Still making summer plans?

Good news—we still have space in the Charlottesville Waldorf School summer camps!
It’s not too late to sign up and give your child a summer full of creativity, nature, and fun.

At the 2025 CWS Summer Camp, children embark on a journey of discovery where nature meets learning!

Nourish your child’s curiosity and connection to nature through engaging, hands-on learning and adventure. Set on our beautiful Waldorf School campus, blending creative exploration, problem-solving challenges, and teamwork, children will build confidence, spark their imagination, and discover the magic of nature-STEM-based outdoor play.

It’s the perfect blend of fun, exploration, and meaningful learning, where campers make lasting friendships and memories to carry with them well beyond the summer.

Inspired by Waldorf education principles, our camp emphasizes experiential learning that fosters creativity, critical thinking, and social responsibility.

Summergarden

Our Kindergarten summer camp offers young children a gentle, nurturing experience filled with rhythm, nature, and joyful play. Rooted in the values of Waldorf education, each day unfolds at a peaceful pace with plenty of time for outdoor exploration, storytelling, water play, handcrafts, and seasonal activities.

Children thrive in our garden and natural play spaces, where imagination blossoms and friendships grow. With caring teachers and familiar rhythms, our camp provides a safe and nourishing environment that feels like an extension of the Waldorf kindergarten year.

Playgarden: Students ages 2-3 (CWS students only)
Kindergarten: Students ages 3-6
Weekly enrollment from June 16 – August 1 (no camp on the week of June 30-July 4)
Half-day, 8am-12pm
Full-day 8am-2:45pm (includes afternoon nap)
Familiar CWS teachers and a daily rhythm similar to the school year for the comfort of these young children

The Playgarden camp will only be open to families whose children are currently enrolled at CWS Playgarden in 2024-2025. Summer Garden will serve as an extension to their school year and the children will remain in their current class groupings. Kindergarten camp is open to the public.

Imagine Camp

For students entering 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades in the 25/26 school year
Weekly enrollment from June 16 – August 1 (no camp on the week of June 30-July 4)
Full-day, 8am-3pm (half-day option available for siblings of children in Summergarden)
Weekly themes with activities and special guests
$410/week

Week 1: Nature Detectives – Insects & Native Plants (June 16-20)

Become a nature detective! Explore the world of bugs and plants, searching for hidden critters and identifying and recording plants native to our landscape. Build an Insect Hotel and learn about protecting the insects that help our gardens grow.

Week 2: Skygazers – Sun, Clouds & Sundials (June 23-27)

Look up and marvel at the wonders of the sky! Learn to track the sun, observe clouds, and even make your very own sundial. Ending on the Summer Solstice, there is no better week to revel in the sun’s glory.

Week 3: All Fun and Games – Mancala, Jacob’s Ladder, Marble Run (July 7-11)

It’s all about classic fun! Challenge friends to games like Mancala, build marble runs, board games, and explore the magic of hands-on play with creative toys and games.

Week 4: Water Wonders – Motion, Flow, Water Manipulation (July 14-18)

Explore the mysteries of moving water! Race objects through the creek, experiment with upstream and downstream flows, and observe how rocks affect water motion. Use your observation skills to make predictions and see how different items move in the water.

Week 5: Nature Explorers – Tree, Rock, Animal Track ID (July 21-25)

Become a nature expert! Go on scavenger hunts, identify trees, animal tracks, birds, and rocks, and unlock the secrets of the great outdoors and your place there.

Week 6: Garden to Table – Herbs & Summer Harvest (July 28-Aug 1)

Discover the magic of growing food! Harvest herbs and edible flowers from the garden, then explore how to create delicious salads straight from the garden to your table.

Discover Camp

For students entering 5th, 6th, and 7th grades in the 25/26 school year
Weekly enrollment from June 16 – August 1 (no camp on the week of June 30-July 4)
Full-day, 8am-3pm (half-day option available for siblings of children in Summergarden)
Weekly themes with activities and special guests
$410/week

Week 1: Nature Detectives – Insects & Native Plants (June 16-20)

Dive into the natural world as a true investigator! Explore our local ecosystems, identify native plants, and discover how insects play a key role in maintaining the health of our environment. Our outdoor “laboratory” offers hands-on opportunities to inspect and analyze the materials used in creating Insect Hotels, designed by the Imagine Camp (Rising 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Graders). Using environmental science and engineering principles, campers will study the garden ecosystem and design a proposal for improvements next year—considering factors like sustainability, cost-effectiveness, and biodiversity. These proposals will be presented to Ms. Pauly, our Nature Studies Instructor, for study and review —bringing a real-world nature-STEM challenge to life!

Week 2: Skygazers – Sun, Clouds & Sundials (June 23-27)

Explore the science of our sky with hands-on STEM activities! This week, campers will investigate patterns between the sun, weather, space, and time, using STEM principles to explore how the elements work together, and the value of recognizing these patterns. They will collect condensation, learn to categorize clouds, track their movements, and make a Cloud in a Bottle. Experimenting with natural materials to create their own Sundials, campers blend science and engineering in a fun, interactive way. This week ends on the Summer Solstice; there’s no better week to revel in the sun’s glory with friends while deepening an understanding of our world.

Week 3: All Fun and Games – Gamers & Creators (July 7-11)

Dive into a week of hands-on learning, teamwork, and adventure! Challenge your mind and bond with friends through exciting problem-solving activities that unlock STEM mysteries. Explore math and science concepts with interactive, outdoor experiences that spark creativity and critical thinking. Discover how games build strategy, focus, and fun—from designing structures to experimenting with nature’s forces using giant marble runs. Campers will strengthen their building and collaboration skills while gaining a deeper understanding of how science and math connect to the world around them. It’s a week of adventure, learning, and teamwork—perfect for young gamers and creative explorers!

Week 4: Water Wonder – Using the Creek to Explore Water Wonders (July 14-18)

Get ready for an adventure in our creek! Race objects down the creek, track their journey, and uncover and record how rocks, sticks, and other natural forces can alter their path. Work with your team to experiment and resolve obstacles, using your observations and trial and error to master the flow and guide objects through the creek exactly how you want. Campers will see first-hand how science is at work in nature—and maybe even discover some new tricks to control the water. This week is all about real-time, tactile experimentation, ingenuity, and working together to unlock the wonders of water in an outdoor, hands-on, nature-STEM lab that’s as thrilling and chilling as it is educational!

Week 5: Nature Explorers – Sharpening Tree, Rock, & Animal Track ID Skills (July 21-25)

Step up your nature detective game! This week, campers sharpen their observation skills and dive deeper into the science of trees, rocks, and animal tracks. With outdoor adventures and an exciting scavenger hunt involving field guides, and expert techniques, we will cultivate our identifying and comparative skills. From deciphering animal tracks to learning the local history of rock formation, we’ll unlock secrets of the natural world surrounding us. Applying principles of biology, geology, and environmental science, campers gain hands-on nature-STEM experience and knowledge that go beyond the basics. It’s a week of exploration, deep-diving, problem-solving, and discovery—perfect for those who are ready to take their tracker skills to the next level!

Week 6: Garden to Table – Herbs & Summer Harvest (July 28-Aug 1)

From seed to plate, it’s time to delve into the magic of growing food! Dig into the gardening world—learning about plant growth, soil health, and the lifecycle of summer crops—before heading into the kitchen to create a delicious garden-to-table dish. Campers will delight in a sensory feast, harvesting fresh herbs, edible flowers, and vegetables from the garden, to concoct their farm-to-table salad creations. Throughout this interactive, fun-filled week, campers connect biology, chemistry, nutrition, and their senses to the food they grow and eat. It’s a week of hands-in-dirt exploration, discovering the science behind food systems, and experiencing nature’s kitchen up close as they get ready to say ‘goodbye for now’ to the summer.

Counselor in Training (CIT)

The CWS Counselor-in-Training Program (CITP) is a fun, hands-on experience where children transition from campers to camp counselors, designed for seasoned campers eager to take on more responsibility. The program is curated to provide opportunities to develop leadership skills, mentor younger campers, and make a positive impact—all while still enjoying the camp experience. All an introduction to key leadership skills, and hands-on practice with guidance from experienced counselors. Upon successful completion, participants can earn a certificate, a letter of recommendation, and the opportunity to reserve a spot for the following summer.

CIT participants will be invited to join us for a day of orientation and first aid/cpr training the week before our camps start (the week of June 9-13). An additional orientation and training will be scheduled later in the summer.

Counselors in Training will have leadership training for part of the day, and will spend part of the day with the students in the Imagine, Discover, and Summer Garden camps, assisting with the projects and activities of that week.

For students entering 8th grade and above in the 25/26 school year
Weekly enrollment from June 16 – August 1 (no camp on the week of June 30-July 4)
Full-day, 8am-3pm
$275/week

CWS Summer Camp Policies – this document lists our general policies for participating in 2025 Summer Camps. Please review. A signed copy of this form is included in the required paperwork for registration.

🌻 Summer camp registration is still open - kindergarten through 7th grade!