Hike and Heal Beginnings so teaching is scaffolded, building on top of itself for advanced learning. Each week targets a specific age group, with opportunities for older campers from previous years to register as a peer mentor. Every program has three main learning components: nature, mindfulness and leadership. There's room for free play, creative expression in art and music, time to explore & wander, as well as opportunities to grow through facilitated fun. We want kids to LOVE WHO THEY ARE and be confident in their unique abilities. Questions we hope campers & mentors can answer post program: How can a deeper connection to nature ignite our passions? How can mindfulness through yoga, sensory awareness and emotional learning equip us to handle the ups and downs of life? What aspects of leadership do we currently practice, and which ones do we need to add to our toolkit? Hike & Heal Beginnings is for everyone, and we believe all children can benefit!
We utilize the 8 Shields Mentoring Model, developed by Jon Young. This is a globally known model to help develop deep nature connection using the 8 Attributes: love and forgiveness, quiet mind/presence/creativity, inner happiness, vitality, a commitment to paying it forward, empathy/respect for nature, being truly helpful, as well as full aliveness. We use this model to develop the full summer program, each week and each day which then drives our teaching and learning. For more information on the 8 Shields Model, go to http://8shields.org/
We have developmentally designed Hike and Heal Beginnings so teaching is scaffolded, building on top of itself for advanced learning. Each week targets a specific age group, with opportunities for older campers from previous years to register as a peer mentor. Every program has three main learning components: nature, mindfulness and leadership. There's room for free play, creative expression in art and music, time to explore & wander, as well as opportunities to grow through facilitated fun. We want kids to LOVE WHO THEY ARE and be confident in their unique abilities. Questions we hope campers & mentors can answer post program: How can a deeper connection to nature ignite our passions? How can mindfulness through yoga, sensory awareness and emotional learning equip us to handle the ups and downs of life? What aspects of leadership do we currently practice, and which ones do we need to add to our toolkit? Hike & Heal Beginnings is for everyone, and we believe all children can benefit!
We utilize the 8 Shields Mentoring Model, developed by Jon Young. This is a globally known model to help develop deep nature connection using the 8 Attributes: love and forgiveness, quiet mind/presence/creativity, inner happiness, vitality, a commitment to paying it forward, empathy/respect for nature, being truly helpful, as well as full aliveness. We use this model to develop the full summer program, each week and each day which then drives our teaching and learning. For more information on the 8 Shields Model, go to http://8shields.org/
the research
The Children & Nature Network
The Children & Nature Network
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Studies find that youth benefit from learning mindfulness in terms of improved cognitive outcomes, social-emotional skills, and well being. In turn, such benefits may lead to long-term improvements in life. For example, social skills in kindergarten predict improved education, employment, crime, substance abuse and mental health outcomes in adulthood.
-from Mindful Schools Organization
Research shows that children’s social, psychological, academic and physical health is positively impacted when they have daily contact with nature. Positive impacts include the following: 1) supporting creativity & problem solving, 2) enhancing cognitive abilities, 3) improving academic performance, 4) reducing symptoms of ADD/ADHD 5) increasing physical activity, 6) improving nutrition, 7) improving eyesight, 8) improving social relations, 9) improving self-discipline & 10) reducing stress
-from NC State University's College of Design
-from Mindful Schools Organization
Research shows that children’s social, psychological, academic and physical health is positively impacted when they have daily contact with nature. Positive impacts include the following: 1) supporting creativity & problem solving, 2) enhancing cognitive abilities, 3) improving academic performance, 4) reducing symptoms of ADD/ADHD 5) increasing physical activity, 6) improving nutrition, 7) improving eyesight, 8) improving social relations, 9) improving self-discipline & 10) reducing stress
-from NC State University's College of Design
adult books
great research for play, nature connection and mindfulness
great research for play, nature connection and mindfulness
children's books
great for teaching yoga, mindfulness and nature connection
great for teaching yoga, mindfulness and nature connection
parent testimonials
Our twelve-year-old daughter came home after camp and said, "Ms. Mo is the first person IN MY LIFE to have gotten my name right on the first try." Ms. Mo truly sees the small humans who come to her - who they are, who they can be, and how to offer them a center of peace, power, and connection. It was one of our family's luckiest days when we found Mindful Beginnings, and it continues to be one of our biggest blessings that Ms. Mo has created a space into which our daughter can grow into her truest self. In our house, she is referred to as "the magical Ms. Mo."
There may be labels at school, but not here. Ms. Mo creates an inclusive, warm space in which all children thrive in community with each other and with caring adults. She offers tools for regulation...for growth...for thriving.
-Parent of a 13 year old
My daughter has struggled with anxiety since she was a preschooler. That is one reason we were drawn to the Hike and Heal programming several years ago. Joining the Hike and Heal community while in elementary school has forever changed her. Next year she will start high school and she will do so with confidence and strong leadership skills. Her time as a camper and then as a camp mentor have been invaluable. She glows and holds her chin up high each time she steps foot into the Hike and Heal spaces. Thank you Moira and the Hike and Heal team!
--Parent of a 13 year old
We can't thank you enough for such a richly wonderful week for Liam and Rumi and their fellow campers. On Monday morning when we dropped them off, and after 2 weeks of no school, things were very bumpy at home. But over the week, we have witnessed both kiddos connecting with the most peaceful, joyful, emotionally aware versions of themselves. Your camp has been a gift for our whole family.
--Parent of two 7 year olds
Part of the joy of winter, for our family, is in starting to think about our summer rhythms and routines. For Shiras, she was very clear that the one thing she wanted to do this summer was return to Camp Begin. I was glad to hear this choice, because I know Camp Begin provided her with strong social-emotional learning and practice that carried over into her life at home and school.
--Parent of a 10 year old
I just wanted to write a quick note to tell you how much Lilly enjoyed her weeks with you and your team. Also, Andrea and I HUGELY appreciate the daily summary and write up. No other Summer Camps do that, so it was a really nice touch. In any case, we are looking forward to next year already.
--Parent of a 6 year old
Ms. Mo's J.E.D.I. Mindfulness Materials
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Hover over & click on pictures to navigate to helpful YouTube playlists created by Ms. Mo
