Summer Adventures may just be the most familial day camp around. “It’s like coming home in the summer,” says Camp Director Dawn Cullinan. “It’s our summer family. The majority of our staff members and campers come back year after year, and we love welcoming new members to our family each summer. The experience that we have together, the camaraderie, the special family piece of that, is what I hear from parents all the time.”

The day camp has been around for more than 30 years and accepts children as young as 3 years old (if they’re potty trained). There are sports (including archery and fencing for older campers), science, performing arts, dance and swim time for students up to ninth grade. Summer Adventures’ mission is a blend of play and pedagogy. “We want them to have fun in a safe environment,” says Cullinan, herself a teacher. “We want them to grow as people and develop lifelong friendships, but also learn. Fun is at the top of that list, but it’s learning, it’s growing as people socially with skills or with interests.”

Summer Adventures was open last year, with small, in-person groups gathered outdoors (as allowed by local health restrictions). Tents were brought on site and the tennis court and an outdoor field served as classroom space. This year, Cullinan is hopeful she’ll be able to use indoor spaces again—but will only do so if safety protocols allow. But even if Oak Knoll’s camp is  entirely outdoors, she’s determined to make this summer a great one—particularly for campers who’ve spent months in virtual school.

“They need that socialization,” Cullinan says. “They need that release of being outside, having fun and experiencing new things in a safe way.”

44 Blackburn Rd., Summit
908-522-8186
oakknoll.org/summer