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TRAIL BLAZERS Day Camp AT BROOKLYN BRIDGE PARK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH BROOKLYN BRIDGE PARK CONSERVANCY
Brooklyn Bridge Park Awaits!
Develop a love for the great outdoors every day, right in your neighborhood. Our day camp program at Brooklyn Bridge Park helps your camper develop an appreciation for the environment while making memories and learning skills to last a lifetime.
Missed our info sessions? View a recording on the right ->
Our days are filled with hands-on science experiments, group play and group challenges, team building, nature exploration, art, and lots of singing. More than that, each day your camper will develop their ability to care for themselves, their friends, our community, and the environment.
Our programs are designed around small group experiences. Campers enroll into the same small group for the full summer. We believe that challenges are essential to a child’s ability to grow and include team building activities each day. Through these activities, campers learn how to work together, how to problem solve, and in turn build more meaningful relationships with one another.
Your child’s group will have the same two group leaders each day throughout the summer. We hire local staff, many of whom work for our recess and after school programs during the year, to join our summer team. We have a diverse team of staff from many different backgrounds, but they all share at least one thing in common – they cannot wait to meet your camper!
Central to our philosophy has always been the small camp experience. Small camps will consist of no more than 12 campers with two group leaders each week. Over the course of the summer, these groups will plan their days collaboratively and overcome challenges together, allowing for deeper relationships and connections that last a lifetime.
At Trail Blazers we welcome campers of all backgrounds and identities. Your child’s small group is open to boys, girls and gender non-conforming. To learn more about our inclusive program approach please visit our DEIB page.
Trail Blazers at Brooklyn Bridge Park is designed for campers entering Kindergarten through grade 5.
We believe, and research agrees, that children need to have time and space to play with each other. Unstructured play helps children develop important lifelong skills, such as communication, cooperation, self-management, and other social and emotional skills proven to lead to long-term development. Our staff are trained to allow real play to happen, so children can learn and grow together.
We have been unplugged for over 130 years so you can leave all electronics at home! We have always been – now more than ever – a program that emphasizes connecting to each other, through experience outdoors.
By signing up for our day camp at Brooklyn Bridge Park, you are committing to joining an electronics-free community. Without their devices, our campers learn how to build relationships through meaningful conversations, and to be present in their environment.
We’ve teamed up with the Education team at the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy to develop environmental education themes and curriculum that will provide a unique and powerful learning experience for our campers.
All camp groups will have two environmental education classes with Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy educators each week. In these sessions, campers will investigate the East River and waterfront habitats and the diverse wildlife they are home to. We’ll explore the rich history of the New York Harbor, and Brooklyn Bridge Park to examine and understand the importance of sustainability.
130+ years is a long time to perfect the art of youth development. Formal metrics confirm what anecdotal reports have always shown us; building strong social and emotional foundations sets children up for true long-term success.
Every Trail Blazers program is designed with the same five building blocks – research-backed strategies, seamlessly woven into each day’s plan:
This approach – which looks different every day, within every program, and for every group – delivers a uniquely powerful youth development experience.
Our Day Camp at Brooklyn Bridge Park offers:
Click below to view the summer schedule – subject to change
Brooklyn Bridge Park – SUMMER SCHEDULE 2024
Trail Blazers Camps are American Camp Association accredited. All leadership staff are trained professionals in their area of expertise.
Each staff member undergoes an intensive interview and reference check process. We run criminal and sex offender background checks on every person employed by our organization. Before children arrive, our staff completes a thorough training, covering all aspects of the Trail Blazers program, to prepare for the important job of looking after your child’s physical and emotional safety. This training has been expanded to meet all New York State, CDC, and ACA guidelines surrounding COVID-19.
We are also a partner and worksite for NYC’s Summer Youth Employment Program. Our SYEP participants receive all necessary training to work as junior group leaders.
Each day at our Brooklyn Bridge Park Day Camp is spent in ‘small camp’, a consistent group of up to 12 campers with 2 dedicated group leaders. Because each child’s group remains small and consistent throughout the summer, our campers and staff form very strong bonds!
Each day includes the same mix of components, which your child’s group leaders will customize in real-time response to the group’s needs, likes and dislikes. These building blocks include:
Summer 2024 features some exciting new themes as well as tried and true favorites. Campers will be given opportunities to learn and develop a wonderful variety of hands-on skills that they may never have tried before:
Week 1 (July 8 – July 12):
You’ve Arrived at Your Destination
Skill of the week: Orienteering, Intro to Scientific Method
You are here and you belong here! An introduction to all things Trail Blazers. Let’s explore our park as a team and learn about the different ways we can navigate towards adventure. There’s 85 acres to discover, so let’s do it together!
Conservancy Class: The Brooklyn Bridge and Waterfront History
Week 2 (July 15 – July 19):
Call of the Wild
Skill of the week: Wildlife Identification
‘What’s that sound? Who’s tracks are these? What plant is that?’ Bird calls, animal and plant identification and more! The investigation is on as we learn about all the plants and wildlife that share our home right here in NYC. The flora and fauna of the park await!
Conservancy Class: Forest Ecology
Week 3 (July 22 – July 26):
Ultimate Survivor: Trail Blazers Edition
Skill of the week: Knot-tying, Survival Skills
A welcoming introduction to wilderness arts, including simple survival knots, how to raise a shelter, filter clean water and craft the perfect marshmallow roasting fire. It will be easy to get tied up in how much fun we’ll have with this extremely useful skill week.
Conservancy Class: Rocks & Geology
Week 4 (July 29 – August 2):
Trash to Treasure
Skill of the week: Nature art, upcycling, reuse
They say one person’s trash is another person’s treasure! This week we will turn nature and ‘trash’ into art. We’ll explore how to upcycle and reuse common items in unique ways to create our own treasures. And to cap off the week, we’ll share our designs with our very own Trashion Show!
Conservancy Class: Inter-tidal Zone Explorations
Week 5 (August 5 – August 9):
What’s the Weather?
Skill of the week: Weather & Climate Change
Prepare to be blown away by our weather themed week. Campers will be on cloud 9 as we learn all about weather and climate change. Campers will explore how our environment affects, and is affected by our changing climate, including our native plants, trees, and waterways.
Conservancy Class: Weather & Climate
Week 6 (August 12 – August 16):
Park-itecture Adventure
Skill of the week: Sustainable Design, Lashing, Engineering
Prepare to be blown away by our sustainable design themed week. Campers will learn all about energy and the striking ways in which we can harness power for renewable energy. We’ll also focus on design and engineering, as we put our new skills to use to design and build our own projects! Your imagination is the limit.
Conservancy Class: Sustainability
Week 7 (August 19 – August 23):
Go with the Flow
Skill of the week: Water Ecology, Aquatic Life Identification
Shell yeah, whalecome to our water ecology week! It’d be cray-sea naut to seas the opport-tuna-ty to explore this awesome estuary. We’ll be happy as clams as we dive deep to learn all aboat the organisms in the East River and how they interact with one another. It’s o-fish-ial, we’ll be shore to make a splash with fin-tastic theme.
Conservancy Class: Marine Invertebrate Ecology
Week 8 (August 26 – August 30):
Stronger Together
Skill of the week: Community Service, Stewardship
As our summer comes to a close, we’ll take a closer look at one of our core values, care & respect for our community – what does this really mean and what this might look like in action? Groups will engage in service projects throughout our local communities. Putting to use the skills we’ve developed this season, campers will work together to brainstorm, plan and execute community projects of their own!
Conservancy Class: Fish Ecology: Fishing and Seining
Trips
Each week, every small camp will have at least one special event or field trip. Transportation varies by trip, either via ferry, subway, or private bus.
All small camps will also attend trips to our sleepaway camp located in Sussex County, NJ.
For campers in grades K-3rd, trips to our sleepaway camp are day trips. Campers will participate in boating, swimming, archery, and outdoor cooking. Campers may even embrace challenges head on by visiting our ropes adventure elements. These trips generally depart at 7:30 am and return for pick up at 6 pm.
NEW: This summer, campers in grades 4 & 5 (Scarlet Oaks and Terrapins) will go on an overnight trip (one night, two days) to our sleepaway camp in NJ. Campers will have even more time to participate in all activities mentioned above while spending the night in a platform tent. This unique trip will allow them to get a real taste of sleepaway camp. This trip will depart from BBP at 7:30 am on Thursday and return by 4pm on Friday.
Small camp specific schedules can be found under our program overview. These schedules are still being developed and are subject to change. We will update these throughout the spring.
Our day camp at Brooklyn Bridge Park offers two convenient locations to choose from – Pier 1 and Pier 5.
Campers enrolled into Sunfish (grades K-1), Barnacles (grades K-1), Periwinkles (grades 2-3), and Terrapins (grades 4-5) will drop near Pier 1. Campers in Puffers (grades K-1), Flounder (grades K-1), Goldenrods (grades 2-3), and Scarlet Oaks (grades 3-4) will drop off near Pier 5.
Each camp group will have a unique drop off and pick up site just inside Brooklyn Bridge Park at their selected location.
Indoor Location: St Ann’s Holy Trinity – 157 Montague Street, just a short walk from the park
Each camp group will have a unique location for drop off and pick up just inside the park at their selected location.
Drop off is between 8:30 and 9:00 am.
Regular pick up is between 3:30 and 4:00 pm.
Aftercare pick up is available until 6:00 pm.
During the registration process you will be asked to list adults authorized to pick up your child. Your child will only be released to individuals on the list.
Registration for our outdoor day camp at Brooklyn Bridge Park is OPEN.
All Trail Blazers programs are offered on a tier basis, loosely linked to family income, with additional scholarship opportunities available. Your tier is self-selected during the application process.
Weekly pricing:
TIER 1 (family income up to $50,000)- $333 per week
TIER 2 (family income $50,000-$75,000) – $481 per week
TIER 3 (family income $75,000-$100,000) – $592 per week
TIER 4 (family income over $100,000) – $665 per week
FULL FEE – $740 per week
A 5% administration fee and a one-time merchandise fee is added to all orders. For more information click the day camp rates link below.
We encourage you to select the tier that makes the most sense for your family. Additional scholarships are available on a limited basis for families in the tier 1 range to further reduce the cost.
Tier discounts are applied as a coupon, you will receive a coupon code during the enrollment process. Apply this code to your cart to receive the tier discount.
If you are interested in being considered for additional scholarship assistance, first submit your registration, then complete the Scholarship Request Form and the Summer Food Service Form on your dashboard. Scholarship allocation is made on a rolling basis and as available. Please speak to our registration staff if you have additional questions or needs.
We strive to make camp accessible to all! If you cannot access the registration system online, please call our registration team to enroll over the phone or to schedule an in-person appointment.
Terms and Conditions – includes refund policy
We believe our program is the best – but is it the best fit for you?
We really care about being outside and are passionate about the program that we offer. If you are new to Trail Blazers or new to our day camps, please try to attend one of our info sessions. Info sessions are held on the third Wednesday of each month and are a great opportunity to learn more about our Brooklyn Bridge Park day camp and to ask any questions you may have!
Because we do things differently from most other camps, we hope that you will take time to consider the following in order to ensure that we are a good fit for you and your family:
LITTLE LEGS AND BATHROOMS – Being in the park means we may not be directly next to a bathroom all the time. Sometimes, we have to walk a little, but our staff knows to map their program around bathroom locations. Your camper should be able to recognize the need for a bathroom trip, communicate this need to their group leader, and then possibly hold on for a few minutes!
INDEPENDENCE AT A YOUNG AGE – Throughout the program, our campers learn a lot about self-management: packing their own backpack, getting ready for lunch, hiking in the park, etc. Your camper has to be ready to take on those challenges in increasingly more independent ways.
UNSTRUCTURED PLAY – We believe that children learn best from things they experience on their own, and that the process of figuring out an activity is of equal or greater value than the activity itself. Unstructured free play allows kids to learn more – and learn differently – than during highly structured, instructor-led activities. Each day has lots of play built in, during which we explicitly train staff to step aside into the role of an observer and facilitator, but not teacher.
OUTDOORS, RAIN OR SHINE – As a nature-loving outdoor adventure program, we opt-outside whenever possible. Our program will operate almost entirely outdoors – so long as conditions are safe we will remain outdoors and seek shelter within the park. Indoor spaces are available for all camp locations, but are only used in severe weather.
LOUD SINGING – Your camper will come home and sing camp songs incessantly, and will more than likely require you to participate. Are you ready for that fun?!
Registration for our day camp at Brooklyn Bridge Park opens January 1st.
Minimum Registration: 1 Week
Ages: 4-10 years old, campers should be entering grades K-5.
Campers who are age 4 must be entering Kindergarten and turning 5 by Dec 31st.
The Trail Blazers approach relies heavily on the social experience within the group – this is why sessions are a full week at a time, so your camper can get used to the group and get to know their group leader.
How to Register:
As you begin the registration process, you will select a small camp at your desired location that is suitable to your campers age. Then you will select the weeks you wish to enroll. Campers must enroll into the same small camp for all weeks.
Our program is designed to ensure that all small camps have an awesome (and consistent) experience – groups will engage in similar activities, team builders, and games throughout the season. All camp groups will have two classes with BBP educators and one scheduled field trip or special activity each week.
Once a small camp is full, a wait list for that week will begin. If you have questions about a wait list, please contact our registration team at info@trailblazers.org.
If you wish to be placed with a friend, simply select the same small camp when you enroll.
Registration for the 2024 season opens January 1st. A non-refundable down payment of 30% is due at the time of enrollment to secure your space in the program.
We strive to make camp accessible to all! If you cannot access the registration system online, please call our registration team to enroll over the phone or to schedule an in-person appointment.
Please familiarize yourself with our Terms and Conditions, which includes our participation waiver. These documents will also be available on your ACTIVE enrollment portal.
If you have have any questions, please contact our office.
What ages can attend day camp?
Our day camp at Brooklyn Bridge Park is designed for campers entering Kindergarten through Grade 5 (ages 5-10).
Our youngest campers must turn 5 years old by December 31st 2024. Please review the ‘Is Your Child Ready’ tab to make sure your camper is ready for our program.
Please contact our registration team at (212) 529-5113 if you have questions.
Do you accommodate requests for friends to be grouped together?
You will select your child’s group during the enrollment process. If you wish to be placed with a friend, simply coordinate to select and enroll into the same small camp group.
Do you offer payment plans?
A non-refundable down payment of 30% is required at the time of enrollment to secure your space into the program. Payment plans are available, as you enroll you can select a payment plan of either 2 or 3 installments. Full payment is due May 1st.
What do I need to pack?
Hiking backpack – all campers in our program will receive a hiking pack. Packs are fitted to campers and are a great way for campers to carry around their belongings. These hiking packs must be used each day.
Lunch and snacks – Pack enough for a full and active day.
Water bottle – Campers will need a refillable water bottle each day. We will refill our bottles often as we travel around the park. Our backpacks can also accommodate water bladders.
A change of clothes – We recommend packing a full change of clothes for all campers, including our older groups. We are outdoors all day and there is always the possibility that campers’ clothes will get wet or dirty.
Rain gear – We spend time outside every day – rain or shine. If the weather predicts light rain please pack a water-proof jacket and shoes. If there are extended periods of heavy rain or thunderstorms, we will move to our indoor locations.
Sunscreen – even on the cloudiest of days. A hat is also great for protection from the sun.
Sturdy, closed toe shoes – Comfort is key! We will be active throughout the day walking all over the park. We suggest something that is water resistant as well.
Layers – If the weather predicts cool temperatures in the morning or early evening we also recommend packing or wearing layers. Campers may get chilly and want a light sweater or long sleeve shirt.
Where and when is drop off and pick up?
Drop off is between 8:30 and 9 am each day, all groups will have a unique drop off and pick up location just inside the park at your selected location. Details of your group’s location will be communicated via email before beginning the program.
Regular pick up is between 3:30 and 4:00 pm each day to the same location as drop off. Aftercare is available for a flat fee of $65 per week to extend your child’s camp day as late as 6 pm. Aftercare will be in the same location as regular drop-off and pick-up, check your site’s tab for details. Pick up during aftercare is rolling, campers can be picked up anytime until 6:00 pm.
My cart is showing full tuition prices, how can I apply tier discounts?
Tier discounts are applied as a coupon. During the enrollment process you will receive a coupon code based on your selected tier. Apply this coupon code to your shopping cart to add the tier discount. Please reach out to our registration team if you are having trouble.
How can I apply for a scholarship?
We strive to make our programs affordable for all through a tiered pricing system – simply select the tier that best describes your household. Additional scholarships are available for families that identify as tier 1. To apply you must first enroll into the program, you will be provided a coupon code during the enrollment process that will allow you to register without making payment. Upon registering, you must complete the scholarship application and SFSP form in Active. Our staff will follow up about additional scholarship funds.
When and where can we pick up our hiking pack?
Hiking packs are available for pick up at our administrative office starting June 5th. Our office is located at 495a Flatbush Avenue and is open weekdays from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Packs are available at drop off each Monday.
I’m Here To Help!
If you’re still not sure that Trail Blazers is the right fit for your camper and you want to discuss more details about our program, you can set up a virtual meeting and I’ll be happy to help in any way I can!
For registration, click the Enroll button at the top of the page or contact info@trailblazers.org.
For everything else, schedule a virtual meeting with Sage, director of day camp programs: Schedule time to ask me!
**Last available meeting June 1st
why choose us
Looking for an exciting summer camp where your loved ones will develop valuable life skills, build meaningful relationships and have a ton of fun as they spend their days completely outdoors? Look no further than Trail Blazers.
Many camps are planned down to the second and don’t allow time to wander off course, whereas at Trail Blazers we encourage this curiosity and desire to explore. We are the pioneers of decentralized programming. Each small group develops their own personalized schedule that can be tailored to meet the needs of the group. Happen upon some tadpoles in the park, let’s stop and observe for a bit. Exploration is a great way to learn.
Each week offers an environmentally focused theme, from “Camp ROCKS” to “Making Waves.” We’ll learn all about our planet, all the living things it is home to, and how best to take care of it! Campers will engage in hands-on activities focused on developing hard and valuable life skills. We’ll practice basic survival skills, knot-tying, plant and animal identification, and more! At Trail Blazers we fully embrace the outdoors. Rain or shine, provided it is safe, we will opt outside. We spend our days at camp exploring Brooklyn Bridge Park or engaged in an exciting excursion.
We strive to make camp accessible to everyone! We serve a diverse community of campers and search for staff from all backgrounds that bring unique skills and experiences with them to camp. We believe there is tremendous value in learning to interact with those that are different from us.
What Our Parents say
“This was the best decision of our summer. Our son truly flourished: when we dropped him off the first day my son was shy and timid, and when we picked him up the last day he was confidently making jokes, teaching us new songs, and showing us how to tie knots!! .”
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“My daughter just finished her last week at Trail Blazers. We originally signed up for one week, and she loved it so much that we ended up going to four weeks total. She had a blast! Made new friends, saw old friends, LOVED being outside in the beautiful park. I felt like she was safe and in good hands. It was a really amazing summer camp experience!!!”
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“Our son taught our family the Milkshake camp song, we loved it. His agency and confidence had only grown and the time in nature has been such a compliment to his love of animals and the outdoors. Trail Blazers has helped him with tenacity. He encourages me and others to ‘keep trying, you can do it’.”
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“Well done! Our daughter loved her experience thoroughly. The counselors were friendly and greeted her warmly every morning! The projects were creative and she loved learning about marine life, using the underwater cameras, playing fish bingo and more! I love how engaged she was and hearing about all she was learning about her environment. Thanks for a terrific experience!”
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