Register Now for Summer Play and Learn Beach Camps

NORWALK, Conn. — Summer may still be a few months away, but now is the time to register for Recreation and Parks’ popular Play and Learn Beach Camps.

Rec and Parks offers seven six-week Play and Learn camps for kids of all ages—from the brand-new Tiny Tots for incoming prekindergartners at Wolfpit School to Skate Camp at Calf Pasture Beach for students entering grades 3 to 9—from Monday, June 23, to Friday, Aug. 1.

Also offered for six weeks are Little Explorers, which is for incoming kindergarteners and includes two different sessions at two locations (Tracey and West Rock schools) during its run; and Lower Camp for kids going into grades 1-5, which will also hold two simultaneous sessions at Tracey and West Rock schools. 

Upper Camp for students heading into grades 6-9 will also be held for six weeks at Calf Pasture Beach.

Summer’s End, which is for incoming K-9 students, will be held for one week at Marvin Elementary School from Monday, Aug. 4, through Friday, Aug. 8.

Camps will be held from 8:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day, except for Tiny Tots, which will offer a morning session from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. and an afternoon one from noon to 3 p.m. (only one session per week is permitted).

The camps include a variety of activities, including arts and crafts, games, marine education, and swimming on beach days (when campers are bussed to the beach).

“Play and Learn is super popular,” said Recreation Supervisor Diane Campbell, adding that early bird camp registration ran March 3-23, while regular registration commenced on March 24 and goes through June 15.

“Right now, we have about 557 campers signed up,” added Campbell, noting that around 1,100 kids registered for Play and Learn Camps in 2024.

Camps cost $242 per week per child for Little Explorers, as well as the Lower, Upper, Skate and Summer’s End camps and $172 per week per child for Tiny Tots (for either the a.m. or p.m. session). 

“We are one of the most affordable camps in the area,” said Superintendent of Recreation Elsa Mekonen. “We are really mindful of what families are able to afford here and sort of the wide range of income levels that reside in Norwalk.”

With that in mind, Rec and Parks offers families the opportunity to pay camp costs over time.

“We offer parents the ability to split payments on a weekly basis, from the start of registration up until about mid-June, so you don’t have to pay upfront,” said Mekonen. “There is no additional surcharge or fee for parents; we are very flexible.”

Other than campers having to bring their lunch every day, “everything is included in the cost,” added Mekonen. 

“All the activities they do, the trips, the special events—it’s all included in that weekly price,” she added. 

The camps are so popular, Rec and Park sees a lot of repeat customers, according to Mekonen. 

“A lot of parents, even though we allow them to sign up their camper by week, they very often send their kids to the entire six-week camp, so we get a lot of repeat kids,” said Mekonen.

For parents who need to drop their kids off early, or need childcare in the afternoon, Rec and Parks offers early morning (from 8 to 8:45 a.m.) and extended day (3 to 5:30 p.m.) programs during camp weeks. Cost is $87 per week for the morning program and $109 a week for extended day.

According to Campbell, students stay busy with scheduled activities during each theme-based day at Play and Learn Camps. “We have performers and entertainers coming in,” she added. “We also have PE, art, and performing arts every day.”

Mekonen explained that the summer camps have seen “such tremendous growth” due to Campbell’s “creativity and leadership.”

“Diane has done a lot of work to revamp and diversify the Play and Learn Camps … these kids get a really comprehensive and diverse experience at the camp,” said Mekonen.

In addition to the Play and Learn Camps, Rec and Parks will also be offering a one-week Ultimate Frisbee Camp from Monday-Friday, June 16-20, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Cranbury Park for kids ages 8-13. The cost is $240 per participant. 

For more information or to register for any of these camps, visit norwalkct.gov/2996/summer-camps-2025.