Camps

We believe every child deserves the chance to experience nature, play, and a sense of belonging at summer camp. The true cost to operate our summer day camp program is over $700 per child per week. Through the generosity of donors and Blandford Nature Center members, this cost is already significantly reduced for every camper, helping make camp more affordable for families across our community. This year, we are able to offer additional financial aid to further reduce tuition for some families. This support is built directly into the registration process—there is no application—and is offered on a first-come, first-served basis. If your camper meets the criteria for one of the following scholarship categories, you may select the scholarship during the registration process.

Camp registration opens for BNC Members on Friday, March 13th at 9 am, and most of our camps sell out that day. If purchasing a BNC Membership presents a barrier to you accessing our camp registrations and scholarships, please email us at camp@blandfordnaturecenter.org by 5 pm on Thursday, March 12th for assistance. 

BNC SUMMER CAMP SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE IN 2026:

WELCOME SCHOLARSHIP

The Welcome Scholarship is designed to give more children a chance to experience outdoor summer camp for the first time, particularly children with financial need. This scholarship is available for youth who are experiencing BNC’s Summer Camp for the first time and for whom a week at camp would not be possible without financial assistance. If your child meets both of these criteria, you may select the “Welcome Scholarship” during registration. You will receive 50% off your child’s week at camp.

BELONGING SCHOLARSHIP

The Belonging Scholarship is designed to promote community and a sense of belonging through equitable access to camp for children who have attended our camp in the past and would like to return but need financial support to make it happen. If you have a returning camper and a week at camp would not be possible without financial assistance, you may select the “Belonging Scholarship” during registration. You will receive 50% off your child’s week at camp.

IMPORTANT NOTES ABOUT OUR SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM: Campers are only eligible for one of the above scholarships per summer, for a single week of camp. Families who use more than one scholarship category per child will have one of the discounts removed from their camp registrations. For each scholarship category, there is a limited amount of funding. Once the funding runs out, the option will be greyed-out on the registration page, and you will no longer be able to select this option during registration. The aim of our scholarship program is to serve children who cannot otherwise attend even a single week of camp without assistance of some kind. We do not require paperwork to prove financial need but trust families to make that determination based on their own circumstances. Scholarships only apply to the basic registration fees for a week of camp; the discount will not be applied to any camp warm-up or camp cool-down fees.

If your child does not meet the criteria for either of the above scholarships, or if the scholarship fund for which you qualify has run out, you may fill out our Camp Scholarship Waiting List Form to be put on a waiting list for additional funding. Additional funding is not guaranteed outside of two scholarship categories. You will be notified via email by May 1st if additional funding becomes available to further support your camper.

HOW TO CLAIM A SCHOLARSHIP: Our scholarships are built into our registration system. Funding is first come, first served. There is no pre-registration form to fill out. After you have selected which camp(s) you want and before you reach the payment page during registration, as long as funding remains in that scholarship category, you will be able to click a scholarship button to receive a discount. If a scholarship category is greyed-out or not visible, it means that funding has been used up. For those receiving a scholarship, your total due will be automatically reduced by 50% on the camp registration fees only (not on camp warm-up or cool-down).

Want to help us keep camp accessible?

You can support access to nature by making an optional donation to Blandford Nature Center during online registration. Every gift helps connect more children to meaningful outdoor experiences.

Questions about scholarships? Email camp@blandfordnaturecenter.org for assistance.

Planning for Summer Camp (also see Camp Brochure linked above):

• The 2026 season will run from June 8th – August 14th (10 weeks!).
• Week 4 of camp will be a 3-day “mini week” running from June 29-July 1.
• All other weeks are full, 5-day weeks. Camps must be purchased as whole weeks.
• Camp sessions are available for children ages 4-12.
• Our “Nature Buds” camps (for ages 4 and 5) are half-day camps running from 9 am – 12 pm. All other camps for children ages 6-12 are full-day camps running from 9 am – 4 pm.
• We offer early drop-off (starting at 8 am) and late pick up (running until 5:15 pm) for an additional fee.
• Camp registration opens first to current members of Blandford Nature Center and non-members who are seeking a scholarship. Most of our camps sell out during this early registration period.
• To best prepare for the opening of camp registration, please make sure your BNC membership is current and watch for further instructions about registration day.
• A very limited number of camp scholarships may be available, but no scholarship funding is guaranteed. See the drop-down tab below for more information about scholarships.
• Has your child aged out of camp? Consider our volunteer Camp Aide program for teens 13-18 years old! Information about applying to be a Camp Aide is in a drop-down tab below.

An important note about BNC Memberships and early access to camp registration: In order to receive the access code for early camp registration, you must have a current BNC membership, valid on the day of registration. These codes will be emailed to all current members the day before members-only registration opens. Our camp registration system and our BNC membership database are not connected. You cannot see your current BNC membership status within our camp registration system. If you have questions about your BNC membership status, please check your email or bank statement for when you were last charged for your membership, or email development@blandfornaturecenter.org for assistance. If you last purchased a membership just before camp registration opened in early February 2025 and you are not signed up for automatic renewal, your membership will likely have expired and you will need to renew prior to registration opening this year. You cannot renew your membership during the registration process – this must be done ahead of time.

Check out our camp information guides for more in-depth details about our 2026 season.

2026 Summer Day Camp Information Guide

Summer Gear Guide

Please read the info below and the info at the beginning of the Camp Aide Application carefully, as some things have changed this year!

We provide opportunities for teens ages 13-18 to volunteer for one or more weeks as a Summer Camp Aide. This is a volunteer position where teens are placed with a camp group for a week to support the Camp Educator and campers throughout the week. Being a Camp Aide is an excellent opportunity to learn responsibility, exercise leadership skills, and share your creativity and passion for nature with children. It is also an opportunity to continue your Blandford Summer Day Camp journey if you have aged out of camp! Some of our Camp Aides have even gone on to become Blandford Camp Educators. Stipends will be available for each week a Camp Aide is assigned and successfully completes. Those with prior leadership experience and/or experience as a BNC Camp Aide may be assigned mulitple weeks. If you are interested in spending a week or more with us in 2026 as a Camp Aide, click the link below to apply:

SENIOR CAMP AIDE INTERSNHIP OPPORTUNITY (**THIS POSITION HAS BEEN FILLED FOR THE 2026 CAMP SEASON**): If you have volunteered as a Camp Aide before and are 16 years of age or older, you can apply for our Senior Camp Aide Internship! The Senior Camp Aide will assist Camp Educators in the creation, implementation, and leading of outdoor summer day camp activities using environmental education/recreation curriculum for children ages 4-12 years old. This internship may also assist in mentoring, supervising, and coaching new Camp Aides in best practices for camp leadership. To be a Senior Camp Aide, you must possess or be willing to learn the following qualities: flexibility, patience, playfulness, willingness to participate and get silly, compassion, and excellent listening skills. Senior Camp Aides can play an important role in providing a lifelong impact on the campers that they meet. This internship runs Monday-Friday, 9:00am-4:00pm (hours negotiable) throughout our entire summer camp season, and will be paid a generous stipend. If you’re interested in more information or are looking to apply, please email your inquiry or cover letter and resume to our Camp Team at camp@blandfordnaturecenter.org. We will consider applications as they arrive.

We are hiring for the 2026 Summer Camp season! See the Employment Opportunties & Internships page of our website for open camp positions.