The North Carolina Arboretum announces its 2009 spring and summer youth camp schedule, complete with thirteen weeks of fun, enriching offerings for children in Pre-K through eighth-grade.
Camps are led by expert environmental educators at The NC Arboretum and provide youths with opportunities to discover the natural world through fun and exciting exploration with children their own age – a perfect way to make spring break and summer vacations memorable for years to come.
Spring Break Camps
Spring Adventure Camp
Discovery and adventure abound in this week of fun and learning at the Arboretum. Experience a wild range of activities - from crafts and games to hikes and live animal demonstrations. Day trips will include outings to the Botanical Gardens, The Cradle of Forestry and the River Arts District.
April 13 – 17, 2009 Grades 2 & 3
April 13 – 17, 2009 Grades 4 & 5
Camp Fee: $195.00/members, $215.00/general public 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Summer Camps
Gone Buggy Pre -K
Come see through the eyes of an insect as we learn how they live, what they eat and how special they are. Go on hikes to collect the smallest and largest bugs you can find. Fun stories will help children explore how bugs get along with the rest of the world. Siblings under age 2 may accompany for free.
June 1 – 5, 2009 Ages 2 - 4
Camp Fee: $45.00/members, $55.00/general public 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Animal Adventures Pre – K
Make crafts, sing songs and hear stories on adventures through the woods. Explore and learn about all the amazing critters in the world around us. Siblings under age 2 may accompany for free.
June 15 – 19, 2009 Ages 2 - 4
Camp Fee: $45.00/members, $55.00/general public 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Soggy Sneakers Pre -K
Explore the wonders of streams and ponds and visit a different water world on the beautiful property of the Arboretum. Use fish nets, magnifying glasses and bring a camera to capture unforgettable memories. Songs, stories, crafts and games will be part of the adventure. Siblings under age 2 may accompany for free.
July 20 – 24, 2009 Ages 2 - 4
Camp Fee: $45.00/members, $55.00/general public 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Rising Grades K - 1
Nature Rangers
Come with us as we learn how to protect and cherish some of the most amazing things on earth – nature! As a little Nature Ranger participants will play games, go on hikes, make crafts from recycled items and even meet a real grown up Park Ranger.
June 8 – 12, 2009 Rising Grades K & 1
Camp Fee: $170/members, $190/general public 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Teeth, Tails and Talons
Search for local critters to see how they eat, sleep, and play. Enjoy games, hikes, crafts and stories all about teeth, tails, and talons. Visit with our very own creatures and experience the different lives they live compared to critters in the wild. Learn about native birds and construct a birdhouse or feeder to hang in your yard!
June 22 – 26, 2009 Rising Grades K & 1
Camp Fee: $170/members, $190/general public 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
A Natural Artist
Get in touch with the budding artist within to create paper, use natural dyes, draw, paint, glue, pattern a t-shirt, work with clay and make crafts with materials found in the woods. Take a short hike on a trail to find a mountain or stream and the plants and animals in the beautiful forest. Make and take an original masterpiece every day!
July 6 – 10, 2009 Rising Grades K & 1
Camp Fee: $170/members, $190/general public 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Wet and Wild
Get ready to discover all there is to know about life in and around the many micro worlds of water. The Arboretum’s huge and beautiful forest has many spots to investigate for aquatic life. Take a special trip to Lake Powhatan to swim and splash, examine a bubbling creek and discover some wet and wild critters.
July 13 – 17, 2009 Rising Grades K & 1
Camp Fee: $170/members, $190/general public 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Eco Detectives
Games and hikes will help participants understand how important animals are to the forest ecosystem. Learn how to spot the many critters that live here and how to identify what they are. Catch salamanders, insects and minnows as we explore the Bent Creek watershed. We’ll look for tracks and other wildlife signs as we explore the homes of lizards, birds and mammals that inhabit our enormous forest.
July 27 – 31, 2009 Rising Grades K & 1
Camp Fee: $170/members, $190/general public 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Little Mountaineers
Explore the green woods as you learn how to stay safe, watch the weather and build shelters. Discover some of the best old recipes, hear great stories and learn about knots. Uncover the secrets of the “Leave No Trace” guidelines that encourage excellent and useful ways to be a superior Little Mountaineer.
August 3 – 7, 2009 Rising Grades K & 1
Camp Fee: $170/members, $190/general public 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Summer Camp Classic 1
Join us as we explore all the amazing classic camp adventures waiting for you at the Arboretum. Bring your friends and meet new ones as we hike in search of critters, splash in creeks and play games outside. You’ll even bring home a special souvenir to remember all the fun.
August 17 – 21, 2009 Rising Grades K & 1
Camp Fee: $170/members, $190/general public 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Rising Grades 2 - 3
Junior Mountaineers
This camp offers all sorts of outdoor skills, games and activities like making shelters out of found materials and learning how to use a map while on a hike. Use teamwork to create camp gadgets and play great games. Gain essential survival skills while learning the basics of using a compass, setting up a tent and making a campfire.
June 15 – 19, 2009 Rising Grades 2 & 3
Camp Fee: $170/members, $190/general public 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Mountain Ways
Games, music and local history are a fascinating and playful part of a guided discovery in this culturally diverse area. Learn to identify wildflowers as well as medicinal and edible plants used by settlers. Practice textile and candle making, and other techniques used by settlers and natives to live off the land. Make toys, get to know animals important to pioneer life, folklore and re-enact 19th century and native village activities!
June 29 – July 3, 2009 Rising Grades 2 & 3
Camp Fee: $170/members, $190/general public 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Nature’s Studio: Earth Art
Beautiful mountain views and crystal streams will provide amazing inspiration as you paint, sketch, weave, dye, and mold your own creations. Explore the picture perfect details of the world around you while in search of insects, salamanders, birds and more. Get in touch with your inner artist as you create art with materials you find in nature. Make an original masterpiece every day!
July 6 – 10, 2009 Rising Grades 2 & 3
Camp Fee: $170/members, $190/general public 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Advanced Eco Detectives
Learn all about the animals that live in the Southern Appalachian Mountains, how to spot them and where they live. Catch salamanders, insects and fish as you explore Bent Creek. Scout for tracks and other wildlife signs as you explore the homes of lizards, birds and the mammals. Special wildlife mysteries will put you to the test as you examine evidence left behind by creatures of the forest.
July 20 – 24, 2009 Rising Grades 2 & 3
Camp Fee: $170/members, $190/general public 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Aquatic Adventures
Discover the diversity of aquatic life in our natural environment. Use microscopes to observe tiny single-celled critters and then fish for splashing trout at Lake Powhatan. Explore aquatic wonders on creek walks, pond investigations and a special salamander safari. Learn to use minnow traps and nets to capture and observe a variety of life; and most importantly, learn how to protect our amazing aquatic habitats.
July 27 – 31, 2009 Rising Grades 2 & 3
Camp Fee: $170/members, $190/general public 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Science Connections
Make and create natural products while learning some basic chemistry and put together some “museum-quality” collections. Explore the natural environmental balance in the amazing web of life. Test ecological hypotheses, conduct fun experiments and play science-inspired games. Uncover the mysteries of our plants and trees, woodland animals, aquatic critters, geologic formations and impacts on our air and water.
August 10 – 14, 2009 Rising Grades 2 & 3
Camp Fee: $170/members, $190/general public 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Summer Camp Classic 2
Join us as we explore all the amazing classic camp adventures that are waiting for you at the Arboretum. Bring your friends and meet new ones as we hike in search of critters, splash in creeks and play games outside. You’ll even bring home a special souvenir to remember all the fun.
August 17 – 21, 2009 Rising Grades 2 & 3
Camp Fee: $170/members, $190/general public 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Rising Grades 4 - 5
Boots, Paddles and Reels
Explore parts of our forested campus that few know about. Use a GPS unit to guide you to Lake Powhatan and fish for trout with fishing flies you tie yourself. A quiet-water paddling trip with Southern Waterways along the French Broad River is sure to be a highlight! Safety and care for your sporting equipment along with hands-on instruction and demonstrations ensure a great experience.
June 15 – 19, 2009 Rising Grades 4 & 5
July 13 – 17, 2009 Rising Grades 4 & 5
Price: $215/members, $235/general public 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Wilderness Explorers
Learn to read maps and use a compass to accomplish a cross-country orienteering course and design a course for your friends to try. Purify water, cook outdoors, make a shelter, provide first aid in the backcountry and learn how to limit your impact on the environment while outdoors. At the end of the week your skills will be put to the test in an overnight camping trip in the beautiful forest of the Arboretum.
June 22 – 26, 2009 Rising Grades 4 & 5
Camp Fee: $200/members, $220/general public 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Woodland Ways
An adventure in history takes place as we explore the games, tools, crafts and skills used by Native Americans in our area. Mold pottery, use plants for creating dyes, weave a basket and learn how people lived off the land. Visiting historians and scientist will bring the past alive while we explore Cherokee culture. Learn about Cherokee folklore, trade, farming methods and cook traditional recipes. Get down and dirty as we explore and unearth an “archaeological site” learning what others did to survive over the last thousand years in the Bent Creek area.
June 29 – July 3, 2009 Rising Grades 4 & 5
Camp Fee: $180/members, $200/general public 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Nature Adventure Camp
Become a junior field ecologist as you explore woodland and stream habitats, hunt for local wildlife and take part in small animal and minnow trapping. Take a night hike as we search for nocturnal animals, observe the night sky and go camping Thursday evening in a pine forest. Discover the amazing habits and behaviors of the many birds, reptiles, mammals and fish we encounter.
July 20 – 24, 2009 Rising Grades 4 & 5
Camp Fee: $200/members, $220/general public 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Outdoor Explorations
Discover the natural wonders of Western North Carolina as part of this enriching program. Explore the Davidson River on a hunt for hellbender salamanders and visit the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education to learn about the needs of trout and other coldwater fish. Spend a day off the Blue Ridge Parkway at Craggy Gardens exploring the unique plants and animals that live in high elevations. Take in a day at Great Smoky Mountains National Park helping biologists study wildlife populations. All these great explorations, plus an overnight camping trip at the Arboretum on Thursday evening, add up to an amazing week of discovery and adventure!
Aug 3 – 7, 2009 Rising Grades 4 & 5
Camp Fee: $255/members, $275/general public 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Rising Grades 6 - 8
Eco Challenge - Counselor in Training Camp
Our mountains are home to an incredible variety of plants and animals. Spend a week exploring these wild wonders, combining experiences at the Arboretum with day trip destinations in our area. Explore the unique habitats of the Southern Appalachians at Graveyard Fields, Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Davidson River. Campers will build strong leadership skills and teach younger campers what they have learned about the natural world – a one-of-a-kind experience that combines ecological study, leadership and adventure.
June 8 – 12, 2009 Rising Grades 6 – 8
Camp Fee: $255/members, $275/general public 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Mountain Trek
Learn the basics of land navigation and become skilled in using a GPS, map and compass to navigate trails at the Arboretum and at off-site destinations. Hike among rhododendrons and blueberry bushes at Craggy Gardens, stroll atop a mountain bald at Black Balsam and navigate along the trail to Moore Cove Falls in Pisgah National Forest for a high-adventure experience. Skills learned throughout the week will be put to the test on Thursday evening on an overnight camping trip at the Arboretum, and a cross-country orienteering course on Friday.
August 10 – 14, 2009 Rising Grades 6 - 8
Camp Fee: $275/members, $295/general public 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Registration is taken on a first-come, first-served basis and can be made by mail or drop-off only. Before care and after care is available for an additional fee. Arboretum members receive a discount on camp registration fees. Visit www.ncarboretum.org for a complete list of camp offerings, registration applications and membership information, or call 828-665-2492.
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