Weeks: 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9
Half day: 9 am - 11:45 am

Give your younger children their first taste of summer camp in this specially designed program. Each day your child will learn about a new nature topic from frogs to fish. Through circle time, meeting live animals, crafts and hikes your child will gain appreciation and love for nature.

$110 Member, $130 Nonmember
Week 4 - $88 Member, $105 Nonmember

Meets All Weeks
Half day: 9 am - 11:45 am

Discover the outdoor world! Hiking, pond dipping, insect catching and bird watching, these are just a few of the adventures your child will have at camp. Each day will include circle time, craft, snack and lots of time outside as they learn about a new nature topic.

$110 Member, $130 Nonmember
Week 4 - $88 Member, $105 Nonmember

$230 Member, $250 Nonmember

Meets ALL Weeks
Full day camp: 9 am - 4 pm
4 days of Fieldtrips

Explore a different ecosystem every day as we travel around the Nature Center, Southeastern CT and Rhode Island to explore beaches, rivers, meadows, wetlands and forests. During our travels, campers will have opportunities to catch frogs, crabs, salamanders, bird watch, climb on rocks and ledges, shimmy up trees, get wet, play games, make new friends and much more.

$245 Member, $290 Nonmember
Week 4 - $195 Member, $230 Nonmember

Meets ALL Weeks
Full day camp: 9 am - 4 pm
5 days of fieldtrips

Session 8 is separated into boys only & girls only groups

Embark on new adventures every day as we travel to fascinating destinations to hike, catch frogs, fish and crabs, search for salamanders and birds, climb rocks and learn more about the natural world and our place in it.

Weeks: 3, 5, 6,
Full day camp: 9 am - 4 pm

Week 3 includes the challenges of a low ropes course, rock climbing and mountain biking. Friday we’ll head to the beach for the day to do some boogie boarding and swimming. Campers are expected to bring their own bike and helmets (call for advice on where to rent or borrow if necessary.)

The week 5 adventure starts with kayaking the Wood River, and then a high ropes course with a Thursday overnight at Mount Misery. You’ll end the week relaxing at the beach!

On the Week 6 expedition, spend Monday and Tuesday exploring the local area and preparing for North Western Massachusetts. On Wednesday travel up to Savoy Mountain State Forest for camping and hiking followed on Thursday by white water rafting! Friday morning explore Monroe Forest before returning to the Nature Center.

Weeks 3 and 5:
Entering Grades 7 - 9
Cost: $375 Member, $440 Nonmember
Week 6:
Entering Grades 8 - 10
Cost: $400 Member, $465 Nonmember

Week: 4
Full day camp: 9 am - 4 pm

On Monday, campers will learn the basics of canoeing and how to pack for a float trip. Spend 3 days and 2 nights paddling the Pawcatuck River. Each night we will make camp along the banks.

$400 Member; $465 Nonmember

Week: 7
Full day camp: 9 am - 4 pm

Enjoy a week of water as we travel from Rhode Island beaches to the
Farmington River and beyond. Highlights include tubing in the Farmington River, deep sea fi shing in Long Island Sound and travel to a“natural” water park called Brown Stone Quarry.

$375 Member, $440 Non-Member

Week: 8
Full day camp: 9 am - 4 pm

Learn the essentials of how to survive in the wild from DPNC’s own Survivor Man, Steve. Build debris shelters, start campfires, identify and sample wild edibles. Test your skills during a two night camping adventure hike from Lantern Hill to Green Falls.

$375 Member, $440 Nonmember

Week: 9
Full day camp: 9 am - 4 pm

Hiking, swimming and camping out, it’s Boys Only, Girls Only this week. The overnight will be at Mashamoquet Brook State Park in Pomfret, CT.

$315 Member, $370 Nonmember

Spend the week investigating the world of rocks, minerals, earthquakes, volcanoes, glaciers, fossils and lots of other fascinating geological features. A few highlights include starting a rock collection, breaking open geodes, creating our own volcanoes and a trip to Glacier Park in Ledyard.

$130 Member, $150 Nonmember

Week: 5
Half day camp: 9 am - 11:45 am

From hawks to hummingbirds, learn all about our diverse local bird species. During the week campers will look for wild birds at the Nature Center and on fieldtrips, start a bird journal, and meet and interact with our resident birds.

$130 Member, $150 Nonmember

Week 7
Half day camp: 9 am - 11:45 am
Offered in conjunction with the Mystic Arts Center

Instructors from the Mystic Arts Center and the Nature Center have put together a wonderful week combining art and nature. Natural collages, nature journaling, and painting will be just the beginning. Please register at the Nature Center.

Class meets at the Nature Center Monday, Wednesday, Friday
and at the Art Center on Tuesday and Thursday

$130 Member, $150 Nonmember

Week 7
Half day camp: 9 am - 11:45 am

Frogs croak, foxes scream, robins sing and raindrops patter. Nature is full of fascinating noises. Spend the week learning to listen to nature’s sounds and learn to create your own! Highlights of the week include making natural instruments and rain sticks, recording our own sounds and meeting many different noisy animals.

$130 Members, $150 Non-Members

Week 10
Half day camp: 9 am - 11:45 am

From tiny mosses to giant white pines, this week is all about the fascinating flora that surrounds us. Leaf printing t-shirts, flower pressing, discovering wild edibles, learning how animals use plants and a fieldtrip to Connecticut College’s Arboretum are just a few of the week’s highlights.

$130 Member, $150 Nonmember

Week 4
Full day camp: 9 am - 4 pm
3 days of Fieldtrips

Water is wonderful! Each day we will experience water in a different way and in a different ecosystem including ponds, oceans, wetlands and waterfalls. We will also learn more about the unique properties water and why it is essential to life.

$195 Member, $230 Nonmember

Weeks 5 or 10
Full day camp: 9 am - 4 pm
4 days of Fieldtrips

A whole week of reptiles and amphibians! In addition to meeting native and a few non-native herps, we’ll set-up turtle traps, go frog catching, search for snakes and go on fieldtrips to see what reptiles and amphibians we can find.

$245 Member, $290 Nonmember

Session: 6
Full day camp: 9 am - 4 pm
Fieldtrips most days

Learn to navigate the woods with ease as we spend the week orienteering, letterboxing, geo-caching and tracking. Complete the week with a treasure hunt.

$195 Member, $230 Nonmember

Session: 6
Full day camp: 9 am - 4 pm
5 days of Fieldtrips

Southern New England is fortunate to have miles of beautiful coastline. Each day explore new areas where land meets sea. From Rocky Neck State Park to Ninigret Wildlife Refuge and points in between, we will seine, hike, catch crabs and more.

$245 Member, $290 Nonmember

Week 6 (3 Days - Wed, Thurs, Fri)
Full day camp: 9 am - 4 pm
Overnight on Thursday

Jealous of all the fun your kids are having at Summer Camp? This week, you can come along and have fun seining, pond dipping, bird watching, playing games and spending time together as we travel to some of our favorite destinations. Thursday night is a camping overnight!

$200 Member, $250 Nonmember
Each Additional Child
$50 Member, $75 Nonmember

Week 8
Full day camp: 9 am - 4 pm
3 days of Fieldtrips

A week of dinosaur discoveries awaits you. Learn about the different major groups of dinosaurs, when they lived and the theories behind their extinction. Included are fieldtrips to Dinosaur State Park in Rocky Hill, a trip to see dinosaur skeletons at the Peabody Museum in New Haven and a trip to the Nathan Lester House in Ledyard to see a local dinosaur foot print.

$245 Member, $290 Nonmember

Week 9
Full day camp: 9 am - 4 pm
4 days of Fieldtrips

Big bugs and little bugs - spend the week investigating the world of insects and their arthropod friends. Catch butterflies, set beetle traps, search for millipedes, learn why insects are so important and maybe even try a few edible ones!

$245 Member, $290 Nonmember

Week 11
Full day camp: 9 am - 4 pm
4 days of Fieldtrips

Local waters teem with amazing fish. Experience all aspects of fishing from fresh water to salt and gathering bait to landing a whopper. We will also go crabbing, clamming, deep sea fishing, make fish print t-shirts and spend time in and around the water.

$290 Member / $335 Nonmember