Get ready for Summer Camp!

The Environmental Education team is gearing up for a summer full of outdoor exploration and adventures. Day campers from preschool through 8th grade can explore our parks, local green spaces and features of our city with the energetic and professional Summer Camp Staff at all three branches of the Urban Ecology Center. There are so many exciting things to do! We will build forts, hike, explore habitats, find creatures, bike, paddle our local waters, visit the Lake Michigan shore, beaches and much more. Specially-created camps also lead campers on ‘treasure’ hunts, fishing excursions, birding ventures, creating engineering feats, jumping into our favorite books and becoming artists.

So many camps and so much to do!

Join us for adventures one week at a time, or check out our six-week camps for Kindergarten through second grades. For the fifth through eighth graders, experience weeklong excursions that include overnight camping mid-summer - learn the basics of camping, paddling and exploring, then put them to the test; or become pros with our three-week outdoor adventures program. “One of the best parts of camp is allowing our campers the freedom to explore and create their own adventures," says Chad Thomack, Environmental Educator and Outdoor Adventurer.

Exploring in nature, building friendships, and so much more.

Urban Ecology Center is bringing back childhood through engaging outdoor activities and explorations. Campers have the opportunities to explore outdoors and the freedom to choose their own activities and take advantage of the benefits of play, like strong relationships with peers and their environment. Spaces like "the Willow", a tree in Riverside Park, play host for exploration and niches where campers can play and discover through climbing, building forts, digging for worms, making homes for animals and swinging on swings we put up. “I'm looking forward to cultivating student relationships, both to their environment and to each other, that uniquely emerge from exploring and playing in nature together all day every day!" says Ashley Alred, Environmental Educator.

Summer Camp at the Urban Ecology Center has new discoveries around every corner as we enrich and spark the curiosities of kids of all ages and inspire children as stewards of our neighborhoods and the environment. We look forward to expecting the unexpected, encountering the wonders of nature, honing outdoor skills, benefitting from the wealth of priceless local experiences and following where the wind takes us and our campers!

Summer Camp Registration is now open. Register HERE!

Scholarships are available based on need.