Summer Programs 2024

Each summer, the Lab School offers an array of summer programs meant to inspire. Our programs are designed for children ages 3 through 6 years. This coming summer, we are delighted to offer three exciting programs! We hope your child will join us!

Wild Wanderers 

(Ages 4–6 years) – FULL! Waitlist only 

“Nature is a tool to get children to experience not just the wider world but themselves.” – Stephen Moss

Come and celebrate the start of summer in our beautiful outdoor learning environments. A meadow teaming with life, a rushing creek, trails, an outdoor classroom, a bird blind, trees to climb, and so much more. Our mornings will be spent exploring the wild and wandering through our woods together, engaging in adventure play, and soaking up the sun. Children will be filled with peace as we practice morning yoga and read under the canopy of our trees. They will develop their sense of wonder as they are surrounded by nature in its perfectly balanced multi-sensory experience. They will make new friends, whether it be with a peer or a critter, we will support the big idea of caring for one another as well as caring for our Earth! And we will strengthen their confidence as they embody our camp name – Wild Wanderers.

Led by the Lab School teachers: Katie Pollock, Kristen Chandler, Polly Lung & Alexis Washofsky

Dates: May 28 to June 7

Hours: 9:00am – 12:00pm (Monday through Friday)

Cost: $500

Nature Explorers – FULL! Waitlist only 

(Ages 3–4 years)

“A child’s world is fresh and new and beautiful, full of wonder and excitement.” – Rachel Carson

What can children learn by splashing in puddles? From rolling down hills? Watching the movement of clouds and tall trees while lying on their backs? Adventures in our meadow, trails, woods and hills provide opportunities to observe nature up close, wonder, question, imagine, create and build their knowledge of nature. Nature Explorers offers children a world of opportunities to develop a sense of wonder and become stewards of their natural world.

Led by the Lab School teacher Debbie Torbert

Dates: June 3 to June 14

Hours: 8:30am – 11:30am (Monday through Friday)

Cost: $500

I Can Be Mindful WITH Nature – FULL! Waitlist only! 

(Ages 4–7 years)

“One of the first conditions of happiness is that the link between man and nature shall not be broken.” – Leo Tolstoy

Mindfulness is the practice of bringing awareness, moment to moment, to our feelings, our thoughts, and our bodies with kindness and curiosity. Mindfulness has been shown to improve happiness, and to increase compassion, focus, curiosity, and empathy!

Spending time in nature enhances growth and development in all domains. Nature also teaches us how to be curious, to wonder, and to look closer.

The I Can Be Mindful WITH Nature summer program brings these two powerful practices together to support children’s well-being.

Children enrolled in this summer program will spend most of their day outside observing, encountering, wondering, creating, and caring for the natural world. Through these outdoor experiences, coupled with mindful practices, songs, stories, movement, and games, children will strengthen their ability to be mindful. Special focus will be placed on supporting children to notice their thoughts, feelings, and sensations (belly fluttering, chest tightening, heart racing, fist clenching). When we notice and name our sensations, our feelings, our thoughts, and our needs they become more manageable which makes it easier to respond effectively to challenging situations. By focusing on these skills with young children, we help them establish the emotional foundation that is needed to thrive in a diverse, ever-changing, and sometimes stressful world.

Led by the Lab School Teachers: Laura Morris, Kristen Chandler & Polly Lung

Please choose one of the following camp date options:

Dates: June 10 to July 3, Cost: $1100

Dates: June 13 to July 3, Cost: $910

Dates: June 17 to July 3, Cost: $780

(closed on June 19th in observance of Juneteenth)

Hours: 9:00am – 12:30pm (Monday through Friday)

To register, complete the form below (one per child). Once we receive your child’s registration, we will provide you with the camp enrollment agreement along with deposit/payment information. You will be responsible for returning the agreement and a non-refundable deposit of $250 (per camp) within 48 hours of receipt. Payment can be made by check (payable to the UD Lab School) or pay online.