Frequently Asked Questions
What is Camp Makerie? I was looking for Master Builder Camp.​
It is Master Builder Camp! We are the same owners/leaders/mission and values/same high quality programming/same wacky builds and crazy awesome adventures) Since starting Master Builder Camp in 2014 (the year of the LEGO MOVIE) we have grown and changed and now find ourselves no longer just a "LEGO CAMP." We are a crazy awesome community of maker kids of all kinds doing wild things in an imaginary world called Makerie. We've been calling ourselves Makerie with the campers for years, it was just finally time to put it on the website.
Where is Camp Makerie located?
Our program is located at 3536 NW 8th Ave Gainesville, FL 32605. This property is owned by a private school and we rent the space from them for our program times. We do not have a year-round office there, so dropping by during non-summer hours is not an option. Please call us if you want to schedule a time to meet outside of camp program hours.
Do you offer extended care?
Yes! Camp Makerie provides early drop off from 7:45a-9a at a rate of $35/week or $10/day and late pick up options from 3pm-5:30pm at a rate of $70/week or $15/day. Campers will get extra free play time with fun rotating craft and STEM-related stations, extra playground time, and group games! Extended care can be registered in advance or added on day-of by emailing magic@camp makerie.com. Any extended care that is not pre-paid will be charged to your credit card on your account by the end of the week. This extended care program is run by our staff on Makerie property.
Can a parent stay after check in?
Dropping off your kiddo when they are crying and clinging to you is the absolute worst feeling. We know that (especially for some of our younger campers) starting a new program can be stressful, and families may want to stick around for a bit to help settle their kiddo in. In our experience, often having their parent linger can make it harder for them to make that transition. Let us know if this may be the case for your child, and we will do all that we can to help them (and you!) feel comfortable when its time to go. Please try to say goodbye at the door, if possible. If they need more time, just let the staff know and they will help your camper with the transition. We also HIGHLY recommend for anxious/nervous kiddos that you bring them as early as possible the first day of camp to give them extra time to ease in and connect with their counselors.
What are the age groups and staff ratios at Makerie?
Makerie has groups for ages 5-13, and a separate teen leadership program for ages 14-17. We are staffed at 1 staff/8 campers or less depending on the activity. They are primarily grouped by age, but also keeping in mind the developmental level each child connects best to peers. We do ask parents to include extra information on their child's registration to help us understand them and what they need to feel happy and successful at camp, as well as list any known friends who are coming to camp that they would like to be grouped with. Please know that we are not able to honor all requests for groupings as we are keeping in mind what is best for the entire group so we can build community with our camper teams.
What is the experience of your staff?
Our staff are a mix of college students and professionals in the fields of teaching, art, engineering, woodworking, humanities, and social sciences; and are chosen based not just on their skills both as educators and craftsmen in our maker space, but primarily on their heart for kids and passion for the work of creating community with kids. All staff are at least 19 years old (most falling between 22-28), level 2 background checked, and have received extensive (over 80 hours pre-camp training, including First-Aid and CPR) and ongoing training (at least 20 more hours through the summer) with Camp Makerie.
How do I sign up?
When you are ready to register just click the tab or button that says Register and you will be taken to the portal for our online registration system called CampMinder. CampMinder is new for us starting with our Summer 2025 registrations. If you are a returning family, you may have already gotten an email from us that invites you to create your login for CampMinder, and once you do, you will find all your previous information has been moved over to the new system for you. You can review and update it. If you did not get an invite or you have never registered with us before, you will follow the prompts and it will walk you through entering in all your family and camper information in the system, have you sign waivers, and you can register for the sessions and add-ons (like extended care) that you want. You will also be able to put $ in your campers "ewallet" to use at camp for items in the camp store or snacks.
Do you offer any discounts or scholarships or payment plans?
YES! we are an approved provider for scholarships funded by the Childrens Trust of Alachua County. Please click HERE to learn more about eligibility and how to apply for that scholarship.
We do offer several kinds of discounts that automatically apply to your cart when you register. These are the Multi Week discount of $10/additional week, a sibling discount of $10/week, and for our summer program we offer early registration pricing in the first month of registrations. However, no other discounts apply when early registration pricing is in effect.
We also have the option to defer the full cost of camp with a deposit paid at checkout and the rest spread over 3 more payments. These payments will go through on March 31st, April 30th, and May 31st. You will receive an email 2-3 days prior to the payment going through with a breakdown of what is still owed and what will be charged on that next payment date. If you need a payment delayed, just reach out to us and we can adjust your date. This choice is offered at checkout and does not change the total price that you pay.
Do you have Half Day options or Drop In Days?
Half day options are considered on a case-by-case basis and even then they are only available for our youngest campers or campers with special needs who may find the full day to be taxing. We find that campers who leave before the rest of the team is not ideal for building community with our campers and the half day kiddos feel left behind because they missed half of the experience. ​
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At this time we are only taking drop ins for school break sessions not summer sessions, as it is not conducive to the structure of our team-oriented summer program and greatly reduces the campers experience of our program when they dont get to stick with the project build for the full week. We DO NOT recommend this option for kids who have never been to our camp before. It is hard to integrate into a group thats already formed, and so we ask that camper's attend at least 1 full session before doing a drop-in day. If you have special circumstances and your camper is only able to attend on a drop in basis, you are welcome to contact us at magic@campmakerie.com to consider how we can support your family's needs best within the structure of our program.
What is your refund policy?
Up to April 30th: 100% refund minus a $35 cancelation fee per week.
Between May 1st and 2 weeks prior to the camp session needing to cancel: 50% refund.
Less than 2 weeks prior to camp: No refund is available, however, reservations can be switched to other open sessions at no cost.
A Sick Credit is available to campers who miss the full week of camp due to illness, which credits 50% of your fee to your account to use for a future camp. This requires a doctors note and the request for the credit must be made in writing via email.
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Any other cancelations after camp has started can not receive a credit/refund/and we do not do exchanges of registrations unless it is a sibling. There are no prorated credits/refunds/exchanges available for individual days missed.
All cancelation requests must be made in writing and emailed and refund rate will be honored from the date the email is received.
Email all cancelation requests to: magic@campmakerie.com
What is a typical daily schedule?
7:45a- Early Drop Off begins with Free Play Options
8:45-9:15a- Regular Day Campers arrive & settle in.
9:15a- Morning Warm Ups / group game / team building fun
10:15 - Big Project of the Week
11:45a- Lunch & Outside Play
12:30p -Awesome Possum Shout Outs
1:00 - Free Choice Activity #1
1:50 - Free Choice Activity #2
2:40 - Team Campfire Wrap Ups
3:00p - Camper Pick up Starts
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Mondays/Wednesdays/Fridays we run alternate afternoon programming including our Water Day and our End of Week Event
Extended Day Schedule
7:45a-9:00a AM Extended Day: Free Build Time
3:00p-5:30p PM Extended Day: Extra Projects, Free Build, Outside play, and Games​
How early can I drop my camper off in the morning if I didnt sign up for Early Drop off?​
Our regular camp day drop off runs from 8:45am-9:15am, but no earlier. If you need to drop off earlier than 8:45a, you can add our early drop of option (AKA: AM Care). For summer camp drop offs, we offer a car line drop off that starts at 3p. You are still welcome to park and walk your camper in if you prefer.
How are the camper groups broken up?
Campers are assigned to a color crew of apx 15-20 kids based on their ages/skill level/experience with Makerie. This allows us to tailor the experience of camp, the challenges and instruction to their developmental abilities, and helps them meet and bond with other kids their age. Sometimes, campers are often further grouped into Builder Teams of 2-4 (depending on the project) to collaborate and work together on the more complex projects and challenges. The daily schedule also has various free play/free choice times to balance the cooperative/team building times.
If my child is attending camp with a friend, can they be grouped together?
You are welcome to send us requests, (there is a spot in the registration form to add friends who are coming to camp) and we try our best to match up kids in the best groups for them to be successful at camp, sometimes that includes friends they came with and sometimes it does not. Our goal for campers is to help them feel part of the team and build their community.
Can My Camper Bring a Cell Phone or Cellular Watch?
No, please leave those at home (some exceptions made for teen program and kids who are transitioning households from camp). We pride ourselves in being a SCREEN-FREE camp and that includes phones. We want kids to come to camp and detox from the pressures and stresses of school/regular life. We want them to try new and hard things, immerse in our world of wacky adventures, and connect to the kids on their team and form a community together. We have seen time and time again that the kids we allow to keep cellular devices never fully connect to the full camp experience and have less enjoyment of the program.
Are lunch/snacks provided?
Yes at an additional cost. Each day will be a different food ordered from local services (PDQ, PUBLIX, DOMINOES, ETC). You will be emailed prior to your camper's week to place your food order. Snacks can be purchased at camp at any time by campers and costs will be charged to the credit card used for their registration or deducted from your campers e-wallet (something you can set up in your CAMPMINDER Account when you register. If preferred campers can bring lunch and snacks from home with them each day. There is no access to refrigeration or a microwave for their food (unless they are in the teen program). Campers will have designated snack times at 10a/2p/4p that they can grab a snack from their food brought from home or purchase one from camp. We can not accommodate for allergies in the lunch orders. If your child has specific dietary needs, please send a packed lunch and snacks for their day. Please note: Even if you are sending all their food from home, we do give out snow cones on water day at no charge and periodically have extra complementary treats (popcorn/cotton candy/smores)as part of the themed weekly programming, so please include all dietary restrictions on your child's registration/consent form so we can make accommodations as needed and they can participate.
Can campers bring home what they built?
Not typically. We try our best to use as much reusable materials as we can, so that Makerie can support the efforts to reduce waste and emissions for the good of our planet. We also do many of our build projects as team builds which can't be taken home by just one camper. Our staff do take lots of pictures/videos which will be added to your CampMinder account to view and enjoy all the memories from your child's time at camp. Videos of our Friday events will be shared to our camp Youtube Page and socials.
Do campers stay indoors or are parts of the day done outside?
Weather permitting we run programming both inside our large air-conditioned spaces and outside at our beautiful tree covered playground, covered walkways, and NEW sports field. We constantly monitor for dangerous heat/storm conditions, and have shade, ice water, and misting tents set up for areas with full sun coverage. We also have an outdoor water day event on Wednesday afternoons when we highly encourage/support sunscreen use.
Are there unstructured activity times?
Yes, we have found that putting unstructured time at different points in the day and week help our campers get the most out of the structured activities and projects we have plans. They always get at least 1 hour of free play outside each day, as well as free play times with our building materials at the beginning and end of the scheduled day.
​​Check out our Family Handbook (located in right hand corner of webpage) for more information about our camp.
FOR ALL OTHER QUESTIONS: PLEASE EMAIL: MAGIC@CAMPMAKERIE.COM