Planet Parker Summer Program

Planet Parker Summer Program includes open-air play, nature-based activities, and imaginative play. Children take part in hands-on learning and experiential investigation and discovery, including exploration time at the creek, fields, and forest trails. The program uses the Parker Discovery Center’s 3,200-square-foot science lab with direct access to the outdoors, along with forest trails, a tree-house classroom, a butterfly garden, a pond, and meadows.

• Ages: 3–13 years old
• Schedule: Daily program over a nine-week summer session, with core hours and extended care options

Founded in 2008, Planet Parker was created to cultivate a lifelong love of learning—indoors and out, as an outgrowth of Robert C. Parker School’s integrated, interdisciplinary, project-based curriculum. The program is described as a natural extension of this curriculum and utilizes the school’s unique campus for hands-on, experiential investigation and discovery, with students outdoors in all seasons for activities such as gardening and composting, wildlife study, and engineering projects. Summer programs are led by dedicated school-year Parker teachers and long-time Planet Parker staff who know the community well and are described as passionate about creating safe, engaging, and joyful summer experiences. One parent testimonial notes that Parker has expansive outdoor spaces for kids to play, including a pond, stream, and acres of forests, and comments on the learning taking place inside the school. Any child who is not currently a student at Robert C. Parker School must submit immunization records and the most recent physical (within one year of the session start date) from their healthcare provider upon enrollment in summer programs.

Last updated May 29, 2026.