A Child-Centered Approach to Camp
COMMUNITY • ACTION • POWER

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Community

Action

Power

The values that make up our philosophy date back to our founder, Joe Kruger’s child-centered approach to camp. The Mah-Kee-Nac Way centers around both individual development and building community and is embodied in three words: Community, Action, and Power.

The spirit of Camp Mah-Kee-Nac lies in the commitment to our community. Campers and staff feel supported, challenged and encouraged to participate in an action-packed day of sports, outdoor adventure, waterfront, media and the arts. Through these activities and our elective-based program, campers build confidence by experiencing success. Our boys discover the power of their true selves and the individual role they play as part of the greater community. To us, community over everything is what makes Mah-Kee-Nac extraordinary.  Different then our philosophy are our core values.  Our core values embody our culture and helps guide our commitment to community.  Read more about our core values here.

Learn About Our Elective Based Program [3:38]

Our Programs + Activities

Many of our boys who attend Camp Mah-Kee-Nac take full advantage of the variety of activities that we have to offer. While they might be very busy with athletics or extracurriculars at home, they recognize that camp is a place where they can  ALSO comfortably explore many other interests such as our waterfront sports, our MAK Adventure program, and our Media and Arts programs.

During the days at Mah-Kee-Nac, campers enjoy our Elective-Based Program. The program is built around age-appropriate options and provides each camper with a unique opportunity to explore his own interests throughout the summer.

Campers choose six activities for their GREEN schedule (3 days) and another six activities for their WHITE schedule (3 days) with the last two activities each day being a daily elective.  Green and White schedules last for three days in a row giving campers an opportunity to try, practice, and succeed at an activity.  Each week, our boys change their schedules to include new activities as well as keep ones that they loved for the following week.

Our Junior Campers, going into 5th grade and younger, follow a “guided-choice” schedule. We offer them a hand-picked menu of activities to choose from when they create their schedules and build in swim instruction in our pool as well as waterfront instruction in our lake.  This allows us to emphasize exposure and create a balance of individual and group activities for our younger campers while still allowing them to choose what they’d like to do.

Under the guidance of our exceptional staff, Mah-Kee-Nac campers can take full advantage of our Elective-Based Program. It allows boys to both try new things and focus on familiar interests. They gain confidence from exploration and from mastery of skills. Every child is different and we pride ourselves on being able to support each camper’s individual growth.

The Mah-Kee-Nac athletic program is based on inclusiveness and Healthy Competition. Boys come to Mah-Kee-Nac with three basic ranges of athletic experience. Some boys have little or no experience with certain sports, while others have a moderate level of experience and tend to play in “rec” programs. The third group of athletes at Mah-Kee-Nac is those that are more avid competitors that tend to play on travel teams at home. Our individualized instruction is designed to support the development of all our young athletes. Additionally, with our intracamp, intercamp and tournament games, all Mah-Kee-Nac boys have an opportunity to compete at a level appropriate to their experience and ability.

Camp doesn’t stop in the evenings!  Each evening our campers and staff participate in exciting evening activities.  Some grouped by bunk or division, and many all-camp as well, including some of our coveted special events (Tough Mudder, Lip Sync Battle, Fox Hunt, Avengers Infinity Wars, The Tobias Maher Film Festival, and MANY, MANY more).  These activities allow boys to build friendships with fellow campers of all age groups and contribute to the sense of family and community that is an important characteristic of Camp Mah-Kee-Nac.

Archery
Aerial Ropes Course
Arts & Crafts
Athletic Leagues
Baseball
Basketball
Biking
Canoeing
Campouts
Color War
Culinary
Digital Photography
Fencing
Fishing
Flag Football
Futsal
GaGa
Gardening
Golf
Hiking
Journalism/Blogging & Web Design
Kayaking
Kneeboarding
Lacrosse
Legos/STEM
Martial Arts

Model Rocketry
Musical Instruments
Nature/Survival Skills
Olympics
Quickball 
Rock Climbing
Roller Hockey
Ropes Course (Low and High)
Sailing
Soccer
Stand Up Paddle Boarding
Street Hockey
Strength & Conditioning
Stockbridge Series
Swim Instruction
Tennis
Tournaments/Intercamp Games
Trampball
Tubing
Wakeboarding
Water Polo
Waterskiing
Woodshop
Videography
Volleyball
Zip-Lining

Dates and Rates for Summer 2020

Full Summer

7 weeks
Friday, June 26 - Friday, August 14

$12,300
Contact Us For More Details

First Session

4 weeks
Friday, June 26 - Friday July 24

$8,100
Contact Us For More Details

Second Session

3 weeks
Friday, July 24 - Friday, August 14

$6,900
Contact Us For More Details

Rates include camp tuition, laundry and transportation*. Sibling and Camp Danbee Sister discounts are available, please call us directly at 800-753-9118 to learn more. A required trip fee is additional, which varies by age.

*Bus Transportation for campers to camp (Friday 6/26 or Friday 7/24) and/or home from camp (Friday 7/24 or Saturday 8/14) departs from and drops off at the following locations:

  • Livingston, NJ (Livingston Mall – Macy’s Parking Lot)
  • Montvale, NJ (Garden State Parkway from North end Commuter Lot)
  • Jericho, NY (Birchwood Shopping Center – Marshall’s Entrance)
  • New York, NY (American Museum of Natural History – South Entrance on W 77th)
  • White Plains, NY (Bloomingdale’s Parking Lot)
  • Philadelphia, PA (DoubleTree Hotel in Plymouth Meeting)
  • Boston, MA (Sheraton Framingham Hotel)

Mini Mak Rookie Camp
boys entering 1st through 5th grade

5 NIGHTS: SUNDAY, JULY 19 – FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2020

Tuition: $1,350 ($500 credited towards tuition upon registration) Enroll Here

Our Mini Mak Rookie Camp takes place while camp is in session and is offered only to new boys entering 1st through 5th grade. Our Mini Mak’ers are supervised by experienced Mah-Kee-Nac staff and will be bunked together in separate cabins on Junior Camp. Mini Mak’ers will participate in all camp activities and special events.

 

Full Details

Our Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently asked questions about cabin life

Where do MKN campers come from?
Mah-Kee-Nac boys come from all over the World, with around 70% of our campers arriving from the Tri-State area in the United States. We have boys from New York, New Jersey, Boston, Philadelphia, Virgina, Washington DC, South Dakota, Florida, Texas, California and as far away as France, China, Mexico, Columbia and the Dominican Republic. Many of our campers are children of Mah-Kee-Nac alumni.
How will my son get to camp?
How is the food at camp? What if my child has a food allergy?
What happens if my child gets sick or is injured at camp?
How will I communicate with my son during the summer?
How is the camp divided?

Something else on your mind? Ask us anything

Accommodations & Travel

Travel by Air

Chaperoned Flights to and from:

Ft. Lauderdale Intl Airport, Washington, DC

Individual Flights:

Please book arrivals and departures for unaccompanied minors to and from:

Albany, NY
Hartford, CT
Boston-Logan, MA
*we will pick up and drop off from these airports only

Full Directions Here

Traveling by Bus / Van

We offer ground transportation to and from:

Manhattan, NY
Jericho, NY
White Plains, NY
Livingston, NJ
Montvale, NJ
Plymouth Meeting, PA
Framingham, MA

 

 

Full Directions Here

Driving

You may choose to drop off and pick up your camper from camp, however, we do recommend the bus as we feel it is a better way to help your camper make the transition to camp.

Use 6 West Hawthorne Road, Stockbridge, MA. If you use Hawthorne Rd, Lenox, many GPS units will default to 6 Hawthorne Street rather than Hawthorne Rd. Please continue along Hawthorne Street until the “t” junction. Turn Left and Camp’s entrance is on the right about 100 yrds from the intersection.

Full Directions Here

Transportation Questions? Ask us!

Community
Action
Power

Contact us

PREPARING FOR CAMP

Greetings from Camp Mah-Kee-Nac!

We are excited that you have chosen to join our camp family! Whether this is your son’s first or fifth season with us, we look forward to sharing a fun-filled summer together.

Each summer our campers enjoy making new friends, reuniting with old friends, and feeling a part of our special MKN community!

MKN is a non-uniform camp, but all campers are required to purchase 3 Mah-Kee-Nac t-shirts to wear on trip days and tournaments off camp grounds. These shirts can be purchased through Camp MKN’s apparel catalog with Amerasport by below. All other catalog clothing is completely optional.
Parent Handbook Clothing & Apparel Directions to Camp