Houston Botanic Garden Launches First Summer Camp
BotaniCamp features a variety of ecosystem adventures that will leave children feeling on top of the natural world.
Image: Melissa Wong
New for 2021, Houston Botanic Garden presents BotaniCamp, an eight-week, plant-centric nature camp for children ages 5-10 entering K-5th grade. The sensory and enquiry-driven curriculum will present many opportunities to go beyond just observation. Each week’s theme will help campers connect with plants through thoughtful and diverse lessons and hands-on activities. Campers will plant, grow, and interact with natural environments while working with scientists and subject matter experts.
Campers will be placed in pods of no more than 10 children each, separated by age/grade level: 5-6, 7-8, 9-10.
Camp runs Monday-Friday, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Cost is $205/child per week.
BotaniCamp will allow children to unleash their creativity as nature inspires their art and play.
Image: Sonja Gee
Register online today: hbg.org/learn/summercamp
June 21-25
Sow & Grow campers will grow and tend plants while learning about nutrition and healthy eating. They will gain an appreciation for the importance of plants as they use them to create colorful and delicious meals.
June 28-July 2
Water Ways campers will investigate the health of our bayous and other bodies of water. They will identify and observe the inhabitants of aquatic environments, such as turtles in our ponds and herons fishing along the bayou. All will explore the role of water in our lives and our ecosystems.
July 5-9
Create in Nature campers will unleash their innate creativity and allow nature to inspire their art. They will paint, draw, sculpt, tell stories, create music, and dance, using nature as a backdrop.
July 12-16
Potions & Provisions campers will explore several aspects of ethnobotany, the study of using plants for traditional medicine. Campers will locate and sample local edible plants and learn to identify harmful species. They will also create their own plant extracts.
July 19-23
Birds of the Bayou campers will learn about our avian friends, beginning with locating and identifying birds in various habitats. Campers will investigate how and what birds eat. They will crack secrets of migration and learn how birds survive in extreme situations.
July 26-30
Sow & Grow campers will grow and tend plants while learning about nutrition and healthy eating. They will gain an appreciation for the importance of plants as they use them to create colorful and delicious meals.
August 2-6
Ecosystem Adventures campers will become junior explorers and do-it-yourself pioneers. They will practice survival skills, from finding food and clean water to creating serviceable shelters to basic first aid. They will identify local edible plants and discover what can be used in medical emergencies.
August 9-13
Create in Nature campers will unleash their innate creativity and allow nature to inspire their art. They will paint, draw, sculpt, tell stories, create music, and dance, using nature as a backdrop.
