Placer Nature Center's summer camp gives children the opportunity to experience, discover and explore the great outdoors! These week-long day camp sessions focus on different nature-related themes with hands-on science investigations and experiments - they won't realize they are learning while having so much fun!
Why Placer Nature Center Camps?
Small groups: Only 3-4 campers per counselor
Inclusiveenvironment: Each camper gets individualized attention and encouragement
Cross-curricular (FUN!) learning: Each camp incorporates art, structured and unstructured play, music, and theme related science experiments.
Campers also take part in nature crafts, games, puppet shows, and plant & animal investigations. They'll have fun while learning to analyze while building social skills that are intergenerational.
Everyday they hike the nature trail, sing camp songs and much more under the guidance of Staff, docents and our specially trained Jr. Naturalists.
Friendships are formed with their peers as well as with our very caring teenage Jr. Naturalists. Our Jr. Naturalists are local teens who have attended a special training prior to camp. It's a extremely popular and competitive volunteer position - many are former campers themselves!
Children are welcome to attend more than one camp.
2012 Camp Schedule
For camp descriptions, click on the week. *Please check camp times, weeks 1, 4 and 6 have slightly different schedules. Download the complete Summer Camp brochure.
Green Thumb Gardening 9AM-1PM
Ages 6-12
Let’s grow a green thumb! Learn the ins and outs of gardening and start vegetables and flowers for your own home garden. have fun with soil testing, soil moisture monitoring, checking for bugs and keeping plants healthy and happy! Morning Session: $75 Placer Nature Center Members, $85 General Register
CSI - Wildlife Detectives 1PM-3PM
Ages 6-12
Come learn the tools, techniques and methods of a crime scene investigator in this hands-on forensic academy. Learn how to dust for fingerprints, search for trace evidence, and cast footprints - even animal tracks! Students will collect and analyze evidence to solve wildlife mysteries in this fun class. Age appropriate mysteries suitable from first grade and up. Afternoon Session: $75 Placer Nature Center Members, $85 General Register
Wings – Bugs and Birds! 9AM-1PM
Ages 6-12
How do birds fly and what are barbules? Why did birds migrate and how do they do it? We’re pulling out the binoculars and going birding! Do you know the order of the honeybee hive? Or why honeybees dance? Get your insect nets and bug viewers because we're going on a scavenger hunt! See as an insect sees and learn about compound eyes, metamorphosis, and all the different types of insects.
Explore creatures with wings through lenses, nets, song, games and crafts for a hooting good time. Morning Session: $75 Placer Nature Center Members, $85 General Register
Nature Stories! 1PM-5PM
Ages 6-12
Let’s read together the many nature books. Which are true about animals? Which are not? Create your own nature story and be part of a nature story yourself. Creativity abounds as we unravel and weave stories! Afternoon Session: $75 Placer Nature Center Members, $85 General Register
Geology Rocks! 9AM-1PM
Ages 6-12
Do you know what minerals are in your toothpaste? Learn about fossils and the rock cycle, and use the tools of a geologist. Play Quake Proof, go core sampling in a cupcake and hard rock mining in a chocolate chip cookie. We'll also start our very own rock collection! Learn how to classify rocks and explore their patterns. Take a meteorite walk. Create your own Sands of Time, crystal shapes, sand-stone, and an exploding volcano. Do experiments about plate tectonics. See how geology rocks your world and affects plants, animals and people every day. Morning Session: $75 Placer Nature Center Members, $85 General Register
Nature Art! 1PM-5PM
Ages 6-12
Grab your sketchbook and pencil! Let’s make a nature sketchbook. Pick your favorite for a watercolor painting. Try out different mediums for your art and experiment with 3-D mediums too. Afternoon Session: $75 Placer Nature Center Members, $85 General Register
Water Wizards! 9AM-1PM
Ages 6-12
What is so special about water? Investigate the many properties of water through experiments and observations. Watch water carve a landscape, examine aquatic pond animals, explore the ecology of aquatic life, and have plenty of fun with water play! Morning Session: $75 Placer Nature Center Members, $85 General Register
CSI - Wildlife Detectives 1PM-3PM
Ages 6-12
Come learn the tools, techniques and methods of a crime scene investigator in this hands-on forensic academy. Learn how to dust for fingerprints, search for trace evidence, and cast footprints - even animal tracks! Students will collect and analyze evidence to solve wildlife mysteries in this fun class. Age appropriate mysteries suitable from first grade and up. Afternoon Session: $75 Placer Nature Center Members, $85 General Register
Sunlight, Starlight & Orbs! 9AM-1PM
Ages 6-12
Ever wonder how to read a star chart? Or how the sun’s energy powers plants and people? Explore the day and night sky through experiments with plants, prisms and solar cooking! Learn about asteroids, galaxies, constellations, phases of the moon, sun and the lifecycle of a star. Play fun games like “Catch a Falling Star” where we look for real meteorites! Build a sundial, make a constellation booklet and build a solar system mobile! Morning Session: $75 Placer Nature Center Members, $85 General Register
Nature Games! 1PM-5PM
Ages 6-12
Try your hand at Into the Forest. Will you be the last to survive in the food chain? Bird bingo and bug bingo can challenge your knowledge. How good are you at guessing animals by hints or pantomime. Join us and test your gaming-savvy. Afternoon Session: $75 Placer Nature Center Members, $85 General Register
Nature Photography Camp 9AM-12PM
Ages 8-12
Explore your outdoor environment with a digital camera. Learn how, when and why to take the camera off Automatic and compose photographs using other exposure settings. We’ll discover the Macro feature by photographing insects; learn about composition of landscapes; have fun shooting portraits with appropriate natural lighting; explore the Self-Timer feature; produce an instructional video; and other fun camera tips & tricks. Each day will include self-editing of our work, and a group Critique of our best shots. Camp Led by Rita Gordon, children’s portrait photographer & founder of Wild Child Outdoor Photo Camps. Each child will be provided with a 12.0 megapixel digital camera for use during class. Morning Session: $115 Placer Nature Center Members, $125 General Register
Nature Journal & Scrapbooking! 12PM-5PM
Ages 8-12
Follow the footsteps of John Muir and create your own nature journal! We will Build our very own journals from scratch - make your own paper, bind our own books and fill it up with explorations and observations of nature through studies, sketching what we see, recording what we feel and even pasting in your pictures, pressed flowers and plants! learn the tools and techniques that John Muir used! Afternoon Session: $95 Placer Nature Center Members, $105 General Register
or mail to: Placer Nature Center-Summer Camp
3700 Christian Valley Road
Auburn, CA 95602
Camp Fees: There are two ways to pay. You can choose to pay by:
Credit/debit card through PayPal, shopping cart is below.
In the "Add special instructions to the merchant" box, please type in your child's/children's names. Please remember to mail or fax in your Registration & Medical Release Form.
Mail in a check or money order with your registration form to:
Placer Nature Center-Summer Camp
3700 Christian Valley Road
Auburn, CA 95602
That's it! For each day of camp, make sure your child:
* is dressed appropriately for playing outside - comfortable, weather appropriate clothes that can get dirty, closed-toe shoes for light hiking and running around.
* has a reusable, durable water bottle.
* has a sack lunch.
* Please make sure to speak with Linda Desai, the Education Director, about any medications your child might need for allergies, etc. or any other special needs. We can accomodate most special needs!
Placer Nature Center's summer camp gives children the opportunity to experience, discover and explore the great outdoors! These week-long day camp sessions focus on different nature-related themes with hands-on science investigations and experiments - they won't realize they are learning while having so much fun!
Campers also take part in nature crafts, games, puppet shows, and plant & animal investigations. They'll have fun while learning to analyze while building social skills that are intergenerational. 
Friendships are formed with their peers as well as with our very caring teenage Jr. Naturalists. Our Jr. Naturalists are local teens who have attended a special training prior to camp. It's a extremely popular and competitive volunteer position - many are former campers themselves!
9AM-1PM
