Nature Summer Camps 2025

Feathered Friends: June 10-12

Flap, flutter, and soar into a week of feathery fun! From tiny hummingbirds to mysterious owls, campers will become honorary ornithologists (that’s a fancy word for bird scientists!) and uncover the secrets of the sky. We’ll learn how birds sing, hunt, and glide and discover what makes them so unique. So spread your wings and get ready for an egg-citing adventure! 

Daily Activities Include: 

👀🌳Birdwatching & Nature Walk – Kids use binoculars and field guides to spot, identify, and log different bird species

🏠🌻DIY Bird Feeders – Make bird feeders from pinecones, recycled materials, or oranges to attract feathered friends

🪹🔨Nest-Building Challenge – Gather twigs, leaves, and moss to build nests like real birds—see whose nest holds the most "eggs"

🎨🖌️Bird-Themed Arts & Crafts – Create colorful feather masks, painted birdhouses, or bird puppets for a fun craft session

Going Green: June 24-26

Get ready to dig in, create, and go green! At this hands-on camp, we’ll become homesteaders and Earth heroes by mastering the 3 R’s—reduce, reuse, recycle! From turning everyday items into awesome art to using nature’s treasures for cool science experiments, we’ll learn how to work with what we have and take care of our planet in the process. So grab your creativity (and maybe a little dirt), because this camp is all about fun, sustainability, and discovering the magic in the world around us!

Daily Activities Include: 

🎨♻️Recycled Art Creations – Turn old magazines, bottle caps, and cardboard into creative masterpieces

🌱🌻Plant a Mini Garden – Kids plant flowers, herbs, or veggies to take home and care for.

🍃🔍Nature Scavenger Hunt – Search for leaves, rocks, and eco-friendly clues while learning about local plants and animals

🛠️🌍Eco-Invention Challenge – Kids design and build creative solutions using only upcycled materials

💧🚿Water Conservation Games – Fun, interactive activities that show how to save water, like a "leaky pipe" relay race

Surviving in a Mythical World: June 24-26

Do you have what it takes to survive in a land of magic and mystery? In this camp, we’ll learn the skills every hero needs to thrive in a world filled with dragons, enchanted forests, and hidden treasures! From crafting legendary tools to decoding ancient maps, campers will train like true adventurers and embark on thrilling quests. Get ready to outwit magical creatures, build epic shelters, and uncover the secrets of mythical survival! 

Daily Activities Include: 

🧪🌿Potion Making Class – Mix colorful (and safe!) ingredients to create magical potions with fun effects

🐾🔍Mythical Creature Tracking – Go on a scavenger hunt for “evidence” of dragons, unicorns, or other legendary beasts

🏕️✨Enchanted Shelter Building – Use sticks, leaves, and natural materials to construct a fairy or wizard hideout

🔥🌊Elemental Survival Challenges – Learn fire-starting (safely), water purification, and knot-tying through fun mythical-themed games

🏹🗺️Epic Quest Adventure – Solve riddles, battle “monsters” (obstacle courses), and find hidden treasure in an immersive fantasy quest

Sizzling Scientists: July 8-10

Get ready to bubble, fizz, and blast off into a world of wild science fun! In this hands-on camp, we’ll become real scientists, using the scientific method to make volcanoes erupt, rockets soar, and Pop Rocks pop! But that’s not all! We’ll also splash into nature, searching for tadpoles, crayfish, and baby dragonflies, plus cool off with water relays and field games! The messier, the better—because at Sizzling Scientists, science is meant to be a blast! 

Daily Activities Include: 

🌋💥Volcano Eruption – Create a classic baking soda and vinegar volcano for an explosive start to the camp

☀️🍫Solar-Powered S’mores – Build a DIY solar oven using a pizza box and harness the sun’s energy to melt s’mores

🧪🎇Fizz, Pop, Boom! Chemistry Lab – Mix household ingredients to create colorful, bubbling, and foaming reactions

🦠🛠️Ooze & Slime Lab – Make glow-in-the-dark, fluffy, or color-changing slime while learning about polymers

🎆🚀Rocket Launch Party – Build and launch bottle rockets using baking soda and vinegar or air pressure

Water Wonders: July 11, 18, 25

Get ready to dive headfirst into the world of water! At this camp, we’ll explore where water goes, who lives in it, and why it’s so amazing! From wetlands to oceans, we’ll uncover the secrets of aquatic habitats and the clever ways water creatures adapt. Plus, we’ll dive into the science of water, learning all about water’s amazing properties. This camp wouldn’t be complete without some water play, including zero-waste reusable water balloon battles! Science has never been this soaking wet and wildly fun.

We will also have a special workshop called "Under Pressure" presented by NMMF (National Marine Mammal Foundation) on the last day of camp!

Daily Activities Include:

🌦️💧Water Cycle Adventure – Act out the water cycle (evaporation, condensation, precipitation) with fun movements and visuals

🐠🌊Aquatic Creature Adaptation Challenge – Explore how water animals survive in their environments through games, crafts, and live observations of small aquatic creatures

🎨💦Water Art Creations – Use watercolor painting, water balloon splatter art, or even rain painting to create unique masterpieces

 🌍🚰Eco-Friendly Water Warriors – Learn about water conservation through fun challenges, like designing mini-filtration systems or discovering ways to keep water sources clean

🎯🏃Splash & Dash Water Games – Wrap up with exciting water play, including zero-waste reusable water balloon battles, sponge relays, and cooperative water-based challenges

**THIS CAMP WILL BE ON FRIDAYS ONLY**

Ultimate Survivor: July 15-17

During this camp we will become the ultimate survivors in the wild as we participate in games, team challenges and scavenger hunts, while learning important wilderness and survival skills along the way. Preparing shelters, primitive fire making, orienteering, making tools, finding wild foods, making first aid kits and playing fun outdoor games are a few examples of how campers will build their outdoor survival skills. 

Daily Activities Include: 

🏕️🌿Shelter Building Challenge – Build a shelter using only natural materials like sticks, leaves, and rope

🔥🪶Fire Starting 101 – Learn different fire-starting techniques, such as using flint and steel or making a fire with friction 

💧🚰Water Filtration Race – Show how to filter water from nature sources using basic materials like sand, charcoal, and cloth.

🔍🏹Survival Scavenger Hunt – Search for essential survival items like food sources, tools, or shelter-building supplies hidden around camp

💪⛰️Survival Obstacle Course – Participate in an obstacle course that challenges kids to climb, crawl, balance, and test their agility and endurance, all while incorporating survival tasks

Camping Adventures: July 22-24

Grab your gear and get ready for a camping adventure like no other! We’ll build forts and shelters, learn how to make campfires and solar ovens, and sing our hearts out with classic camp songs! As the “fire” glows, we’ll become master storytellers, spinning epic tales under the “stars.” Whether we're crafting, exploring, or sharing stories, this camp is all about outdoor fun, creativity, and a little bit of campfire magic!

Daily Activities Include: 

⛺🛠️Tent-Pitching Challenge – Teach kids how to set up a tent, tie knots, and work together to create their camping base

🥾🌄Hiking Adventure – Take a scenic hike and learn about local plants, animals, and map reading along the way

🔍🌿Survival Scavenger Hunt – Search for natural items like pinecones, animal tracks, or unique rocks to complete a fun challenge

🏕️🌿Shelter Building Challenge – Build a shelter using only natural materials like sticks, leaves, and rope

☀️🍫Solar-Powered S’mores – Build a DIY solar oven using a pizza box and harness the sun’s energy to melt s’mores

A Bug's Life: July 29-31

Shrink down to bug size and step into a miniature world of adventure! We’ll become nature detectives, spotting animal tracks and discovering the creepy, crawly, and totally cool creatures that live near the creek. Campers will build bug habitats, create mini terrariums, and get up close with the fascinating world of insects. So grab your magnifying glass and get ready to explore, discover, and bug out!

Daily Activities Include:

🐞🔍Insect Safari – Go on a bug hunt with magnifying glasses and containers to observe and identify creepy crawlers in their natural habitat

 🏨🐜Build a Bug Hotel – Create a bug-friendly shelter using sticks, leaves, and other natural materials to provide a safe haven for critters

🦗🎨Creepy Crawly Crafts – Make bug-inspired art with painted rocks, pipe cleaners, and other craft supplies 

📚🦋Bug Identification Challenge – Learn about different species of bugs and have a quiz or challenge to see who can identify the most

🐍🏁Worm Races – Set up a “worm” race track and let kids race plastic worms through obstacles, learning about these important soil creatures

Daily Activities Include:

🌎👅Taste Bud Travel Challenge – Sample different spices and ingredients from around the world, guessing where they come from and how they’re used in cooking

🍳🥘Hands-On Cooking Stations – each day features a new country’s dish, like making homemade pasta with basil and oregano from Italy, rolling sushi with shiso leaves from Japan, or making fresh cilantro salsa for Mexican tacos

 📖🕺Food & Culture Connection – Learn fun facts about the country’s traditions, language, music, and how herbs are used in both cooking and healing

🌿🍵 Herbal Tea & Infusions Workshop – Learn how to make simple herbal teas and infusions using ingredients like chamomile, lemon balm, and peppermint—and even create your own signature herbal blend

🌱🌟 Herbal Garden Planting & Tasting – Plants your own small herb pot with basil, thyme, or mint to take home. Learn how to care for herbs, how they grow in different regions, and how to use them in future cooking adventures

**THIS CAMP WILL BE ON FRIDAYS ONLY**

Note: There is a $25 materials fee for this camp

Artists in Nature: August 5-7

Flap, flutter, and soar into a week of feathery fun! From tiny hummingbirds to mysterious owls, campers will become honorary ornithologists (that’s a fancy word for bird scientists!) and uncover the secrets of the sky. We’ll learn how birds sing, hunt, and glide and discover what makes them so unique. So spread your wings and get ready for an egg-citing adventure! 

Daily Activities Include: 

👀🌳Birdwatching & Nature Walk – Kids use binoculars and field guides to spot, identify, and log different bird species

🏠🌻DIY Bird Feeders – Make bird feeders from pinecones, recycled materials, or oranges to attract feathered friends

🪹🔨Nest-Building Challenge – Gather twigs, leaves, and moss to build nests like real birds—see whose nest holds the most "eggs"

🎨🖌️Bird-Themed Arts & Crafts – Create colorful feather masks, painted birdhouses, or bird puppets for a fun craft session

Nature Detectives: August 12-14

Put on your detective hats and get ready for a wild adventure! Campers will stroll through the eucalyptus grove, tracking down animal prints, searching for signs of creatures in the wild, and decoding the secret messages animals leave behind. We’ll examine real animal artifacts and uncover the cool adaptations that help local wildlife catch prey and dodge danger. Whether it's tracking, observing, or learning about animal superpowers, this camp is wildly fun and full of discovery!

Daily Activities Include:

 🐾🔍Animal Tracks Investigation  – Identify different animal tracks and go on a scavenger hunt to find and record them

🌿💡Mysterious Plant Hunt – Search for unique plants or leaves and use a guide to identify them, learning their names and properties along the way

🦉👀Wildlife Observation Station – Observe birds, insects, and other creatures, then take notes on their behavior and surroundings

🦗🔬Insect Detective Challenge – Catch and examine bugs with magnifying glasses to discover their species and learn about their role in the ecosystem

🧪🌳Nature CSI: Evidence Gathering – Collect clues to figure out what happened in a “crime scene” in nature (like a broken bird’s nest or a disturbed patch of earth)

Under the Sea: August 19-21

Make a splash into the wonders of ocean life and dive deep into the magic of marine ecosystems! Our hands-on activities will turn you into a real ocean scientist, learn how to identify mysterious sea critters, conduct cool experiments, and even help protect our oceans with fun conservation projects. With games, beach scavenger hunts, and plenty of splashing around, this is the ultimate camp for kids who love the sea! 

We will also have a special workshop called "Dolphin Doctor" presented by the NMMF (National Marine Mammal Foundation) on the last day of camp!

Daily Activities Include:

🐙🎨Ocean Creature Crafting – Create ocean-inspired art with clay, paper, or fabric 

🐠🔍Fishy Facts Scavenger Hunt – Find hidden pictures of different sea creatures around the camp, learning fun facts about each one

🌊🔮DIY Ocean Sensory Bottles – Make sensory bottles filled with water, glitter, sand, and small sea creatures (real or plastic) to simulate the ocean

🖌️🐟Watercolor Sea Life Painting – Paint underwater scenes, from coral reefs to dolphins, using watercolor techniques

🌊🌍Ocean Cleanup Challenge – Learn about the importance of protecting our oceans by participating in a beach clean-up