Adventure Design

I co-founded Taitonmai Camp in 2014 in Bangkok, Thailand, to provide an informal learning space of discovery and exploration for children outside of school. In Thai, “Taitonmai” means “under the tree”, a reflection of our intention to design a creative and imaginative play-program situated in nature. Our design of an informal, story-based learning environment in nature scaffold opportunities for children to discover bravery and develop self-confidence.

TAITONMAI CAMP

We engage children ages three to nine years old in outdoor themed play-adventures. We believe in the benefits of outdoor play to encourage children’s connection with nature which plants a seed of appreciation and awareness of the natural world that can lead to a sense of responsibility for the environment.

Although children are not trekking in the forest or camping in the wild, they are playing in a fenced area about 1.8 acres that’s shaded with trees and large ponds of water that meanders the area. The grounds are purposely unstructured, allowing for a sense of exploration and discovery among overgrown grass areas and unkept paths serving as a soft introduction to nature for young children. This day-long adventure is most childrens’ first time playing in the mud, climbing a mango tree, or being bitten by ants!

All of our programs are a make believe story-based experience, where children are immersed in a theme we created based on familiar worlds, such as going on a pirate’s quest, a ninja’s adventure or into a land of magic. With each theme that we hold, we transform the space to incorporate elements distinctive of that world. We have a map of the campgrounds and scattered throughout are signs that correspond to the areas on map to indicate their location, such as the dragon’s den, unicorn valley and treasure island.