Kids Find Out About Animals at Summer Camp
Kids find out about animals at summer camp, if you choose a camp that includes animals in the programs they offer. Science camps offer sophisticated learning programs, but there are summer camps that include animals as a part of more playful programs.
For many children making a connection with animals is a great way to reconnect with nature. Campers can find and develop a desire to know more about the nature they find all around them. When they follow that desire, they begin to acquire a deep respect for nature that will serve them all their lives.
Swift Nature Camp, popular as a Wisconsin Summer Camp and as a Minnesota Summer Camp because of its proximity, offers a variety of ways for campers to meet and enjoy daily contact with animals. Nature’s Neighbors is a live animal collection, campers are encouraged to bring their own small animals to live in the camp’s Nature Center, and a unique pond aquarium shows life as a frog sees it.
Working in conjunction with the Wisconsin DNR and the U.S. Park Service, Swift Nature Camp has also developed a hands-on environmental learning program which includes field trips, such as visits to a fish hatchery and state parks; hands-on field projects, like goose banding and butterfly counts; and exciting camp presentations, including visits with live owls.
Swift Nature Camp has a voluntary four-level program that rewards campers with a special patch of merit, and the categories include recognition of special skills with animals in categories like insects, pet care, bird watching, and horseback riding. Campers can choose just the right mix of play and learning to suit individual preference and need.
The summer camp you choose should facilitate a blend of play and challenge that is free of the stress of the school environment. The presence of animals in a natural environment can open the door to discovery, adding depth to the fun of going to a traditional summer camp.