This information is from 2019. Check out Family Fun Vancouver Summer Camp Guide.
Does your child love being outdoors? Are they fascinated by insects, mesmerized by flowers, and curious about nature? The VanDusen Botanical Garden Summer Camps foster a love of the natural world and inspire youth to understand their role in ecosystems.
VanDusen Botanical Garden Summer Camps (presented by the Vancouver Botanical Gardens Association) are wildly popular, so they’ve opened up new sessions! Nature-based, interactive, educational, full-day camps for only $305 per week is a steal. You can register online, call (604-257-8443), or email (cmartin@vandusen.org).
Check out the summer camps available for 2019:
Aquatic Adventures – Whether peering into a pond, or touring VanDusen’s lakes and streams, campers will get to know the plants and animals that call the Botanical Garden home. This camp includes a field trip to Stanley Park. Participants will explore freshwater and saltwater ecosystems and splash around at the Stanley Park water park.
Budding Birders – Is your child a budding ornithologist? Campers will learn how how birds eat, fly and build nests. They will also learn to identify and observe birds using their ears and binoculars. This camp includes a field trip to the Bloedel Conservatory where the participants will explore the new Backyard Bird Garden and over 300 tropical birds who call the Conservatory home.
Bugs & Beyond – It’s time to get friendly with the creepy crawlies! Junior entomologists will explore ecology from the bugs-eye view: as pollinators, decomposers, predators, and prey. Campers will search under logs, in the pond, in a flower, or in the air for bugs. Together they will learn which critters are helpful, harmful, or edible to plants or people.
Dirt to Dinner – Food doesn’t grow in a grocery store! This camp will see kids getting their hands dirty and discovering what it takes to get a meal onto their plate. Campers will explore decomposition, experiment with soil pH, dissect seeds, and plant micro-greens. Every day participants will prepare and enjoy some delicious food together. Veggies, fruits, herbs and honey have never tasted so good! This camp includes a field trip to Bloedel Conservatory.
Eco Sleuths – This scientific scavenger hunt will have kids combing the Garden in search of clues. Who do these bones belong to? Where did all the seeds go? Campers will learn new investigative techniques such as water pH tests and plant dissections, and use tools such as compasses, maps, binoculars, and microscopes. This camp includes a field trip to Bloedel Conservatory.
Naturally Crafty Kids – The stunning VanDusen Botanical Garden will serve as inspiration for this craft-focussed camp. Crafty kids will make nature-based arts & crafts; activities will include print making, dyeing fabric with food scraps, paper making, and nature crowns. This camp includes a field trip to Bloedel Conservatory.
In order to participate in the VanDusen Botanical Garden Summer Camps children must have completed kindergarten. The Summer Camps are for children aged 5 – 10 years old.
VanDusen Botanical Garden Summer Camps:
Dates: July & August, 2019
Times: 9:30 am – 4pm (drop off available as of 9am)
Location: VanDusen Botanical Garden
Address: 5151 Oak Street, Vancouver
Website: vandusengarden.org/learn/camps
