Camp Registration begins for members April 8th; non-members April 22nd. If you are not a member and would like to join please include the information on the registration form and you can register early.Please note the new mini camp special: ‘Adventures with Arthropods’ and Family Camp Day the week of July 4th. Many existing camp programs are back by popular demand. At least one new program has been added to each age group.

The Myrick Center is located on Route 842, 6 miles west of West Chester and 3 miles east of Unionville. The Brandywine and Red Clay Valley Associations are non-profit organizations dedicated to promoting the restoration, preservation, conservation and enjoyment of the natural resources of the Brandywine and the Red Clay watersheds. Both organizations are supported through membership dues and private donations.

Spend a fun-filled week experiencing nature with all five senses! Campers will explore different habitats such as pond, stream, field and forest. Activities include following an ‘un-nature’ trail, color matching, silent listening and discovery time as well as story time, games, and crafts.

Ever wonder about water? Why does it rain and where does it go? How do critters live in water? We will visit the pond and stream and maybe even splash in a rain puddle! Play games, hear stories and make crafts as you have fun learning about water and its wonders.

Discover how wings and other things help animals move. Search for critters and learn what makes one animal different from another. Play games, read stories and check out different animal homes.

These programs meet at the Browning Barn from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM.

Are you a crazy critter yourself? Listen for frogs and birds. See what you can find in the pond and stream. Play games, hear stories, make crafts and explore. Learn more about wildlife at an Animal Show.

Search high and low for signs of wildlife. Look for traces, tracks, and animal homes. Build a home for caterpillars and take them home with you at the end of the week so you can watch them turn into beautiful butterflies. Learn more about animals and their adaptations at an Animal Show.

Figure out what animals need to survive. Discover where and how different animals build their homes. Work with your fellow campers to use mud and straw to build a huge bird nest. Find animal homes in the field, forest, stream and pond.

Take a plunge as a water explorer! Check out creatures in the pond and stream, visit a wetland, see the water cycle in action and have lots of fun during this water filled week. Explore Marsh Creek State Park by paddleboat and tube down the Brandywine Creek with your new found friends!

Find out who has developed what to survive in this competitive world. Check out the beaks of birds and see who has thorns and horns. Play camouflage and migration games and see a Birds of Prey Animal Show. Bring your family with you Wednesday night to discover ‘Nature at Night’ and learn about the adaptations of nocturnal animals including owls and bats.

Explore the world of the minibeast. Use microscopes to get a close up look at things large and small. Learn the different stages of the life cycles of animals and insects and discover how they grow, grow, and go off to find a suitable home. Build a birdhouse to take home to watch birds grow and go from your own backyard.

This year’s special program will meet for eight days and will focus on art in nature. An experienced art teacher will lead campers through work in a variety of media including clay, watercolors and printmaking techniques. Campers will draw, paint and sculpt the world around them.

Splash your way through the week as you explore ponds, puddles and streams. Play the Sun’s Bucket Brigade and learn about water cycles. Tour a water treatment plant so you can see what happens to the water we use. Paddle boat at Marsh Creek State Park and explore the Brandywine Creek by canoe.

August 5-9

Do you like to spend time outside? Are you interested in science? Enjoy a week of science fun as you explore the pond, field and forest while performing science experiments. Can you catch and mark a grasshopper and recapture it the next day? Canoe the Brandywine Creek to study stream insects and test water quality.

Start this fun-filled week with team-building activities. Take a hike at Hawk Mountain in search of birds of prey and enjoy a picnic lunch. Orienteer at French Creek State Park. End the week canoeing down the Brandywine Creek and a camping out along the creek bank. Due to the popularity of this program, preference will be given to campers who have not participated in Adventure Team in a previous summer. Campers should be picked up at camp at 5:00 PM on Tuesday. Friday’s pickup is at 12 noon at Northbrook Canoe Company.

Discover how to survive alive as you learn how to orienteer, use a solar still to collect water and build shelters. A professional tracker will teach you how to identify animal tracks and make a plaster track cast to take home.

Are you an eco-minded type of kid? Learn how we impact the environment, explore plant-animal relationships and search for connections. Camp out at the Myrick Center and take a night hike to search for wildlife.

Enjoy adventures with insects and their relatives. Each age group will learn more about the fascinating lives of creepy-crawly animals. See how you fare in the Bug Olympics as you discover incredible feats of insect strength, speed and skill.

"He came home each day excited and was disappointed that Friday is the final day. "

The Brandywine Valley Association, established in 1945, is "the oldest small watershed association in the country." Its major role is steward to the Brandywine Watershed, a 325-square mile area encompassing the Brandywine Creek and its tributaries throughout southeastern Pennsylvania and northern Delaware.

Both organizations are noted for their innovative environmental education programs serving public and private schools and residents of all ages in the two watersheds year round. BVA and RCVA also partner with other organizations for environmentally-relevant projects within their watershed communities.

Call 610-793-1090 or visit the BVA website at www.bva-rcva.org or the RCVA website at www.redclayvalley.org for more information about these two dynamic organizations and their special events and programs.