Heat dome forces summer camps to rethink everything

Extreme heat and smoke are pushing summer camps to cancel, shelter, and redesign outdoor schedules—often at a cost to kids’ health, families’ childcare, and the simple routine of summer play. Experts say the path forward is “smarter outdoor activity,” with man

When a punishing heat wave hit New York City, it didn’t just change the weather for one family—it changed what summer camp could safely be. Their older child came home with a heat rash that took days to go away.

Later that summer, smoke from Canadian wildfires forced the camp to take shelter at a nearby school.

The organizers didn’t match the pitch their family had been sold. They had emphasized getting children comfortable with nature and the elements. telling parents kids would only go indoors if absolutely necessary. But extreme heat. smoke. and other realities of modern summer have been forcing camps around the country to rewrite those promises—sometimes by canceling outright.

And when camps lose outdoor time, the effects can reach beyond the playground. Summer is a critical window for kids’ physical health and social development—especially as recess is dwindling and school is becoming more screen-based. Experts say kids need as much summer as they can get. and that it’s still possible to give campers fun new experiences. It just requires a new layer of planning and adaptability as climate change increasingly shapes day-to-day decisions.

“…our focus really should be not on less outdoor activity,” Allison Poulos, an assistant professor at Arizona State University’s College of Health Solutions, said. “It’s just smarter outdoor activity.”

As the heat spreads, the stakes are no longer theoretical. As this story is being written. extreme heat warnings are affecting more than 160 million Americans as a “heat dome” closes over the Midwest and Northeast. In some parts of New York state, “feels like” temperatures are expected to go as high as 110 degrees.

Higher average temperatures due to climate change are making heat waves more common and more extreme. Ashley Ward. director of the Heat Policy Innovation Hub at Duke University’s Nicholas Institute. said that when a heat dome or high-pressure system sets up. it’s “now starting from a hotter floor. ” which makes extreme heat more likely.

Pediatric clinicians say kids are uniquely vulnerable. Harleen Marwah. a pediatrician at Mass General Brigham for Children who has worked for years at the intersection of climate and health. said children’s bodies heat up more quickly and are less efficient at cooling off by sweating. She also described how children may not recognize when they’re getting too hot.

“…push themselves to play to a point where they’re in an unsafe situation,” Marwah said. “It really puts the onus on the caregiver to be monitoring closely.”

In the hardest conditions, organizers sometimes have no choice but to cancel. The recent heat wave has already led to cancellations in the Midwest. But canceling can collide with the realities many parents face—working schedules that don’t pause just because the heat won’t.

It also changes what kids miss. Being outside, Marwah said, offers an opportunity for physical activity that supports overall health. She added that it’s also becoming increasingly limited as people spend more time indoors and behind screens. Green spaces, she said, are especially important for children’s mental and emotional wellbeing.

Outdoor play creates space for children to learn about nature. If heat forces cancellations, that opportunity can disappear.

That’s why experts argue camps should adapt to the heat whenever possible, instead of defaulting to shutting down.

Kevin Martin, director of recreational sports at Texas A&M Corpus Christi, described a summer that’s already been punishing. “Man, it’s been hot,” he said. “The mosquitoes have been biting.”

But Texas A&M camps haven’t canceled or reduced their hours. Martin said the heat has made them “be more innovative.” Even if some outdoor activities stop. he said the pool stays open—swimming can be “magnificent” for campers’ mental health. Counselors enforce mandatory water breaks even during swim time. Marwah said that matters because playing in water can mask signs of dehydration.

Camps also can change the design of their outdoor spaces—using materials that heat up less quickly and creating shade. ideally from trees—Marwah said. Those changes take time and money. but she pointed to steps camps can take now: structuring schedules around the forecast and the heat index. keeping outdoor activities in cooler parts of the day.

When it’s just too hot to be outside, there are alternatives for keeping kids active. Poulos and her team found that playing in an indoor gym with room to move around can offer some of the same benefits as outdoor play.

At Texas A&M, campers head to the gym for dodgeball, Pop-A-Shot, and an introductory basketball game called Nukem. “I don’t know what is about Nukem, but they love Nukem,” Martin said.

His campers benefit from being on a campus with college-level athletic facilities, but Poulos said camps with fewer resources can still manage. With smaller indoor spaces, camps can rotate kids between inside and outside so everyone gets a chance to play and no one overheats.

All of this adaptation takes work. It’s another burden climate change places on communities, even as camps try to protect the kinds of experiences that help children grow.

Martin said another part of that work is making kids feel ownership over the change. He asks campers what games they want to play. As a member of Gen Z, he said he often feels out of step with what kids are into.

“When you get their buy-in and ask them, ‘What do y’all enjoy playing? What do you want to play?’” Martin said. “They are [so excited for] the camp at that point, because they feel valued.”

For some children, summer still has to adjust to a hotter world. For the adults running camps, the question becomes how to keep the spirit of summer intact—without letting play slip into danger.

Beyond campgrounds, other decisions are also reshaping the year in ways families can feel. A new report says the Department of Education may no longer be able to do its job of enforcing federal education law after the Trump administration cut 40 percent of staff and terminated $2 billion worth of contracts and grants in 2025. The report was incomplete because department staff did not comply with interview requests. meaning even internal investigators were unable to assess the full scope of the damage.

In the classroom, the Texas State Board of Education has approved a required reading list for public school students that includes a Bible excerpt in most grades, sparking concern among teachers and advocates for the separation of church and state.

Back at home, the small cultural swings of summer continue too—like viral toys and old favorites. The latest viral squishy toy is a stick of butter. The family’s older child enjoyed The Witch’s Wings and Other Terrifying Tales. a graphic novel based on the millennial mainstay Are You Afraid of the Dark?. Their younger child. meanwhile. is now obsessed with Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends. a 1980s cartoon predating even the parent telling the story.

But outside, where heat decides what children can safely do, camp is becoming a different kind of place—one defined less by the schedule it starts with, and more by what caregivers and organizers can adapt in real time.

summer camp extreme heat heat dome childcare children health climate change heat rash wildfires smoke water breaks indoor gym activities shade