About This Activity
Puddlestompers offers a variety of programs to get your kids involved in nature! The summer camp is a weekly drop-off program (4.5 hours daily, typically 9:00am–1:30pm) for children ages ~4-8 in Newton, Wellesley, and Needham, MA. The camp follows a weekly nature-theme, with experienced teacher-naturalists guiding children through hands-on outdoor and indoor exploration: STEM-based experiments, active movement, crafts, games, stories, and outdoor play.
During school-break periods (Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Veterans Day, December vacation, MLK Day, February vacation, April vacation, etc), Puddlestompers offers daily drop-off camps (approx. 9:00am–1:30pm). Each day focuses on a seasonally relevant nature topic with exploration and many of the same activities from camp.
Lastly, Puddlestompers also offers after-school programs designed to run 1 to 1.5 hours on weekday afternoons. These sessions explore many different topics (e.g., grasshoppers, fall leaves, winter birds, signs of spring), keeping things fresh for maximum attention. Locations include towns like Weston and Needham in the Greater Boston area.
Curriculum details can be explored here.
Dates & Schedule
Year-round
Summer Camp
June - September
Location
Office
45 Puddingstone Lane
Newton, MA 02459
Camps themselves are located across the state of Massachusetts.
Costs & Pricing
Summer Camps
$635/week
School Vacation Days
$116/day (may vary slightly depending on the exact camp)
After School Care
XXX
How to Register
Summer camps and school break camps can be registered for online here.
After school care will need to be registered for at the respective location's system, see here for further registration details.
Contact
Ratings & Reviews
What Parents Like
- Multiple parents say Puddlestompers got their kids outside in a way nothing else did. One reviewer writes that the program “connected my young daughter with the outdoors,” and she came home “dirty, happy, and bubbling with stories about her daily adventures.” (1)
- Reviews call out that Puddlestompers does phenomenal job with fun and science, adding that staff know how to make it accessible to little kids. (1)
- Other parents note that the camp is well organized, with excellent staff, has great communication, and that their kids love being outside. (1, 2)
- One parent mentions warm, kind, patient staff at the South Newton location and appreciates how flexible they are about before/after care—even allowing same-day changes when needed, a huge help. (1)
- Parents highlight that kids don’t just roam; they come home with artwork and in-depth packets covering nature topics and activities the family can do at home, and note that kids look forward to the next summer. (1)
What Parents Think Could be Improved
- Reviews suggest that, like many multi-site programs, the experience can vary somewhat by site and teaching team. (1)
Our Take
Reviews of Puddlestompers Nature Exploration skew clearly positive overall. Parents who love it describe it as a wonderful, well-run program that connects young children with the outdoors. It is reportedly staffed by caring, knowledgeable humans who blend fun and science and help kids become “little naturalists.”