A camp in the Hudson Valley is teaching kids all about preservation and environmentally friendly habits while allowing them to run around in the fresh air.

Oscar Cuartas is spending his summer playing with friends and enjoying games at summer camp, but the program he belongs to isn’t your typical one. It focuses on learning about nature, exploring the wilderness and understanding the environment.

“Nature is really cool, and there's lots of amazing things about it,” Cuartas said. “Once you get started, it's hard to stop learning.”

Starting in pre-school and working his way into the summer camps, the soon-to-be sixth grader has been going to the Hudson Highlands Nature Museum for eight years.

Located on 177 acres of preserved land in the Hudson Valley, the museum focuses on teaching people of all age groups about nature.

Cuartas is part of the Trekkers group of 8- to 12-year-olds.

“You could actually learn things that would impact your future, and so you can have a better understanding of the natural world for adulthood so you can help the earth,” Cuartas said.

During a typical camp day, the kids play games outside, go on hikes, explore the land around them and learn about wildlife.

Adam Rettus-Sissler, an environmental educator at the Hudson Highlands Nature Museum, said some of the key things they teach the kids are how to protect the environment and good stewardship, taking care of the plants and bugs they come across.

“I love seeing them get excited about protecting the nature, especially,” Rettus-Sissler said. “I love nature so much. I was a museum kid. I came here when I was younger, and I learned to love nature, so to share that on with other kids just is great to do, and they love it.”

Along with understanding the world around them, nature also provides health benefits for kids. That includes Vitamin D exposure from the sun, as well as improving their mental health.

“Kids that are more quiet inside, when they get outside, they really become leaders and they start to really become more adventurous,” Rettus-Sissler said.

Helping the environment now can also be beneficial when it comes to health in the future.

“I love watching them become young stewards of the environment. That's, I think, a really awesome thing to see. When a kid will come up to me and be like, ‘oh, I found all this trash like to throw out.’ I’m like, ‘nice, let's take it out of the environment,’” Rettus-Sissler said.

“Everybody has a responsibility to keep the earth nice, not just for ourselves, but for the next generations because it's not going to be the same,” Cuartas said.

Feeling inspired from what he’s learning at camp and already looking to the future, Cuartas hopes to open a sustainable restaurant and write books about environmental awareness when he grows up.

“Just reminding people and giving people ideas of how to keep the earth this nice,” Cuartas said.

According to the Nature Conservancy, learning in nature can greatly improve how a child performs academically and influences their critical thinking skills. They encourage parents to get their children outside often right away, as most growth occurs in the first five years of life.