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Footsteps to Summer Fun - Summer Camp!

Experience, Discover and Explore the Great Outdoors! Have fun, get smart!

Summer Camp General Information

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 Summer Camps?

• Small groups: Only 3-4 campers per counselor
• Inclusive environment: 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 inter-generational.
  
  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.
  

2013 Summer Camp Schedule

For camp descriptions, click on the week. *Please check camp times, weeks 1, 4 and 6 have slightly different schedules.

Dates	Time	Camp Name (see Descriptions below)
Week 1
6/17/2013-6/21/2013	9AM-1PM	Green Gardening
Week 2
6/24/2013-6/28/2013	9AM-1PM	Howlers
Week 3
7/8/2013-7/12/2013	9AM-1PM	Geology Rocks!
Week 4
7/15/2013-7/19/2013	9AM-1PM	Sunlight, Starlight and Orbs
Week 5
7/22/2013-7/26/2013	9AM-1PM	Water Wizards
	1PM-3PM	CSI
Week 6
7/29/2013-8/2/2013	9AM-12PM	Photography Camp
Week 7
8/5/2013-8/9/2013	9AM-1PM	Habitat Safari

2013 Summer Camp Theme Descriptions

Week 1 - 6/17/2013-6/21/2013

Green 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! $85 Placer Nature Center Members, $95 General Register

Week 2 - 6/24/2013-6/28/2013

Howlers 9AM-1PM Ages 6-12 Explore the world of mammals by investigating skulls and pelts, tracks and scat. Can you howl like a coyote? Which mammals are nocturnal or diurnal? What are their adaptations and where do they live? Play games of stealth and use your senses to learn all about the mammals of the foothills. $85 Placer Nature Center Members, $95 General Register

Week 3 - 7/8/2013-7/12/2013

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. $85 Placer Nature Center Members, $95 General Register

Week 4 - 7/15/2013-7/19/2013 0

Sunlight, Starlight and 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 life cycle 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! $85 Placer Nature Center Members, $95 General Register

Week 5 - 7/22/2013-7/26/2013

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! $85 Placer Nature Center Members, $95 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. $85 Placer Nature Center Members, $95 General Register

Week 6 - 7/29/2013-8/2/2013

Nature Photography Camp 9AM-12PM Ages 8-12 Use a digital camera to explore your outdoor environment. Many fun camera tricks and tips will be introduced including using the macro features for insect photos, composition of landscapes, and lighting for portraits. Led by Rita Gordon, founder of Wild Child Outdoor Photo Camps, she provides a 12.0 megapixel digital camera for use during class. $85 Placer Nature Center Members, $95 General Register

Week 7 - 8/5/2013-8/9/2013

Habitat Safari 9AM-1PM Ages 6-12 Habitats are all around. Who lives there? Explore a variety of habitats for food, shelter, water and space and see how they provide animals what they need to survive. $85 Placer Nature Center Members, $95 General Register

Registration

1. Register: Please download the Registration and Medical Release Form here...
   * All information on the form is required.
   * Return the form by mail or fax.

   Fax to:
   530-878-3746
   
   or mail to:
   Placer Nature Center-Summer Camp
   3700 Christian Valley Road
   Auburn, CA 95602
   

2. Camp Fees: There are two ways to pay. You can choose to pay by:
   
   
   1. 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.
      
      
   2. Mail in a check or money order with your registration form to:
      Placer Nature Center-Summer Camp
      3700 Christian Valley Road
      Auburn, CA 95602
      
      
3. 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.
   
   If you are interested read about how to make a Zero-waste lunch on our kid's page! Making a Zero-Waste lunch is a fun way to involve your child in making healthy food choices and learning about smart way to use resources!
   
   * 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 accommodate most special needs!

Pay Now:

Many Thanks to Our Supporters!

	Auburn Garden Club www.auburngardenclub.org
	Auburn Host Lions www.auburnhostlions.org/
	Sierra Foothill Audubon Society www.sierrafoothillsaudubon.com

2013 Summer Camp Commemorative T-Shirt

Coming Soon!

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Programs available for Placer County, Nevada County, Sacramento County and Yolo County Schools and communities.
Perfect For resdients of Auburn, Alta, Applegate, Bowman, Foresthill, Granite Bay, Iowa Hill, Meadow Vista, Newcastle, Penryn, Grass Valley,
Lake of the Pines, Colfax, Lincoln, Roseville, Rocklin, Loomis, Citrus Heights and surrounding localities!