Waldorf School Orange County Summer Camps

Waldorf School Orange County Summer Camps include activities such as story, circle, playtime, craft, and a mix of indoor and outdoor activities where children may splash in puddles, dig in the mud, and dance in the sunshine. Camps for grades include themed offerings such as First Grade Adventures, Brush N’ Color, Wildcat Gardening, The Craft Lab, All Out Athletics, Wholesome Kitchen, Paint Works, Next Level Basketball, String Studio, and Thread & Design. Students at the school also take part in musical and movement activities such as choir, recorder, band, strings, orchestra, musical performances, and eurythmy performances, as well as festival events with crafts and booths, games, music, and dancing and weaving ribbons around the May Pole.

• Ages: 1–13 years old
• Schedule: Summer camp sessions run in weekly blocks from late June through early August, with camp hours from 9 am to 1 pm Monday through Friday and optional aftercare from 1 pm to 3 pm for Grades 1–8.

Waldorf School Orange County Summer Camps are offered for children 18 months of age and older, with Early Years (Playgroup) camps structured for parents and children to attend together and work on a special craft that becomes a handmade keepsake. Nursery Camp is a drop-off, play-based program with structured yet flexible daily rhythms and a blend of indoor and outdoor activities, including splashing in puddles, digging in the mud, and dancing in the sunshine. Early Childhood camps are offered weekly and emphasize simplicity and toys crafted of natural materials with colors and textures that encourage but do not overstimulate the senses, in a Waldorf Early Childhood classroom described as a sanctuary honoring the notion that a child’s play is their truest work. Summer Camp themes are specified separately for Grades 1–4 and Grades 5–8, and aftercare from 1 pm to 3 pm is available for Grades 1–8 camps but not for Early Childhood Camps.

Waldorf School Orange County (WSOC) states that its mission is to provide a comprehensive education that engages the child cognitively, actively, and emotionally, recognizes and welcomes the unique gifts brought by each child, encourages independent thinking and imagination, and fosters a life-long love of learning. WSOC is a dual-accredited private school. The school’s leadership team includes roles such as Registrar (Linda Scotton), Administrative Director (Sara Rodelo), Director of Development (Catherine Crahan), Director of Marketing (Kathy Christian), Business Manager (Kim McGovern), Facilities Manager (Nancy Mitchell), Director of Admissions (Maureen McDermott), and several additional administrative, accounting, aftercare, and high school coordination positions.

Festivals are described as an intrinsic part of the school, including the Rose Ceremony with welcoming and farewell roses exchanged between first and twelfth graders, the Michaelmas festival with challenges set up by high school students for grade school children and a play of St. George taming a fiery dragon performed by second graders, and the Kindergarten Autumn Festival with hay stacks, games, apple peeling, and a community potluck. Grandparents & Special Friends Day includes classroom visits, coffee and light snacks, and a program of verse, song, and movement from students in grades 1–12. The Winter Festival is an annual curriculum event with student musical performances, Festival Singers, crafts and booths for each grade, and weekly December stories honoring minerals, plants, animals, and humankind. May Faire is a mandatory curriculum event where the community wears white or light pastels, children wear flower crowns, dance and weave ribbons around the May Pole, frolic with the kids, do crafts, and enjoy homemade treats. The Annual Auction & Gala is a fundraising event with music, cocktails, dinner, dancing, and silent and live auctions, and the school also holds an annual Spring Concert for grades 4–8 and a High School Arts Festival with art displays and performances.

Last updated July 3, 2026.