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Summer Camps 2023

Summer Camp Registration Now Open!

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We have a big summer ahead of us! Come out to Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium for our nature-focused summer camps. Explore our 105-acre forest, meet our live animals, watch planetarium shows, and more! 

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Summer Camp runs from 9:00 am-3:30 pm

Drop off is from 8:30-8:55 am

Pick up is from 3:30-4:00 pm

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Our camps are tailored to different age ranges each week. Please look at each week on our schedule to see which will be suited for your camper(s).

The grades listed are the ones your campers will be entering next fall, not the grade they completed in the spring.

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Pricing: $175/week members or $200/week non-members

(shorter camps are pro-rated)

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If you are unable to attend your week of summer camp, please contact us as soon as possible so we can see about transferring your registration to a different week. 

If you must cancel your registration, please contact us as soon as possible.

Our refund policy is as follows:

More than 2 weeks prior to camp: 75% refund

14 days to 48 hours prior to camp: 50% refund
Less than 48 hours prior to camp: 25% refund

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If you have any questions, have a problem during the registration process, or would like more information, please send an email here

 

Please fill out the application below to register your camper(s) online. Clicking the Submit button will automatically redirect you to the page where camp sessions can be purchased. To register additional campers, please return to this page and fill out the camper information form again. Your child will not be registered until both of these are completed!

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If the camp session you would like is already full, please email here to get on the waiting list. Additional sessions may be added based on interest, so please let us know!​

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The grades listed are the ones your campers will be entering next fall, not the grade they completed in the spring.

June 7th - 9th

1st - 3rd Grade

Nature Explorers 

Learn all about the plants and animals that call Southwest Florida home. We'll learn about a different group of living things each day as we explore the swamp, meet the animals who live on property, decorate flowerpots, and more! 

June 12th - 16th (FULL)

1st - 3rd Grade

Catching Critters 

Explore the woods and swamps of Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium with your insect jars and butterfly nets! Look for lizards, find frogs, and discover how to take care of turtles here at the nature center! 

June 19th - 23rd

1st - 3rd Grade

Predators and Prey 

Who eats who out in the wild? This week learn all about where food comes from, what animals eat and who eats them, and where you fit into the food chain! Explore the trails and swamp and see if you can see the food chain in action, and then come back to the nature center to learn what our animals eat! 

June 26th - 30th

1st - 4th Grade

Space Adventures!

Make your own constellations, build a sundial, and learn all about the planets! Discover what a star is made of, how big the solar system is, and what astronauts do in space! Look at the night sky in our planetarium and then learn how to find those stars outside at a star party! 

July 3rd, 5th-7th (closed July 4th)

1st - 3rd Grade

Nature Explorers 

Learn all about the plants and animals that call Southwest Florida home. We'll learn about a different group of living things each day as we explore the swamp, meet the animals who live on property, decorate flowerpots, and more! 

July 10th - 14th

1st - 3rd Grade

Catching Critters 

Explore the woods and swamps of Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium with your insect jars and butterfly nets! Look for lizards, find frogs, and discover how to take care of turtles here at the nature center! 

July 17th - 21st

1st - 3rd Grade

Predators and Prey 

Who eats who out in the wild? This week learn all about where food comes from, what animals eat and who eats them, and where you fit into the food chain! Explore the trails and swamp and see if you can see the food chain in action, and then come back to the nature center to learn what our animals eat! 

July 24th - 28th

1st - 3rd Grade

Space Adventures!

Make your own constellations, build a sundial, and learn all about the planets! Discover what a star is made of, how big the solar system is, and what astronauts do in space! Look at the night sky in our planetarium and then learn how to find those stars outside at a star party! 

(FULL) July 31st - August 4th

1st - 4th Grade

Outdoor Survival 

Do you know what to do if you're lost in the woods? Can you find shelter? Make a fire? Stay hydrated? Find your way through a swamp? Learn how to read a map, pack for a hiking trip and be prepared for adventuring in the outdoors! 

August 7th - 9th

1st - 3rd Grade

Calusa Nature: Greatest Hits 

Spend the last three days of summer playing in the woods, meeting our animals, watching planetarium shows, and discovering some of the best activities from camp as we wrap up our 2023 summer camp season and look forward to fun fall camps!

June 7th - 9th

4th - 6th Grade

Bird’s the Word 

What is a bird? Why do people like them so much? Learn all about bird adaptations like feathers, beaks, and hollow bones. Meet some of our raptors and learn how our animal team cares for them. Become a birder on our trails and start your own "life list" of birds! 

June 12th -16th

4th - 6th Grade

Stones and Bones 

Learn all about how animals are put together this week! Examine skulls to uncover secrets about the animals they came from, learn about what owls eat by identifying the bones in their pellets, discover how fossils tell us about what the past was like, and more!   

June 19th - 23rd

4th - 6th Grade

Junior Naturalists 

Discover what it's like to work at Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium this week! Help design animal enclosures, remove invasive species, and learn how to give a nature walk for your family and friends! 

June 26th - 30th

5th - 8th Grade

D.I.Y. Week

Patch your jeans, turn trash into treasure, make your own lunch, and more! We'll be breaking out the needles and thread, hammers and saws, and mixing bowls and hotplates to learn new skills and build some things at camp this week! 

July 3rd, 5th - 7th (closed July 4th)

4th - 6th Grade

Plant Detectives 

There are over 4000 species of plants in Florida. Learn to identify some of them as you walk our trails, collect specimens, and discover how plants grow in the varied environments of our subtropical state. Put your newfound skills to the test as you help clear invasive species from our trails and build your very own plant press. 

July 10th - 14th

4th - 6th Grade

Astronomical!

Build a telescope, touch a meteorite, discover how to tell time with the stars! Learn about upcoming launches, track satellites, help scientists discover planets around other stars, and talk to an astronomer about the work they do to help humans understand more about our universe! 

July 17th - 21st

4th - 6th Grade

Junior Naturalists 

Discover what it's like to work at Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium this week! Help design animal enclosures, remove invasive species, and learn how to give a nature walk for your family and friends! 

July 24th - 28th

4th - 6th Grade

Artists and Scientists 

Break out your pencils, paints, and clay! It's time to make some art using the natural world as our guide. Discover how artists and scientists work together to show people what's out there on earth and in space. At the end of the week, invite your family and friends to a private art show, with your work on display in the nature center! 

(FULL) July 31st - August 4th

5th - 8th Grade

Outdoor Survival 

Build shelters, start fires, find and cook food, purify water, and get a little lost in the woods as you put your survival skills to the test in our forest and swamp during this intense week of adventures. Learn how people have survived in Southwest Florida in the past, present, and future, and get prepared for your own adventures! 

August 7th - 9th

4th - 6th Grade

Calusa Nature: Greatest Hits 

Spend the last three days of summer playing in the woods, meeting our animals, watching planetarium shows, and discovering some of the best activities from camp as we wrap up our 2023 summer camp season and look forward to fun fall camps!

Camper Registration
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Emergency Contact

Important Information

If your camper will be dropped off and/or picked up by anyone other than those listed above, please include their information below:

I have read the description of the camp experience offered at Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium and understand that drop-off time is 8:30 - 9:00 am, pickup time 3:30 - 4:00 pm. Pickups after the end of the day will be charged by the 10-min increment ($5 for every 10 minutes past the designated pick-up time). I also understand that activities will be involved in my child's camp program; I find them acceptable for my child’s participation. I understand that my child's camp attendance is reliant on their ability to follow the behavioral guidelines, and that they can be removed from the program for behavioral concerns at the discretion of staff. Recognizing the educational benefits of this program to my child, and acknowledging that it is completely voluntary, I, the parent/guardian, do hereby agree to release, indemnify and hold harmless the Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium for any loss, injury or damage resulting directly or indirectly from my child's participation in this program. Pictures of the camp, not identifying my child by name, may be used online to illustrate camp activities and promote future camps. My acceptance and submission of this form constitutes my digital signature (paper waiver will be signed on the first day of camp).

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