Camp Curriculum

Our camp curriculum is structured, yet fun and relaxed! Hideaway campers are grouped by age and gender, with no more than 17 campers per group/week. Our campers are aged 5-14, PreK (completed) – 8th grade (completed). Campers must be five years of age by May 1st to attend.

Campers rotate daily through six, 40-minute periods, and enjoy over 15 different activities led by our Specialists and Counselors. Each day at Hideaway is unique and exciting! Whether it’s “bean art” in Arts and Crafts, the backstroke in Swimming, sustainable resources in Nature, or the camp group’s favorite activity in “Group Choice,” there’s always something new to learn, and fun to be shared!

Nature Study

Truly a favorite activity with campers, Nature Study incorporates Hideaway’s natural landscape of woods, pond, grasslands, and creeks to educate and cultivate an appreciation for the natural world around us. Led by our Nature Specialist, the program is educational as well as hands-on fun! Campers enjoy walking through our creeks spotting crayfish, trout and minnows, hiking on our wooded trails searching for wild turkeys and hawks, fishing on our dock to catch Bubba, the 24” bass in our fully stocked pond, or just enjoying the water on our canoes and paddle boats.

Nature Study also incorporates educational lessons to spark campers’ interests in topics such as conservation, ecology, recycling, fossils, and more. Exploring our beautiful woodlands, trails, and creeks while discovering nature’s mysteries make for a truly unforgettable summer for campers of all ages!

Sports & Field Activities

“Play Ball!” Whether it’s baseball, kickball, basketball, or soccer, campers learn the value of teamwork, sportsmanship, and healthy competition during Sports and Field Activities. All campers can experience the joy of playing together, encouraging one another, and learning that the spirit of the game is what’s important! Sports and Field activities vary day-to-day and are generally chosen by each group and led by the Group Counselor.

Challenge and High Ropes Courses

One look and it’s easy to see why it is also called a Challenge Course. Campers are challenged to step outside their own comfort levels on our two High Ropes Courses, complete with Zip Line, suspension bridge, and three-sided Rock Wall! Harnessed with climbing gear and helmets, campers learn to scale trees 40 feet high, cross special traversing “vines,” conquer the Giant Swing, Bosun’s Chairs, Lily Pad element and Team Wall. By working through fears and anxieties that may arise from these activities, campers gain a sense of personal achievement, increased self-esteem, confidence, and pride in their accomplishments—all while having fun!

GaGa

“GA! GA!” can be heard throughout camp, all day, every day! Campers can’t wait to play this popular version of dodgeball in one of our two octagon courts. Originally known as Israeli dodgeball, this fun and high-energy game combines dodging, jumping, bouncing, and hitting a ball against the octagon court walls, all while avoiding the ball from touching your campers’ legs. Definitely a Hideaway favorite!

Low Ropes

Another component of our Challenge Course is our Low Ropes Course, which combines elements such as the Mohawk Walk, Balance Beam, Cargo Net and Pizza Slice, a triangular tight rope, to explore group interaction, problem-solving, and leadership skills. Campers work on finding solutions to group challenges, enhancing their ability to build trust and work cooperatively to achieve a common goal.

Swim Program

Hideaway’s Swim Program utilizes mandatory daily swim lessons to teach campers basic and advanced swim strokes, water safety, and confidence in the pool. In addition, campers can enjoy an optional daily “free swim” period for some splashing fun! Our swim program is led by certified instructors and lifeguards, who work with campers in small groups to make every camper a swimmer, and every swimmer an even better swimmer! Swim expectations are geared toward skill and age levels, as well as the camper’s level of comfort in the pool.

Arts and Crafts

Campers create some “good old-fashioned” arts and crafts in Hideaway’s Art Den! The Arts and Crafts program is designed to encourage campers to express their individual creativity with a variety of camp crafts, including “bean art,” gimp-weaving, tie-dye, and crafts made with all the wonderful elements of nature that Hideaway has to offer. Craft projects change every week and every season, so there is always something new to imagine and create at Hideaway!

Campsite Activity

Campsite Activity epitomizes the “true camp experience” at Hideaway Day Camp. This is teamwork at its best! Each camp group finds a spot amidst our 70 acres to claim as their very own! Campers work together throughout the summer, following guidelines for a “gold star” campsite—is it clean? Is it safe? Is there a path to get there? Is there plenty of dry wood? Campsite becomes the group’s “home-away-from-home” for the summer, and groups compete against each other for originality, safety, creativity, and effort! The final reward…the ALL-CAMP COOK OUT at their camp sites (usually week 4), complete with hamburgers, hot dogs, and s’mores galore!

Drama

“And the Oscar Goes to…” We’ll see! Every Tuesday and Thursday, campers head up to our Amphitheater in the Woods and treated to live performances from their fellow campers, based on a “Skit Theme.” Is it “Camp Legends” or “Hideaway Hits Broadway?” Whatever the theme, it’s always a sold out show! Camp groups work on their skits and other games and activities in our Drama Den, where campers learn to improve their interpersonal and communication skills—it’s always a great time! Who knows which Hideaway camper will be tomorrow’s famous comedian or actor?

Archery

Every camper has the chance to be Robin Hood or William Tell while they learn the sport of Archery at Hideaway! Campers learn safety and techniques as they take aim at the traditional targets on our Archery Range. And don’t worry if you miss—the backstop behind the course catches the arrows for you, and remember what they say, “Practice makes perfect!”

Mini Golf

Swing away at our 18-hole mini golf course, complete with the loop-de-loop! Campers visit this activity at least twice per week, and it’s always a favorite. There’s a special treat for a hole-in-one on Hole 18! Who knows? Maybe we’ll see you on the PGA tour one day!

Teen Group

A program tailored for our more mature campers, those who have completed 7th or 8th grade. The TEEN Group follows a different schedule and is our only co-ed group. The TEEN Group is headed by two counselors (one male and one female), and campers participate in all of the Hideaway Day Camp’s activities—with a twist! With live presentations, guest speakers, scheduled off-site trips, and other activities that only they get to enjoy, every day is an opportunity for another great adventure. It’s great to be a TEEN!

Special Days, Activities, and Events

Hideaway campers enjoy weekly special days and special events throughout the summer. Special days such as Wacky Hair Day, Tie-Dye Tuesday, Philly Fan Day, and School Pride Day give campers an opportunity to express their individuality and get a little crazy! Campers also participate in our Special Activities and Events weekly. Special Activities are educational and informative in nature, and have included presentations from the Philadelphia Zoo, the Academy of Natural Sciences, the New Jersey Aquarium, the Franklin Institute, the National Constitution Center, Betsy Ross, and many more. Our Special Events are truly a highlight of each week! Whether it’s the Hideaway 500 Race and Car Show, Carnival Day, Olympic Day, or Klondike Gold Rush Day, campers will be talking about Hideaway’s Special Events all year long!

Are you looking for the “true camp experience?” Give your children A SUMMER TO REMEMBER at Hideaway Day Camp!