Tag Archives: camp

Nature Inside Out Graphic

Camp Goes Virtual!

We’re taking the Mass Audubon nature camp experience online!

Join us virtually each week for a unique, engaging, and fun series of week-long nature-education experiences—both inside and out! Each one-week session will include virtual discussion and instruction; daily themed nature quests and activities designed to get you outside and exploring nature in your backyard or neighborhood; a “Wacky Wednesday” dress-up theme; a Thursday evening all-camp program; and more.

We’ll get to know each other through live virtual meetings and explore nature through images, videos, hands-on activities, and explorations at home and in your neighborhood.

What to Expect

Activities will be differentiated for each age group, K–Grade 2 and Grades 3–5. Upon registration, you will receive an email with the schedule for the week and links to our meeting times and videos. Each day, campers will receive a Nature Quest—this might be a game, activity, science experiment, cooking project, or even an art project.

Register Today!

Nature Inside Out Virtual Summer Camp

Session Themes

Click one of the sessions below to learn more and register your child today.

Session 1: Creature Power     

July 20–24, 2020

Each day, we’ll investigate a group of organisms and learn about their “superpowers,” like how pillbugs and worms create dirt, how chipmunks can carry piles of food three times larger than their heads, and how salamanders can breathe through their skin! You’ll create an insect scent trail or go on a plant adaptation scavenger hunt, learn about the types of amphibians that can be found in your neighborhood, and make a craft from a recycled paper tube. At the end of the week, unlock your own superpower to help take care of nature. 

Session 2: Water, Stones, Fossils, Bones

July 27–31, 2020

What gems of knowledge can we discover by studying dirt and soil? Explore rocks and minerals, bones and fossils, and even volcanoes! Uncover your inner geologist and archaeologist as you grow your own crystals, discover the recipe for soil, and make “glacier gloo,” volcanoes that erupt, and nature fossils. Each day, we’ll investigate concepts that help us learn about the foundations of the Earth.   

Session 3:  Habitat Detectives

August 3–7, 2020

What do grass, rabbits, fungus, rocks, humans, and ants have in common? We are all strands in a complex web of life. Become a habitat detective in your own backyard, in the middle of a city, or at a nearby park. The only tools you need are your keen observational skills as you take a close look and learn about the world around you and learn about the roles that both living and non-living things play in keeping nature in balance. Explore the layers of the forest, play meadow Simon Says, create a pond creature, make a web of life, and more! 

Session 4: Seussical Science

August 10–14, 2020

Inspired by a Dr. Seuss book each day, we will focus on the message of the story to investigate and learn about nature. Care about the smallest creatures like Horton and wonder what comes down from the sky like Bartholomew. Explore the biodiversity in your backyard, take a micro-hike to see tiny worlds, learn about states of matter, create your own special adaptation, and make some Oobleck. Older campers will take Fernie the Fish on an adventure while younger campers will “make it rain” in an imaginary town. 

Session 5: Things with Wings

August 17–21, 2020

Learn all about winged creatures! Birds, bats, butterflies, bees, and so much more—you will learn about how they fly, what they eat, and where they live. Create a new species of bird, learn how bats find their food and what they like to eat, discover what color of flowers to plant to attract butterflies, play a dragonfly life cycle game, and dance like a bee. 

Session 6: Go Green

August 24–28, 2020

Where would we be without plants and clean air? Spend the week discovering different plants, what they can be used for, and how important they are to keeping our Earth healthy. Learn how trees recycle nutrients and play a recycling game, discover the important job of pollinators in producing the food we eat, and see how composting leftovers can help the garden grow. 

What is Nature Camp? And Why Should You Try It?

It is summer camp registration season, and that means it’s decision time! Summer is an ideal time for children to be outside, but choosing between camp opportunities can be overwhelming. How do you pick between dozens of options? And why should you consider nature camp?

Photo: Phil Doyle

Why Nature Camp

According to studies done by Common Sense Media in 2017, children ages 4–8 spend three hours per day in front of a screen (outside of school), and that number climbs to over six hours once they reach teenage years. Our camp community is designed to turn that trend on its head and create a new, happy generation of nature enthusiasts who are comfortable in nature and just as excited to share it with others as we are.

Mass Audubon campers laugh, sing, play, and do all of the wacky, fun activities that make summer camp special, and they experience hands-on learning in nature. Exploration and discovery fuel our programming, because campers are curious. Camp activities include things like carefully rolling logs in search of salamanders, dipping nets into ponds to catch water bugs, paddling Massachusetts’ rivers and estuaries, exploring salt marshes for crabs and eels, and tagging butterflies in meadows.

Why You Should Try It

We believe giving campers the opportunity to learn about their surroundings creates better outdoorspeople, community members, and future environmentalists. Additionally, it teaches campers valuable skills like creativity, observation, and self-confidence while giving them opportunities to move and play in both structured and unstructured ways that stimulate mental and social growth.

Our unique and wonderful summer staff help make this possible. We hire counselors who have experience working with children and a passion for sharing their knowledge of the outdoors. Some counselors join us for specific programs based on their area of knowledge in order to deliver the best possible program for our campers. Paddling instructors, nature photographers, birding experts, professional artists, and others enrich the camp experience.

Many campers become Counselors-in-Training (CITs) as teens and eventually staff. Some even go on to be leaders in the environmental and education fields.

Find a Camp Near You!

Mass Audubon offers 20 different camp experiences, from day camps for four-year-olds, to overnight camp for children in elementary and middle school, to teen travel and adventure opportunities—all focused on connecting your child with nature.

Come for a summer experience filled with all the magic and wonder of traditional day camp, and stay for the wildlife, exploration, and new friends. Laugh, love, and learn something new at a Mass Audubon camp this summer!

— Zach D’Arbeloff, Drumlin Farm’s Assistant Camp Director