Registration Full for the 2023 Summer Session

GROW with Elderberry Outdoor School as we launch our self-directed summer nature program at Wishing Star Farm & Wellness in Glen Arm, Baltimore County

This Summer join Elderberry Outdoor School!

Looking for an enriching program in Baltimore County this summer?

Elderberry Outdoor School’s Summer Program is designed to embrace childrens’ natural curiosity and wonder, empowering them to direct their own learning.

Our facilitators will offer a guided, hands-on gardening curriculum, as well as open-ended materials to encourage creativity.

Perfect for children ages 5-14 who love being outdoors, gardening, science, art, imagining, tinkering, and most importantly, PLAY.

Time in the dirt is good for a growing child!

At Elderberry Outdoor School, we make sure that outdoor play is at the center of our programs. Our focus is on self-directed, emergent learning, following the lead of the children. The beautiful grounds of Wishing Star Farm offer an abundance of opportunities to explore wooded trails, streams, creeks, and wildlife!

Our facilitators will work to identify individual and common interests to help plan adventures and projects!

Along with growing a food garden, we incorporate a multitude of opportunities for creativity and innovation. We will integrate open ended-materials for loose parts play, games and activities, art, math and measurement, science and ecosystems, reading and collaborating, nature exploration and water play!

Gardening can also help kids to gain an appreciation for farms, and an interest in healthy eating.

Join us this summer — a unique and educational Baltimore County summer program!

To Plant a Garden is to
Believe in Tomorrow

– Audrey Hepburn

Summer Session Details for 2023

Ages: 5-14

Time: 9:00am – 3:00pm

Days: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays

Dates: June 6-8, June 13-15, June 20-22, June 27-29, July 3, 5-6 (Mon, Wed, Thurs for holiday), July 11-13

Location: The summer session takes place at Wishing Star Farm, a beautiful local farm and wellness center in Glen Arm, Baltimore County. (11323 Glen Arm Rd, 21057)

Daily Rhythm:

Each day will begin with a guided, hands-on gardening lesson and activity, focusing on a different aspect of vegetable gardening each week. The curriculum for the rest of the day IS the children, and will be planned according to their ideas and interests!

Here is out an outline of our 6-week gardening curriculum:

June 6-8: Dirt or soil? According to Aaron Prairie of Colorado State U, “Dirt is dead. Soil, on the other hand, is teeming with bacteria, fungi, algae and other tiny creatures that are the foundation of a symbiotic ecosystem.”

Be prepared to get dirt under those fingernails as we study and mix together the components of great garden soil. We’ll also be using field microscopes to investigate and answer our question of the week.

June 13-15: What’s in a seed? After filling us in on what exactly is in a seed, students will compare different kinds of seeds and experience being a seed in a guided meditation. We’ll round out the week by planting seeds in our school garden and in paper pots to take home.

June 20-22: It’s Alive! This week we’ll explore what it means to be alive, and what plants need to stay alive. Our task for the week is to transplant starts into the garden.

June 27-29: What Parts Do We Eat? We’ll be checking on our garden’s progress–both above ground and below–and tending to its needs as well as sampling some roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits, and seeds.

July 3, 5, 6: Water, Water, Everywhere! Everyone’s favorite–a week of water fun and games, along with making sure our garden gets plenty of H2O.

July 11-13: Harvest Time! It’s a tasting party!

More grows in
the Garden than the Gardener sows.

– Spanish Proverb

Summer Session Registration

Join us for up to 6 Weeks!

Offering flexible weekly sign-ups

We know in summer time families have trips, sports, events, and vacations to fit into a few short months! That is why we offer weekly registration. You can sign your child up for as many weeks as you would like, or for the entire 6 week period at a special price!

Cost per student is $150/week, or $750 for all 6 weeks. 25% discount for subsequent siblings.

While we are proud of the garden programming we’re offering, we primarily support free, unstructured play as a mainstay of our summer session, as with our school!

Rather than fit in some free time, we fit in guides’ planned activities around the students’ priorities. Here’s a great article by the American Camp Association all about it. We highly recommend the references listed at the bottom, too!