Summer Camp

Beat the summer heat by playing in the water! Let’s keep ourselves cool and learn about some different ways that animals stay cool in the heat too. Campers will explore the creek, pond, and plants and animals at Morris in these aquatic habitats. We’ll also play water games, make water inspired art, and spend the hot afternoons cooling off in sprinklers and kiddie pools. 

No camp on July 3.

There is so much to see, hear, smell, and touch as we explore the woods and gardens here at Morris. We will immerse our senses in the beauty and complexity of nature and let our creativity run wild. Our daily crafts will involve a variety of media and will incorporate materials that we have gathered from nature. 

Have you ever wondered what it is like to be an insect? How do they see? What do they eat? What is it like to have an exoskeleton? Campers will learn about all of this and more when they immerse themselves in the fascinating world of arthropods. Daily crafts, games, and water play will also be part of the fun. 

Kids are often told not to make a mess at home, but at camp it’s just part of the day. We’ll learn about soil and how plants and animals use this important resource. Plus, nothing beats the fantastically tactile, squishy sensation of mud! Daily exploration and art projects will make use of sand, clay, and mud. We’ll do our best to wash up before going home but be sure to pack extra clothes throughout the week. 

Who doesn’t love a cute animal baby? But while some babies are cute and cuddly, others can be slimy or spiny. Some babies look just like their parents, and others go through a process of complete metamorphosis. We’ll look for and investigate different animals and their babies, talk about animal lifecycles, and have all sorts of animal crafts and games. 

Let’s show some love to plants — we wouldn’t be here without them! We will see pollination in action, find different seeds, learn about plant parts, and see how plants support all the other living things in the world. From the tiniest seed to the largest tree, campers will explore our plants here at Morris. 

Let’s spend the week cooling off in the water! We will explore aquatic habitats at Morris, the water cycle, and do some experiments to learn about scientific properties of water. We will also have daily nature crafts and games. This week wouldn’t be complete without plenty of water play, so every day you can expect us to break out the splash pad, sprinklers, and zero-waste reusable water balloons! 

No camp on July 3.

Spend your week being super creative as we reuse, reconstruct, and repurpose a variety of household materials to make “beautiful junk.” We will also be spending lots of time outside in nature, and activities could include making boats to race in the creek, building fairy houses, and finding leaves and flowers on the grounds to incorporate into our art. When not crafting, campers will enjoy outdoor games, hiking, and plenty of afternoon water play to beat the heat. 

Are you ready to explore the world of insects and spiders? These small but fascinating creatures live in every habitat on earth, and about 1 million different species are known (with many more yet to be described). During this week, we’ll learn about different species, crazy adaptations, and imagine what it is like to live in the world of arthropods. 

During this week of camp, getting dirty will be part of the fun! Much more than dirt and dust, soil is vital to all life on our planet. Learn what soil is made of, how plants use soil, and find critters that call soil their home. We’ll do science and crafts throughout the week using sand, clay, soil, and mud. We might get messy (and wet from water play), so be sure to pack extra clothes. 

What do ants, birds, beavers, and spiders all have in common? They are all very impressive builders and engineers! We’ll learn about a variety of animals who dig, weave, and build their homes, and try our skills at doing the same thing. 

What makes plants so fantastic? For one thing, they support all other life on this planet through the food chain. We’ll check out some interesting plants here at Morris, discuss plant adaptations, learn some edible or medicinal plants, and learn to ID a few plants to avoid. We’ll have plenty of time to explore, as well as daily crafts and games. 

We emphasize learning about nature, safety, and fun! We spend much of our day outside, and exact schedules will vary by theme and age. Campers always begin their day at 9 am with a morning meeting that includes name games, team building games, and an introduction to our daily lesson. Mornings usually include a hike and nature exploration on our beautiful grounds. Our youngest campers in Little Lightning Bugs also go to Out –on –a Limb (a treetop installation) for a chance to play in the morning before the Morris opens to the public at 10 am. In the afternoon when temperatures climb, we spend some time either indoors or in the shade doing crafts, reading stories, science experiments, games, and water play. While much of our time is outdoors, we do take weather and heat advisories into account and will always prioritize safety. 

Due to high demand, each child is limited to a maximum of 3 weeks of camp when registration opens in January. We are a small camp, but we strive to offer a nature camp experience to as many children as possible. If you already have 3 weeks, you may add your child to the waitlist for additional weeks beginning January 30. 

No. You will receive a confirmation email with your camp forms attached. These must be completed and sent back to us. You can mail them to: 

Attn: Morris Summer Camp
9414 Meadowbrook Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19118

You can also drop off directly at the Meadowbrook Avenue address above for Gates Hall Monday – Friday between 9 am – 5 pm, or at our Gift Shop during business hours including weekends. 

We only have one group for Little Lightning Bugs (ages 4 – 5), so all kids registered in that age group will be together. We have two groups at the barn for Bloomfield Buddies (ages 6 – 10) and they are divided by age with an older group and a younger group. Groups will be preassigned, and children will be told their groups each Monday. If you have a request for campers to be in the same group, please email the camp director at least TWO WEEKS BEFORE your camp week begins. 

We are not very strict about age groupings since this is not an academic program. We can provide guidance and there are some differences in the age groups, but generally the final decisions are left to parents and caregivers since you will know your children the best. Our program is aimed at discovering the natural world and inspiring children’s creativity, and children who are on the cusp will often do OK in either group. Most of the children in Little Lightning Bugs have not started kindergarten yet. Most of the children in Bloomfield Buddies have completed kindergarten through 4th grade. The older children do more walking than Little Lightning Bugs, so be aware of what your child might be capable of. Some kids hate being the youngest kid in the group and love being the oldest, or vice versa. Feel free to discuss if you’re not sure where your child will fit in, but the final decision is yours. 

Unfortunately, we do not have the capacity for before or after care. Morning drop-off is 8:45 – 9 am and afternoon pick-up is 3 –3:15 pm. 

We do offer a member discount for all current Morris members at the premier membership levels. Individual and family level members with youth add-ons will also receive a camp discount. For the discount, the number of campers at the member price must not exceed the number of youth add-ons with your membership. We do not offer a sibling discount. 

Yes. A limited amount of financial aid is available on a first-come basis to those with demonstrated financial need. Email igrubin@upenn.edu for more information. 

When enrollment is full, you can join the waitlist using the same registration links. Choose your member level or select non-member and hit next. You'll see a message in red that reads "0 tickets available"; scroll down and click the button "add to waitlist."  If you are not yet logged in, you will be prompted to login or create a new account. Then type in the number of children (participants) you wish to add to the waitlist for that date/age group. Hit "add to waitlist" again. Your confirmation will show in the box. There’s a lot of clicking, but make sure you can see your waitlist request in the box at the end. There is no charge to be waitlisted, and spots do become available between now and summer. 

Please look closely at your confirmation emails to verify camp dates, age groups, and waitlist requests (the emails will also include the camp forms that you need to complete). You can also view all your reservations in one place via your Morris account.  From the main website, login to your Morris account (login button is on the top right). After entering your username and password, click “account” on the right-hand side, and from the drop-down menu select “My Reservations.”  Here you can view all current reservations, past reservations, and waitlist entries. 

Planning ahead can be challenging for everyone, but please be mindful when making your camp registrations. We often cannot accommodate requests to change scheduled weeks since we fill up quickly.  

• Cancellations up to May 20: A $50 fee will be deducted from a refund for each week canceled. 
• After May 20: Refunds will ONLY be issued for extenuating circumstances and are at the discretion of the Camp Director. If a replacement is found from the waitlist, a refund may be granted minus a $75 cancellation fee. 

Camp is held rain or shine. Campers may still be outdoors in light rain, so please dress your child in clothing that can get wet or dirty and send extra clothes and/or rain gear! In the case of lightning, activities will be moved indoors. During a heat advisory, strenuous activity will be avoided. In addition to morning creek walks about once a week, we will do water play (sprinklers, wading pools, water games, etc.) in the afternoons to help cool off. In an extreme heat advisory, we do have air-conditioned spaces for campers to use in the afternoon. 

While a rainstorm will not deter us from camp activities, the Morris Arboretum & Gardens does reserve the right to cancel or shorten a camp day if the conditions are unsuitable and/or dangerous due to extreme weather or air quality. While it is very unlikely that we will ever cancel, if more than half of a camp week is cancelled due to weather, then a half tuition refund will be issued to all registrants. If less than half of a camp week is cancelled, then no refund will be issued.  

It is our hope to inspire a love of the outdoors in all participants. We spend most of our day outside in nature — not in air conditioning. Campers must be able to hike and navigate uneven terrains throughout Morris Arboretum & Gardens. Together we enjoy fun activities under careful supervision of camp education staff. With the guidance of educators, campers must listen to directions, stay with the group, adhere to camp rules, and take accountability for their own safety. Please see Parent Handbook for more information about our camp and rules. 

Our primary goal is providing a safe, fun, and positive camp experience for children. We can accommodate a wide variety of needs; however, we do hike every day, and our camp staff is unable to provide one-on-one supervision without neglecting their responsibilities for the rest of the group. We are often outdoors, in a less-structured environment than at school. If your child receives assistance at school, we highly recommend sending an aide, TSS, or care facilitator to camp as well. This might be part of a child’s IEP and can be discussed with your school. If your child will have an aide or therapist coming to camp, please notify our Camp Director Ilana Grubin at igrubin@upenn.edu 

Campers should bring a backpack with the following items: lunch, snacks that can be carried on a hike, refillable water bottle, change of clothes, and water shoes. Water shoes will stay at camp throughout the week and come home on Friday. Please label all items. Less is more! Please do not bring toys, phones, cameras, electronic devices, money, or valuables to camp. The fewer items that your child brings the better!  

Please dress your child in clothes that can get dirty! Make sure your child’s shoes are comfortable to walk in since we will be spending a lot of time on our feet. Flip flops and open-toed shoes are NOT permitted for running games and hiking. Some sturdy open-toe sandals are OK as water shoes, but these cannot be worn all day. Hats, comfortable clothing, and sneakers are strongly encouraged.  

We do not provide lunch, so each child needs to bring lunch and snacks from home. We don’t like see

Unfortunately, families cannot stay on the grounds after a child is dropped off: However, they are welcome to walk the Morris public gardens once we officially open at 10am. You may also stay for a visit after pickup at 3 pm. 

Drop off begins at 8:45 am each day. We usually begin morning meetings at 9 am, and by 9:30 am our campers could be off exploring the gardens. Please let us know ahead of time if there will be a late drop off or early pickup since our campers have over 100 acres to explore, and it can be very tricky for counselors to make separate arrangements. The camp director will help figure out the best timing and location to find the group (usually snack or lunchtime). If a camper will be late due to unforeseen circumstances, please call 215.247.5777 x125 and leave a message. Afternoon pickup is from 3 – 3:15 pm. There is a grace period of one late pickup, but after the first infraction campers picked up after 3:15 pm will be charged a late fee of $5 for every 5 minutes late. 

Yes! We have a Counselor in Training (CIT) program for young teens ages 12 –15. The CIT program is designed to provide teens with leadership development and work-readiness skills as they discover personal interests and preferences. Participants will grow as individuals and leaders, gain confidence, learn about caring for children, and HAVE FUN at camp. This is an unpaid, three-week experience, where teens will receive daily training from Morris staff. Because of restrictions on staff funding to run the CIT program successfully, priority will be given to Philadelphia public school students. We also love to hear from our former campers who want to come back, and everyone is welcome to apply. Please fill out this interest form and we will get back to everyone in January with zoom links for the information sessions and the application form. 

Please email additional questions to our camp director Ilana Grubin at igrubin@upenn.edu or call 215.247.5777 x127.