Ocean Park, ME
Situated on a diverse 100-acre property with a wealth of ecosystems to explore, our Ocean Park site offers students ample opportunities to explore nature hands-on!
About the Facility
Our Ocean Park, ME site is located at Oceanwood Camp, right next to Old Orchard Beach, and is home to a variety of ecosystems. Students could spend all day exploring the Rachel Carson Preserve, learning about the estuary, and observing the animals that use our backyard as migratory stopovers. Goosefair Brook winds through our salt marsh and out into the ocean, where students can explore rocks, find small animals like crabs and clams, and learn how the ocean tide changes the physical structure of the beach. There’s even an old-growth forest with towering pines and an almost clear forest floor where students can look for salamanders under fallen logs, search for mushrooms, and, if you’re quiet enough, you might just catch a glimpse of the families of foxes, owls, and red-tailed hawks that frequent the woods!
Accommodations
Onsite, we have a three-floor dorm-style building called Mitchell Hall. Each floor of Mitchell Hall has a separate chaperone room that can hold up to 2 adults. The layout varies between floors and each floor houses a different number of students—22 students on the first floor, 44 on the second, and 23 on the third. We also have 8 cabins that can house a total of 48 students: four large cabins that can each sleep 8 students and one chaperone in a separate room, and four smaller cabins that hold 4 students in one room with a separate room for the chaperone. Each cabin has one bathroom with one shower.
Recreation
During their free time, students can play gaga ball, basketball, or other sports and games on our sprawling open fields! There are also limited hiking trails and a low ropes course—but the best way to spend time at our Ocean Park site is definitely either at the beach or the salt marsh!
Mealtime
Our hour-long mealtimes are a wonderful time for students to enjoy some delicious food and get to know their peers, instructors, and teachers. We’re lucky enough to have awesome chefs at all of our sites who have a lot of experience cooking for children. All of our food is kid-friendly and each kitchen can accommodate a variety of allergies/diets including vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, and gluten-free. Additional accommodations for other allergies/diets can be made upon request. Please reach out to us ASAP if you or your student needs additional accommodations!
Health & Wellness
Each of our sites has a fully stocked medical center in case of any emergencies, staffed by a trained medical professional. Additionally, all Nature’s Classroom instructors are trained in First Aid and CPR. They participate in extensive training designed to prepare our staff to execute a program that meets students’ educational, social, emotional, and physical needs. All of our sites are easily accessible by ambulance. We work closely with local and regional officials to ensure we are fully prepared for any emergency situation and we train our staff to effectively execute risk management and emergency plans.
Evening Time
Evenings with Nature’s Classroom are times to reflect and unwind from the day. Teachers and chaperones will determine an appropriate bedtime for students, but we ask that all cabins are quiet by 10:00 p.m., giving folks about an hour and a half after programming ends to relax, take showers, and get ready for bed.
Travel Times
A quick 30 minutes from Portland, ME, our Ocean Park site is easily accessible from northern New England cities like Concord, NH, and Boston, MA.
- Portland, ME – 30 minutes
- Concord, NH – 1 hour and 30 minutes
- Boston, MA – 1 hour and 30 minutes
- Worcester, MA – 2 hours
Still curious as to what students get up to for five fun-filled days? Here’s a sample schedule! Please note that some activities and times may differ slightly based on the site, but this sample schedule gives you a good idea of what our week looks like.