Monday - Friday | 10 AM - 2PM | K - 12th Grade | $270 / week | $60 / day

Camp Hangouts

Half-day camps packed with hands-on projects, real friendships, and the kind of adventures kids actually talk about at dinner.

Reserve your spot

View all camps

Off path, on track.

What happens when explore the road less traveled?
Hidden details grow into deep discoveries that turn an unplanned route into a world full of new possibilities.

We have a map, but we love a good detour!

Camp Hangouts are 4-hour, half-day sessions where the week’s theme provides a map of where we’re going, but Explorers get to decide how to get there. Working in small teams, they complete a series of guided activities that offer plenty of space to experiment, test theories, and chase a sudden spark of inspiration. Every camp is an intentional mix of storytelling, science, social-emotional learning, art, math, engineering, and logic. These project-based experiences give Explorers a chance to collaborate with friends across every subject area to turn a big idea into something real. At the end of the week, Explorers take home a tangible keepsake that reflects what they learned and holds the memories of a summer experience worth remembering.

Meet

Join grade-level teams for the kind of fun that turns strangers into friends.

Wonder

Dive into projects that start with a question and end with a discovery.

Grow

Follow through on your ideas and build the confidence to try new things.

Here’s the plan.

We’ve designed the day to give kids the best of both worlds: the energy of a big group and the focus of a small one. Each session blends structured projects with the freedom to just hang out and be a kid. Every day follows a predictable rhythm that balances structured project time with the freedom and flexibility to just hang out and be a kid.

9:30 AM - 10:00 AM
All grades

Morning Hangout: Explorers arrive and settle in with their choice of activities whether it’s a playing a game, creating art, working on a puzzle, or just catching up with friends.

10:00 AM - 10:30 AM
All grades

The Map: We start the day together as a whole camp to look at where we are and where we’re headed. This is our time for large-group traditions and building a community that spans all grade levels.

10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Grade-level groups

The Path: This is where we set the strategy. Explorers dive into the day’s concepts and work in small groups to brainstorm their unique approach to the upcoming challenge.

11:30 AM - 12:15 PM
All grades

Lunch & Open Hangout: A social break for everyone to refuel and enjoy free-choice time with the whole camp.

12:15 PM - 1:15 PM
Grade-level groups

The Detour: This is where the deep work happens. Groups move into hands-on creation, taking an intentional detour to test their own theories and turn big ideas into something real.

1:15 PM - 1:45 PM
Grade-level groups

The Destination: The whole camp gathers to share discoveries. We celebrate the different ways each group reached the finish line and how an unexpected detour often leads to the best results.

1:45 PM - 2:00 PM
All Grades

Afternoon Hangout & Pickup: One final whole group Hangout to connect with friends in all groups before heading home for the day.

*2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
All Grades

*Base Camp: Optional extended care hours for families who need a little more time.

Choose your experience.

Whether you’re joining us for a single spark of inspiration or a full summer of discovery, we’ve designed our registration to be as flexible as our camps.

Book by the day for $60: Perfect for a quick adventure or a busy schedule. Choose your dates below!
Book by the week for $270: Save 10% and enjoy total flexibility. Use your 5 days consecutively for a full week, or spread them out across different camps all summer long.
Sibling Discount: Save an extra 10% on every registration with code FAMILYHANG.
Extended Care: Need a longer stay? Add a Base Camp pass to cover the hours of 2:00 – 4:00 PM for $30/day, or save when you book a Weekly Pass for $130. Like our camp passes, these 5 days can be used whenever you need them throughout the summer.

Book a full week

WEEK 1:  JUNE 1-5, 2026

Worldbuilding Explorations

What happens when imagination meets structure? When ideas turn into places, characters, and stories that feel real? Explorers step into the role of creators to design their own fictional worlds from the ground up and discover what makes a great story come alive: its rules, its people, its challenges, and its triumphs. They experiment with strategy, problem-solving, and creative expression to learn how different pieces connect to form something bigger. By the end of the week, they’ll have a story of their own to share.

WEEK 2:  JUNE 8-12, 2026

Energy Adventures

Things are always moving, spinning, stopping, and starting. But why? Explorers dig into the forces that shape everyday life: gravity, magnetism, balance, motion, and the way energy moves through systems. They design moving creations, run hands-on experiments, and adjust their thinking when results surprise them. Each day brings a new challenge that asks kids to build something, test it, and figure out what's actually going on. They leave with creations they built themselves and a new way of seeing the world.

WEEK 3:  JUNE 15-19, 2026

Wonder Island

What would you do if you had to start from scratch? Explorers are dropped into a survival-inspired world where every challenge asks them to think on their feet and build with what they've got. Shelters get constructed, tools get crafted, and problems get solved using everyday materials to turn simple supplies into practical, inventive creations. Teamwork is part of the deal, because some challenges are too big to solve alone. Each day brings a new scenario, a new set of constraints, and a new chance to try something unexpected. Kids go home with hands-on proof that good ideas and a little resourcefulness go a long way.

WEEK 4:  JUNE 22-26, 2026

Game Quest

What does it actually take to make a game people want to play? Explorers find out by pitching ideas, arguing over rules, building game boards and obstacle courses, and testing everything on each other and then revising, rebuilding, and testing again. Strategy, logic, and teamwork show up every day, not as lessons but as tools kids actually need to solve the problems in front of them. The best games come from people who've played a lot of bad ones first, and there's plenty of space here to do exactly that. Everyone goes home with a fully playable game that started as an idea and ended as something real.

WEEK 5:  JULY 6-10, 2026

Spy School

Every mission starts with information. Explorers learn to gather it, decode it, and use it. They crack codes, solve layered puzzles, and work in teams to complete missions that require sharp thinking and even sharper communication. Each day builds on the last — skills compound, teams tighten, and the challenges get harder. There's strategy, there's misdirection, and there's the satisfaction of figuring something out that wasn't supposed to be figured out. Kids leave with a collection of ciphers, tricks, and puzzles they can deploy on the unsuspecting people in their lives.

WEEK 6:  JULY 13-17, 2026

Magic Makers

Every trick has a secret, and this week is about learning both sides of it. Explorers pull back the curtain on the science and sleight of hand that make magic work and then use what they learn to build their own. They practice technique, construct props, and design original tricks from scratch, which means figuring out not just how to do something but how to make it look impossible. Performance is part of it too: a trick that nobody watches isn't a trick. It's hands-on making, a little showmanship, and a lot of creative problem solving.

WEEK 7:  JULY 20-24, 2026

Space Explorations

The universe is enormous and full of questions that don't have clear answers yet. Explorers dive into those questions by investigating planets, stars, and cosmic forces through hands-on experiments, building and launching rockets, and testing the physics of force and flight. Science and imagination pull in the same direction here, because understanding space requires both. Each day blends experimentation, engineering, and a healthy amount of wonder at just how much is still out there waiting to be found.

WEEK 8:  JULY 27-31, 2026

Rainforest Adventures

Rainforests cover a small part of the planet and hold more than half its species — and most of what happens in them goes unnoticed. Explorers change that. They investigate the layers, systems, and surprising connections that make a rainforest function: what lives where and why, how plants and animals depend on each other, and what happens when any part of that balance shifts. Experiments, models, and a lot of good questions fill the week. Each day opens up something new like a creature, a system,or a mystery worth following. Kids leave seeing the natural world less as a backdrop and more as something alive, complex, and worth paying attention to.

The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest of wildness.

John Muir

Good things to know

Camp Hangouts are designed for Explorers in Kindergarten through 12th grade. Explorers must be at least 5 years old to attend. While our morning kickoff and Open Hangouts bring the whole camp together, our project-based sessions are divided into specific grade-level groups that stay together all week to build deeper connections.
Just a packed lunch and a water bottle. We’ve got everything else covered!
Yes! Daily drop-ins are available for $60/day. For more flexibility, our Full Week Pass saves you 10% and gives you 5 days to use however you like—spend them all in one week or spread them out across the summer.

Base Camp provides after-camp care from 2:00 to 4:00 PM. You can add a daily pass for $30 or save 10% with a 5-day weekly pass. Just like our camp passes, you have the flexibility to use your days across any of our summer sessions.
Use the code FAMILYHANG at checkout.

*Note: Discounts must be applied at the time of registration. The sibling discount applies to individual registrations and cannot be applied to a single Full Week Pass shared between siblings.
Inclusion is at the heart of everything we do. During registration, you’ll have space to share your child’s learning style and any needed accommodations. Want to chat first? Reach out to us at meetme@bigtreehangout.com—we’d love to connect!