Program Descriptions
Join Seneca Academy’s art teacher, Ms. Wood, for creative multimedia experiences every day! From painting to textiles, and drawing to sculpture, there will be something for everyone. (Grades 1-3 and 4-6)
Fiber Studio
Dive into the colorful world of textiles! Students will explore felting, stitching, and weaving through hands-on experimentation, discovering how thread and fabric can become anything they imagine. This tactile week celebrates ancient craft traditions while building fine motor skills and patience through the joy of making. (June 22 – 26 PM for Grades 4-6)
Characters & Cartoons Studio
Learn to draw the characters you love and create your own! Students will develop drawing skills and techniques to bring their favorite cartoons, anime characters, and original creations to life on paper. This is the week young artists always ask for – dedicated time to master character design and storytelling through art. (June 29 – July 2 PM for Grades 1-3; June 29 – July 2 AM for Grades 4-6)
STEAM Studio
Where creativity meets discovery! Students experiment with color chemistry, engineer creative solutions, and explore sustainable art-making through hands-on projects that blend art, science, and environmental thinking. This process-based weeks parks curiosity and shows how artists are also inventors and problem-solvers. (July 6-10 AM for Grades 1-3; July 6-10 PM for Grades 4-6)
Paint & Draw Academy
A dedicated week for young artists to build fundamental skills in painting and drawing! Students will explore various materials and techniques each day, then apply their new skills to create finished masterpieces. This classic studio week gives kids the focused time they crave to develop their artistic confidence. (July 20-24 PM for Grades 1-3; July 20-24 AM for Grades 4-6)
Artist’s Sampler
Why choose just one art form when you can try them all? Students will explore a variety of techniques and materials throughout the week from origami to printmaking, and mixed media to sculpture. This flexible, creative week is perfect for curious makers who want to experiment and discover new favorites. (August 3-7 PM for Grades 4-6)
Join Seneca Academy staff for time spent appreciating the outdoors and helping others! We’ll learn all about ways to care for our planet and its people, and have a blast doing it. (Grades 1-3 and 4-6)
Children will become nature explorers as they investigate our campus, identify native species, and care for the environment through art, poetry, and hands-on building. Each week ends with an exciting project students create and bring home to share with their families. Activities include planting, scavenger hunts, outdoor games, building feeders and houses, water games, nature notes and poetry, and craft workshops. Sessions will be modified for each age group and each week will hold new, exciting adventures! (June 2-July 2 AM, July 6-10 PM, July 13-17 AM and/or PM, and July 20-24 AM for Grades 1-3; June 29-July 2 PM, July 6-10 AM, July 13-17 AM and/or PM, and July 20-24 PM for Grades 4-6)
Join Seneca Academy’s Spanish Teacher, Sra. Busto, for a summer en Español! Students will build their vocabulary through games, conversations, songs, and all sorts of creative activities. (Grades 1-3 and 4-6)
¡Aventura de mercado!
Join us for a fun, hands-on Spanish immersion experience where students learn Spanish by living it — just like shopping at a real market! Through games, role play, and creative activities, students will learn and practice common Spanish phrases; ask and answer questions; negotiate prices like a pro; use Spanish words for currency; build vocabulary naturally through immersion; create crafts and products to sell at our market; buy and sell goods; and practice real-life conversations. (June 15-18 AM for Grades 1-3 and August 3-7 AM for Grades 4-6)
¡En el restaurante!
Let your child step into the world of Spanish through a fun and interactive session centered around the excitement of being in a restaurant! Throughout the week, students will learn how to order food at a restaurant in Spanish; role-play as customers, servers, and chefs; create restaurant-themed crafts; build a strong foundation of new vocabulary and simple sentence structures; learn through games, songs, and hands-on activities. (June 22-26 AM for Grades 4-6)
Join Seneca Academy’s first grade teacher, Mrs. Strickler, for a multisensory reading intensive based on Orton-Gillingham principles! These hands-on literacy activities are a fun way to keep up reading and writing skills over the summer. (Grades 1-3)
Where reading is sweet and growing’s a treat!
Read S’More will help students build reading confidence, fluency, and comprehension through targeted OG-based instruction, engaging activities, and joyful literacy experiences. Through phonics instruction, songs, leveled texts, guided reading, art, spelling games, small groups, fun celebrations, and more, your child will strengthen their phonemic awareness and phonics skills, improve their reading fluency and accuracy, develop comprehension strategies and vocabulary, and foster a positive mindset and love of reading! Sessions build on the others, but will also stand on their own. (June 22-26 AM and/or PM, July 27-31 AM and/or PM, and August 3-7 AM and/or PM for Grades 1-3)
Seneca’s third-grade teacher, Ms. Henry, will help students dig into history and science with this fun look at archaeology! (Grades 4-6)
Archaeological Adventures is an immersive, hands-on learning experience for students entering grades 4-6 who are curious about history, mysteries, and how people lived long ago. Campers will become junior archaeologists as they dig, investigate, analyze, and interpret clues left behind by ancient civilizations from around the world. Through guided excavations, lab investigations, creative projects, and local field visits, students learn how archaeologists answer big questions such as:
- How do archaeologists work carefully and ethically in the field?
- How do we know what people ate, wore, or believed if they didn’t leave written records?
- What can tools, artwork, buildings, and burial sites tell us about ancient cultures?
Highlights include hands-on excavation simulations and artifact analysis labs; investigating ancient cultures such as Egypt, Greece, Indigenous North America, and Mesoamerica; creating cave art, tools, homes, and museum-style exhibits; and a culminating museum showcase for families. (June 15-18 AM and/or PM for Grades 4-6)
Program Schedule
| Weeks | 8:30 – 11:30 a.m. | 12:30 – 3:30 p.m. |
| June 15 – 18 | Spanish: Market Adventure | Nature & Service |
| June 22 – 26 | Read S’More | Read S’More |
| June 29 – July 2 | Nature & Service | Art |
| July 6 – 10 | Art | Nature & Service |
| July 13 – 17 | Nature & Service | Nature & Service |
| July 20 – 24 | Nature & Service | Art |
| July 27 – 31 | Read S’More | Read S’More |
| August 3 – 7 | Read S’More | Read S’More |
| Weeks | 8:30 – 11:30 a.m. | 12:30 – 3:30 p.m. |
| June 15 -18 | Archaeological Adventures | Archaeological Adventures |
| June 22 – 26 | Spanish: En el restaurante | Art |
| June 29 – July 2 | Art | Nature & Service |
| July 6 – 10 | Nature & Service | Art |
| July 13 – 17 | Nature & Service | Nature & Service |
| July 20 – 24 | Art | Nature & Service |
| July 27 – 31 | No Sessions | No Sessions |
| August 3 – 7 | Spanish: Market Adventure | Art |
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can register?
Rising first graders through rising sixth graders may register for Summer at Seneca’s Adventurers program. Each session is available for specific age ranges. (Rising three-year-olds through rising kindergartners can register for our preschool summer programming!)
What can we expect?
Each of our Adventurers program sessions centers around a different theme! From reading intensives to visual art, and from Spanish to archaeology, there is something for everyone. Each session will provide students with a new, unique experience with their peers!
When is Summer at Seneca?
Summer at Seneca’s Adventurers program takes place over eight weeks in June, July, and August, with morning and afternoon sessions for upper and lower elementary ages.
- Week 1: June 15-18 (no sessions on June 19)
- Week 2: June 22-26
- Week 3: June 29-July 2 (no sessions on July 3)
- Week 4: July 6-10
- Week 5: July 13-17
- Week 6: July 20-24
- Week 7: July 27-31 (no sessions for rising fourth-sixth graders)
- Week 8: August 3-7
What time are the sessions?
Our Adventurers programs run from 8:30 to 11:30 in the mornings and 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the afternoons. Students are welcome to stay after the morning session for lunch until 12:30, or come early for lunch at 11:30 before the afternoon session.
When can we register?
Registration is open now! Please click here to register online.
Where does Summer at Seneca take place?
Summer at Seneca is held on the campus of Seneca Academy in Darnestown, Maryland. Our 6.5-acre National Wildlife Foundation Certified Schoolyard Habitat is an amazing place to learn and grow!
Why should we register?
Seneca Academy has been known for more than forty years as a place that provides a rigorous yet developmentally appropriate education while preserving the wonder of childhood. There’s no better time to experience this first-hand than by registering today for our Adventurers programs!
What is the cost?
Summer at Seneca’s Adventurers program is $250 plus a materials fee per half-day session by the week (four-day weeks are $205 plus a materials fee). You may sign up your child for the morning, the afternoon, or both! Each student’s balance must be paid in full by May 15.
Are there any incentives to register early?
Yes! We anticipate the programs to fill quickly and encourage early registration. Additionally, those who have paid the registration fee and signed a contract by February 28 will receive a 5% discount on their total tuition if the summer balance is paid by April 1.
What if I’m not sure of my summer plans yet?
You can make changes to your summer session schedule until May 15 at no additional charge!
What if I have other questions?
Please fill out an inquiry form here to ask! We’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
