2013 North Branch Nature Center
Summer Camps
Day Camps for Curious Kids
Ages 4 to 13
Woods and water explorations, games,
hikes, live animals, nature study, crafts, friends and fun! The North
Branch Nature Center has been offering fun, exciting and educational
nature camps for children for nearly 15 years. Catching frogs,
watching hawks, following grasshoppers, making new friends - isn’t
this just what a child’s summer should be?
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Summary of Camps Offered
Before registering, please "refresh" your web browser and
see descriptions below for current availability
Click on the name of the camp in either table below for a full description.
*Camp will not be held on Thursday, July 4 and all camps July 1 - 5 are prorated to reflect the 4-day week.
Shape Shifters (AM Session - Full, PM Session - space available)
Dates:Monday to Friday, June 17th to 21st
Hours: 9:00 am to 12:00 pm - AM session only for this pre-school camp
For: Pre-school children ages 4 to 5 (entering Kindergarten)
Cost: $110 member, $120 nonmember
Kids change a lot as they grow but it’s nothing like how a frog or a butterfly transforms throughout its life. Join us for a week of games, activities and mini-hikes to investigate some new and exciting mysteries of nature and explore the life cycles of some of your favorite creatures of Vermont!
Forest Builders (AM Session - Full, PM Session - space available)
Dates: Monday to Friday, June 24th to June 28th
Hours: 9:00 am to 12:00 pm or 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
For: Pre-school children ages 4 to 5 (entering Kindergarten)
Cost: $110 member, $120 nonmember
Do you like to build? During this week our Nature Center will turn into a pre-school construction zone. We will be building with a large variety of natural items and special tools. With the forest as our background, the possibilities of what we can construct are endless! Come build with us!
Nature’s Canvas (CAMP FULL, call to be added to the waitlist)
Dates:Monday to Friday, June 24th to June 28th
Hours: 9:00 am to 3:00 pm
For: Children entering 1st to 4th grade
Cost: $210 member, $230 nonmember
Since the times of ancient cave drawings people have been fascinated with depicting nature through art. From the realist paintings of John James Audubon to the abstract sculptures of Andrew Goldsworthy, we will spend a week exploring the connection between nature and art through games, crafts, natural exploration and so much more!
Carried By the Current
Dates:Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, July 1st to 3rd and July 5th (shorter week for July 4)
Hours: 9:00 am to 3:00 pm
For: Children entering 1st to 4th grade
Cost: $170 member, $185 nonmember (prorated for shorter week)
Do you love animals? Do you love being in and around water? Come cool off with us this week as we learn everything we can about birds, mammals and insects that make rivers, ponds and wetlands their home. A fascinating world awaits us just beneath the water’s surface!
Avian Wonders (CAMP FULL, call to be added to the waitlist)
Dates:Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, July 1st to 3rd and July 5th (shorter week for July 4)
Hours: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
For: Children entering 5th to 8th grade
Cost: $240 member, $260 nonmember (prorated for shorter week)
Birds have captivated people for generations. From egrets to eagles, hawks to hummingbirds, come search alongside experienced birders for many birds that share our backyards. You can even complete a research project or start your own bird watching journal along the way. Whether you are a passionate 'birder' or just getting started, this camp is for you! Sign up soon – this camp is limited to just 10 kids.
Nature Takes Flight (CAMP FULL, call to be added to the waitlist)
Dates: Monday to Friday, July 8th to July 12th
Hours: 9:00 am to 3:00 pm
For: Children entering 1st to 4th grade
Cost: $210 member, $230 nonmember
From birds to butterflies to bats, many types of creatures have taken to the air. As we’ll learn, even some seeds can fly! We’ll discover how creatures fly, and why flight helps them survive. We’ll catch, observe, and investigate these curious creatures and will do our own experiments to further explore how to defy gravity.
Summer Scientists
Dates: Monday to Friday, July 8th to July 12th
Hours: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
For: Children entering 5th to 8th grade
Cost: $300 member, $325 nonmember (includes van transportation)
Do you enjoy science? Ever wonder what it would be like to be a scientist? Vermont’s scientists work intensely outdoors all summer long to study our environment. This week we’ll join some of them and learn about the fascinating work they do up close and personal! We’ll even set up an experiment of our own to help solve nature’s mysteries. Sign up soon - this camp is limited to just 10 kids.
Sticks and Stones (CAMP FULL, call to be added to the waitlist)
Dates: Monday to Friday, July 15th to 19th
Hours: 9:00 am to 3:00 pm
For: Children entering 1st to 4th grade
Cost: $210 member, $230 nonmember
Did you know that you could make rope from milkweed plants? How about tea from pine needles? This week we’ll practice our outdoor living skills as we learn how to make use of the many amazing materials that our environment provides. From building shelters with sticks found on the forest floor to making clay pots with clay collected from creek beds, we’ll be working with the tools nature gives us.
Green Mountain Trekkers (CAMP FULL, call to be added to the waitlist)
Dates: Monday to Friday, July 15th to 19th
Hours: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
For: Children entering 5th to 8th grade
Cost: $300 member, $325 nonmember (includes van transportation)
Campers will experience some of Central Vermont’s finest hikes, from the classics to those ‘off the beaten track’. Each day we will see new places and explore different natural communities. We will also go geocaching, a 21st century treasure hunt in which people around the world search for hidden containers and trade small trinkets such as toys, stickers, key chains, and more. Sign up soon - this camp is limited to just 10 kids.
Insect Investigators (CAMP FULL, call to be added to the waitlist)
Dates: Monday to Friday, July 22nd to July 26th
Hours: 9:00 am to 3:00 pm
For: Children entering 1st to 4th grade
Cost: $210 member, $230 nonmember
Calling all young entomologists! An endless variety of insects are hiding just about everywhere outdoors, waiting for us to find! From the tiny springtail to the giant water beetle, we’ll flip logs and swing nets for bugs high and low, and will discover what makes them so important and amazing.
Sustainable Adventures
Dates:Monday to Friday, July 22nd to July 26th
Hours: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
For: Children entering 5th to 8th grade
Cost: $300 member, $325 nonmember (includes van transportation)
Join us for our first ever Sustainable Adventures camp. This camp will be a week of exploration through the Green Mountains as we visit local businesses and individuals who are using alternative green solutions everyday in this ever-changing world. Themes will include, green building design, alternative energy, homesteading, and much more.
Chameleon Camp (CAMP FULL, call to be added to the waitlist)
Dates:Monday to Friday, July 29th to August 2nd
Hours: 9:00 am to 3:00 pm
For: Children entering 1st to 4th grade
Cost: $210 member, $230 nonmember
Animals have many strategies for protecting themselves from predators. Camouflage may be one of the most intriguing forms of defense. In this week we will explore local animals such as the Northern Walking Stick, and the Wood Frog who have mastered this Chameleon like technique. We will also have many chances to test out our own disguises, through crafts, games, and hidden adventures!
Forest of Mysteries
Dates:Monday to Friday, July 29th to August 2nd
Hours: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
For: Children entering 5th to 8th grade
Cost: $300 member, $325 nonmember (includes van transportation)
Every forest tells a tale of its past inhabitants, both animal and human. In this camp we’ll investigate these mysteries, dissecting the meaning behind stone walls, giant trees, abandoned buildings, and other features of the landscape. We’ll visit interesting sites around Vermont and unravel the stories of our forests’ pasts.
Nature Detectives (camp full, waitlist only)
Dates: Monday to Friday, August 5th to August 9th
Hours: 9:00 am to 3:00 pm
For: Children entering 1st to 4th grade
Cost: $210 member, $230 nonmember
A hike through the woods will turn up many mysteries. In this camp we will solve some of nature’s riddles. Who left those tracks in the mud? Why is that tree growing sideways? What animals are hiding in the beaver pond? In this camp we will look for clues to lead us to answer these mysteries and more.
Becoming Animals (AM Session - Full, PM Session - space available)
Dates: Monday to Friday, August 5th to August 9th
Hours: 9:00 am to 12:00 pm or 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
For: Pre-school children ages 4 to 5 (entering Kindergarten) fa
Cost: $110 member, $120 nonmember
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to fly like a bird or eat like a bear? How about chewing like a beaver? Every day this week we’ll become a different animal and explore their world through imaginative play! We’ll build dams, make nests, and dig dens as we become animals!
Camo Kids
Dates:Monday to Friday, August 12th to August 16th
Hours: 9:00 am to 12:00 pm - AM session only for this pre-school camp
For: Pre-school children ages 4 to 5 (entering Kindergarten)
Cost: $110 member, $120 nonmember
Have you ever wondered how some animals avoid predators? Join us as we explore the many ways animals trick each other. In the process we will use camouflage to disguise ourselves in the forests and fields around the Nature Center. Come seek adventure, play games and blend in.
How to Register
Registration can be submitted by mail or by telephone with a credit
card. Please make checks payable to “North Branch Nature Center”.
Full payment in advance is required, except by prior arrangement. You can download a registration form, or call to request one of our brochures. Send
your registration form and payment to North Branch Nature Center, 713
Elm Street, Montpelier, VT 05602 or call (802) 229-6206. Upon receipt
of registration and full payment, we will send you a confirmation letter
with detailed camp information.
Post-Camp Child Care
Day camp hours vary, please see camp descriptions for times. Children may be dropped off 15 minutes before the camp starts. Post-camp care is available during full-day camp sessions until 5:00 pm ($12/day). After-hours care is an informal extension of camp activities; it is supervised free time including games, reading, art projects and other informal activities. We can accept only a limited number of children each week, so please be sure to register for this service.
Campership Fund
A week of nature center camp can be the real highlight of a child's
summer, an opportunity to learn and explore in an environment very
different from school. The Campership Fund allows families with limited
financial means to send their children to summer camp, providing partial
and full scholarships to children who otherwise could not participate
in our camps. Although we receive some corporate donations, much of
the Campership Fund comes from contributions from individuals like
you. If you need financial support to send your child to a North Branch
Nature Center camp, please contact us. If you can, please contribute
to our Campership Fund. You can help make a child's summer special!
Cancellation Policy
Refunds are subject to a $20 non-refundable processing fee and will be given according to the following schedule:
* If requested at least one month before the first day of camp, you will receive a full refund (less the processing fee).
* If requested between one month and two weeks before the first day of camp, you will receive a 50% refund (less the processing fee).
* If requested less than two weeks before the first day of camp, we will be unable to issue a refund.
Every year, unfortunately, children are turned away from our camps due to lack of available room. The more notice we have of cancellation, the better our ability to fill that space with another interested child. If your child is ill or, for any reason, misses one or more days of camp, we will not be able to provide a partial refund. Send registration form and full payment to:
North Branch Nature Center
713 Elm Street
Montpelier, VT 05602
(802) 229-6206
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