Five smiling children in matching River's Edge Forest Play shirts posing together in a green forest.
Bold red text on white background reading Contact us for a tour exclamation point in decorative serif font.
Bold red text announcing Fall 2026 Registration Is Open on a white background.

Nature Guides the way

River’s Edge offers nature-based enrichment experiences that cultivate connection, confidence, and curiosity, helping children thrive in relationship with the natural world and one another.

Forest Play Wonder Lab program announcement with nature-themed typography on a soft floral background.
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River's Edge Forest Play announces Afternoons in the Forest, a new add-on program for 2026-27 featuring games, crafts, and nature art.
email for more info

 

Scholarship fund

A gift of the forest
More info

 

26 / 27 Progams

Register Early
Register here

peek into the forest

See..hear..smell..feel..taste
Looking up through a lush green forest canopy at a blue sky, surrounded by tall trees with bright leaves.

Nestled in the hills of West River, Maryland, our programs take place on a beautiful 10 acre property full of native trees and wildlife. Every experience is fully immersed in the forest—a place intentionally designed to feel far from the rush of man-made life and close to the rhythms of nature.


Within our forest there are four distinct camps thoughtfully outfitted with a fire ring and gathering benches, wooden shelves, a mud kitchen, climbing ropes, swings, hammocks, and other natural play spaces unique to each site.


A sauntering creek winds through the property, inviting children to wade, splash, and explore during the warmer seasons—where mud play, curiosity, and imagination flow freely.


Adventure through our many hiking trails that change with the landscape discovering ferns, hickory, pawpaw, beech trees, and many creatures and fungi of the forest.

Children and adult exploring a tree stump in autumn forest, examining nature together outdoors.

Forest Play

Wonder Lab

3-6

Girl lying on a fallen log reading a book surrounded by lush green forest foliage.

Forest Play

Learning Lab

6-10

Young child exploring a muddy forest creek surrounded by fallen logs and lush greenery.

Forest Play

Little Ones

Birth-3

A young boy with a backpack stands on a log in a bare winter forest, gazing into the trees.

Forest Play

Youth leadership

8-13

Seven children sit barefoot on a fallen log over a shallow creek surrounded by lush green trees.

Summer Camps

A summer full of creativity and adventure for kids    3-13

Three happy children laughing outdoors under lush green trees on a sunny day.

Days off camps

When school is out but the forest is calling for ages 3-13

Cluster of golden-orange wild mushrooms growing on a tree bark in a forest setting.

Forest therapy

A supportive place for one-on-one, group, and

therapeutic camp sessions

Middle-aged man with white beard wearing red jacket and blue scarf outdoors in winter.

Mr. Ben

Ben Clark, BS/MS, LCPC


Ben Clark is a licensed therapist with over 10 years of experience supporting children, families, and individuals grow through life’s challenges. As a dad of three, Ben understands family life and creates a warm, supportive space where kids feel safe, heard, and understood.

His creative, strength-based approach blends mindfulness, play, and practical tools to help clients build confidence, resilience, and lasting growth, often inspired by the calming power of nature. Ben is our head therapist

Children in rain gear studying nature books at a wet picnic table in the forest.

Tutoring

We believe every child deserves the tools and confidence to become a successful reader. Our specialized reading intervention tutoring offers individualized support for young learners, including those with dyslexia or other reading challenges. Using research-based, multisensory strategies grounded in the Orton-Gillingham approach, our tutor—certified through IMSE’s Comprehensive+ course—guides children in building essential skills in phonemic awareness, decoding, fluency, and comprehension. Whether your child needs targeted support or a structured path to reading success, we’re here to help them grow with confidence.

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Smiling young woman with long brown hair wearing a floral top and gray cardigan, standing outdoors near trees.

 

Ms. Ali

 

Ali is a reading tutor trained in the

Orton-Gillingham Method through IMSE’s

Comprehensive Plus course, equipping her to support young readers in building strong, confident literacy skills, including those with dyslexia. She holds a Bachelor of Art in Environmental Studies with a minor in Sociology from Saint Mary’s College of Maryland, where she focused on the Sociology

of Childhood.  Ali brings a thoughtful, supportive approach to her work, along with a lifelong love of working with  children and spending time outdoors.  

Phone

+1 (610) 223-2940

 

Location

5030 Sudley Road, West River, Maryland 20778

 

Email

admin@riversedgeforestplay.com