Summer Program
Our summer program is open to children aged 3 to 8.
Most of our daytime activities will take place outside and at field locations around DC. Our "Base Camp" on the Capitol Hill neighborhood will serve as the location for morning drop off, aftercare, and pick-up. It will also serve as our backup location on days when the weather is not conducive to being outside (e.g., extreme heat, poor air quality, thunderstorms, etc.). ​
Sample Schedule
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8:00-9am drop-off
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9am - 12:30pm Field Outing (11am snack break + shade/water breaks)
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12:30 lunch
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1:30 story time
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1:45 - 2:30 STEAM Time (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math)
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2:30 - 4:00 Free Play/Exploration
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4:00 - 6:00 Aftercare ​
What to Bring
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Lunch
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Water bottle
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Hat
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Comfortable Shoes
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One change of clothes
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Sunscreen is optional. We'll provide and apply midday, but you may send your own. ​​​​​
What We Provide
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Daypack
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Journal
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Morning Snack
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Water
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Sunscreen
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Afternoon Cold Treat
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Snack during Aftercare (4-6pm)
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Adventure!!!
A Day at Camp
Starting at 8am, we welcome children and start our day at our program center. Children enjoy supervised free play while the staff prepares for the day’s outing to the Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens.
At 9am, when everyone has arrived, we gather for our morning circle. We sing songs, discuss some of the creatures and other nature we might see, and review plans for the day. After a quick trip to the restroom, we head out – equipped with our daypacks containing water, sunscreen, a field journal, and other essentials. ​​​
After a 15 minute walk to the Metro station, a 20 minute train ride, and a 20 minute walk to the park, we settle in the picnic area for our morning snack. After snack and some free play, we explore the national park, learning about its water lilies and lotuses, marshlands, and aquatic wildlife. We hear from a local expert on birdwatching, and use our journals to sketch and take notes on our surroundings.
Around noon, we hit the restrooms, fill our water bottles, and head back to our home base in Capitol Hill for lunch and a storytime before our afternoon activities.
After storytime, children have free choice time until 3pm. This afternoon, campers can join free or semi-structured active play, or join a group field exploration around the program center. Today, two instructors take a group to birdwatch around the gardens of the Capitol, taking along bird books, binoculars, and plenty of curiosity.
At the end of afternoon choice time, we enjoy a cold treat. Today’s treat is frozen tubes of yogurt. Then we gather our things and prepare for 4pm dismissal. From now until aftercare ends at 6pm, we read books, play games, and watch an episode of our camp favorite, Wild Kratts.
Campers head home with their daypacks and art projects, ready for tomorrow’s adventure!
