Wanderers Pre-K Program

All Wanderers must be between 2.9 to 5 years old, as well as be potty trained. Of course we will assist if needed, but do not have the means to do diaper change.

Each day you should pack:

• a lunch,
• a separate snack,
• a bathing suit,
• a towel,
• a hat,
• closed toed shoes,
• a refillable water bottle

We recommend also bringing: a change of clothes (just in case!), sunscreen (camp does provide sunscreen)

Wanderers go swimming every day for approximately 30 minutes. The children swim in a Wanderers only area of the shallowest part of the swimming area, which is roughly 2.5ft at its deepest. The children have the same ratios as before, but a designated lifeguard is stationed in the water with the children at all times.

If your camper does not want to swim that day, no worries. They can play in the sand next to the swimmers with a ton of sand toys.

In addition to the other swimming parameters, every 5-6 minutes, the Waterfront Director calls for a "Buddy Check", where all campers get out of the water to complete a face/head count for each group. This is a safety measure to ensure that all children are accounted for in addition to regular supervision. 

If you are concerned about your child's swimming ability, we also have infant to adult sized life jackets if requested.

Well, the answer to that questions is...both! Some parts of the day such as Activity Periods and divided to allow for rotating activities. Some campers might be using the playscape while others are completing an arts & crafts project. Having smaller groups rotate from activity to activity helps provide better interactions and supervision. Other times during the day like Lunch and Swimming (and sometimes special activity periods), campers will be together.

The Wanderers ratio is the lowest of all camp groups at 1 counselor to every 5 campers. We do not allow more than 30 Wanderers in the Barn as well.

Good question! Yes, you have a choice between Wanderers (the half day pre-k program) or Sloperians (the full day, Kindergarten only program). Traditionally, if they are not attending Kindergarten in September, Wanderers is a logical choice. 

Things to consider when deciding between the two would be:

- Can my child handle a full day schedule (9am-3pm)?

- Is my child emotionally and physically ready for a full day schedule?

- Are you looking for smaller group ratios? (Wanderers = 1:5; Sloperians = 1:8)

Drop off and pick up is at the "Big Red Barn" located on the west side of camp. There are plenty of parking spaces right by the barn. 

There is no busing for Wanderers.

Drop Off is at 9:00am

Pick up is at 1:00pm

The Big Red Barn is located near the Climbing Tower, Jacob Family Pavilion, and the Ninja Warrior Course. When entering the parking lot, continue to the end of the paved road, then head left towards the "West Coast". You can park right behind the round-a-bout.

For the new "Full Day Option" program, pick up will move from the Big Red Barn to the white tents next to the main parking lot. We are moving to the white tents so that families with multiple campers in different age groups can pick up all of their children in the same location. We will bring the Wanderers to the white tents around 2:45pm each day. Drop off is still at the Big Red Barn at 9am. 

The Camp Director, Coast Directors, Unit Directors, and Wanderers Director are all CPR, First-Aide and Administration of Medication certified (including Epi-Pens). All Directors are also trained by our onsite Registered Nurse (RN) who is at camp every day between 8:30am-3:30pm.

In the Big Red Barn, we have a combination of Senior Counselors and Junior Counselors who go through over 30+ hours of staff training prior to working at Sloper. Senior counselors range from Seniors in High School to college graduates. Junior Counselors are staff who are entering their junior year of high school. In addition, there is a designated Wanderers Director who is 20+ and has experience working with Pre-K children. 

During the hiring process, all applicants/staff go through background checks, certification verification, group & one-on-one interviews, and reference checks.

The goal of the Wanderers program is to get kids acclimated to the world of outdoor camping (minus the sleeping over) and give them age appropriate camp activities and games to learn and play.

Some activities include:

Superslide, Playscape, Sloper Express, Slip'n'Slide, classic camp games, songs, arts and crafts, story time, hiking, adventure hunts, performing arts, swimming and much more!

New in 2025, we now offer an add on we call "Full Day Option", which essentials adds extra time to their program. 

Their normal program ends at 1:00pm everyday. With the add on of the full day option, campers can stay until 2:45pm, which is the beginning of the rest of camps pick up time. 

Our goal is to bring all "full day option" campers to Parent Pick Up located at the white tents near the main parking lot, which is different than the traditional pick up spot at the Big Red Barn. The reason for this pick up location change is so that a parent that has multiple children in the regular day program can pick up their Wanderer and other campers in the same location. 

As a reminder, there is no busing offered for Wanderers.