|
Myrick Center
Summer Camp Programs
The Brandywine and Red Clay Valley
Associations’ 318-acre Myrick Conservation Center offers unique,
outdoor opportunities for children ages 4-16.
Each program focuses on a particular theme, but all children will leave the Center with a
better understanding of, and an appreciation for, the natural
world.
The Myrick Conservation Center Summer Camp Program, now in
its twenty-third year, is pleased to offer this collection of
outstanding nature camps!
Programs meet at the Myrick Center’s
Browning Barn from 9AM to 3PM, unless otherwise noted in the program
description. The 4 & 5 year olds will meet from 9AM to 11:30 or
12:30 to 3PM. Several programs feature overnight camping trips that
generally take place on Thursday evenings. To maximize fun and
safety we limit our programs to 10 to 15 participants.
Select an age group to view
applicable programs:
Preschool Programs – Ages
4 & 5
SUPER
SUMMER SENSES
June 23 – June
27 (AM 9:00-11:30) FULL
July 7 – July 11 (AM 9:00-11:30) FULL
*NEW*
July 28 - August 1 (PM 12:30-3:00) Spaces are
still available.
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. $95 members / $135
nonmembers
ANIMAL
MAMMALS
July 14 – July
18 (AM 9:00-11:30) FULL
July 28 – August 1 (AM 9:00-11:30) FULL
What’s a
mammal? Here’s a clue: You are one! Find out more about which
animals are mammals and learn about what mammals need to survive.
You’ll even get to try searching for some mammal friends and signs
of where they live and what they need to survive outdoors. $95
members / $135 nonmembers
PUDDLE
JUMPERS
July 21 – July
25 (AM 9:00-11:30) FULL
August 4 – August 8 (AM 9:00-11:30) FULL
Do you like to
jump in puddles after a rainstorm? You’ll find all kinds of water
spots at the Myrick Center and search for plants and animals
nearby. Discover what lives in the pond, stream and wetland. And,
of course, you’ll get wet, too! $95 members / $135 nonmembers
EARTH’S
QUILT
July 7 – July
11 (PM 12:30-3:00) FULL
Why are
grasshoppers green? Do all leaves have the same shape? Are they
the same size? Take a closer look at nature’s patterns, colors and
shapes. Explore the Myrick Center in search of fun shapes and
create patterns of your own using natural objects. $95 members /
$135 nonmembers
<
back to top of page >
Ages 6 & 7
CREEPY
CRAWLIES
July 7 – July
11 FULL
Caterpillars,
spiders, lady bugs, and slugs! How much do you know about these
fascinating creatures? Get to know them up close while searching
the Myrick Center for their hiding places. Sneak up on them to find
out what they are eating and look through a magnifier to count their
many legs. Soon, you’ll start to see these animals everywhere and
discover that they’re not so creepy after all! $160 members /
$200 nonmembers
GROWING UP
June 23 – June
27 FULL
July 21 – July 25 Spaces are still
available.
What do plants
and animals need to grow? Spend time in our organic vegetable
garden helping the plants grow tall and strong. Taste some
delicious and healthy snacks from the garden. You’ll even take a
hayride to The Barn at Spring Brook Farm to meet some animals and
learn what they need to grow! $175 members / $215 nonmembers
WATER,
WATER EVERYWHERE
July 14 – July
18 FULL
August 4 – August 8 FULL
Just how much
water is on Earth? Find some here at the Myrick Center and explore
it to see how much fun you can have! You’ll have a chance to get
wet everyday when you go exploring at the pond or in the creek and
running through the sprinkler! $155 members / $195 nonmembers
NATURE’S
CHILDREN
July 14 – July
18 FULL
July 28 – August 1 FULL
Expand your
mind and your senses as you explore the many natural areas of the
Myrick Center, searching for animal signs, tasting yummy snacks in
the garden, and playing games that Native American children may have
played many years ago. You’ll have great fun following animal
tracks, identifying different trees and practicing your awareness
skills during this camp! $165 members / $205 nonmembers
<
back to top of page >
Ages 8 & 9
ECO HEROES
July 7 – July
11 FULL
Do you ever
wish you could save the world? The Earth needs your help now more
than ever. During this camp, you’ll learn about the many ways that
you can do something good for the animals and plants around you and
you’ll even get a chance to help clean up the Creek while tubing!
Plus, you can try your hand at planting and harvesting foods in the
garden, learning about wild edible foods and helping to care for the
animals at The Barn at Spring Brook Farm! You’ll be paired up with
the Eco Leaders (14-16 year olds) later in the week which will be
especially fun for your field trips! $175 members / $215
nonmembers
WATER
EXPLORERS
June 23 – June
27 FULL
July 28 – August 1 FULL
Check out
creatures in the pond and stream, visit a wetland, see the water
cycle in action and have bucket-loads of fun during this
water-filled week. You’ll explore Marsh Creek State Park by
paddleboat and tube down the Brandywine Creek! $225 members /
$265 nonmembers
BUGS, BATS,
& BIRDS
June 23 – June
27 FULL
July 21 – July 25 FULL
Did you ever
wonder about these animals? Do you think about where they live or
what they eat? Find out more about what may be happening right
behind, above, or below you when you discover what bugs, bats, and
birds are doing all summer long. You’ll go bird watching, meet a
raptor up close, build blue bird boxes for the Myrick Center,
release lady bugs in the garden, and even listen for sounds of bats
in the barn! $175 members / $215 nonmembers
WILD
ADVENTURES
July 14 – July
18 FULL
August 4 – August 8 FULL
How does rock
climbing at Vertical Extremes sound to you? What about tubing on
the Brandywine Creek? Or hiking through the woods without a trail?
Or hiking on a trail, but blindfolded? Sound adventurous? It is!
Sign up for this camp only if you dare. $260 members / $300
nonmembers
<
back to top of page >
Ages 10-12
LENAPE
DRILLS & SKILLS
June 23 – June
27 FULL
July 28 – August 1 FULL
Primitive,
prehistoric, ancient, primal, original, 100% Natural, with nothing
added. Learn what this is all about when you spend time in the wild
finding food, building shelter, and learning to make fire, the
Lenape way. The Lenape are the indigenous people of this area.
Would they have adopted you into their tribe? Practice these
ancient skills through canoeing the Brandywine, archery, tracking at
Saalbach Farm and camping overnight at the Myrick Center on Thursday
night. Pick up will be at
11:00 AM on Friday.
$265 members / $305 nonmembers
VERTICAL
ADVENTURES
July 21 – July
25 FULL
Discover what
lies below the ground when you climb through, over, around, and
further into a deep, dark cave. Push yourself to new limits as you
participate in a local ropes course earlier in the week. Learn to
get past your fears of the dark by visiting Indian Echo Caverns on
Wednesday. Leave for a wild caving trip, led by an experienced
spelunker, on Thursday morning. Camp overnight, and return Friday
evening. Pick up will be at
4:00 PM on Wednesday and Friday.
$355 members / $395 nonmembers
EXTREME
CREEK WEEK
July 14 – July
18 FULL
August 4 –
August 8 FULL
Thinking of
that hot summer weather and wishing you could go swimming? Now you
can, along with kayaking AND tubing! Spend your week splashing your
way around the watershed by visiting the pool at French Creek State
Park and tubing and kayaking on the Brandywine Creek. Extreme Creek
Week is not for the meek! $270 members / $310 nonmembers
NATURALIST
EXPEDITIONS
July 7 – July
11 FULL
Ready for an
adventure? Hone your naturalist skills by observing plants and
animals in the Brandywine watershed and then take a trip to explore
a special place in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. You’ll note huge
differences between these two ecosystems. Top off your expeditions
with a canoe trip on the Brandywine ending at a creek side
campsite. Close the week by spending Thursday night under the stars
and making dinner over a fire. Pick up will be at
12:00 PM on Friday.
$265 members / $305 nonmembers
<
back to top of page >
Ages 11-15
PADDLE &
PEN
August 4 –
August 8 Spaces are still available.
For the first
time ever, we’re bringing to you a chance to explore nature at the
Myrick Conservation Center, and our other, very special location –
the wild Saalbach Farm – through quiet time canoeing on the creek,
bird watching, building a leaf press, and creating your very own
nature journal. Practice capturing your thoughts and your wildlife
encounters with a pen or colored pencil, and by painting with
watercolors! $210 members / $250 nonmembers
SOMETHING
FISHY
July 21 – July
25 FULL
If you like to
fish, or want to learn how to fish, this is the week for you! Learn
about different types of equipment and how to use it while exploring
some great freshwater and saltwater fishing spots. You will learn
the art and science of fly casting and how to tie your own flies.
You’ll fish at a local pond and in the Brandywine Creek. On
Thursday you’ll head to coastal Delaware for an overnight camping
and saltwater fishing expedition. You’ll fish off a pier, in the
surf and aboard a chartered fishing boat in the Delaware Bay for
some inshore fishing. Along the way, learn about saltwater and
freshwater ecosystems and fish biology. Even if you participated
last year, there’s ALWAYS more to learn! Your guide for this unique
journey will be an avid outdoorsman and naturalist, BVA/RCVA’s own
Managing Director, Jim Jordan. Pick up is at
5:00 PM on Friday.
$450 members only
<
back to top of page >
Ages 14-16
ECO LEADERS
July 7 – July
11 FULL
Are you
interested in being a summer camp counselor? Learn if you’re cut
out for the job by working with the 8 & 9 year old “Eco Heroes” for
a week. Assist them on field trips and be a mentor for the week.
You will help organize a project in the Myrick Center garden,
maintain a leadership role when they visit a local barn to take care
of the animals and lead the way down the Brandywine in a canoe as
you help collect trash along the Creek. You can be a leader AND a
hero. Participants who complete this program will be given priority
for Junior Counselor positions in the future. $275 members / $315
nonmembers
<
back to top of page >
|