Talking classic day camps
A parent-to-parent chat about classic summer camp; what, why, and deciding if a traditional “swim, songs, and capture the flag” camp is right for your kiddo.
Events in Your Area 🤩
Boston
Scarves and Stories (FREE! Boston Public Library)
Coding Club (FREE! Boston Public Library)
FREE Admission on MLK Day (New England Zoos)
Days of Service (Acton Discovery Museum)
NYC
MLK’s Peace Parade (Children’s Museum of Manhattan)
San Francisco
Blossom and Fit4Mom SV Clothing Swap (FREE! Blossom Birth and Family)
MLK Day Camp (Bay Area Discovery Museum)
Twin Cities
Scouts Astronomy Night (Just $6! Eastman Nature Center)
Activity Spotlight: Camp Massapoag 🚣
Camp Massapoag is the YMCA of Greater Lowell’s outdoor day camp, located in Dunstable, MA, on beautiful Massapoag Pond. It’s a classic “get dirty, be outside all day” kind of camp with a strong emphasis on fresh air, friendship, and old-school camp fun. It’s a good fit for kids who enjoy being outdoors most of the day, first-time campers who need a structured but non-intense day camp, and returning campers who love water, animals, and active play.
Area: Greater Boston
Price: $350/week, plus $40/week for morning or evening aftercare, or $60/week for morning and evening aftercare
Dates: June 15 - August 21, 2026, by weekly sessions
*Current Discounts*: Register before February 1st to have your $35 registration fee waived! Plus, receive a $10 discount per week when you register a 2nd child, and a $15 discount per week when you register a 3rd child!
Extra Perks: Transportation provided to and from camp, at no additional charge!
What’s New This Week 📰
Is it OK for your kids to ‘rot’ all summer?: Some parents are forgoing the camp experience in favor of letting their kids have weeks of unplanned, at-home time. What does this mean for their development and parent schedules, according to the NYT?
From Language Skills to Maritime Adventures - A Guide to Finding and Registering for Summer Camps on the South Shore: Follow along on a fellow mom’s journey for finding the best camps for her son in Massachusetts!
Why Americans Are So Obsessed With Summer Camp: Unpacking the history, nostalgia, and real benefits of summer camp, like deep focus, new skills, and parent-controlled schedules.
What We’re Working On 📆✅
In the background over here, we’ve officially hit the MVP stage of the MomBrains Camp Finder 🎉!
That means the bones are built, the search actually works (🥳), and we’re ready for real parents to start poking at it, breaking it, and telling us what feels helpful vs. what still feels clunky. Over the next few weeks, we encourage you to incorporate it into your research; search camps, save favorites, and compare options as you plan for 2026. We’d love for you to start using it as soon as it’s live and share your honest feedback—screenshots, rants, wish lists, all of it.
Over and out,
Your Team at MomBrains