Looking for a camp for your child to make friends, spend time outside, and explore nature while using their senses?
SENSE-sational Summers at Meadowside is a program intentionally designed for sensory and/or processing, neurodivergent campers. Fast pace or slow, loose instruction or help step-by-step, camp staff are dedicated to meeting the needs of each camper during activities and lesson. Campers can expect to go on hikes, learn about ecosystems and habitats while using their senses, say “hello” to the nature center animals, make a splash in Rock Creek, and create sensory crafts.
*This camp will provide a low staff-camper ratio of 1:2 (one teacher for every two campers) and class size will remain small. Every parent/guardian must complete a Modification Intake Form to help us learn about each camper and submit these forms at least two weeks before the start of camp. One on one supervision is not available.
Activities are subject to change due to inclement weather, camper needs, and interest. Most outdoor surfaces are not paved, and the trails will be a mix of uneven dirt (small hills, tree roots, and small rocks), grass, and/or mulch.

Beat the heat this summer and join Creek Week! Each day campers will immerse themselves in the wonderful word of water by exploring their watershed, conducting experiments, participating in water activities such as fishing, and of course, just splashing around. There’s no better place to learn and play than Rock Creek at Meadowside. Campers can expect to get wet and dirty!

Calling all witches, wizards, fairies, and trolls! Discover the magic and power of nature during this week-long camp. Lessons in herbology, care of magical creatures, potions and spells will help guide you on your magical camp quest around the trails of Rock Creek Regional Park. Join us for a magical week of summer camp fun!

Come and learn how our Naturalist Staff care for our amazing birds of prey! Discover what raptors eat for lunch, what raptors do for fun, and how trainers build relationships with these incredible animals.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This summer the M-NCPPC Arts and Cultural Heritage Division is thrilled to present "A Midsummer Night's Dream", directed by newly appointed Artistic Director Randy Snight. Love is in the air, but it's tangled in a romantic web involving four young Athenians. Venture into the mystical woods where fairies stir up a potion that turns the lovers' world upside down. Get ready for an unforgettable experience of whimsy, wonder, and weddings as the enchanting tale of "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" comes to life on stage in this 90-minute production. Bring your lawn chair, a picnic, and enjoy the Bard under the stars.

Come by our Nature Playspace and watch Gilly the Vulture train with her caretakers! Ask vulture questions, volunteer in a training session, or just relax and enjoy a vulture visit. 

Animal Friends Camp is designed specifically for preschoolers to foster their relationship with the natural world. Campers will romp through forests and meadows, befriend the animals of Meadowside Nature Center, and let their imaginations run wild in our nature play space! Each day will include opportunities for child-directed play, stewardship, and nature themed crafts and games. Children must be fully toilet-trained to enroll.

Celebrate the beauty of summer with a night under the stars! Enjoy glowing campfire treats before walking down to the Meadowside Pond to experience nighttime frog songs and the flicker of fireflies.  Bring a flashlight and be prepared for natural surface trails.

Make your very own creation with clay and imprints of live fern fronds and fiddleheads! This hands-on program will include instruction, all materials and a naturalist led stroll to discover Maryland’s magical ferns. This event takes place at Meadowside Nature Center.   

Celebrate the insects that make our food possible on World Honeybee Day! Taste different types of honey, learn about our local bees and pollinators, and take home a bee craft. This event takes place at Meadowside Nature Center.