A Hangout is any of our programs at Big Tree—time spent learning, exploring, and connecting in community.

All Hangouts are one hour, but you can stack up to four hours in a single day if your Explorer wants to dive deeper or stay through multiple sessions. We usually recommend a 2–4 hour stay to get the most out of the experience, but even one hour is a great way to jump in.

One specific offering we have is called Open Hangouts., Explorers can follow their curiosity, from arts and crafts to science experiments, puzzles, building projects, or just hanging out and making friends. Navigators guide the day, but kids lead the way.

You can learn more about Open Hangouts here.

Big Tree is designed for kids and teens, from elementary through high school. Explorers must be at least 5 years old to participate.

A Hangout typically lasts 1 hour, although we recommend stacking 2-4 Hangouts per. visit for kids to get fully immersed in activities like creating art, exploring crafts, or diving into a science project. Membership plans give your child a set number of sessions per month, giving lots of opportunities to build friendships, stay engaged, and make steady progress on their Growth Plans.

Your child can attend as many Hangouts as your membership plan allows each month. For example, the Wayfinder plan gives you 16 hours (Hangouts) per month. That is roughly two Hangouts per week with an average of 2 hours per visit..

Need a little extra flexibility? You can always add extra Hangouts with a Scout Pass—whether it’s for a fun bonus visit, or to help with a particularly busy week when your schedule needs a little extra room. 

You can learn more about our membership plans here.

We’ve kept it simple and flexible—just choose the plan that fits your family’s needs:

• Adventurer: 8 seesions per month – $250/month

• Wayfinder: 16 seesions per month – $500/month

• Pioneer: 24 seesions per month – $750/month

• Trailblazer: 32 seesions per month – $1000/month

Need extra flexibility?
Our Scout Pass is an add-on to your monthly membership, perfect for those weeks when things are a bit busier or your child just wants some extra time. For $95 per visit, you can add an extra Hangout whenever it works for your family.

ESA+ Grant Receipients: If your child receives the ESA+ funds, you can use those to cover your Big Tree membership. 

You can learn more about our membership plans here.

Our Explorers are the kids who come to Big Tree—your child will be one of them! They get to follow their curiosity, explore new ideas, and dive into the fun.

Navigators are our awesome staff—they guide the day, support activities, help with Individual Growth Plans, and make sure every kid feels welcome and supported.

We do! In addition to open Hangouts, we offer Guided Explorations, which are structured sessions included in your membership. These Explorations can focus on activities like coding, chess, creative writing, yoga, and other fun projects. Some are Navigator-led (staff), while others are led by Explorers, giving them the chance to share their own passions and leadership skills. It's a great way for kids to dive deeper into specific interests while learning new skills and having fun!

You can check out our structured sessions here.

We also offer more traditional semester courses that meet at the same time each week.

You can check out our semester courses here.

We offer individual tutoring services as well which can be set up by emailing us at meetme@bigtreehangout.com.

You can learn more about our tutoring services here.

Definitely a water bottle to stay hydrated. They’re also welcome to bring snacks or a packed lunch, and anything that brings them comfort—a fidget toy, a favorite book, or a stuffed animal from home.

We do ask that all kids wear their Big Tree Hangout t-shirt when they come. It helps staff identify them easily and helps everyone feel like part of the crew. (You’ll get a shirt at registration, and you can always grab extras in our shop.)

Not exactly! But we do ask all our Explorers to wear their Big Tree Hangout shirt. When you register, your child will get a shirt to start with. And if they love them (which we’re pretty sure they will), you can always grab more from our store.

Feel free to pack snacks, a lunch, and a water bottle. We just ask that kids don’t bring fast food or restaurant meals—it keeps things simpler and helps us stay on top of allergy concerns.

You’ll set this up during registration—just let us know who’s on your trusted list, whether that’s you, a grandparent, a neighbor, or someone else. You can update it any time through your online account. 

You’ll be able to add everything we need to know right in our online system when you register—whether it's food allergies, medication details, or anything else important. And if something changes down the road? You can hop back into your account and update it anytime.

You will enter any needed accommodations during registration. A staff member will contact you if we need more information, but we’re ready and willing to support a large variety of needs!

Learn more about inclusion here.

Head on over to our Book a Hangout page and you can register, pick a membership, and select classes from there.

You can learn more here.