Summers in Maine offer a wonderful opportunity for kids to get outside to learn about the living world around them. This is a field trip based outdoor adventure science camp with specific weekly sessions designed for elementary and middle school students. We offer a unique hands-on science opportunity for students who enjoy the outdoors and are looking for a greater scientific understanding of living organisms in their natural habitats. Please contact us for more specifics about each of our week-long sessions if you have additional inquiries.

Founded in 2001 by my wife Renee and I, Begonia’s Summer Science Camp was originally named "Greater Portland Traveling Summer Science Camp". Renee and I, both being life-long Mainers(Renee from Oakland and Eric from South Portland ) and outdoor enthusiasts, realized that there wasn’t much being offered in the summer for children to explore the nature of Maine the way we did when we were children ourselves. As a result, the camp was born with the premise of offering families a summer camping option for their children that was field-trip based and involved a degree of science that was easy to learn and take with them because it had a “hands-on” approach, all while still having that summer camp feel where the kids could swim everyday, visit a variety of our local beaches, and be with friends in a safe, family-like atmosphere.

The first summer was an experimental year with just seven students for one week of Marine Biology. Although that seemed unimportant at the time, it was critical in establishing the format for years to come. That group of kids explored our local beaches and tide pools, and found an abandoned seal pup off of Mackworth Island that they assisted in the rescue of. The following years have seen an exponential amount of growth in the number of students that we have been fortunate to have worked with. We now see around 130 different families throughout the summer, some for one week, and others for several. Although a majority of the students at our camp have been from Portland , we continue to reach out to the surrounding communities more and more every year with the help of some positive “word of mouth” advertising from parents whose children have spent a week or more with us.

As parents ourselves, Renee and I strive to offer our own children the very best experiences that we can provide in everything that they are exposed to. Given that idealistic approach, we also strive to do the same for every child that attends our camp. We are a small camp where we get to know the kids and they don’t become a number amongst many. We believe that we offer a safe, educational, healthy, positive, and exciting environment that is unparalleled in the summer camp industry. We consider it a privilege to be able to work with children and take that gift very seriously. Our hope is to continue to provide this experience for years to come. If you ever have any questions regarding your child’s summer camp experience with us, please do not hesitate to contact us at your earliest convenience.

Respectfully,

Eric Begonia, Owner & Director,

Begonia’s Summer Science Camp