Spaces Available (last updated 6-12-19)
Note: We are not able to update this daily, so please refer to the online registration system to confirm that there is space available in a specific camp. If a camp is full, we encourage you to join our waiting list online because spaces sometimes do open up as the summer progresses!
List of Camps by Week also available.
Minnows (ages 3-4)
INCHWORMS (1 SPOT LEFT!)
June 24-28, 9am-12pm, Alton Baker Park: Dig in the dirt, taste garden goodies, and hunt for creepy-crawlies in the Learnscape. Wiggle like worms, sing songs with a costumed Kinder Critter, and create colorful plant art!
KINDER COLORS (OVER HALF FULL!)
July 1-5 (No camp July 4th), 9am-12pm, Alton Baker Park: Have a different color of fun every day in the wonderland of our garden and park. Pick petals, mix mud, and create with paints made from plants. Play color matching games and sing rainbow songs!
SNEAK AND SOAR! (OVER HALF FULL!)
July 22-26, 9am-12pm, Alton Baker Park: Sprout a fox tail or grow bird wings as you pretend to be an animal in our Learnscape! Play garden hide and seek, splash in the water, and crawl into shady tunnels in the Learnscape’s Nest. Get your face painted and dance on our new Star Stage with a costumed Kinder Critter!
MUDDY BUDDIES
July 29-August 2, 9am-12pm, Alton Baker Park: Investigate the hidden world below your feet. Dig in the dirt, build castles in our sandbox, and create with clay. Plant seeds in the garden and make mud pies in our Beaver Dam play space!
WIGGLERS AND WADDLERS (ALMOST HALF FULL!)
August 19-23, 9am-12pm, Alton Baker Park: Quack, chomp, ribbit! Check out who’s moving and grooving in and near the water in our park. Create puddles to play in and tell wiggly water tales. Dance with a costumed Kinder Critter!
Dragonflies (ages 4-5)
BUDS AND BERRIES (ALMOST HALF FULL!) (*3 day camp June 19-21 due to extended school year)
June 19-21, 9am-12pm, Alton Baker Park: Spring your way into summer with fun in our Learnscape Garden. Make flower salads, go on berry hunts, and make mud pies. Create garden chimes, sing sunshine songs, and crawl through tunnels in the Cave of Wonders!
HOOT, HOWL & HUM (CAMP FULL — Sign up for wait list!)
June 24-28, 9am-12pm, Alton Baker Park: Celebrate the sounds of summer in this naturally noisy camp. Hoot like an owl, howl like a coyote, and hum like a bee. Tap out tunes with drummer Rhian Arp and work together to create music from recycled and natural materials. End the week with a concert on our new Star Stage! Combine this camp with Pond Nymphs in the afternoon and free Lunch Care for an all-day experience!
POND NYMPHS (ALMOST HALF FULL!)
June 24-28, 1-4 pm, Alton Baker Park: Meet the cool critters in the water web of life. Go pond dipping, play in the Learnscape Beaver Dam, and explore the park on a heron watch. Do the Frog Hop with Frannie the costumed Kinder Critter! Combine this camp with Hoot, Howl & Hum in the morning and free Lunch Care for an all-day experience!
FLUTTER AND FLOAT (ALMOST HALF FULL!)
July 1-5 (No camp July 4th), 9am-12pm, Alton Baker Park: Get up and go as you look for critters that float on water or flutter through air. Build a mini boat from natural materials, catch bugs, watch birds in the Learnscape Nest, and create fanciful wings.
FEATHERED FRIENDS (1 SPOT LEFT!)
July 8-12, 9am-12pm, Alton Baker Park: Get to know the birds that fly in the sky nearby. Check out real feathers and nests, explore bird habitats, learn beak techniques, and hear fine-feathered stories. Sing like a bird, build a kid-sized nest, and visit with our Kinder Critter, Ollie the Owl! Combine this camp with Color Crazy in the afternoon and free Lunch Care for an all-day experience!
COLOR CRAZY (2 SPOTS LEFT!)
July 8-12, 1-4 pm, Alton Baker Park: Go wild with colors! Make mini murals to hang in Learnscape’s Pollinator’s Playground and create finger paints from flowers. Build a bright critter creation to take home and meet a colorful Kinder Critter. Combine this camp with Feathered Friends in the morning and free Lunch Care for an all-day experience!
MAMMAL MIA!
July 15-19, 9am-12pm, Alton Baker Park: Beavers and squirrels and moles, oh my! Learn all about park mammals as you hunt for hidden homes, search for tracks and traces, tell critter tales, and create wild animal art. Enjoy a visit with naturalist David Walp and check out his awesome pelt collection.
WHO’S HIDING? (1 SPOT LEFT!)
July 22-26, 9am-12pm, Alton Baker Park: Search gardens, meadows, ponds, and forests for hiding creatures. Play camouflage games and create critter crafts. Meet live reptiles and amphibians during a visit from the Herpetological Society!
MAGIC FOREST (2 SPOTS LEFT!)
July 29-August 2, 9am-12pm, Alton Baker Park: Explore the magical world of a mystical green, growing forest. Hear tall tree tales in the Hazelnut Hollow and make wood gnomes from forest finds. Build fairy houses and name your favorite park tree.
BUGS BY THE BILLIONS (CAMP FULL — Sign up for wait list!)
August 5-9, 9am-12pm, Alton Baker Park: Explore ponds, look under logs, and swing nets through meadows as you hunt for creepy-crawlies of all shapes and colors. Create insect art from recycled materials and do the Dragonfly Dance!
RAINBOW GARDENERS (CAMP FULL — Sign up for wait list!)
August 12-16, 9am-12pm, Alton Baker Park: Discover how the sun helps our garden grow like a rainbow! Eat zesty garden snacks, make rainbows with water, and sing a spectrum of songs. Tell colorful tales, check out our Sunflower Forest, and paint with dyes made from garden and forest plants. Combine this camp with Water Wonders in the afternoon and free Lunch Care for an all-day experience!
WATER WONDERS (HALF FULL!)
August 12-16,1-4 pm, Alton Baker Park: Discover the wonders of water! Make drip sandcastles and splatter art. Experiment with our model watershed, play Poohsticks, and dance in the Learnscape sprinklers. Combine this camp with Rainbow Gardeners in the morning and free Lunch Care for an all-day experience!
BUSY BUILDERS (ALMOST HALF FULL!)
August 19-23, 9am-12pm, Alton Baker Park: Make nests, weave webs, and build beaver dams in this fun camp all about creative critters. Play with our giant blocks in Nature’s Builder’s Playspace, learn about earth-friendly human homes, and build your own miniature shelters using lessons learned from animals!
EARTHKEEPERS (ALMOST HALF FULL!)
August 26-30, 9am-12pm, Alton Baker Park: Bake with sunlight, build recycled art, and play Poohsticks at the park canal! Forage for garden goodies in the Learnscape, tell tales in the Squirrel Kitchen, and make tunes from trash.
Tree Frogs (ages 6-8)
CALL OF THE WILD (*3 day camp June 19-21 due to extended school year) (ONLY 2 SPOTS LEFT!)
June 19-21, 9am-4pm, Alton Baker Park: Release your inner actor, comedian, or musician in this fun nature theater camp! Act like animals, sing songs, and play theater games in the Hazelnut Hollow inspired by our favorite nature tales. Make music on our new Star Stage, create masks from recycled and natural materials, and explore the wild side of the park by canoe with Northwest Canoe Tours!
RIVER, RHYTHM & RHYME (CAMP FULL — Sign up for wait list!)
June 24-28, 9am-4pm, Alton Baker Park: Feel the beat! Create instruments from recycled stuff and get inspired by the river to rap rhymes on our new Star Stage. Learn dance moves, yoga flows, and drum beats with drummer Rhian Arp and go with the flow as you canoe in the canal with Northwest Canoe Tours.
LET’S GO! (CAMP FULL — Sign up for wait list!)
July 1-5 (No camp July 4th), 9am-12pm, Alton Baker Park: Bike, hike, and paddle your way to all corners of the park in this fun camp for kids who like to move! Spend two mornings biking, one hiking, and one canoeing with Northwest Canoe Tours. Note: Kids must be able to ride a bike without training wheels for a distance of one mile to take this camp. * You must have or borrow a helmet and a working bike for this camp. Bike loans may be possible on advance request. Combine this camp with Sun Catchers in the afternoon and free Lunch Care for an all-day experience!
SUN CATCHERS (3 SPOTS LEFT!)
July 1-5 (No camp July 4th), 1-4 pm, Alton Baker Park: Discover how the sun can power an oven, move model cars, and grow plants in our Pollinator’s Playground. Collect veggies in our Learnscape Garden and prepare a fresh feast, make art with shadows and light, create a solar still, and enjoy a visit from an expert beekeeper! Combine this camp with Let’s Go! in the morning and free Lunch Care for an all-day experience!
ROCK IT! (CAMP FULL — Sign up for wait list!)
July 8-12, 9am-4pm, Alton Baker Park: Dig deep into the shaky quaky science of Oregon geology! Hike to Fossil Beach, create volcanoes, splash in the Willamette, and play Mountain Melt. Spend one special day at Skinner Butte Park where you’ll visit the famous rock columns and learn the basics of climbing from City of Eugene Outdoor Program experts.
EXPLORE EN ESPAÑOL (CAMP FULL — Sign up for wait list!)
July 15-19, 9am-12pm, Alton Baker Park: Investigate the park and our gardens and learn the Spanish words for what you discover. Hike in the forest, go pond dipping, and canoe the canal with Northwest Canoe Tours! Combine this camp with Arte de la Tierra in the afternoon and free Lunch Care for an all-day experience!
ARTE DE LA TIERRA (CAMP FULL — Sign up for wait list!)
July 15-19, 1-4 pm, Alton Baker Park: Enjoy both art and nature in this fun bilingual Spanish/English camp. Build and create with everything from sticks to stones, clay to cones – all while learning in a second language! For extra fun, help spray paint a new stencil mural on our tool shed! Combine this camp with Explore en Español in the morning and free Lunch Care for an all-day experience!
CREEPY CRAWLY SLITHERY SLIMY (CAMP FULL — Sign up for wait list!)
July 22-26, 9am-4pm, Alton Baker Park: Snakes and lizards and spiders, oh my! Discover all that slithers, crawls, and creeps in the park. Check out real reptiles and amphibians up close during a visit from the Herpetological Society, create slippery slimy crafts, and weave a giant spider web!
MAGICAL MOUNT PISGAH (CAMP FULL — Sign up for wait list!)
July 29-August 2, 9am-4pm, Mount Pisgah Arboretum: Ever wonder how leaves change from green to glorious in the fall? How a tiny seed turns into a terrifically tall tree? Journey into the magic and mystery of nature as we explore the woodlands and waterways of Mount Pisgah. Play in the Coast Fork, do a Gnome Roam, and make fairy houses in the forest!
FOREST FORTS (SECOND SESSION OPENED!)
August 5-9, 9am-4pm, Alton Baker Park: Hunt for animal homes in the park and get inspired to build your own special shelters. Create forts from things you find in the forest and castles from recycled materials. Climb real trees with experts from the City of Eugene’s Outdoor Program!
NATURE TRAILS AND TALES (SECOND SESSION OPENED — BUT ONLY 3 SPOTS LEFT!)
August 12-16, 9am-4pm, Alton Baker Park: Discover how tracks and traces, stories in stones, and layers in land tell nature’s tales! Go on a fossil hunt, use maps to explore park trails, and enjoy stories told by Kalapuya Elder Esther Stutzman in Hazelnut Hollow. Navigate the park’s waterways by canoe with Northwest Canoe Tours.
WATER WORKS (SECOND SESSION OPENED!)
August 19-23, 9am-4pm, Alton Baker Park: Dive into a wet and wild world! Hike by the mighty Willamette River, play Mountain Melt, and have a canal race with mini hand-made boats. Build in our Learnscape Beaver Dam, experiment with our model watershed, and canoe in the canal with Northwest Canoe Tours!
HAPPY HARVESTERS (One spot just opened!)
August 26-30, 9am-4pm, Alton Baker Park: End the summer with a bunch of munchin’! Bake in a solar oven, create yummy garden recipes, and blend smoothies by bike. Build scarecrows, make silly veggie art, and compete in a rainbow salad making contest. Go on an adventure to Living Earth Farm and meet real life farmers and their critters!
Blue Herons (ages 8-11)
RAPTORS AND THE RIDGELINE (CAMP FULL — Sign up for wait list!)
June 24-26, 9am-4pm, Ridgeline Trail (morning) and Cascades Raptor Center (afternoon): Discover where raptors roam in real life as you hike and explore the Ridgeline Trail each morning with staff from Nearby Nature. In the afternoon, hang out with Cascades Raptor staff and learn about all things raptor through games, art, and meetings with real live raptors!
WHEELS & WINGS (CAMP FULL — Sign up for wait list!)
July 8-12, 9am-4pm, Alton Baker Park: Explore the Willamette riverside by bike and watch water wildlife at Delta Ponds and other local birding hot spots. Learn about native songbirds and raptors, check our nest collection, and make feathered masks. Canoe on the canal with Northwest Canoe Tours! *You must have or borrow a helmet and a working bike for this camp. Bike loans may be possible on advance request.
PEDAL POWER (CAMP FULL — Sign up for wait list!)
July 15-19, 9am-4pm, Alton Baker Park: Learn all about how bikes go as you explore along the Willamette River by bike. Visit the Center for Appropriate Transport and try out their amazing fleet of unusual bikes. Make bike part art and learn basic bike maintenance skills. Use maps to pedal yourself to some of Eugene’s best outdoor adventure spots! *You must have or borrow a helmet and working bike for this camp. Bike loans may be possible on advance request.
RIVER TALES & SCALES (2 SPOTS LEFT!)
July 29-August 2, 9am-4pm, Mount Pisgah Arboretum: Learn the salmon’s life story as we explore the hiking trails and waterways of Mount Pisgah. Check out real fish from the inside out with a Fish and Wildlife expert and catch bugs in the water — salmon’s dinner! Travel like a salmon from river to sea in a fun obstacle course and tell water tales while wading at special Willamette River Coast Fork splashing spots!
GARDEN GOURMETS (1 SPOT LEFT!)
August 5-9, 9am-4pm, Alton Baker Park: Slice, dice, mix, and mash your way through a week of tasty treats. Make paper you can plant, brew herbal teas, and roast veggies in a solar oven. Enjoy a camp cook-off and make butter with a visitor from Singing Creek Education Center.
WATER CYCLERS (2 SPOTS LEFT!)
August 12-16, 9am-4pm, Alton Baker Park: Ride the Willamette River bike paths in search of the best wading and rock stacking spots. Discover how human water use fits into nature’s water cycle on a tour of the Wastewater Treatment Plant. Learn about the river’s amazing journey from the mountains to the sea and enjoy your own wild ride on the Willamette as you raft the river with guides from the River House! *You must have or borrow a helmet and working bike for this camp. Bike loans may be possible on advance request.
LOOK OUT! (HALF FULL!)
August 19-23, 9am-4pm, Mount Pisgah Arboretum: It’s a dangerous world out there! Discover the cool ways that plants and animals protect themselves or their young, hunt their prey, and defend their territory. Find armored bugs, learn to identify perilous plants, and search for camouflaged critters as you explore the trails and waterways of Mount Pisgah. Cool off in the river and look out at the valley as you hike up in the hills!
Owls (ages 11-13)
OUT ON A LIMB
July 22-26, 9am-4pm, Alton Baker Park: Climb high, hike far, and branch out in this empowering nature adventure camp. Spend a day climbing in the trees at the Spencer Butte Challenge Course and discover secret off-trail exploring spots in Alton Baker Park. Practice mindfulness, take on team challenges, sharpen leadership skills, and solve tricky nature mysteries.
ROCK N’ ROLL (3 SPOTS LEFT!)
August 26-30, 9am-4pm, multiple locations/drop-off spots: Explore the Willamette River watershed by bike! Pedal on the Willamette River Bike Path, the Middle Fork Bike Path (near Dorris Ranch), and the Fern Ridge Bike Trail. Get up close and personal with rocks when you visit Skinner Butte Park to try climbing at the famous rock columns, taught by the City of Eugene’s Outdoor Program. Participation limited to those who have previously attended a Nearby Nature biking camp or whose biking skills can be verified by our instructor.