2012 Jr. Nature Explorers Camps for children ages 4-5

Due to parent request, we have scheduled one 4-day camp and two 5-day camps!  Each camp has a different theme and activities – sign up for one or several! Children should bring a nutritious lunch and a water bottle.

 

Roots and Shoots Camp   

Mon. June 11th – Wed. June 13th 

9:30 am – 12:30 pm  

Fee $97

Early summer is a time when plants are growing rapidly all over the Community Garden and nearby park areas. Every day brings new more lushness into easy view at each place we take a stroll!  In this camp, our activities will focus on the first 3 plant parts that emerge from every seed: the roots, stems, and leaves. They’ll plant seeds in the garden, discover the important “jobs” that roots, stems, and leaves do for every plant, and delight in harvesting and eating fresh organic crops from our p-patch. They will also add plant-part pages to their Nature Journal, and create nature crafts to take home such as root viewers, bark collages, and leaf prints.  Short hikes, songs, and games will round out this 3-day adventure in the world of plants!

 

Wiggly World of Worms Camp

Mon. June 18th – Wed. June 20th 

9:30 am – 12:30 pm   

Fee $97

The soil underneath our feet is an amazing world of worms and other soil creatures, just waiting to be discovered. Perhaps because children live closer to the ground than we adults, they absolutely love to explore and experience this wonderful world.  This camp is filled with adventures such as digging in the garden to search for earthworms and ground beetles, and exploring our worm bin which is home to red wigglers pillbugs, and millipedes. Children will harvest its rich compost and sprinkle it through our vegetable garden, carefully returning any stray worms back to the bin. They will add fresh bedding and leftover food scraps from our lunches to feed our worm friends, and examine the stumps in our “messy materials” area for other decomposers at work!  Be aware that children will come home from this camp with extra amounts of dirt on their knees, matched by the giant smiles on their faces!

 

World of Water Camp

Monday July 2nd – Friday July 6th (no camp on July 4th)

9:30 am – 12:30 pm   

Fee $127

This camp is held when the heat of summer begins to take hold, which makes the world of water an even more inviting subject to explore and experience.  The Magnuson Wetlands Complex is typically still full from the spring rains, making our hike through its trails- including the new Shore Ponds area- a lively place for seeing frogs, dragonflies, songbirds and waterfowl! Children will learn about the water cycle and the value of clean water for all creatures through songs, dances, and games. They will build a “dam”, “creek” and “lake” to understand how a watershed works, and make sure all our thirsty garden plants get a good long drink.   This camp is sure to make a splash with all!

 

Beetles on Parade Camp

Mon. July 23rd – Wed. July 25th

9:30 am – 12:30 pm   

Fee $97

During the sun-filled days of mid-summer, it’s easy for children to find a wide variety of delightful beetles “parading” around in the park. Besides being interesting to observe while feeding on wildflower nectar, Ladybugs, Soldier Beetles, and Ground Beetles also feast on the pest insects and slugs that would otherwise plague our garden plants! We’ll go on “bug hunts”, follow ant trails on the paths that wind through Community Garden, and learn how to “bee safe” around all insects that have stingers. Learning the who/what/why of garden flowers that attract beneficial insects and building beetle houses in the Children’s Garden will give them much news to share when they return home from their adventures!

 

Winged Wonders Camp 

Mon. Aug. 13th – Friday Aug. 17th 

9:30 am – 12:30 pm   

Fee $152

Magnuson Park is home to a wide variety of resident birds all year round, and in the summer the number of bird species increases greatly.  Four species of Swallows dart above the meadows and wetlands, Savannah Sparrows hop through the grasses, and Warblers sing from the treetops.  In this camp, we’ll take short hikes to the nearby grassy meadows and shady glens, have fun stretching our limbs to do the “swallow swoop”, “robin hop”, and “butterfly dip”. We’ll also explore the Community Garden perennial borders in search of Hummingbirds, Swallowtail Butterflies, Dragonflies, Bees and other pollinators, as well as the annual arrival of the Grasshoppers. Building birdbaths, puddling ponds, and dust bath bowls in the Children’s Garden will give them lasting landmarks that they can check on anytime in the future while visiting the park!

 

Flowers and Fruits Camp

Mon. Aug. 27th – Friday Aug. 31st

9:30 am – 12:30 pm   

Fee $152

Late summer is a time when hundreds of wildflowers and cultivated plants are ending their flowering time, and ripening their fruits and seeds. It’s a great time to explore and experience the second half of the plant cycle: flowers, fruits, and seeds! We’ll gather flower bouquets, examine the wide variety of developing fruits in the nearby Demonstration Orchard, and plant new seeds for the fall vegetable garden. Each day’s Sensory Walk is a chance to get to know these plant parts with all 5 of their senses!

Gathering wild blackberries, making flower “burritos” in our organic vegetable garden, collecting seeds to take home, and a “garden harvest party” are all part of what makes this adventurous camp a special way to wind up summer vacation!