Summer Family Play Group

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. Below the interest form you can find more info about the teachers and area accommodations as well as photos from previous years.

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