WHAT WE ARE
ALL ABOUT
Here at Pequot Sherwood Day Camp, (and Incarnation Center) we do things a little differently to other camps. And with good reason! As an organization, we have been around over 135 years so we are pretty confident that the experiences we offer from our camp programs is the best out there. Learn about what sets us apart, and why.
Our History
Why Pequot Sherwood?
(what makes us different)
Pequot Sherwood Day Camp is a proud program of the Incarnation Center. The roots of summer camp are as American as apple pie and important to our history as a camp and conference center. In the mid to late 1800’s there was a large movement of families leaving their farms and heading into the cities. Around this same time, the churches and synagogues of New York City began operating summer camp programs in the northeast. This was to allow children the opportunity to play in the fresh air of the great outdoors… something believed to be healthy for both the body and mind (imagine that!).
In 1886, The Church of the Incarnation, an Episcopal church in Manhattan, established Incarnation Camp. Over the next 135 years our sleepaway camp has been lovingly known by a few names. Only a few camps founded in the 1880’s still exist and we are proud to be the oldest operating co-ed camp in the nation. Because of the support of our Incarnation overnight camp, we can offer a lot of unique and specialized activities for Pequot Sherwood campers. That is something that not a lot of day camps are able to offer.
The history of Incarnation Center
We believe that children should have the time to enjoy being kids. We believe in getting dirt under your nails, friendship, cooking over a campfire, crafts, carnivals, sports, building community, molding clay, fishing, sliding down a water slide, canoeing, exploring our creativity, caring for our camp farm animals and all the fun little details that make up an awesome childhood summertime!
We are a tech-free environment. There are no cell phones, computers, gaming consoles, or anything else that needs to be plugged in at camp. For however long they decide to join us, our campers get to disconnect from the virtual world and reconnect with the natural world around them. We provide an awesome atmosphere where campers are “in the moment” and enjoying those around them.
Campers and staff join us each summer from all over the country and the world. Our community is home to folks who are neurodiverse as well as individuals spanning across both the gender & sexuality spectrums.
We’ve been working on our Green Goals for many, many years. As stewards of our beautiful 740 forested acres, and of our mile-long private lake, we are always mindful of how we interact with this place many call their “second home.” They experience the natural world through our farm, garden and nature activities as well. Here at Incarnation center, we house composting, recycling, farming and gardening programs.
Also on our property is a sleepaway program (Incarnation Camp) and another day camp (Bushy Hill). Because of this we have A LOT of resources to share that work collectively to enhance each others programs, while still keeping their individual identities. For example, our overnight camp employs several activity specialists in key areas such as music & ceramics. Because of this infastucture, our Pequot Sherwood campers can sign up for activitites that you would not typically find at a stand alone day camp.
