Taltree’s Summer Camp Themes and Dates

 

Join Taltree Arboretum & Gardens for fun-fulled week-long camps that explore the natural world through hands-on adventure and hikes!  Please call the office 219-462-0025 to make reservations or sign up here!

Register by April 30th and receive $25 off per camper! Hurry, spaces are filling quickly!

REQUIRED:  Summer Camp Forms

Cost:

• Non-refundable Registration Fee: $40 (one-time fee per camper)
• Activities Fee:  *$50 for each week/child……now reduced to $16.50
• Weekly Tuition: $145 for each week

*Thanks to grants from Kankakee Valley REMC and the Lake Michigan Coastal Awareness Program, the activity fee has been reduced to $16.50

Families registering multiple children receive a 10% discount of each additional child. Just enter discount code 2013camp

Choose from the weeks below:

CSI Taltree Camp (June 17-21): Make way for the next generation of CSI experts! During our CSI camp, campers will have the opportunity to investigate maggots, flies, worms, and larvae!  Campers will go on a “dead things” hike where they will explore decaying plant matter, identify various fungi species, and will reproduce the skeleton from an owl pellet.  Campers will be introduced to the Scientific Method where they will investigate and test their hypotheses.  They will visit a local laboratory to meet real scientists who investigate things daily, will meet the local police department to learn about what they do at their jobs, and will investigate and present their findings about Taltree’s Detritivores!

Wacky Water Week (June 24-28): This week is dedicated to all things water!  Campers will visit the Grand Kankakee Marsh at the beginning of camp, hike around Taltree’s wetlands, as well as learn about the water ecosystems around NW Indiana. They will investigate lakes, bogs, ponds, and streams!  While at Taltree, campers will have the opportunity to go fishing, make their own terrarium, and go on two hikes to our wetlands.  They will observe swans, participate in wetland themed crafts, and play water games.  Campers will document their experiences in their Taltree journal, and will have the chance to photograph their experiences.  Waterproof cameras, please!

Science Quest (July 8-12): Have you ever wanted to count how many times you fart in a day? Do your children think poop is cool?  Then look no further!  During Science Quest, campers will get the opportunity to be scientists!  They will confirm or deny several science myths, such as how many times a person burps in a day.  They will visit a local cow farm and learn how much cows poop, and get to see methane in action!  They will get to participate in several science experiments such as our “Bug Bucket” where they will learn about how larvae can break down food waste. They will also get the opportunity to visit a local Wastewater treatment plant, and go on a “Poop Hike” where they will investigate who pooped and what is in it! Towards the end of the week they will create their own mini veggie garden using compost, participate in a competition on who’s marshmallow catapult was the most successful (and creative!), and log all of their findings in their very own Taltree journal.

Wilderness Safari Camp (July 15-19): Campers will become informed conservationists through our woodland safari camp. They will learn how Taltree became an arboretum, why we conserve our local natural resources, and will get to plant trees themselves!  They will attend two woodland hikes, go blueberry picking using baskets that they created, and build their own bird house.  They will see rehabilitated raptors from a visit by a local animal rehabber, play predator/prey games, dissect owl pellets, and learn about why bluebirds are so important. Campers will be provided with a journal to document their adventures such as our butterfly monitoring hike.  They will also come home with special mementos from our hikes!

IMPORTANT DATES TO KNOW

April 30: Last day to register in order to receive a $25 discount

May 30: Open House 5-7 pm

June 14: On-Site Summer Camp Registration Day 4 – 7 pm

• Time(s): Camp is open Monday – Friday from 7:30am-5:30pm.  Camp activities will run from 8am-4pm.  Campers coming early or staying later will have activities that they can participate in such as puzzles, games, and crafts. Parents must pre-register their campers for aftercare from 4-5:30pm.
• Place: Camp activities take place on Taltree’s trails/grounds, during field trips offsite, and during inclement weather, in the Depot.
• Audience: Rising 3^rd-6^th Graders

 Camp Mission: Taltree seeks to educate its campers in a holistic and fun environment where campers have the opportunity to expand their knowledge and focus upon specific interests they may have.  Taltree’s programs allow for campers and families to experience a wide variety of activities in a fun and safe environment.