squibix family day camp

a free, unaccredited, kid-focused, summer program for kids age 4 to whatever

What?

We want to offer kids an unstructured camp experience heavy on exploring and creating, with a whole lot of the time spent outside. We want to let parents get something else done for 10-12 hours a week! See below for some more specifics about things we might do.

When?

We're going to be doing things on Mondays and Thursdays from 9:00 to 2:00. The first program day will (probably) be Monday, June 29th, and the last will be Thursday, September 3rd. We will also be taking a day (or possibly a week) off in the middle of the summer, date to be announced later. Naturally, there's no requirement that your kids come all the days. We don't want to get in the way of any other adventures or obligations! Just let us know your plans a day or two ahead.

Also, while we'll have activities planned for the hours between 9 and 2, we're happy to have kids hang out before or afterwards if that's helpful for your scheduling. Between 7:30 and 3:00 (or occasionally even later) we'll be available to supervise and provide toys and books for kids who are content to be without direct adult engagement for a while.

Where?

We meet at our house in Bedford, a few minutes away from exit 31 off of Rt. 128. We spend part of the day playing and working in the house and yard, and also range as far as we can on foot or by bicycle.

What Should Kids Bring?

Lunch! Pack a lunch—one that doesn't need to be refrigerated so your child can bring it along on picnic outings (we'll provide additional snacks). A sturdy water bottle would be great too. Hats and rain boots (even on days when it's not sunny or rainy) are useful for woodland exploration and farm work. And of course a backpack to carry it all. When it's warm we might well play in the sprinkler or wading pool, so send along a swimsuit and towel; even beyond that there will be opportunities to accidentally get wet so backup clothes would probably be good. We'll let you know when we'll be cycling so your child can bring a bike (if they don't have one or don't ride never fear, we have lots of options!). Beyond that, any toys, books, art materials, or comfort items from home are more than welcome!

Will This Be Dangerous?

Yes! We'll be doing some things that aren't recommended by health authorities—mainly staying outside under the mid day sun and tromping through woods and fields filled with ticks and mosquitoes. Of course, we'll do tick checks, and you can mitigate the sun danger with sunblock (either apply it at home or leave some and we'll be happy to do it). On our outings we'll also strongly encourage kids to move under their own power, so they might get tired out. Besides that we should be pretty safe: all tool use and hen feeding will be scrupulously supervised.

Cost?

This isn't a real camp, and we're also kind of anti-capitalist, so the whole enterprise is totally free! That said, if you feel able to contribute up to $5 per session to help out our craft supply and snack budget we wouldn't object; but that's a purely voluntary contribution.

Should Parents Stay?

We know that our own kids have a hard time launching themselves into new activities without us around, so we understand if you feel like yours will have more fun if you stick around with them. At the same time, we're totally prepared to entertain the whole bunch of kids by ourselves and let you spend a few hours doing other things; and who knows, they might even have an easier time in your absence than you'd expect!

Here are some of the things we might do...

Contact Us

Please contact us with any questions or suggestions!

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