Apple Scouts campers spend each day hiking and exploring nature areas, parks, and community sites around Ann Arbor. Campers should be able to walk 2-5 miles per day while carrying their backpacks with additional energy to explore while at the park. 

Campers should also be able to toilet independently and comfortably with a flush toilet as well as in an outhouse or port-o-potty. Because we will be outside or in nature areas for much of the day, bathroom access is not always quickly available. If using unfamiliar bathrooms, or being far away from a toilet for extended periods of time may be challenging for your camper, please reach out to the camp director to discuss how we may be able to accommodate them. 

Apple Playschools supports neurodiversity among our campers and staff. We also understand that the nature of our camp program can be stressful or poorly-matched for what some people’s brains and bodies need to feel safe. Our program leaves from our home base and travels each day by walking, sometimes city buses depending on location, to local parks, nature areas, museums, and local businesses. There are many transitions throughout the day and many hours of open-ended, unstructured play and discovery time. While Apple Scouts is designed to be accessible to as many children as possible, the schedule, location, and supervision of our program cannot provide what every child needs to be safe, confident, and successful. If your child exhibits behaviors such as: physical aggression, resistance or discomfort in new places and new routines, elopement or running away in periods of high stress, or if they need fast or frequent access to a bathroom, please contact us (applescouts@appleplayschools.org) so we can determine if Apple Scouts can provide the camping experience your child deserves, and if so, what strategies may help your child be successful in our program.