It may look like just fun and games, but deep connections to the environment are made minute by minute at Nature Center Nature Camps. Through daily outdoor activities, songs, games, crafts, hikes, and embracing children’s universal passions to build forts, sneak, and play unstructured in the woods, nature campers connect to the outdoors, and science naturally comes along for the ride. Camps are designed for children entering 1st-5th grades and a special middle school camp week at Bear Creek and Fountain Creek Nature Centers for students entering 6-8th grades.
Nature Camp Registration
Registration Opens: January 31, 2026, 8:00AM
Camp registration take place entirely online. Set yourself up for success by creating an account now and inputting all of your children’s information so you are ready to go when registration opens! For help with the online registration system, click the ‘Account Setup & Registration Help’ button below.
For members, military families, and scholarships, you will still need an online account. Discounts can now be automatically applied online. Please call Kylee Taylor at Bear Creek Nature Center at 719-520-6972 or Victoria Dinkel at Fountain Creek Nature Center at 719-520-6767 before registration day to have your account updated and your discount applied for future programs.
Aged out of Nature Camp? Return as a Nature Camp Assistant!
Nature Camp Prices
Full Day Elementary Camp
9:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m.
$155 per member child
$165 per non member child
Full Day Middle School Camp
9:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m.
$165 per member child
$175 per non member child
Half-Day Camp
9:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.
$105 per member child
$115 per non member child
Scholarships Available
Our camp motto is, “No Child Left Inside.” If you are in need of financial assistance, please use one of the applications below to apply for a camp scholarship!
Bear Creek Nature Center Camps
Dates: June 1 – 5, 2026
Camp Type: Full Day, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Grades: For children entering 1st – 5th grades
The birds of Bear Creek are amazing! Become a birder during this weeklong camp as we learn about birds’ migration, adaptations, and diets as well as how to spot them!
Dates: June 15 – 19, 2026
Camp Type: Full Day, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Grades: For children entering 6th – 8th grades
Explore five “ologies” at Bear Creek Nature Center through hiking, research, guest presenters, scavenger hunts, and more! We’ll investigate geology, zoology, entomology, hydrology, and plantology. Dive deep into interesting topics and share your new knowledge. Adventure abounds in this week of Middle School Camp!
Dates: June 22 – 26, 2026
Camp Type: Half Day, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Grades: For children entering 1st – 5th grades
Whoa, water is amazing! This half-day camp is geared toward ages 6-8 as we learn all about the wonders of our watery world with fun, hands-on activities to spark a love of the of the outdoors.
Dates: July 6 – 10, 2026
Camp Type: Full Day 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Grades: For children entering 1st – 5th grades
Pollinators are powerful change makers in the natural world! Learn about hummingbirds, moths, bats, and more during this week of hands-on activities, experiments, hiking, and summertime fun.
Dates: July 20 – 24, 2026
Camp Type: Full Day, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Grades: For children entering 1st – 5th grades
The birds of Bear Creek are amazing! Become a birder during this weeklong camp as we learn about birds’ migration, adaptations, and diets as well as how to spot them!
Fountain Creek Nature Center Camps
Dates: March 23 – 27, 2026
Camp Type: Full Day, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Grades: For children enrolled in 1st – 5th grades
We’ve almost survived the school year, now it’s time to learn how to survive in the wild. Over the course of the week, campers will learn how to navigate themselves through the wilderness, build shelters and fires, and be able to identify dangers. By the end of the week, campers will feel more confident and secure when out in nature!
Dates: June 1 – 5, 2026
Camp Type: Full Day, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Grades: For children entering 1st – 5th grades
As most humans are wrapping up their day and closing their eyes for the evening, other animals are just waking up and getting started. Evenings in nature are filled with activity big and small! In this week of camp we’ll dive deep into the world of nocturnal animals and use our senses to understand how they navigate the world at night.
Dates: June 8 – 12, 2026
Camp Type: Half Day, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Grades: For children entering 1st – 5th grades
As most humans are wrapping up their day and closing their eyes for the evening, other animals are just waking up and getting started. Evenings in nature are filled with activity big and small! In this week of camp we’ll dive deep into the world of nocturnal animals and use our senses to understand how they navigate the world at night.
This camp is hosted by Fountain Creek Nature Center staff, but takes place at Fox Run Regional Park.
Dates: June 22 – 26, 2026
Camp Type: Full Day, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Grades: For children entering 1st – 5th grades
While most people shriek and shy away from bugs, we at Fountain Creek Nature Center love them! Campers will learn about all the important roles bugs play in our ecosystem, what tools they use to survive, and how to tell the difference between them during a week of exploring, searching for, and catching bugs!
Dates: July 6 – 10, 2026
Camp Type: Full Day, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Grades: For children entering 6th – 8th grades
This camp week for middle schoolers is a little more mature and relaxed. Team challenges, survival basics, fishing, and plant and animal identification get older children outdoors and thinking critically about the nature around them and the role they play in the world. Longer hikes and tougher lessons in a social setting set these older campers up for success.
Dates: July 27 – 31, 2026
Camp Type: Full Day, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Grades: For children entering 1st – 5th grades
We love ending summer with the camp that has all our favorite activities! Bug sweeps in the meadow, cattail boat races in the creek, and team shelter building in the woods are some of the activities that will get our hands dirty and our minds full. Every child should have these experiences in nature before they grow up!
