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The Brandywine

and

Red Clay Valley Associations’

Myrick Center

2004

Summer Youth Program

Ages 4-14

 

2004 Summer Camp Registration Form

Ages 4 &5

Flying Wonders - 4 Day Mini Camp
Super Summer Senses  FULL
Water Wonders  
Wings and Things

Ages 6 & 7

Flying Wonders - 4 Day Mini Camp
Critter Crazy
Claws, Paws, Feathers, & Fins
Water, Water Everywhere  FULL
Animal Babies

Ages 8 & 9

Flying Wonders - 4 Day Mini  Camp
Water Explorers
Fantastic Farming
Sights, Sounds and Signs of Nature FULL
Amphibians, Reptiles, Mammals and More

Ages 10 - 12

Flying Wonders - 4 Day Mini Camp
Outdoor Art
Adventure Team FULL
Outdoor Extremists  FULL
Survive Alive
Skulls, Bones, Feathers, Scales and Furs

Ages 13 &14

Adventures from the Brandywine and Red Clay to the Bay

2004 Summer Youth Program

The Brandywine and Red Clay Valley Associations’ 314-acre Myrick Conservation Center offers unique outdoor opportunities for children ages 4-14. Each program focuses on a particular theme, but all children will leave the Center with a better understanding and appreciation of the natural world. The Summer Youth Program, now in its nineteenth year, is pleased to offer a number of new programs along with old favorites. Programs meet at the Myrick Center’s Browning Barn from 9AM to 3PM unless otherwise noted in the full program brochure. The 4 & 5 year olds will meet from 9AM to 12 Noon. Several programs have special sessions that generally take place on Thursday evenings. Parents and siblings are invited to join us at an Ice Cream Social at the end of each camp week. To maximize fun and safety we limit our programs to 10 to 15 participants. Please note our new program for 13 and 14 year olds: ‘Adventures from the Brandywine and Red Clay to the Bay.’

Brandywine and Red Clay Valley Association members may register for camp as soon as they receive a camp brochure. Non-member registration begins on February 23rd. 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 chance to soar into summer through the mini camp special: ‘Flying Wonders.’ Many existing camp programs, including ‘Outdoor Art’ (10-12), are back by popular demand. We are pleased to offer several new programs this summer, including ‘Super Summer Senses,’ ‘Animal Babies,’ ‘Sights, Sounds and Signs of Nature,’ ‘Amphibians, Reptiles, Mammals and More,’and ‘Skulls, Bones, Feathers, Scales and Fur.’

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 Valley and the Red Clay Valley watersheds. Both organizations are supported through membership dues and
private donations.

PRESCHOOL PROGRAMS - Ages 4 & 5
Pre-school programs meet at the Browning Barn from 9:00 AM to 12 Noon. Please be sure to bring a snack.
Super summer senses  
Use your senses to explore the Myrick
Center – feel the warmth of the summer
sun and the cool of the shade. Search for all
sorts of summer colors and listen for the sounds of summer animals. Feel a smooth frog and a bumpy toad, smell summer flowers and bring something home
from the vegetable garden to taste.
July 19-23 FULL or August 9-13 FULL
Cost: $80/member; $105/non-member

Water Wonders  
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.
July 12-16 FULL   or August 2-6  FULL
Cost: $80/member; $105/non-member

 

Wings & Things
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.
June 28-July 2 or July 26-30
Cost: $80/member; $105/non-member

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Mini Camp

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Ages 6 & 7

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

Critter Crazy
Are you a curious critter yourself? Listen for frogs and birds. See what you can find in the field, forest, pond and stream. Play games, hear stories, make crafts and explore. Learn more about wildlife at an animal show.
July 19-23 or August 2-6
Cost: $145/member; $175/non-member

 

Water, Water Everywhere!  FULL
Did you know the whirligig beetle has four eyes and can see above and below the water’s surface at the same time? Explore the Myrick Center’s pond and streams and discover the
creatures that live there.
Follow a water drop’s journey
falling from the sky, down into
the ground, up through a tree’s trunk and out a leaf.

June 28- July 2 FULL or July 26-30  FULL
Cost: $140/member; $170/non-member

Claws, Paws, Feathers, & Fins
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.

July 12-16 or August 9-13  FULL
Cost: $150/member; $180/non-member

 

Animal Babies
What do you call a baby goose?
A baby porcupine? A baby fox? How long does it take for animal babies to grow up and live on their own? Search the Myrick Center for animals and their babies. Learn how animal parents protect, feed and care for their young.
July 12-16 or August 2-6
Cost: $145/member;$175/non-member

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Ages 8 & 9

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

 

Water Explorers
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 friends!

July 12-16 FULL or July 26-30  FULL or August 9-13
Cost: $170/member; $200/non-member

 

Sights, Sounds and Signs of Nature FULL
Why is a hummingbird attracted to the color red? Do bees actually do a dance to communicate? Learn how animals use sight, smell and sounds to communicate. Search for animal tracks and trails. Learn different ways to mark a trail and create your own trail for others to follow. Conduct experiments and play games to learn about the sights, sounds and signs of nature.

June 28-July 2 FULL
Cost: $150/member;$180/non-member

Fantastic Farming
Do you have a green thumb? Spend
a week participating in activities in and around the Myrick Center’s organic vegetable garden and greenhouse. Visit Coverdale Farm to feed sheep, hold newly-hatched chicks and milk a cow. Take a donation of food to the Kennett Food Cupboard. Learn how a honeybee hive functions and use a hand crank extractor to extract honey to take home.
July 26-30 or August 9-13
Cost: $165/member;$195/non-member

 

AMPHIBIANS, REPTILES, MAMMALS AND MORE
What makes an amphibian an amphibian and a reptile a reptile? Learn the characteristics of amphibians, reptiles, mammals and more as you search the Myrick Center for these animals and their homes. See examples during an animal show.

July 19-23 or August 2-6 FULL
Cost: $155/member;$185/non-member

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Ages 10 - 12

These programs meet at the Browning Barn from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM (unless otherwise noted).

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

June 28-July 9 (9 days total, no camp July 5)
Cost: $315/member;$345/non-member*
* Fee includes all materials.

 

Outdoor Extremists   FULL
Experience a week filled with outdoor challenges. Start off by getting to know your fellow campers through team building activities. Travel to Marsh Creek State Park to try your hand at kayaking. Hike to a nearby fishing pond and try to catch the big one. Test your strength on a rock-climbing wall and battle the elements while you camp overnight at the Myrick Center. Friday pick-up is 12 Noon
.
July 12-16 FULL or August 2-6 FULL
Cost: $220/member;$250/non-member

 

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

July 19-23
Cost: $165/member; $195/non-member

 

Adventure Team FULL
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 camping along the creek bank.
Campers are picked up at camp at 5:00 PM on Tuesday. Friday’s pickup is at 12 Noon at Northbrook Canoe Company
.

June 28-July 2  FULL   or                       July 19-23 FULL
Cost: $210/member; $240/non-member

 

SKULLS, BONES, FEATHERS, SCALES AND FURS
Can you tell if an animal is a predator or prey based on its skull? Learn about the adaptations of local animals by examining skulls, bones, feathers and furs. Catch a fish and get a closer look at its scales. Explore the Myrick Center in search of animal tracks and hiding spots.
July 26-30 or August 9-13
Cost: $170/member; $200/non-member

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Mini Camp Info

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Ages 13 & 14
ADVENTURES FROM THE BRANDYWINE AND RED CLAY TO THE BAY

Spend two action packed weeks comparing freshwater and ocean habitats as you track the Brandywine and Red Clay Creeks as they make their way to the Delaware Bay. Test your teambuilding and orienteering skills, check out the Struble trail, and fish in freshwater and ocean environments. Hike the new Red Clay Trail and explore Anson B. Nixon Park. Canoe the Brandywine and kayak in the bay. The two weeks will end with a camping trip at Cape Henlopen State Park.
June 28-July 9 (9 days total, no camp on July 5)
Cost: $440/member; $475/non-member
* Minimum 8 campers, maximum 12 campers.
*Fee includes all rental charges and other costs.

 

Flying Wonders

Four-Day Mini Camp Special

June 22 - 25*   OR   July 6 - 9*      Ages 4 - 12

Have you ever wondered how or why animals fly? Can you name animals with wings that cannot fly and animals without wings that can? Spend a fun-filled week learning about our flying friends. 6s-12s will enjoy a birds of prey animal show. 4s and 5s will fly kites, 6s & 7s will make and fly kites, and 8s-12s will build and launch model rockets. Program fee includes cost of all materials.


Cost: Ages 4 & 5: $65/member, $80/non-member;  June 22nd - June 25th FULL
Ages 6 & 7: $115/member, $130/non-member;
Ages 8 & 9 and Ages 10-12: $135/member; $150/non-member
*Ages 4 & 5 9 AM to 12 Noon, Ages 6-12 9 AM to 3 PM

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About the Brandywine and Red Clay Valley Associations

The Myrick Conservation Center, a 314-acre property used for education purposes, is open daily to the public. Located on Route 842 (Unionville-Wawaset Road), 6 miles west of West Chester and 3 miles east of Unionville, the Center is home to the Brandywine Valley Association (BVA) and the Red Clay Valley Association (RCVA) -- 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.

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.

The Red Clay Valley Association, BVA’s sister organization, established in 1952, is "the second oldest small watershed association in the country." It serves as steward to the 55-square mile watershed encompassing the Red Clay Creek and its tributaries in southern Chester County, PA and northern New Castle County, DE.

Both Associations are noted for their innovative environmental education programs serving 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 BVA’s website at www.brandywinewatershed.org or RCVA’s website at www.redclayvalley.org for more information about these dynamic organizations.

 

2004 Summer Camp Registration Form

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