Explorers Camp: 1st – 3rd Grade
What does it take to be a real explorer? Come to camp and find out! Explore wildlife at the Nature Center all day long with no parents, new friends and cool counselors. Discover the wonders of prairie, forest and wetland habitats. Dig for fossils at the Gravel Pits. Be a nature detective and search out artifacts for the Camp Museum. Swim at Markin Glen Park on Wednesday afternoon. Play games, create art, sing songs, and take a hike each day.
$210 Member; $235 Non-Member
Explorers Camp runs 9am – 5pm, Monday – Friday
Session 1: June 21-25 ~ Working with Wildlife
What is it like to work on a farm, be a wildlife biologist or take care of animals on display? Go behind the scenes at KNC and learn what it takes to work with wildlife. Take care of the animals at the Family Farm. Study bird migration and nesting with KNC’s Research Staff- see wild birds up close! Help care for our exhibit and camp animals and meet live Birds of Prey. Learn how to help the wildlife in your own backyard.
Session 2: June 28 - July 2 ~ Flight School
Ever wondered how birds and bugs fly? Investigate the science of flight and learn about the adaptations that animals and people use to soar sky high. Search out flying insects and learn how “To Bee or Not to Bee.” Study bird and butterfly migration with the KNC Research Staff. Learn about fast fliers and animals that soar at night, and meet live Birds of Prey. Study flight with the Kalamazoo Air Zoo staff.
Session 3: July 12-16 ~ Animals of the Past
Travel with us back into the distant past as we explore the animals that lived long ago. Grab your shovel and dig into the truth about the animals of the past. Learn about flying dinosaurs and meet their modern cousins, the hawks. Go on a fossil hunt at the Gravel Pits. Meet the scientists from WMU’s Michigan Geological Repository for Research and Education. Enjoy a visit from alligators and other dinosaur relatives from the Critchlow Alligator Sanctuary.
Session 4: July 19-23 ~ Survival Sense
Run, jump and use all of your senses to experience for yourself the adaptations that animals and people use to help them survive in all of the extreme habitats on earth. Learn from animals how to make a comfortable survival shelter. Explore the amazing feat of migration and meet some master migrators – then learn to use a map and compass. Discover how animals and people stay comfortable in extreme temperatures, and then learn to build a fire. Learn the tricks that animals use to find food and water – not at the grocery store!
Session 5: July 26-30 ~ Bugs and Slugs
The world is full of small things that some people think are gross. But if you love our creepy crawly neighbors, come explore high and low for our small and slimy friends. Learn what makes an insect different than other small creatures and how they are connected to the other animals in the web of life. Discover how scientists study insects in a prairie, pond and forest. Help threatened butterflies by participating in the Imperiled Butterfly Conservation Initiative. Create a bug collection to take home.
Session 6: August 2-6 ~ Amazing Animals
Animals are wonderful: they have amazing speed, strength and senses that help them survive. Join in on the action as we search out superheroes of the animal world. Explore the stream for super swimmers and the woods and prairie for animals that run fast and fly high. Search the Gravel Pits for fossil evidence of awesome ancient animals. Take a trip into the night-time world of nocturnal animals like bats and owls. Discover the adaptations that make some animals the “X-Men of the Wild”
Session 7: August 9-13 ~ Water Beasts
Dive into the amazing world of ponds, streams and rivers! Prepare for an out of this world adventure as we search for the animals that call the water their home. Go buggy with aquatic insects and think deep about the lives of fish and sharks. Search high and low for muskrats and beavers. Study watersheds and learn how scientists find healthy waterways. Explore the adaptations of water birds with heirloom ducks and geese from the Barry County 4-H Club.
Session 8: August 16-20 ~ Awesome Amphibians & Rockin’ Reptiles
Take an adventure into the world of slime and scales! If you think turtles are terrific and frogs are fun then you will be “hoppy” this week. Explore the amphibians and reptiles of the past. Get up close and personal with the snakes of KNC at dinner time. Learn how amphibians and reptiles reproduce and survive the winter. Enjoy a visit from the alligators and other reptiles from the Critchlow Alligator Sanctuary.