It may look like just fun and games, but deep connections to the environment are made minute by minute at Nature Center Nature Camps. Through daily outdoor activities, songs, games, crafts, hikes, and embracing children’s universal passions to build forts, sneak, and play unstructured in the woods, nature campers connect to the outdoors, and science naturally comes along for the ride. Camps are designed for children entering 1st-5th grades and a special middle school camp week at Bear Creek and Fountain Creek Nature Centers for students entering 6-8th grades.
Nature Camp Registration
Registration Opens: January 25, 2025, 8:00AM
2025 Nature Camp registration will be entirely online. Set yourself up for success by creating an account now and inputting all of your children’s information so you are ready to go when registration opens! For help with the online registration system, click the ‘Account Setup & Registration Help’ button below.
For members, military families, and scholarships, you will still need an online account. Discounts can now be automatically applied online. Please call Kylee Taylor at Bear Creek Nature Center at 719-520-6972 or Victoria Dinkel at Fountain Creek Nature Center at 719-520-6767 before registration day to have your account updated and your discount applied for future programs.
Aged out of Nature Camp? Return as a Nature Camp Assistant!
Nature Camp Prices
Full Day Elementary Camp
9:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m.
$155 per member child
$165 per non member child
Full Day Middle School Camp
9:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m.
$165 per member child
$175 per non member child
Half-Day Camp
$105 per member child
$115 per non member child
Scholarships Available
Apply below
Bear Creek Nature Center Camps
Dates: March 24 – 28
Camp Type: Full Day 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Grades: For children entering 1st – 5th grades
Do you know what it means to be a Junior Naturalist? Come find out as we explore being artists, scientist, detectives, and stewards – all part of being Junior Naturalists! Enjoy the outdoors through creating, detecting, experimenting, and taking care of nature with your fellow Junior Naturalists.
Dates: June 2 – 6, 2025
Camp Type: Full Day 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Grades: For children entering 1st – 5th grades
Rocks, minerals, fossils, crystals…The history of Earth is told through rocks and Bear Creek Nature Center’s rocks have plenty of stories to tell us! A week of exploring geology through experiments in the stream, hikes to ancient sea floors, crafts and games.
Dates: June 16 – 20, 2025
Camp Type: Full Day 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Grades: For children entering 6th – 8th grades
Become a Master Naturalist at Bear Creek Nature Center with hiking, research, a science fair, games, archery, scavenger hunts and more! Dive deep into interesting topics and share your new knowledge. Adventure abounds in this week of Middle School Camp!
Dates: June 23 – 27, 2025
Camp Type: Full Day 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Grades: For children entering 1st – 5th grades
Do you know what it means to be a Junior Naturalist? Come find out as we explore being artists, scientist, detectives, and stewards – all part of being Junior Naturalists! Enjoy the outdoors through creating, detecting, experimenting, and taking care of nature with your fellow Junior Naturalists.
Dates: July 7 – 11, 2025
Camp Type: Half Day 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Grades: For children entering 1st – 3rd grades
Study a new “ology” each day during this introduction to the natural world! Geared toward ages 6-8, we will study hydrology, geology, plantology, entomology, and zoology with fun, hands-on activities to spark a love of the of the outdoors.
Dates: July 21 – 25, 2025
Camp Type: Full Day 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Grades: For children entering 1st – 5th grades
Rocks, minerals, fossils, crystals…The history of Earth is told through rocks and Bear Creek Nature Center’s rocks have plenty of stories to tell us! A week of exploring geology through experiments in the stream, hikes to ancient sea floors, crafts and games.
Fountain Creek Nature Center Camps
Dates: June 2 – 6, 2025
Camp Type: Full Day 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Grades: For children entering 1st – 5th grades
How do tadpoles become frogs? Where do the turtles and snakes go in the winter? Campers will learn the answers to these questions and more in a week dedicated to our cold-blooded counterparts: reptiles and amphibians. Interactive lessons, trail exploration, and meet-and-greets with our resident reptiles will make this a camp to remember!
Dates: June 9 – 13, 2025
Camp Type: Half Day 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Grades: For children entering 1st – 5th grades
How do tadpoles become frogs? Where do the turtles and snakes go in the winter? Campers will learn the answers to these questions and more in a week dedicated to our cold-blooded counterparts: reptiles and amphibians. Interactive lessons, trail exploration, and meet-and-greets with our resident reptiles will make this a camp to remember!
Dates: June 23 – 27, 2025
Camp Type: Full Day 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Grades: For children entering 1st – 5th grades
As most humans are wrapping up their day and closing their eyes for the evening, other animals are just waking up and getting started. Evenings in nature are filled with activity big and small! In this week of camp we’ll dive deep into the world of nocturnal animals and use our senses to understand how they navigate the world at night.
Dates: July 7 – 11, 2025
Camp Type: Full Day 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Grades: For children entering 6th – 8th grades
This camp week for middle schoolers is a little more mature and relaxed. Team challenges, survival basics, fishing, and plant and animal identification get older children outdoors and thinking critically about the nature around them and the role they play in the world. Longer hikes and tougher lessons in a social setting set these older campers up for success.
Dates: July 28 – August 1, 2025
Camp Type: Full Day 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Grades: For children entering 1st – 5th grades
We love ending summer with the camp that has all our favorite activities! Bug sweeps in the meadow, cattail boat races in the creek, and team shelter building in the woods are some of the activities that will get our hands dirty and our minds full. Every child should have these experiences in nature before they grow up!
