Look for 2024 Camp registration dates and information coming in January!
Explorers Adventures Camp
Children Entering Grades 3-7
9:00 am - 3:00 pm Knobloch Family Farmhouse
Campers will explore all aspects of the Stamford Museum & Nature Center in this hands-on, exciting camp. From Heckscher Farm and our nature trails to streams and ponds, campers will be working with animals, planting in our garden, studying vernal pool amphibians, and more. Each session will consist of a mix of field studies, farm experiences, live animal interaction, arts and crafts, and nature exploration specially designed to get older campers excited about the outdoors.
Days will include special guests, behind the-scenes visits on Heckscher Farm, live animal handling, and cooking experiences! Camp staff includes full-time SM&NC Environmental Educators and experienced seasonal educators.
Each session is designed to be unique, providing fresh experiences each week for campers enrolled in multiple sessions. New themes will ensure exciting encounters for first year and seasoned campers alike. Please refer to individual session descriptions to see which weeks pique your camper’s interest. Each week is limited to 12 campers for a small group experience.
Our waitlist is now closed. Any spaces that become available will be opened on Wednesdays at 9am online.
Thanks for a great summer!
Look for 2024 Camp registration dates and information coming in January!
Explore the world of mammals and birds for our first camp week! Meet our farm and Heckscher WILD! mammals and birds up close. Learn how to identify common species of birds in our area and how to match mammal tracks to the animals that made them. We’ll employ our mammal and bird artifacts to investigate the adaptations that these animals have to survive and, of course, hit the trails to see what resident animals we can find.
The SM&NC is home to several important ecosystems—temperate forest, vernal pool, stream, and woodland meadow. We’ll net in the vernal pools to see how the salamander and frogs are growing up and search for crayfish and dragonflies in our stream. We’ll explore the ecology of the larger animals, like deer and fox, that call the forest home and discover the unique plants and animals that are found in our woodland meadow. The group will work together to create some videos to share the wonders of these ecosystems for our YouTube channel too.
Our popular week focusing on reptiles and amphibians is back! Discover how to identify our local reptiles and amphibians, including Connecticut’s native snakes. Work with our exotic reptiles in our Heckscher WILD! and learn how to properly handle reptiles in the field. We’ll search the SM&NC grounds for reptile and amphibian species and hike to the Bartlett Arboretum to see what species we can find there.
This week will inspire creativity and curiosity about to how things work. Students will conduct experiments, create original works of art, get a look inside everyday electronics, learn the ins and outs of building things, and see the importance of engineering in everyday life. We will start off with our annual Egg-Drop Challenge, build shelters in the woods, and use recycled materials to construct marble runs and catapults. We’ll farm “by the numbers” as we figure out how much food we feed out on the farm each day and help to harvest produce from our garden too.
Discover the basics of how detectives solve human and animal crimes as we investigate different types of evidence that can be left behind. Learn how to ID fingerprints or hair samples, test pens for ink samples, or match a shoe to its print. Learn how conservationists use animal bones, scat, tracks and other artifacts to protect endangered plants and animals around the world.
From feeding to medicine to enrichment, there is much that goes into the care of our many animals. Work with our animal care staff to discover how we manage care for our numerous animal species, from lizards to llamas. We’ll create enrichments for farm animals, explore what vaccines we use, and see how we care for our older animals on Heckscher Farm. We’ll also explore the varied diets of our Heckscher WILD! residents and learn how exercise and enrichment are vital to the health of our critters.
If you have questions about summer camp content or procedures, please contact our Camp Director at 203.977.6568 or summercamp@stamfordmuseum.org.
For questions on the registration process or if you are having difficulties with your account, please call our Visitor Services team at 203.977.6521.
Please ensure that you are registering your child for the correct age/grade camps. Registrations for children outside the listed age/grade of camps will be cancelled and refunded. If you have questions, please contact Camp Director Lisa Monachelli at lmonachelli@stamfordmuseum.org.
