Baltimore Fishbowl | Outdoor Adventure Awaits at These Summer Camps –

When kids spend unstructured time in nature, wonderful things can happen.

They lift their eyes from computer and phone screens and experience the world around them: dapples of sunlight through leaves, the shimmering music of cicadas singing, tadpoles darting in unison in a cool stream.

Without the distractions of the modern world, children seize opportunities to get creative and collaborative. They might make up games, build forts or act out stories. They breathe in fresh air and exercise by climbing trees and splashing through puddles.

And, when the weather doesn’t cooperate, they stay outside and get comfortable being uncomfortable.

“We give kids space,” said James Frank, founder of the Lure of the Wild camp in Patapsco Valley State Park and at Roland Park Country School. “They’re outdoors, screen-free, technology-free, with minimal adult intervention because kids need to figure things out for themselves. We hear from them that this is their favorite camp.”

Lure of the Wild is “entirely outdoors,” rain or shine, though they take shelter during thunderstorms, says Frank, who created the camp in 2021, originally in partnership with the Friends of Patapsco Valley State Park, and now expanding to new locations.

And yes, that includes outdoor bathroom breaks.

Camps are a week at a time, with activities “entirely up to the kids,” says Frank. “The sky’s the limit and no two days are the same.”  One of his favorite memories is of a young camper, maybe four or five years old, showing him a worm that she had found and saying she was going to catch a fish.

“She finds a stick, puts the worm on it, dangles it in front of a tiny fish, and comes up to me not even 10 seconds later holding the fish. It shows how naturally creative and resourceful children can be when left to their own devices.”   

Campers are 4 to 13, with opportunities to become a counselor in training or counselor after that. Camp staff are typically young professionals with academic experience in education, psychology, or a related field.”

All counselors are trained and certified in wilderness first aid, and help campers to take “small challenges, not big risks,” says Frank. For example, they encourage their young charges to climb trees, but not to go higher than a counselor’s shoulder.

Irvine Nature Center, in Owings Mills, offers summer camps for children up to age 12. The camps take place outside unless the weather is dangerous.

For newborns to age 3, Irvine recently introduced week-long Little Birds Summer Camp. Similar to the Little Birds programs offered throughout the year, it runs from 9:30 to 11 each weekday and gives caregivers and their children opportunities to explore the property, meet animals and take part in songs and art projects.

For older children, Irvine offers half-day and full-day camps grouped by age, with activities each week built around a theme such as nature detectives (looking for tracks, scat and other clues to wildlife behavior) and sensational senses (using all five senses to explore outdoors).

“We believe in our core that being outdoors is a great way for kids to not only have physical benefits, but also the developmental benefits in terms of caring for others, caring for animals and caring for the natural world,” says Kristen Cooper, director of marketing and communications for the nonprofit, which has 211 acres of woodlands, meadows and wetlands, along with animal ambassadors in an exhibit hall, a preschool and year-round nature-based programming for children and adults.

Here are a few other summer camps with a particular emphasis on exploring and appreciating the natural world.

• Cylburn Arboretum Friends’ Nature Camp: The 200-plus acre Baltimore arboretum has summer camps that encourage youngsters to learn about and respect nature, with camps for ages 4 through 13. Campers spend most of the day outside, hiking, doing nature-themed art and craft projects, and learning about nature from certified teachers and naturalists.

• Park Camps: Park School’s summer programming provides dynamic experiences for ages 3.5-15 on a 100-acre wooded campus. In addition to Park’s traditional Day Camps, Adventure Camps focuses on immersive outdoor experiences for ages 8 to 14. The core of Adventure Camps is Park’s challenge course, with a rock wall, high ropes course, a zip line, and giant swing. Weekly full-day excursions for hiking, mountain biking, and river tubing further enhance the experience.

This article is part of the Baltimore Fishbowl 2025 Guide to Summer Camps.

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