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Pioneers in the Park Photo Albums
We traveled back in time during this Early Americans themed week! We learned about life on the frontier, tried our hand at some of the games that pioneer children loved to play, and churned homemade butter. We discovered the joy of working with our hands by practicing our whittling skills and created our very own thaumatropes. Each day was packed with good old-fashioned fun!
Pioneers in the Park (Durham, 4/1-5/2024)
Into the Enchanted Forest Photo Gallery
The forest is an inspiring playground for make-believe! We learned how to tell stories together and found the mystical in the mundane. We built homes fit for fairies and goblins, searched for magical plants, and vanquished monsters as we froliced through the forest in this imagination-filled camp!
Into the Enchanted Forest (Durham, 3/25-29/2024)
NEW! Pre-K Summer Camps in Wake and Durham Counties
All of our camps are designed to provide a safe, supportive, and inclusive environment where every child can thrive. We believe in creating a culture of kindness, respect, and learning, where campers can develop new skills, build confidence, and make lasting memories. Our Pre-K program is designed for our youngest campers, age 4.5 to 5.5, who are going into kindergarten and have some other structured group experience like preschool or other camps.
The Information You Need to Know:
- Your camper must turn 4-years-old by March 31, 2024, and have some structured group experience (preschool, other camps, etc). These camps are designed for campers who have not yet completed kindergarten.
- If your camper is 5 and has completed kindergarten, they may be more developmentally aligned with our regular camps. You know your kid best!
- Your camper must be comfortable and successful in using the bathroom independently. We know accidents happen, but we don’t have the facilities or staff to accommodate campers who don’t meet this benchmark.
- Drop off for these camps in Durham is from 8a-9a and in Wake from 8:30a-9:00a.
- Pick up for these camps in Durham is 3p-3:30p and in Wake from 2:30p-3:00p. There is no Aftercare option.
- Camp cost $324.
- We ask our 4 questions every day:
- Do you have lunch and two snacks?
- Do you have your water bottle?
- Do you have clothes or a swimsuit and shoes for water time?
- Do you have sunscreen and bug spray (and is it already on)? To learn more about what to bring, check out our Camp Handbook!
Pre-K Camps in Wake
All Wake camps for Pre-K campers are held at our new location at Brookhaven Nature Preserve.
Pre-K Camps in Wake
All Wake camps for Pre-K campers are held at our new location at Brookhaven Nature Preserve.
Summer Camp 2024 Final Checks
Schoolhouse of Wonder Summer Camp registration opens this week — Wake County camp on Tuesday, January 16, Durham and Orange County camps on Wednesday, January 17, at 9:00am. Please see a few last-minute pro tips, reminders, and FAQs below, to help the process go smoothly!
For your convenience, here are details about our summer camps, grouped by location and age:
Pro Tips
- If you haven’t already, please create an Amilia account before registering for camp. Creating an account in advance will save time during the registration process.
- In Amilia, you can bookmark your favorite camps so you can easily find them. Simply click on the heart ❤️ next to the camp title to add it to your Wish List. To access your Wish List, click on the heart ❤️ in the top navigation.
- Review our updated Program Policies so there are no surprises (and then pinky promise your camper that you won’t argue with our staff about these later).
New Locations, New Adventures
- We’re thrilled to add another new Wake County location to our mix — Crowder County Park, 4709 Ten-Ten Road, Apex NC 27539.
- This means that Schoolhouse will operate EIGHT summer camp locations this year (5 in Wake County, 2 in Durham County, 1 in Orange County). Click here for information on all of our locations.
- In addition to new locations, we’re offering new opportunities for your camper to dig a little deeper. Be sure to check out our Advanced Skills Camps and Environmental Education Camps in Durham and Wake counties.
- We’ve added several weeks of camp for Pre-K campers in Durham County. We’re still finalizing a location for Pre-K camps in Wake County and are hopeful to open these camps for registration in February or March.
Summer Camp FAQs
Can you make an exception for age groups?
- The camper must be the appropriate age for the camp group by August 31, 2024*. Requests for special consideration can be made by emailing schoolhouse@schoolhouseofwonder.org. We will respond to requests as quickly as we can. Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding.
*Pre-K camps: The camper must be at least 4.5 years old by March 31, 2024 and have some structured group experience (preschool, other camps, etc). These camps are designed for campers who have not yet completed kindergarten.
Is it true that Schoolhouse is offering paddling camps?
- YES! We are offering three weeks of paddling camp this summer at Harris Lake County Park (2112 County Park Dr, New Hill, NC 27562).
What’s the difference between the Loblolly (formerly Amphitheater) and Whispering Pines locations at Umstead State Park?
- Both are accessed via the Reedy Creek entrance of the park (2100 North Harrison Ave. Cary, NC 27513).
- Loblolly (formerly Amphitheater) is our original site and requires more hiking/longer treks. Many campers love it! Drop-off and pick-up occur near the bathrooms/ kiosk in the main parking lot.
- Whispering Pines requires a few extra minutes of driving once you enter Umstead. Many campers love it!
Does Counselor-in-Training (CIT) registration open at the same date and time as camper registration?
- Yes. CITs may register for up to four weeks.
- Wake County CITs — after registration you will receive a questionnaire that will ask if you have a preference for Loblolly (formerly Amphitheater or Whispering Pines). We can’t guarantee placement but will try our best.
Do you still offer a sibling discount?
- No, but we increased our multi-camp discount to $20 off each additional camp in the same order.
How do I know which camps are Advanced Skills, Paddling, or Environmental Education focused?
- Simply filter for them in Amilia!
If you don’t find the answer to your question here or on our website, or if you have trouble with the registration process, please reach out to schoolhouse@schoolhouseofwonder.org. There are just a few people on our administrative team but we are always happy to help. Thanks in advance for your kindness.
We. Are. Doing. This!
Our new registration platform, SmartRec Amilia, has launched.
Returning customers should have received an email inviting you to activate your account. Please do! Follow the instructions to go through the process. You’ll should see that we were able to port over much of your information. Please review and update information for each camper prior to registration opening in mid-January. This will help registration go much faster. If you’re not able to, don’t worry—you’ll be prompted to set up your account whenever you register for camp.
Once you activate your account, you’ll be able to see our full Winter, Spring, and Summer 2024 camp lineups and our new locations.
Didn’t get an email? Create an account here! Questions? Check out our Registration FAQs
Holiday Heads Up!
You’re probably swamped and we don’t want you to forget. There’s a VERY good chance that your kid is out of school in January and February. Winter camp registration is open now for January and February 2024 Discovery Days. Register today through Ultracamp! Winter Camp registration will be run through Ultracamp until the end of the year. Registration for Winter Camps will open on Amilia January 2, 2024 at noon.
Wonderful Things Are Coming to Camp in 2024!
Our guarantee is to send your kids home from our camps dirty, tired, and happy. We are thrilled to announce that we are opening new locations, offering bigger adventures, and expanding our age groups in 2024!
We’re opening at least five new summer camp locations in Durham and Wake counties this summer. (And, we’re hard at work on two more).
In addition to the award-winning Schoolhouse summer camps that you already know and love, these new sites will offer bigger adventures, advanced skills, and more hands-on outdoor discovery and environmental education:
- Did someone say Paddle Sports? You bet we did!
- Is your camper ready for bigger challenges? We’re adding new Advanced Skills camps in areas of interest such as Primitive Fire, Traps, Tracking, Whittling and Woodcrafts, Foraging, Campfire Cooking, Navigation and Orienteering, Survival Skills and Emergency Preparedness.
- Does your camper learn best through hands-on, experiential activities? This summer, we’re bringing science to life with new camp themes that explore local ecosystems and increase our understanding of the natural world.
- Parents of Pre-K Campers—your camper can join the fun this year! We’re adding several camp weeks for Pre-K campers in Durham and Wake counties.
We’re so excited to spend more time with you in 2024!
2024 Summer Camp Locations
New Registration System Coming Soon!
We strive for excellence in every aspect of our work. For the past couple of years, our registration platform hasn’t lived up to our standards for quality and customer service. Some of you share our frustration! Our camp families and staff deserve better and we are thrilled to announce that we’re changing our registration system to amilia.
Here’s what you can expect from amilia:
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Improved customer experience: better up times and stability; more modern look and usability; and more mobile-friendly
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Improved check out process: registering multiple children will be easier; the checkout experience will be more straight-forward; and the checkout flow will be much better
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Other features include:
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Automatic waitlists
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Payments plans
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Better tagging and search functionality (ie., find camps by school calendars, themes, overnights, and more)
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“Like” camps to keep track of those that work best for your family
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Drop-in aftercare for your youngest campers instead of having to pay for the entire week even if you don’t need it
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Log in via Google or Facebook
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Expedited account setup process
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Our hope is that this change will resolve the problems of the past and lead to a much improved and more efficient experience for you. Keep scrolling to see what you’ll need to do.
So, what do you need to do?
In the coming days, you will be sent an email asking you to activate your amilia account. Follow the instructions to go through the process. Returning customers should see that we were able to port over much of your information. Please review and update information for each camper prior to registration opening in mid-January. This will help registration go much faster. If you’re not able to, don’t worry—you’ll be prompted to set up your account whenever you register for camp.
Questions? Check out our Registration FAQs ›
Field Trips Are Back!
We’re thrilled that Schoolhouse Field Trips are back!. Learn more and reserve an award-winning Field Trip for the spring.
