Brookside Camp

Brookside campers enjoy both recreation and instruction. Each morning, campers and staff start by singing the morning cheer. Campers then begin a day full of fun and enriching activities, including art, drama, music, science, sports, STEM, and swimming. Activities span across the week using a rotating schedule. Science and nature includes nature walks around Cranbrook’s historic campus. Campers also enjoy the playground and swimming. Each week has a theme, such as Animals, Wacky Week, When I Grow Up, Science, Earth, and Nature. As campers practice following directions, sharing, and safe play behaviors, social interactions and cooperation are stressed. Games instill sportsmanship, and activities nurture the full development of each child’s health, happiness, and skills.

About the Camp

(coed, ages 5-7)

A Day in the Life
We begin the day by singing our morning cheer and holding a brief safety orientation, including talking about kindness and treating others with respect. Then, campers are off to three core activities: art, drama, music, science, sports, or STEM. We have bathroom and water breaks, handwashing, and snack time in between. Playground time is also part of the morning routine, providing supervised free play to have fun and work on social skills. The afternoon includes lunchtime and swimming or continuing their day with choice board activities, including games, scavenger hunts, storytime, survival, maker space, or archery. There is an afternoon snack, bathroom break, hand washing, water breaks, and cooldown time in between. The day concludes with pack-up and dismissal to reunite with family.

Basic Daily Schedule

Greeting & Safety Orientation
Cheer & Unpack
Activity 1
Restroom & Hand Washing
Activity 2
Snack
Activity 3
Playground Time
Lunch & Restoom
Swimming (if scheduled)
Choice Board Activity 1
Choice Board Activity 2
Cooldown & Bathroom
Snack
Pack-up & Dismissal

Ages, Groups, and Buddy Requests
Campers are divided into age-appropriate groups. Buddy requests are considered in the order received and fulfilled as best as possible. Group assignments are included in the email newsletter sent on the Friday prior to the start of the week.

Lunch, Snacks, and Allergies
Lunches and snacks are included in tuition and are provided by Chartwells Dining Services. They are a nut-free organization that caters to Cranbrook Schools during the academic year. Special arrangements can be made for campers with food allergies. Lunches are served family style in the Brookside Dining Room.

Open Swim
Campers swim at Cranbrook's Williams Natatorium. Swim tests are conducted on the first day. Campers who fail or prefer not to take the test are supplied with life jackets and remain in the shallow end of the pool. Campers are allowed to retake the test at any time. The Natatorium staff includes a full-time and certified pool manager, certified lifeguards, and our trained camp staff who serve as lookouts.

Available Options
The following options can be combined to meet your needs. For example, you can choose morning Transportation Service and afternoon Extended Care. Logistical information for these additional options are provided in the Parent Welcome Packet emailed to registrants closer to the start of camp.

Extended Care
Extended Care is available beginning at 7 AM and ending at 6 PM. Afternoon care includes a snack. Campers enjoy activities, games, and open time outside and in the gym. Extended Care is located at Cranbrook Lower School Brookside. Campers are bused to/from camp each day. Extended Care is also a nice option for families with multiple children attending more than one of our camps to reduce the number of pick up points; parents/guardians simply pick up and drop off all children attending Extended Care at Brookside.

Transportation Service
Transportation Service is available to shuttle campers to and from specific stops in Birmingham, Rochester Hills, Royal Oak, and Troy. Times and locations are subject to change. Campers who are not picked up in time will be transported to Extended Care.

After Camp Activities
After Camp Activities include Chess and Coding. Space is limited. These activities are located at Cranbrook Lower School Brookside. Campers are bused from camp each day. Pick-up is at Brookside.

Communication & Photos
Parents/guardians are emailed a newsletter each week that includes a recap from the prior week, highlights for the following week, and updated group lists. Daily camp photos are posted on a secure website for you to see each day. Enhanced options include saving favorite photos, facial recognition with push notifications when a photo of your child is uploaded, posting to social media, emailing a photo to family, customizing photo gifts, and ordering high-resolution digital downloads or prints.

Why Cranbrook Schools Summer Camps?

Cranbrook Educational Community, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, is one of the world’s leading centers of education, science, and art. Comprising a graduate Academy of Art, contemporary Art Museum, House and Gardens, Institute of Science, and PreK-12 independent college preparatory Schools, Cranbrook welcomes thousands of visitors, students, and campers to its campus each year.

Founded by Detroit philanthropists George and Ellen Booth in 1904, Cranbrook’s 319-acre campus features the work of world-renowned architects such as Eliel Saarinen, Albert Kahn, Steven Holl, Tod Williams and Billie Tsien, Rafael Moneo, Peter Rose and sculptors Carl Milles, Marshall Fredericks and others. Critics have called Cranbrook "the most enchanted and enchanting setting in America" and in 1989, it was designated a National Historic Landmark.

Cranbrook Schools Summer Camps operate under Cranbrook Schools in a dedicated department named Special and Summer Programs. This year-round department focuses solely on summer camps, after-school programs, school rentals, and the school store. The dedicated full-time staff in the department spend the entire year preparing for camp. During the summer, over 1,800 campers from 20 states and nine countries come to Cranbrook for their summer experience. The campus, its facilities, the highly skilled and committed service departments such as Cranbrook's 24/7 security department, and all of Cranbrook's employees, residential faculty, and guests create a wonderful environment for children to learn and have fun.

Each camp includes a dedicated Director, Assistant Director, Office Administrator, Instructors, and Counselors. Each age-aligned group has one or two counselors who remain with their campers throughout the day and take them to each of the instructional areas. The camps are accredited by the American Camp Association and licensed through the State of Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential.

Questions? Contact Special and Summer Programs at summer@cranbrook.edu, (248) 645-3674, or use our Contact Us form.