Mid JuneOpen
Week 1: The lake and the shore
Learning the beach, the dock and the lake rules, with shore games, shell-and-stone sorting and canoe basics in life jackets.
- Ages 5 to 13
- 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Summer day camp in Bemidji, Minnesota
Lake and woods days, planned for cool mornings and rain
Windbreaker is a six-week day camp for ages 5 to 13 on lakeside church grounds. Campers dress in layers, walk the trails, paddle in life jackets and spend an afternoon lake hour with their age group, whatever the weather does.
Summer
Six weeks, one at a time
Book the weeks that fit your summer. Every week runs Monday to Friday, with a new theme and the same plan for the weather.
Summer
- Late JuneOpen
Week 2: Woods and trails
Short trail walks, tracks and signs, a creek bridge and a field notebook that comes home on Friday.
- Ages 5 to 13
- 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Early JulyWaitlist
Week 3: Knots and shelters
Rope, tarps and sticks: knots that hold, a lean-to built by the group and a rainy-morning shelter challenge.
- Ages 5 to 13
- 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Mid JulyOpen
Week 4: Paddle and fish
Longer lake hours, paddling in pairs and fishing off the dock with bobbers and nets.
- Ages 5 to 13
- 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Late JulyFull
Week 5: Garden and kitchen
Planting, picking and washing vegetables, then cooking a snack together in the pavilion.
- Ages 5 to 13
- 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Early AugustOpen
Week 6: Family picnic week
Camp favorites on repeat, and a Friday picnic and woods walk with families.
- Ages 5 to 13
- 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Sample sessions.
A camp day
A day at camp, with the lake hour after quiet time
Mornings are for the shore and the woods, lunch and quiet hour are under a roof, and each age group has its own lake hour in the afternoon.
Summer
Showing 54 of 54
Monday
8:00 a.m. – 8:45 a.m.
Arrival, layers and morning circle
Pavilion
All ages8:45 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
Shore games and walks
Lakeshore
All ages10:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Snack and a warm-up break
Pavilion
All ages10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Craft and build blocks
Craft tables
All ages12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.
Lunch from home
Pavilion
All ages12:45 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Quiet hour: reading and drawing
Hall and lawn
All ages1:30 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Lake hour
Beach and dock
5 to 8 years1:30 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Shore craft
Pavilion
9 to 13 years2:15 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Lake hour
Beach and dock
9 to 13 years2:15 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Shore craft
Pavilion
5 to 8 years3:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Field games and closing circle
Lawn
All ages3:45 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Sign-out and pickup
Front steps
All ages
Tuesday
8:00 a.m. – 8:45 a.m.
Arrival, layers and morning circle
Pavilion
All ages8:45 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
Trail walk
Woods trail
All ages10:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Snack and a warm-up break
Pavilion
All ages10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Field notebooks and games
Clearing
All ages12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.
Lunch from home
Pavilion
All ages12:45 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Quiet hour: reading and drawing
Hall and lawn
All ages1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Creek and woods time
Creek bridge
All ages3:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Field games and closing circle
Lawn
All ages3:45 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Sign-out and pickup
Front steps
All ages
Wednesday
8:00 a.m. – 8:45 a.m.
Arrival, layers and morning circle
Pavilion
All ages8:45 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
Shore games and walks
Lakeshore
All ages10:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Snack and a warm-up break
Pavilion
All ages10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Craft and build blocks
Craft tables
All ages12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.
Lunch from home
Pavilion
All ages12:45 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Quiet hour: reading and drawing
Hall and lawn
All ages1:30 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Lake hour
Beach and dock
5 to 8 years1:30 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Shore craft
Pavilion
9 to 13 years2:15 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Lake hour
Beach and dock
9 to 13 years2:15 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Shore craft
Pavilion
5 to 8 years3:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Field games and closing circle
Lawn
All ages3:45 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Sign-out and pickup
Front steps
All ages
Thursday
8:00 a.m. – 8:45 a.m.
Arrival, layers and morning circle
Pavilion
All ages8:45 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
Trail walk
Woods trail
All ages10:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Snack and a warm-up break
Pavilion
All ages10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Field notebooks and games
Clearing
All ages12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.
Lunch from home
Pavilion
All ages12:45 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Quiet hour: reading and drawing
Hall and lawn
All ages1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Creek and woods time
Creek bridge
All ages3:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Field games and closing circle
Lawn
All ages3:45 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Sign-out and pickup
Front steps
All ages
Friday
8:00 a.m. – 8:45 a.m.
Arrival, layers and morning circle
Pavilion
All ages8:45 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
Shore games and walks
Lakeshore
All ages10:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Snack and a warm-up break
Pavilion
All ages10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Craft and build blocks
Craft tables
All ages12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.
Lunch from home
Pavilion
All ages12:45 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Quiet hour: reading and drawing
Hall and lawn
All ages1:30 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Lake hour
Beach and dock
5 to 8 years1:30 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Shore craft
Pavilion
9 to 13 years2:15 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Lake hour
Beach and dock
9 to 13 years2:15 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Shore craft
Pavilion
5 to 8 years3:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Field games and closing circle
Lawn
All ages3:45 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Sign-out and pickup
Front steps
All ages
Nothing matches that filter.
Sample classes.
Tuesday and Thursday are trail days, with creek and woods time in place of the lake hour.
Cool mornings and rain days
Camp days planned for cold mornings and rain
How a day handles layers, rain, the lake and ticks, who is with each age group, and what the camp's permit says.
License
Permitted by Minnesota Department of Health
Youth camp · MN Permit # 000000
Adults to children
1 adult to 8 children
5 to 8 years
Group size: 16
1 adult to 10 children
9 to 13 years
Group size: 20
1 adult to 6 children
5 to 13 years in the water
Group size: 12
Capacity
45
Ages 5 years to 13 years
Staff checks and training
- Background checks
- CPR and first aid
- Lifeguard training
- Medication training
Safety routines
Cool mornings
Mornings by the lake can be cold, so campers arrive in layers: a windbreaker or fleece, long pants and closed shoes. The first block keeps everyone moving, and layers go on and off at the hooks in the pavilion as the day warms.
Rain days and storms
Light rain doesn't cancel camp. Campers bring a rain jacket and boots, and blocks move under the pavilion roof or into the hall. When we hear thunder, everyone goes inside and waits until half an hour has passed since the last one. We text families before 7:00 a.m. when the plan changes.
The lake hour
Each age group has its own lake hour at the beach and dock. Every camper in or beside the water wears a life jacket, and counselors stay in the shallows with the group. When the water is too cold or the weather turns, the lake hour becomes shore craft in the pavilion.
Ticks and bugs
On trail days campers wear long pants and tuck them into socks, and we show them how to look for ticks. Families do a tick check at home each evening. Please send bug spray from home already on.
Who collects your camper
An adult on your list signs your camper in and out at the front steps. We ask for ID until we know you, and we ask you to tell us ahead of time when someone new is coming.
Allergies, medicine and sick days
Tell us about allergies and medicine when you register, and we ask what we need privately. A camper with a fever stays home, and if a camper feels ill at camp, we call you and a counselor stays with them until you arrive.
Sample details.
The grounds
A pavilion, a beach and a trail, on rented church grounds
Camp meets on lakeside grounds the church rents to us each summer. The open-sided pavilion is where lunch, snack and rainy-day blocks happen, the beach and dock are a short walk down a gravel path, and the woods trail starts behind the lawn.
Pavilion with a roof for rain and shade
Beach and dock for the lake hour
Woods trail and a creek bridge
A hall for storm days
The team
The adults who run camp
A director, a lake lead and a trail lead, with a counselor in every group. Hmong and English are spoken at the front steps every morning.
Maykou Phang
Director
Maykou started Windbreaker on her church's lakeside grounds so children in Bemidji could have long days outside, even when the morning is cold. She runs garden week and the snack table herself, and she is at the front steps most mornings to answer the camp phone. She speaks Hmong and English with families.
Rani Shetty
Trail and craft lead
Rani leads the woods trail and the shore craft blocks. She walks each age group through the creek bridge and the tick check, and keeps the craft tables stocked so rainy-day blocks run as smoothly as sunny ones.
Simisola Akande
Lake hour lead
Simisola leads the lake hour and the paddling weeks. She keeps the life jackets sorted, runs the dock routine for each age group, and decides each morning whether the water is right for the lake hour.
Questions
Questions families ask before camp
Which ages and weeks do you offer?
Camp is for ages 5 to 13, Monday to Friday, for six weeks across the summer. Each week has its own theme, and families book the weeks that fit. Registration opens in January.
What is a day at camp like?
The day runs from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. It starts with a morning circle and an outdoor block, then snack, a craft or build block, lunch and a quiet hour. The afternoon has a lake hour for each age group and field games to finish.
What should my camper bring?
Layers for a cold morning, a rain jacket and boots, a water bottle, lunch from home and a change of clothes.
What happens when it rains or turns cold?
Light rain doesn't cancel camp: blocks move under the pavilion roof or into the hall, and the lake hour becomes shore craft when the weather turns. We text families before 7:00 a.m. when the plan changes.
How does pickup work, and who can collect my camper?
An adult on your list signs your camper out at the front steps. We ask for ID until we know you, and we ask that you tell us ahead of time when someone new is coming.
How does tuition work?
Tuition depends on the weeks you book and your camper's age group. It is set by the weeks and the age group, and we are glad to go through it by phone.
Save a place for the weeks you need
Registration opens in January. Register on our enrollment page, or call and ask about the lake hour, rain days or pickup.