If your kid is into nature, the Muscatine County Conservation Board welcomes area youngsters from preschool to eighth grade to participate in one of six summer nature camps slated to begin in June at Discovery Park in Muscatine.
The annual camps help youngsters get in touch with nature, according to Katie Hammond, director of the park located at 3300 Cedar Street just off Route 61.
A pair of full-time naturalists, Michelle Burns and Luke Hart, will conduct the camps that will include outdoor exploration, hikes, games, stories and crafts in what Hammond calls “simply a lot of fun.”
The pair works with volunteers as each camp is geared for specific age groups.
– Polywog Playtime Camp is for children 18 months to three years of age and will include a number of water activities this year.
There are two different sessions – from 9-10 a.m. and 10:30-11 a.m. The five sessions begin June 17 and continue July 1, 15, 29, as well as Aug. 12.
Each session, which requires an adult, is separate and will focus on things like forest, creek stomping, icky insects and wiggly worms.
– Knee High Naturalists camp is for youngsters ages 4-5.
Again, with two one-hour sessions beginning at 9 and 10:30 a.m. The camp begins with a water session on June 19 and continues June 24, July 8 and 22, as well as Aug. 5, focusing on the same exercises as the Polywog Playtime camp.
– Chipmunk Camp is for kids who just completed kindergarten or first grade and begins June 18 and continues July 2, 9, and 16.
The three-hour sessions begin at 9 a.m. and focus on discovering birds, water, reptiles and prairies.
– Kestrel Camp is for students who just completed second or third grade and begins June 19.
The three-hour camp that begins at 9 a.m. will include sessions on discovering water, birds, reptiles and prairies. It continues on July 11 and 18 as well as Aug. 5.
– Otter Camp is for kids who just completed fourth or fifth grade and is another three-hour camp that begins at 9 a.m. on July 11, with additional sessions on July 18 and Aug. 8 when kids will explore birds, reptiles and prairies.
Campers will also take a trip to the Big Mound Nature Preserve near Muscatine on Aug. 8.
– Outdoor Recreation Camp also includes a trip to Big Sand Mound with its opening session on June 21 and the five-hour camp that begins at 9 a.m. will focus on survival techniques in its final two sessions on June 18 and July 19.
Hammond said most of the classes gather at the Environmental Learning Center and range from $5-10 for each session. There are also maximum class sizes.
She said there are many families who utilize the camps annually and said experienced environmental enthusiasts are encouraged to aid the program as teachers.
She said the county as well as the conservation district fund the park while specific projects sometimes get state grants.
Although the facility boasts two stocked fishing lakes, the main focus of the park is the environmental learning center, where families can learn about reptiles and nature, as well as some of the natural history of the area.
Anyone interested in signing up for a camp should contact the board’s website at muscatinecountyconservation.com or call 563-264-5922.
In Other News…
The first Muscatine County Conservation Board “Spring Story Stroll” will take place Saturday, April 27, from 2-4 p.m., at Discovery Park in Muscatine.
Similar to the popular Halloween Story Stroll held in October, Director Katie Hammond says the spring event will start at the Environmental Learning Center, 3300 Cedar Street, as groups will be told stories of spring and nature while amateur actors portray roles and tell short stories at four different stations.