Summer Family Play Group

REGISTRATION FOR 2026 IS CURRENTLY FULL.

EMAIL MASKEDTOMPKINSCORTLAND@GMAIL.COM FOR A LINK TO THE WAITLIST FORM.

IF ANY SPOTS OPEN UP, WE WILL CONTACT PEOPLE ON THE WAIT LIST IN THE ORDER THEIR FORM SUBMISSIONS CAME IN.

The Tompkins Cortland Masked Activity Collective (TCMAC) is excited to welcome families to our annual week of outdoor summer fun and community connection designed for children and their caregivers. Held on a beautiful 23-acre property in Dryden, NY with a pond, meadow, and forest, this program offers a unique opportunity to learn and play together in nature in a COVID-safer, masks required environment.

About the Program

Our Summer Family Playgroup offers a COVID-safer week of exploration and learning aimed at kids 2-12 and their parents/caregivers (may be willing to accept kids older than 12, reach out to discuss). Activities throughout the week will blend fine art, hard science, environmental ethics, self expression, and social/emotional learning. We will focus specifically on making and using a variety of artistic mediums, ethical harvest and wildcrafting, and ecological interdependence.

Dates: Monday, July 27, 2026 to Friday, July 31, 2026

Time: 9am to 1pm (with a snack time in the middle)

Location: Dryden, NY (exact location will be shared after registration)

Sliding Scale: $220-$420 per child (inclusive of tuition, supplies, and facilities fees) - sibling discount available.

A parent or guardian is required to attend each day with their child, it doesn't have to be the same parent/guardian each day.

Click here to read the TCMAC Group & Disease Mitigation Policies

Registration closes June 15th or when registration is full. Max capacity is 15 children.

Additional Information

About the Teachers

Toby has been working professionally in early childhood education since age 15. Over the years he’s worked in environments ranging from public elementary schools to private in-home care to developmentally inclusive preschools. His preferred teaching environments are play-centered, child-led, earth-based, and offer a curriculum which blends artistic expression & scientific rigor within a framework of ethical values. Toby is currently employed as a covid-cautious nanny and currently self-employed as an indie publisher, but his life ambition is to start a medically inclusive forest preschool & grade school.

Maxx is an interdisciplinary artist, educator, and lifelong Central New Yorker. They’ve taught all across the region in rural, urban, and virtual schools, public & charter schools, universities & community centers, and supplemented homeschool students’ curricula. Maxx has significant experience working with neurodivergent kids and students with IEPs, ensuring any accommodations are advocated for and met so that students’ creativity can thrive. They are passionate that education should be accessible and enjoyable for all students, and delight in adapting curriculum to meet each student’s interests and needs.

Nearby Campgrounds and Accommodations

The Finger Lakes is a beautiful vacation destination. Summer Family Play Group takes place just 15 minutes from Ithaca. Families in the past have used this week as a family vacation week and explored what the region has to offer in the afternoons after play group. Below is a non-comprehensive list of campgrounds and accommodations in the area. Please note: accommodations book up very quickly so booking early is key.

Camp Earth Connection (2 minutes away): https://campearthconnection.com/
Greek Peak Campground (18 minutes away): https://www.greekpeak.net/the-campground-at-hope-lake/
Underhill Farm (8 minutes away): https://www.underhill.farm/farm-stand
Yellow Lantern Kampground (30 minutes away): https://yellowlanternkampground.com/
Hipcamp: https://www.hipcamp.com/en-US - put in Dryden, NY and look for locations as near or far as you're willing to travel to and from Dryden
Airbnb (also has campsites) - https://www.airbnb.com/ - put in Dryden, NY and look for locations as near or far as you're willing to travel to and from Dryden
NYS DEC Campgrounds: https://dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/camping/reservations - many of these may already be booked for the summer but worth a quick check