With programs available for kids aged 4-13, spots are filling up fast for upcoming Nature Camps at the Humber Arboretum.

Our nature camps are based out of the Centre for Urban Ecology, but campers spend most of their time outdoors making their own discoveries in the forest, river, meadows, wetlands, gardens, and ponds of the Humber Arboretum.

Located at the back of North Campus, the Arb's Nature Camps are an especially convenient choice for staff and faculty who will be on campus over the summer. Let your kids explore the many ecosystems of the Arb and tell you all about them on the trip home! All camps run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., but before care and after care are also available for an additional fee.

Earth Day Camp (ages 5-12) - Monday April 22

This one-day camp for ages 5-12 gives kids a way to connect with the environment for Earth Day, even though most schools will be closed for Easter Monday. Bring your kids to North Campus and let them explore the Arb and enjoy a live show from a Canadian eco theatre company.

Learn more and register on the Earth Day Camp page on the Arboretum website.

Summer Nature Camp (ages 4-12) - Weekly through July and August

Active and engaging, the Arb's popular Nature Camp program includes activities such as forest exploration, pond dipping, ecology games, natural mindfulness and explorations of the weekly theme, including a variety of special guests. 

New for this year, the Beaver Camp section of Nature Camp (which is the program for our youngest campers) is now open to four-year-olds as well as 5-year-olds; however many weeks are already waitlisted!

Themes for this year include:

• Arboretum Adventures (July 2-5) – Beaver Camp waitlisted
• Wild About Watersheds (July 8-12) – Beaver Camp waitlisted
• Healthy Planet, Healthy Lives (July 15-19) – Beaver Camp waitlisted; regular camp filling up fast!
• Powerful Pollinators (July 22-26)
• Wildlife in the City (July 29 – August 2)
• Intro to Wilderness Survival (August 6-9) – Beaver Camp waitlisted; regular camp only 3 spots left!
• Ecolympics (August 12-16) – filling up fast!
• Radical Roots and Sensational Soils (August 19-23)
• Growing Gardeners (August 26-30) – filling up fast!

Learn more and register on the Summer Nature Camp page on the Arboretum website.

Jr. Naturalist Camp (ages 12-13) - Six weekly sessions in July and August

Started in 2018, Jr. Naturalist Camp offers a small group of older campers the opportunity to learn alongside one of the Arboretum's year-round Nature Interpreters. During last year's pilot program we found that there was so much to do but so little time, so this year we've added two additional sessions and given each week a more specific and unique theme. This will allow campers to dive even deeper into their naturalist knowledge and really build on the skills for that specific week.  

• Wildlife Wonders (July 8-12)
• Exploring Aquatics (July 15-19)
• Nature Stewards (July 22-26)
• Art All Around Us (July 29-August 2)
• Practical Plants (August 12-16)
• Survival Skills (August 19-23)

Learn more and register on the Jr. Naturalist Camp page on the Arboretum website.

Camp Fees

Basic camp registration fees for 2019 (not including before or after care):

• $50 for Earth Day Camp
• $245 for a week of regular Nature Camp, Beaver Camp or Jr. Naturalist Camp
• $200 for either of the two 4-day weeks of Nature/Beaver Camp (Arboretum Adventures & Intro to Wilderness Survival)

For Nature Camp and Jr. Naturalist Camp there is a sibling discount, along with a payment plan option available.

See all the camp options on the Nature Camps landing page on the Humber Arboretum website.

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