Experiential Learning Trips
Active Minds leverages fun weekly themes and amazing field trip experiences to engage kids in summer learning.
We believe in challenging the status quo, we believe in creating new and innovative way to engage children in learning. See how we engaged campers in learning about the founding fathers.
“Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience. “
-David A. Kolb, PhD
Three Weekly Experiences
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Anchor Trip
This unique experience is a field trip that anchors the weekly theme.
During Flight Week campers will travel to the Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum where they will search engage history with a scavenger hunt that will lead them to find both Amelia Earhart and the Wright Brothers. Campers will learn about these historical figures, ask questions and experience history first hand.
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Active Trip
The Active Trip is all about active fun.
Often times this experience will link directly to the theme, like during Flight Week when kids go indoor skydiving at iFLY. However, it doesn’t always have to match…sometimes its about summer memories….like our annual trip to Hershey Park!
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Swim Trip
As a staple of every childhood summer, we go swimming every week of the summer.
We currently partner with both Merritt Athletic Club and Pine Valley Swim Club in White Marsh. Both are aquatic zone with slides and interactive water activities.
A Unique Enrichment Program
Our team of educators use our amazing field trip experiences to engage kids in a specially designed language arts curriculum that we developed to support both literacy, and writing, foundation skills found within Common Core.
This curriculum links directly to the weekly theme, so for Flight Week kids are completing reading lessons on Amelia Earhart or Neil Armstrong, for Americana Week they are reading about Abraham Lincoln, for Animals Week they could be reading about Giraffe’s.
Math is Fun!
Mathematics does not always come easy to students and can create anxiety and frustration. Our educators work on mathematics foundation skills though game based activities. Games like Buzz, 24, math bingo, dice games, and hot potato are all played by grade level in a fun atmosphere.
Educational Program
Things to understand
No new learning is occurring, we are simply working on foundation skills kids learned the previous school year.
Common Core builds builds in complexity each grade level, getting slightly more complex each year. Because of this, we can develop lessons and group children by grade range in a K-1st, 2nd-3rd, and 4th-5th format.
We engage kids in short concise 25-30 minute lessons for about 1 hour, 3-5 times a week depending on the weekly trip schedule. Long enough to engage in reading, writing, and math…but not so long they feel like they are summer school.
Summer Flexability
Because we are not “building” on learning, and simply working on foundation skills, families have the flexibility to sign up for the weeks they want!
A Positive Camp Culture
In order for us to create a positive camp experience for all of our families we have put in place several things to bring this to life
Professional Staff - Team members have experience within the educational field and know how to structure activities and implement behavior management systems.
Structured Schedule - We do not believe in free play, we believe in choice and options. Campers are grouped and given options on activities. They are rotated through these stations in 25 minute periods…long enough to engage and have fun….but not so long they disengage.
Positive Behavior Incentive System - Just like the programs found in their classrooms, we incentivize positive peer to peer interactions when kids show compassion, empathy, responsibility to help reinforce those actions.
Weekly Schedule
Every Sunday parents will get the weekly schedule through the Brightwheel App. This has all the information a parent needs to know! From what time to arrive, what to bring….to what color camp shirt to wear.
Some may ask about the schedule ahead of time. Some of our field trips, and our weekly swim trip, are based on weather conditions, and while we do have tentative dates…we need to see the forecast to give campers the best possible chance at perfect weather or from having a trip canceled.
Brightwheel App
A critical tool to our program is the Brightwheel App. We use this for
Communication
All communication to parents comes through the app.
Vice versa, we ask any important information our staff need to know, be communicated via the app. This way information can be referenced and nothing is lost in translation.
When on field trips, staff will notify you when we are leaving for return, and our ETA.
Payment
Deposit and tuition is paid through the app
Auto pay is suggested after your first weeks tuition has posted.
Extended Care
Standard hours of Operation
8:30am to 4:30pm
Extended hours available
Morning Care (AM Care)
7:00am to 8:30am
After Care (PM Care)
4:30pm to 6:00pm