Summer is coming! It sure does feel good to say that and have it actually be true! It’s finally safe to say that the snow is behind us, and while we aren’t quite ready to hit the beach in bathing suits we are ready to start planning our summer activities. For those of you with kids (or with kids coming to visit you this summer) we highly suggest considering Coast Kids at Assateague Coastal Trust. New this year is the Nature Explorers Summer Enrichment Program, which promises to offer educational summer fun for kids ages 6 to 11.

The Nature Explorers Summer Enrichment Program will be held in two, one-week intervals, from Monday, June 23 to Thursday, June 26 (10am-2:30pm) and Monday, June 30 to Thursday, July 3 (10am-2:30pm). The summer camp affords children ages 6 to 11 with the chance to learn about aquatic life, wilderness survival, plankton, archeology and more, all while being immersed in the natural habitat of Delmarva. Campers will go canoeing and boating, prepare nature art projects, and visit and explore eight different locations across Delmarva. The Week 1 locations are located closer to Berlin and Ocean City residents, while the Week 2 locations are closer to Salisbury and Snow Hill. Participants are required to be dropped off and picked up at a different location every day. Parents are welcome to stay as well. There are only 12 spaces available for each week so sign-up now! For more information, click here.

For your more immediate outdoor fun, consider joining in the Camping Weekend at the Hazel Outdoor Discovery Center in Eden for the weekend of May 24 and 25. The 5^th Coast Kids camping weekend is held on 450 acres at the Hazel Outdoor Discovery Center, an expansive former farm that is host to a large meadow, fishing pond and trails through the woods. The Hazel Center is fully equipped with clean bathrooms, a cabin in case of inclement weather, a large BBQ, a fire pit and fishing gear. If you do not wish to spend the night, you are also welcome to join on Saturday afternoon and evening. For more information, e-mail coastkids@actforbays.org.

Coast Kids is a family-based environmental education program under the auspices of the Assateague Coastal Trust. Driven by the mission to expose children to nature in a fun and safe way, Coast Kids believes that hands-on learning experiences build a deeper understanding of our environment. In addition to the summer enrichment program, Coast Kids hosts a number of activities, events and programs throughout the year that aim to spark children’s interest for Delmarva’s local fauna, flora and geography.