Campers experience a behind-the-scenes, hands-on adventure with our education and exhibit animals. Learn about our different animals and what it takes to properly care for them. Pre-registration is required.

Journey through our Solar System and beyond!  This camp will use the GeoGlobe, a digital interactive globe, to explore the unique characteristics of the planets, their moons, and other objects seen in our night sky.  We’ll also spend time outdoors exploring the fascinating characteristics of the planet we know best – the Earth! Spots are limited.

Based on our popular Nature Explorers preschool program, each day we’ll meet one of the Heard’s live animal ambassadors and take a nature hike to explore different habitats from wetlands and forests to prairie and ponds. We’ll also prowl through museum exhibits, participate in hands-on science activities, sing songs, listen to stories, and play nature themed-games! A simple snack (such as animal crackers, goldfish, or pretzels with a glass of water) will be served. Spots are limited.

Based on our popular Nature Explorers preschool program, each day we’ll meet one of the Heard’s live animal ambassadors and take a nature hike to explore different habitats from wetlands and forests to prairie and ponds. We’ll also prowl through museum exhibits, participate in hands-on science activities, sing songs, listen to stories, and play nature themed-games! A simple snack (such as animal crackers, goldfish, or pretzels with a glass of water) will be served. Spots are limited.

Journey through our Solar System and beyond!  This camp will use the GeoGlobe, a digital interactive globe, to explore the unique characteristics of the planets, their moons, and other objects seen in our night sky.  We’ll also spend time outdoors exploring the fascinating characteristics of the planet we know best – the Earth! Spots are limited.

Want more? Continue your adventure and discover even more about taking care of animals and enriching the lives of our animal ambassadors. Prerequisite: must have attended Keeper Camp 1. Pre-registration is required.

Campers experience a behind-the-scenes, hands-on adventure with our education and exhibit animals. Learn about our different animals and what it takes to properly care for them. Pre-registration is required.

Youth artists will follow in the footsteps of great artists such as Audubon, Beatrix Potter and Anna Atkins, with unique opportunities to create their own art inspired by nature and live animals. Each day, a different type of medium will be explored.

These weeklong Heard Summer Nature Camps will feature opportunities to delve into the wonders of nature on our 289-acre sanctuary, encounter animal ambassadors, investigate nature-themed topics, and more! Spots are limited.

Camp Barn Owl Topics

• Feathered Friends
  Do all birds lay eggs and make nests? What is migration and what bird makes the longest one? How are feather similar to and different from hair on mammals and scales on reptiles? Find out the answer to these and other questions about our feathered friends and spend some time watching the ones that make our sanctuary their home.
• Terrific Trees
  Around our area we see trees almost every day. In addition to learning about trees that grow on our sanctuary, we’ll explore the parts of trees and what amazing thing they can do in their leaves. We’ll also count some tree rings and find out what they can tell us about the past.
• Animal Champions
  Scientists have sorted living things into several different kingdoms. What are they, and what makes an animal an animal? We’ll also explore some of the most amazing animal facts – who runs fastest, jumps highest, moves slowest, lives longest, and carries the heaviest load, etc.
• Weather Wise
  Be a junior meteorologist and make your own weather observations like air temperature and wind speeds. We’ll also explore a variety of different weather phenomena from clouds to tornados.
• Nature Journaling
  Much of what we know about nature comes from observations made by naturalists in their journals. Following in their footsteps, we’ll make our own nature journals and use them to record things we find and see during camp.

These weeklong Heard Summer Nature Camps will feature opportunities to delve into the wonders of nature on our 289-acre sanctuary, encounter animal ambassadors, investigate nature-themed topics, and more! Spots are limited.

Camp Barn Owl Topics

• Feathered Friends
  Do all birds lay eggs and make nests? What is migration and what bird makes the longest one? How are feather similar to and different from hair on mammals and scales on reptiles? Find out the answer to these and other questions about our feathered friends and spend some time watching the ones that make our sanctuary their home.
• Terrific Trees
  Around our area we see trees almost every day. In addition to learning about trees that grow on our sanctuary, we’ll explore the parts of trees and what amazing thing they can do in their leaves. We’ll also count some tree rings and find out what they can tell us about the past.
• Animal Champions
  Scientists have sorted living things into several different kingdoms. What are they, and what makes an animal an animal? We’ll also explore some of the most amazing animal facts – who runs fastest, jumps highest, moves slowest, lives longest, and carries the heaviest load, etc.
• Weather Wise
  Be a junior meteorologist and make your own weather observations like air temperature and wind speeds. We’ll also explore a variety of different weather phenomena from clouds to tornados.
• Nature Journaling
  Much of what we know about nature comes from observations made by naturalists in their journals. Following in their footsteps, we’ll make our own nature journals and use them to record things we find and see during camp.