SUMMER OF WONDER
Registration is NOW OPEN!
5 WEEKS! June 29 – July 31, 2026
Middle Way School SUMMER of WONDER welcomes all children for outdoor adventures and inward exploration! Five incredible weeks feature splashing in the sun, collaborative games, wilderness skills, arts and crafts, meditation, and more! Each week is infused with the Buddhist-inspired wisdom of awareness, tools for centering oneself, creating confidence, and building community.
Customized by age group, each session also features a unique theme to allow for a deep dive into special interests—music, theater, creative writing, nature exploration, and more. Super-skills for a modern world are effortlessly woven into the day, like harmonious play, contemplative approaches to challenges, and cultivating an open heart and mind.
AGES
NEWLY EXPANDED! The MWS SUMMER of WONDER experience is open to rising preschoolers (age 3+) through rising seventh graders, plus MWS young alumni. If your child is a young alumni of MWS and interested in playing a helping role, please email for more information: [email protected].
SCHEDULE
All sessions take place on the woodland campus of Middle Way School, Monday through Friday (8:30 am – 3:30 pm), with the exception of the 4-day “EXPLORE” session of off-site adventures (June 29 – July 2). For this special session, the drop-off/pick-up location will change for each day, each within a small radius of school.
PAYMENT AND FEES
- “Early Bird” pricing until Monday, February 23, 2026
- NEW! JUNIOR Summer of Wonder:
A nurturing summer program for our youngest friends exploring nature, creativity, and awareness through play-based activities
Rising preschooler (age 3+) through rising first graders: $350 Early Bird, $395 General Rate for each week - SPECIALTY THEMES Summer of Wonder:
A chance to explore growing interests through themed specialty camps—hiking, creative writing, role playing, song crafting
Rising second graders through rising seventh graders: $395 Early Bird, $435 General Rate - DEEP DIVE Summer of Wonder:
Two special intensive sessions for our theater performers and animal caregivers
Rising second graders through rising seventh graders: $475 Early Bird, $525 General Rate
- 10% sibling discount
- Non-refundable registration fee: $35
- Optional 2026 MWS SUMMER of WONDER camper t-shirt: $25, until May 30
- Payment is due upon registration
If your circumstances require you to cancel a registration, refunds can be offered until May 1, 2026 (less an additional 15% cancellation fee). After May 1, 2026 refunds cannot be issued.
For your child to attend summer programming, an up-to-date immunization record and health exam form are required to be submitted no later than May 1, 2026. More information about immunization requirements can be found HERE. (For those children who are currently enrolled as MWS students during the school year, health records can be accessed through TADS, our academic enrollment platform, providing they are up to date.
HOW TO REGISTER
There are only a limited number of spots available for each session, so please register early! Once your registration is complete, you will receive a confirmation, an enrollment form, the total amount due, and a link to submit payment.
We appreciate your enthusiastic interest and support! Once a particular session fills up, you’ll have the option of being added to a waiting list.
QUESTIONS?
We’re here to help! Reach out to [email protected].
SESSION 1: EXPLORE! (4 days: June 29 - July 2, 2026)
A TRAVELING ADVENTURE! Summer of Wonder kicks off with a 4-day collection of off-site adventures for rising 2nd graders through rising 7th graders.
We’re taking to the woods for hiking, caving, and serious splashing! Each day, we’re exploring a different Hudson Valley vista or Catskill Mountain trail. With experienced outdoor guides, we’ll study the ecosystem of our surroundings, deepening our understanding of the many ways we’re connected to nature. We’ll work with navigation and wilderness skills, identify local plants and signs of animals, and learn tips for physical endurance. Tailored to individual interests, there will be invitations for other activities such as campfire cooking, plein air sketching, writing in the wild, and more! Last Summer, we explored Esopus Bend Nature Preserve, Ulster Landing County Park, and Huckleberry Point.
Locations for each day coming soon. Drop off and pick up will be at these different locations each day. Sites are subject to change in the case of severe weather.
SESSION 2: JOURNEY! (5 days: July 6 - July 10, 2026)
LET’S EMBARK ON AN ADVENTURE OF THE IMAGINATION! Using stories as a base, we’ll explore how choices influence outcome—especially through creative writing, oral expression, and visual and theater arts.
Telling stories, hearing them, and creating them, we will be developing the characters that drive the action. Characters, settings, problems, and solutions, will all interact through story-prompts. We’ll have a chance to do daily journaling, getting to know our characters and how they would interact in the world, act out scenarios, and tell stories to an audience. Imaginative play, individual expression, and group collaboration work together to form a greater whole through this week-long adventure in stories and their power. Special objects—carved, adorned, and given special meaning—will help participants illuminate their unique stories, becoming touchstones to add to the magic of words and creative expression!
SESSION 3: PERFORM! (July 13 - July 17, 2026)
SHOWTIME! During our week of theatre we will be looking at how we can use space, our voices, and bodies to express and explore.
Through acting exercises and games we will develop confidence in ourselves, and what it means to be an ensemble. We will be diving deep into a folk tale that touches on a dharma theme, that we will develop into a simple performance that we will present at the end of the week.
SESSION 4: JAM! (July 20 - July 24, 2026)
SOUND ALL AROUND! Calling all young musicians! We’re playing with strings, percussions, keys and more to foster a lifelong love of learning how to express ourselves with music and sound.
What does it mean to play our part? How do we listen to others to hear how all the parts come together in harmony? Let’s play, compose, act, and create together in harmony. We’ll explore the four pillars of music: Rhythm (counting), Melody (1 note at a time), Harmony (2 or more notes at a time), Songwriting (form & lyrics)—with no instrument experience required. Instruction is tailored to each camper’s level of experience. Expect some silliness as we develop skills for approaching performance with joyful ease!
SESSION 5: FARM! (July 27 - July 31, 2026)
CARE FOR OUR ANIMAL FRIENDS! In collaboration with Napping Horse Farm, we’ll be exploring the caretaking relationship between animals and ourselves.
Within a short walk from our campus, this working farm is also an animal sanctuary where tranquility meets compassionate care for rescued animals—including horses, goats, chickens, bunnies, sheep, pigs, donkeys, emus, ducks, and geese. During the week, we’ll build connections with the animals and the farmers while learning about sustainability practices.
