Little Explorers
Select Tuesdays, 10-11:30 am
Stay after to play and picnic.
Tues. September 12: Silly Soup Scavenger Hunt – Not your average scavenger hunt…this is a phenomenon-based activity that engages your little learner to practice rich language and understand overlooked plant parts, all while creating a silly soup. Kids just think we’re having fun!
Tues. October 17: Costumes and Colors – Fall colors have us feeling festive! Explore the science of how trees and animals get dressed up for fall through guided activities, art, and play. Please come dressed in your favorite costume!
Tues. November 7: Overlook Hike and Campfire Stories – A short hike through the forest and over the hills will lead us to the Overlook. We’ll light up a campfire and tell stories and sing songs. A little exploring might uncover some interesting critters. Hike is a total of one-mile round trip.
Tues. December 5: Nature’s Decorations – Using natural found materials, we will create beautiful mini-wreaths, a glittering pinecone banner, and more!
$8/child, one adult helper free. Ages 2 and under, free. $5 Additional non-participating guests.
Reservations required. Space is limited.
Call 901-878-1247 or email Charity@camppinecrest.org to RSVP
Field School for Homeschool
Select Wednesdays, 10am-Noon
Join us in the forests, fields, and creeks for environmental education classes with our Program Director. Each session will include a lesson, exploration, activities in the field, and field journaling for learning reinforcement.
BYO field journal!
Recommended grades 3-5. Siblings welcome to join or play on the playground.
Weds September 6: Predators and Populations – Predators may seem scary and exciting, but their roles in the ecosystem are key to healthy biodiversity. We’ll take a bite of knowledge as we go on the hunt to understand these creatures. Exploration, games, and journaling will help us devour the information! Be sure to bring your field journals!
Weds October 18: Hickory Harvard – Get to know these forest trees that are important to pollinators, larger wildlife, and even humans. Learn how to recognize several different species of nut trees, build a tree, and take measurements using a variety of scales. Don’t forget to BYO science journal!
Weds November 8: Olden Days Work and Play – Try some fun old-fashioned manual tools, games, and crafts that are considered bygones of an era long ago compared to our modern world. Don’t forget that field journal to help us contemplate our experience.
Weds. December 13: Exploring Evergreens – Explore the forest and learn about the variety of plants that keep their chlorophyll kicking. Journals will be filled with greenery and we’ll finish with a winter decoration craft.
RSVP: Charity@camppinecrest.org
Junior Journalers Nature Club
Select Tuesdays, 1-3pm
Each class includes nature journaling techniques, fun group activities, and inquisitive individual exploration.
Taught by Amaya Shreeve, mentee of renowned journaler and educator John Muir Laws.
Tues. September 12: Intro-Observation Skills and Drawing Trees
Tues. October 17: Nature’s Blueprint and Drawing Pinecones
Tues. November 7: Noticing Change and Species Accounts
Tues. December 5: Zoom In, Zoom Out and Landscapes
Pay what you can, suggested $10/Person
RSVP: Charity@camppinecrest.org or call 901-878-1247
Trail Maintenance Mondays
Aug 28, Sept 1, Sept 18, Oct 16, Nov 6, Dec 11
10am-Noon
We are smoothing trails, creating new trails, and clearing up and restoring old trails. We can supply some tools, or bring your own loppers, trimmers, rake, or shovel. Bring a water bottle.
Family Hike with the Biologist
Sunday, September 24 2-4 pm
A family-friendly hike. Explore up and over the hills to the Overlook and back. Look for animal tracks and traces, signs of autumn, and more with our knowledgeable biologist. Approximately 1 mile. Wear appropriate footwear and clothing for rugged trails and bring water.
Pay what you can, $5 suggested donation per person.
RSVP: charity@camppinecrest.org or call 901-878-1247
Fall Fun Field Trip Day
Thurs. October 5, 2023 10am-Noon
Ready for something new? Don’t miss out on this experience only at Pinecrest! Seasonal science and fun includes happy trees, decomposer dudes, silly science soup, trail wonders, baby goats, wagon rides, and more. Recommended grades K-3.
$10/student, $5 chaperones, teachers free.
Bring a picnic lunch to stay and play. Concessions available.
Registration required, space is limited.
Call 901-878-1247 or e-mail charity@camppinecrest.org
Pinecrest BioBlitz
Fri. October 6 – Sat. October 7
10am-2pm each day
Calling all nature nerds and photographers! Everyone regardless of experience is invited to drop-in to the Pinecrest BioBlitz, a two-day event to catalog as many life forms around Pinecrest as possible. Come anytime between 10am-2pm to receive a quick briefing on using iNaturalist and photography to document our nature observations before heading out to snap lots of photos! Unfamiliar with identification? Not to worry! We’ll have professionals and naturalist volunteers onsite to help. No experience necessary and no requirement to do any serious hiking. Prefer plants? You can focus on plants! Prefer insects… we need you! More of a mushroom “fun” guy? Come on out. Every form of life is important for our biodiversity project. Kids want to join? Absolutely bring them! How many different species will we find?
Feel free to picnic and play while out.
Call 901-878-1247 or email charity@camppinecrest.org
Ghost River Trace Hike
Saturday, October 7 9am-1pm
This 5 mile hike explores long-abandoned pre-Civil War roads, or “traces”, to the Ghost River section of the Wolf River. Take a journey through time and you’ll encounter a wide variety of habitats, plant communities, huge old beeches and oaks, culminating with a view of the pristine upper Wolf River at the now mostly obscure site of Baugh Bridge, once a major crossing that connected West Tennessee and North Mississippi. Imagine the people who have come and gone through this old trace throughout years past and visit swamps accessible only by foot.
- Footwear must cover toes and should at least cover ankles. Be prepared for mud and rough terrain.
- 5 miles considered moderate to strenuous.
- Bring plenty of water and your own snacks.
Pay what you can, $5/person suggested donation
RSVP: charity@camppinecrest.org or call 901-878-1247
Fall Break Bat House Workshop
Fri. October 13
2:30-5pm
Enjoy a stay-cation and bring the family to help construct a professional-grade bat box certified by Bat Conservation International and help save the bats! After construction, we’ll paint our bat boxes, enjoy batty games, go on a bat “hunt”, and enjoy hot dogs with s’mores. Questions about bat box installation or the event? Contact charity@camppinecrest.org for more information.
$100/family of 4 (age 2/up), $8/additional participant
Cost includes a professional BCI certified single-chambered bat box, campfire snacks, and activities.
Register at pinecrest.campbrainregistration.com
CampFood and Cocktails
November 5, 2023 4-6 pm
Our big fundraiser party! Join Pinecrest friends new and old while enjoying yummy foods, drinks, campfires, a silent auction, music, and more at Shady Grove Presbyterian Church, 5530 Shady Grove Rd in Memphis.
Learn more about the event, ticketing, and volunteer opportunities at the CampFood and Cocktails page by clicking here!
Plenty in the Pines
Thursday, November 23, 2023 11:30-1:00
Here’s to plenty of gratitude and plenty of turkey! Join us for a homemade meal, then enjoy our bonfires, hayrides, and rocking chairs.
RSVP by November 9 amanda@camppinecrest.org or 901.878.1247
Adults $25, Kids ages 4-10 $15, Kids under 4 Free
#OptOutside Pinecrest Hike
Friday, November 24 10am-1pm
This three-mile hike will take you over the hills to the Overlook, through the woods, and out across fields. Enjoy the fresh air as you opt outside this Black Friday. Explore the signs of fall and look for tracks and traces of our local wildlife with our expert biologist. Please wear appropriate footwear and clothing for the weather and rugged trails.
Pay what you can, $5/person suggested donation
RSVP: charity@camppinecrest.org or call 901-878-1247
Stargazers U-Night!
Please follow us for more events to come!
Let’s gather in the fields for stargazing. We’ll start indoors with presentation to brush up on our astronomy knowledge, then head out to our dark sky fields to view deep space objects through the incredible telescopes of the Memphis Astronomical Society. BYO binoculars for added fun.
Meet at Chapel for indoor presentation at 6 pm.
Pay what you can, $5 per person suggested donation. Proceeds support our Dark Sky Project.
RSVP: charity@camppinecrest.org or call 901—878-1247
Play in the Pines
Fri., March 17 – Sat. March 18 6:00pm – 10:30am
Kids bring their favorite adults and spend the night at camp!
Find out about summer camp or just hang out. Enjoy a night hike, s’mores over the campfire, arts/crafts, games, and nature activities. Parents will appreciate the info session with Q&A on summer camp details.
$45/adult and $35/kid
Supper and breakfast plus private lodging and activities are included.
Summer Camp Preview Day!
2024 TBD
Visit Pinecrest to see what summer camp is all about! Meet the staff, check out the cabins, play on the playground, try a camp craft, explore a trail, and roast a marshmallow. Our camps serve rising 1st – 12th graders. Been to camp before? Come say hi and enjoy a fun day at your favorite getaway. We’ll even open canteen for merch and treats.
Complete the scavenger hunt and you could win a Pinecrest shirt! Drawing at 4:30, winner must be present.
Free and open to anyone interested in camp.
Just show up, or RSVP: charity@camppinecrest.org
Natural Resources Career Exploration
2024 TBD 9:30-12:30
Students in grades 8-12 can experience STEAM-based careers in the outdoors. Each station will be led by a professional in forestry, hydrologic systems, stewardship ecology, environmental education, and wildlife biology and includes an activity for students to sample some of the exciting ways we protect and manage our important resources.
$15/student, $5/chaperones, teachers free.
Bring a picnic lunch to enjoy after the program.
Register here: https://forms.gle/QrMiYHFJ5a2AYLpMA
Email Charity@camppinecrest.org with questions.
Presbyterian Youth Connection Retreat
2024 TBD for Middle and High Schoolers $120/person
ARE YOU READY FOR A REVOLUTION?!
Jesus was not a pushover! Jesus did some REVOLUTIONARY things like eating with ‘sinners’ and ‘unworthy’ folks in a time when where and with whom you ate and visited was so important. Jesus called the whole social order into question and called us to turn the world up-side down (or, really, right-side up!). Let’s talk about it. And play about it. And hang out about it….
Your youth group is welcome. Bring an adult chaperone, and you’re in!
Email Lucy@camppinecrest.org to register.
Blue Ghost Firefly Festival
2024 TBD
Please arrive between 6-6:30 pm to settle in at the Chapel for a firefly presentation.
Proceeds benefit Pinecrest’s environmental education programming.
-If using bug spray, please do not handle fireflies (mosquito headnets and long loose clothing are highly recommended in lieu of bug spray).
Snappy Sync Firefly Hike
Saturday, June 3 8-10pm
Pay what you can, suggested $10 donation to support our environmental education programs.
Call 901-878-1247 for more information.
Cinnamon Roll Out and Merch Orders
Grab some swag and cinnamon rolls for holiday gifting!
Sweatshirts–
Cinnamon Rolls – Our famous rolls are made by our kitchen staff at Pinecrest, frozen, and packaged for gifting. Order by…. for Memphis pickup on Saturday, …….. We’ll set a midday pickup time at Shady Grove Presbyterian, or you can make an appointment to pickup at Pinecrest.
$15/pan, $14/pan for orders of 10 or more.
Contact us to order: amanda@camppinecrest.org or 901.878.1247
Christmas Camp
2023 TBD
27 magical hours at Pinecrest! We’ll sing, dance, play, make stuff, go hiking, have a bonfire and s’mores, drink hot chocolate… all the things AND your favorite summer camp counselors will be here, too! Bring a friend!
Open to Grades 3-8.
$125 includes dinner, breakfast, lunch and tons of fun.
Registration open now!
Visit pinecrest.campbrainregistration.com
Tennessee Naturalist Program
Spring 2023 Closed.
Stay tuned for 2024!
The mission of the Tennessee Naturalist Program is to teach Tennesseans about our natural world, inspire the desire to learn more, instill an appreciation of responsible environmental stewardship, and channel volunteer efforts toward education of the general public and conservation of Tennessee’s natural resources. Become a Certified Tennessee Naturalist through 40 hours of instruction and 40 hours of volunteer service. Limited space available.
Learn more and register at www.tnnaturalist.org
Call 901-878-1247 or email charity@camppinecrest.org for details.
Snappy Syncs Firefly Hike
Sat. June 3 8-10 pm
Did you know west Tennessee has several species of synchronous fireflies? Come see the Snappy Syncs, Photuris frontalis, light up the wooded hillslopes at Pinecrest in an electrifying display. We’ll make our way to the Overlook as we listen to the owls and chuck-wills-widows. If we have a clear night we’ll see thousands of stars and take dark sky readings. Get hands-on and explore special wildlife areas that may yield more beautiful nocturnal wildlife finds.
We’ll hike as the sun sets, so bring a flashlight or headlamp (the best ones are low lumens plus a red or blue light filter). Loose long sleeves and a mosquito head net provide good protection without excessive bug spray that can harm the wildlife we want to see.
This event is open to all, please no pets.
Pay what you can, suggested $5 donation to support our environmental education programs.
Arrive between 7:30-8, hike departs promptly at 8.
Register here: https://forms.gle/rE3JawUGWhSBNmXc7
Call 901-878-1247 for more information.
Open-Gate Days
TBD
