Many parents are starting to think about summer programs: One of the area favorites for so many children and parents are the Nature Adventure Camps at Columbus Metro Parks. These are one-week camps that offer a variety of nature experiences to keep kids busy and happy outdoors in the summer months. The programs are offered by grade, so choose the grade your child will have just completed, not the one they will enter in the fall. Most programs run 8:30am-4:30pm Monday through Thursday with a short day Friday, ending at 12:30. Programs for the smallest children may be half-days all week, check the Metro Parks website for full details about which parks offer which camps and to register. If you’re interested, register soon, as camps fill up fast!
2017 Metro Parks Nature Adventure Camps
Peek-a-Boo and Nature Too
Preschool – Ages 3-5, kids must be toilet trained but are not Kindergarten ready
Camp will include games, crafts, stories, short walks, creeking, and more. Activities will be a mix of indoors and outdoors.
June 19-23 at 8:30am-11:30am or 1:00pm-4:00pm Mon-Fri
July 10-14 at 8:30-11:30am or 1:00-4:00pm Mon-Fri
Fee $75.00
Nature and Me
Grade K, for those who have completed Kindergarten
Explore the different classes of animal such as mammals, birds, and fish with games, crafts, stories, short walks, creeking, and more. Activities will be a mix of indoor and outdoor.
June 12-16 at 8:30-11:30am Mon-Fri
June 26-30 at 1:00-4:00pm Mon-Fri
Fee $75.00
Creature Features
Grades 1-3, for those who have completed grades 1, 2, or 3
Kids compare their own skills to those of animals at running, jumping, flying (not really), balancing, and even staring! A smell scavenger hunt, tag, high jump, creeking, fishing, hiking, and a cookout are all included at most camps.
June 12-16 at 8:30am-4:00pm Mon-Fri
June 19-23 at 8:30am-4:00pm Mon-Fri
June 26-30 at 8:30am-4:00pm Mon-Fri
July 17-21 at 8:30am-4:00pm Mon-Fri
July 24-28 at 8:30am-4:00pm Mon-Fri
Fee $130.00
Metro Parks Explorers
Grades 4- 6, for those who completed grades 4, 5, or 6
Day trips to different parks to climb a rock wall, fishing and archery, GPS fun, and a day at Battelle Darby Creek exploring the water and animals who live there, and a day at Slate Run Living Historical Farm. Transportation, swimming, hiking, and a cookout at most parks are included.
June 12-16 at 8:30am-4:00pm Mon-Fri
June 19-23 at 8:30am-4:00pm Mon-Fri
June 26-30 at 8:30am-4:00pm Mon-Fri
July 10-14 at 8:30am-4:00pm Mon-Fri
July 17-21 at 8:30am-4:00pm Mon-Fri
July 24-28 at 8:30am-4:00pm Mon-Fri
Fee $145.00
Blast from the Past
Grades 4- 6, for those who completed grades 4, 5, or 6
An introduction to old-fashioned games and crafts. Make your own butter, use Indian symbol rocks to tell a story, win a potato sack relay race and more. Creeking, hiking, fishing, and a cookout are included.
July 31-August 4 at 8:30am-4:00pm Mon-Fri
Fee $130.00
Teen Adventurers
Grades 7- 9, for those who have completed grades 7, 8, or 9
Teens combine volunteer work with outdoor fun. Volunteer work includes activities such as painting picnic shelters, tables, and benches; litter clean-up of waterways by canoe; and other activities as needed. The fun stuff includes backpacking through Clear Creek, kayaking Scioto Grove, and climbing the rock wall at Scioto Audobon. Fishing, creeking, and making a walking stick are also included.
July 17-21 at 8:30am-4:00pm Mon-Fri
July 24-28 at 8:30am-4:00pm Mon-Fri
Fee $115.00.
GRANDcamp and Me
Grades 1-5, for those who have completed grades 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5
Grandparents and grandchildren register to attend TOGETHER, and participate in Creature Feature hands-on activities. Creeking, archery, and a cookout are included.
July 10-14 at 9:00am-noon Mon-Thurs, 9:00am-1:00pm Friday
Fee $40.00.
Please note: The dates and times were correct and available at time of publishing, but weather, budgets, and facility availability DO affect Metro Park schedules, so please check with the Metro Parks through the link provided for up-to-the-minute information before making your plans. Thank you!
