Every day at camp is packed with fun, learning, and adventure! Through a wide variety of beach camp activities, campers build essential summer camp skills while enjoying a balanced mix of excitement, teamwork, and friendship — creating memories that they’ll never forget.
From morning paddles and beach games to sandcastle challenges and water activities, campers stay active and engaged throughout the day. Along the way they gain confidence, learn new skills, and make meaningful connections with fellow campers and counselors. It’s the kind of summer experience that keeps kids smiling, exploring, and talking about camp long after they head home.
Campers also get to experience the unique rhythm of Lake Michigan beach life. From watching the waves roll in to learning how to safely enjoy the water and shoreline, kids build a deeper connection to the lake while gaining confidence in an outdoor environment. By the end of the week, the beach starts to feel like their own special place to explore, play, and belong.
Campers check in with instructors, drop bags, and gather for announcements. On the first day of camp (Monday), parents are encouraged to stay an extra 10 minutes to meet the instructors and get a quick orientation for the week.
Campers and instructors gather in a circle on the sand for icebreakers, name games, and stretches, helping campers ease into the day and build confidence, an important summer camp skill.
Counselors separate campers into smaller groups for various beach camp activities. In a typical session, half of the campers might enjoy water-based activities during Part 1, then switch to land-based activities during Part 2. Activities vary based on weather and water conditions, and counselors will work to accommodate camper needs (i.e., if a child prefers not to go into the water at all that day).
Time to refuel, hydrate, and hang out with camp friends! On Party Friday, campers traditionally celebrate the last day of camp by bringing a snack to share with the group.
The adventures continue as groups rotate through new beach camp activities, reinforcing teamwork and independence.
Campers help tidy up equipment, gather their things, and say goodbye to their group leaders when parents arrive (don’t forget to check out!). On the last day of camp (Friday), parents are invited to watch the end of camp as campers receive their certificates and take group photos.
From first waves to sandy team challenges, every day mixes movement, creativity, and fun on the water and on the beach. Activities rotate based on weather and lake conditions, with safety always leading the way.
These water-based beach camp activities help campers develop confidence, coordination, and water awareness.
Land-based beach camp activities encourage creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving.
*Activities are determined based on weather/water conditions. If the conditions are deemed unsafe on Lake Michigan by the National Weather Service and our instructors, we focus on land-based activities, then focus on water-based activities another time. Campers also take turns with activities and equipment so everyone gets a chance to participate, and to allow for hands-on supervision.
We keep things simple so families can focus on the fun — kids show up, and the good vibes start right away.
Don’t forget to write your name on all your gear.
You are more than welcome to drop your child off and come back at pick-up time – the kids are in good hands!
If you’d like to stay at the beach during camp, we encourage you to choose an area where you are not as visible to your child, and to talk with your child about staying with the instructors – not parents – during camp time. For safety reasons, our instructors need to keep the kids grouped together and accounted for at all times, and when a child leaves the group to see a parent, it can interfere with our head count.
For each of the five days of camp, our instructors will keep kids busy with a variety of fun beach camp activities, including surfing, stand-up paddleboarding, skimboarding, bodyboarding, building sandcastles, and playing games.
Dress your kids for fun activities in the water and on the beach! We recommend they wear their usual beach attire, such as a swimsuit, boardshorts, rashguard, and a hat.
Plan to bring a small backpack or bag with anything else they might need, such as sunscreen, sunglasses, a towel, a filled water bottle, snacks, and a change of clothes (including a sweatshirt or jacket for cooler days).
We encourage you to bring a life jacket from home for your child to prevent sharing life jackets (write your name on the inside!).
Yes, please pack a snack for your child for Monday through Thursday. Please avoid bringing any food containing nuts to help keep campers with allergies safe. (The last day of camp is Party Friday – campers are encouraged to bring treats to share!)
Camps run Monday through Friday from 9 am to 12 pm Eastern time at New Buffalo Beach (New Buffalo), and 9 am to 12 pm and 1 pm to 4 pm at Jean Klock Beach (St. Joseph).
Yes! Please feel free to encourage your friends and family to sign up for the same week of camp. Camps can fill up quickly, so it is best to register as early as possible to ensure your group is all able to attend the same session.
