Canoeing, theatre, pop can fishing, insect hunting, campfire races… sound like fun? These are just a handful of the activities lined up for this year’s Summer Day Camp Adventures at Tamarack Nature Center.
During camps with names like Kitchen Chemistry, Creepy Crawly Camp, Marsh Madness and Prehistoric Play, Tamarack Nature Center’s team of naturalists use hikes, games, songs, stories and a variety of nature-themed activities to create memorable and educational camp weeks.
Tamarack Nature Center, part of Bald Eagle – Otter Lakes Regional Park in White Bear Township, has been offering summer day camps for more than 10 years. Camps are available for kids in six different age groups ranging from three years old to entering eighth grade. The staff designs every camp session to align with the developmental characteristics of each age group. For instance, Sprouts (3-year-olds) and Critters (4 and 5-year-olds) satisfy their needs for new opportunities to explore and ask “how” and “why” questions by making mud pies and hunting for animal homes. Trekkers (fifth and sixth graders) satisfy their needs for independence and experiencing new tasks through building forts and searching for wild edible plants.
Megan Nysse, naturalist coordinator, explains how this philosophy supports Tamarack Nature Center’s mission of helping people discover the value of nature through art, play, exploration and inquiry. “One of the things that makes our program so unique is that we’ve watched many children make a complete metamorphosis; they’ve started with us as young campers and progressed into teen volunteers helping us run camps. It’s such a thrill to see our campers evolve, and our focus on youth development through nature exploration really sets the stage for this transformation.”
Camp weeks run Monday through Thursday from June 17 to August 8. Special three-day camps offered July 1-3 to accommodate families with Independence Day travel plans. Tamarack Nature Center also offers a select number of extended ages camps, which are convenient for families with children in different age groups.
For the second year in a row, Tamarack Nature Center will make life easier for busier moms and dads by offering special before and after care sessions in the popular Discovery Hollow Nature Play Area. Discovery Hollow, which opened in June 2011, allows children to explore nature through five different element areas: The Wood, The Overlook, The Stream, The Garden and The Mud Table. Morning sessions run 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. Afternoon sessions run 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. All activities are naturalist supervised and emphasize nature play and child-centered programming.
Also returning this year are EcoArt Friday mini camps. These Friday morning sessions are perfect for families that can’t commit to a full camp week or kids that want to end their week with a unique nature-based masterpiece. Some of the projects campers can look forward to this summer include clay homes, mini tree houses and eco-dying.
Registration closes as camps fill or two weeks prior to the start of camp. Registration is available online HERE or in person at Tamarack Nature Center, located at 5287 Otter Lake Road, White Bear Township, MN 55110. Tamarack Nature Center is part of the Ramsey County Parks and Recreation system.
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