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Children and Family Programs

Summer Science Camps

This summer, unlock your child’s imagination with
interactive outdoor adventures among 1,700 acres of trees.

Content Detail

This summer, unlock your child’s imagination with interactive outdoor adventures among 1,700 acres of trees at The Morton Arboretum’s 2023 Summer Science Camps.

Through science experiments, STEM, art, and creative play, The Morton Arboretum’s innovative camps will inspire your child to become a Tree Champion.

Discover more than 100 camps for children in prekindergarten through eighth grade, designed by Arboretum experts. These camps provide a foundation for the next generation of young conservation and environmental scientists, artists, and outdoor enthusiasts. Week-long camps run Monday, June 5, 2023, through Friday, August 11, 2023.

View an electronic brochure of camp descriptions, registration details, and a schedule chart of camps.

Find camp availability by age group and register online:

For questions about registration, call 630-719-2468 Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Once your child is registered, you will be emailed a Welcome Letter, Registration Form, and a Medical Authorization Form if applicable, to send back before camp begins.

Waitlist

Due to an increase in demand, many of our Summer Science Camps have already sold out. Please add your name to the Summer Science Camps waitlist to be contacted for the camp sections you are interested in, should additional seats or additional sections become available.

Supervised Play—Before or After Camp Options

For parents requiring additional schedule flexibility, after selecting the camp(s) your child will attend, be sure to select the option “add more to your cart” to review additional supervised play options that extend pick-up and drop-off times as needed. Already registered for summer camp and need to add Supervised Play? Register here for Supervised Play or, if you need help, read the Supervised Play Registration Helpful Hints document.

Accessibility

The Arboretum strives to provide accessible experiences for all children. Contact the camp and scout supervisor at 630-719-4890 or kphelps@mortonarb.org to discuss your child’s needs prior to registration.

 

Summer Science Camps are generously supported by:
 
Molex logo for Summer Science Camp sponsorship

Prekindergarten

Children must be 4 years old by September 1, 2023 and must be fully potty trained.

Camp Offerings

Growing Up Green

Half day
How do animals and plants grow up with roots, scales, or tails? Dive into the life cycles of green creatures around the Arboretum and see them up close!

Hopping Through Habitats

Half day
Some animals dig, some fly, and some swim. Join this adventure in animal movements, and explore how animals get around the Arboretum.

Painting with Plants

Half day
Explore your artistic roots! Touch, explore, play, and paint with all the parts of a plant and discover what each part does.

Splashing Around with Science

Half day
Observe, guess, test, and splash your way through science experiments in this fun-filled outdoor lab adventure.

 
Summer Science Camps are generously supported by:
 
Molex logo for Summer Science Camp sponsorship

Entering Kindergarten

Children must be 5 years old by September 1, 2023.

Camp Offerings

Dinos, Ginkgos, and Me

Half day
Travel back to the dinosaur age and discover different dinosaurs. Learn what they ate, where they lived, and the trees that grew when dinosaurs were alive.

Eric Carle’s Friends

Half day
Have you ever been as hungry as a caterpillar? Enter the whimsical world of Eric Carle as his characters come to life through stories, games, and crafts.

Leaf Zoo

Half day
Leaves come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Let your imagination run wild as you discover what you can create with leaves.

Mud Buddies

Half day
Build, play, dig, and discover all the things that love mud. Explore life underground as a muddy scientist with muddy games and crafts.

Pond Pals

Full day
How do tadpoles turn into frogs? How do turtles and fish grow up? Search for croaking frogs, basking turtles, and swimming fish and take a closer look at animals that live in ponds.

Squishy, Squashy Art

Half day
Put on your artist hat. Paint and sculpt squishy frogs, textured turtles, and slippery fish. Learn about these wetland critters and develop artistic skills.

Where the Wild Things Are

Full day
Where do wild things hide at the Arboretum? Search for wildlife as you explore the woodlands. What type of wild thing will the woods inspire you to be?

 
Summer Science Camps are generously supported by:
 
Molex logo for Summer Science Camp sponsorship

Entering Grades 1 and 2

Camp Offerings

New! Animal Engineers

Full day, two week
From intricate bird nests to astounding beaver dams, animals are engineering all around us. Take a closer look at the construction techniques used in the animal kingdom and take on wild STEM building challenges.

Awesome Art

Full day
Become a nature artist! Use nature as your inspiration to explore texture, color, and dimension. Learn about different artists’ techniques and create your own nature-related artwork to take home.

Camping Out

Full day
Gear up for a daytime camping excursion! Learn how to pitch a tent, fish, and make s’mores. Enjoy nature games, hikes, and songs.

Chirp, Click, Buzz

Full day
Birds sing, crickets chirp, and frogs chorus out in the woods. Experiment with the science of sound and build your own nature-based instruments to play.

New! Eco-Investigators

Full day, two week
Put your detective skills to the test! Explore the habitats of the Arboretum, conduct nature experiments, and learn what it takes to be a nature sleuth.

Fantastic Fish

Half day
From fins to scales fish are fascinating creatures! Discover more about fish and the habitat they live in while you enjoy fish stories, games, and cast a net to find out what fish live at the Arboretum.

Forest Fairy Friends

Half day
Are fairies hidden in the forest? Discover woodland plants and animals, create your own fairy, and work together to build a fairy village.

Nature's Lab

Full day
Explore nature through the eyes of a scientist. Catapult seeds, make sun prints, and experiment with leaves as you use the outdoors as your laboratory.

Nature’s Super Heroes

Half day
How strong is a spider’s web?  How do bats hunt? How fast is a hummingbird? Use your knowledge of nature’s super powers to create your own superhero, play games, and look at real animal “powers” close up.

New! Pirates and Pines

Half day
Ahoy matey! Start your voyage around the Arboretum to explore different trees and look for buried treasure.

New! STEM: Branching Out

Full day
What can you build with branches? Challenge yourself to work as a team to tackle engineering and art activities. Celebrate art and engineering as we explore how natural materials can be used to create sculptures, or solve problems.

Young Impressionists

Half day
Become a mini Monet! Explore the Arboretum for artistic inspiration and use impressionist techniques to create a masterpiece.

 
Summer Science Camps are generously supported by:
 
Molex logo for Summer Science Camp sponsorship

Entering Grades 3 and 4

Camp Offerings

Adaptive Art

Half day
Do you think you can paint with a beak, sculpt with a paw, or draw with a claw? Find out how Arboretum animals are adapted to life in the woods, ponds, and prairies and embrace various artistic media to capture these unique animal features.

Adventures in Art

Full day
Paint, draw, color, and sculpt your way through the Arboretum. Create masterpieces daily to showcase in an end-of-the-week art show.

Critter Cases

Half day
Can you solve the case of the missing acorn or the mystery of the toppled tree? Put your sleuthing skills to good use as you learn signs that animals leave behind and become a woodland detective.

Forest Forts

Full day
Design and build forts inspired by trees. Study trees up close and uncover their unique characteristics. Build a mini tree fort village as a group. Each child takes home their own mini tree fort.

Going Buggy

Full day
What has six legs and no uncles? An ant! Explore the zany world of insects as you dig, sweep, and dip your way through the insect world.

New! Leaf Laboratory

Full day, two week
Have you ever wondered WHY? Prepare your beakers and flasks as you explore the scientific method, design experiments, and investigate the natural world around you.

Rooted in Science

Half day
Exercise your green thumb as you sprout, transplant, and experiment with plants in this gardening adventure.

Slime Time

Full day
Stretch, squish, and squoosh some slime as you discover how plants and animals use slime, try out some recipes for slime, and put your slime to the test.

New! STEM: Branching Out

Full day
What can you build with branches? Challenge yourself to work as a team to tackle engineering and art activities.  Celebrate art and engineering as we explore how natural materials can be used to create sculptures, or solve problems.

Sticks and Bricks

Half day
Engineer your way through challenges as you learn how nature stacks up around you. Use nature as building blocks, take on STEM challenges, and create art out of natural building materials.

New! Wild Survival

Full day, two week
Do you have the skills of a squirrel, the techniques of a turtle, or the ability of an ant? Discover the survival skills of animals at the Arb and then put your survival skills to the test.

 
Summer Science Camps are generously supported by:
 
Molex logo for Summer Science Camp sponsorship

Entering Grades 5 and 6

Camp Offerings

A Week of Wetlands

Full day
Enjoy hands-on investigations of all things aquatic. Experiment with water and its properties, trudge through the wetlands to gather water samples, and use scientific equipment to inspect plants and animals that call ponds, lakes, rivers, and marshes home.

Forest Forensics

Full day
What does a tree have to say? Solve the case of the felled foliage as you examine tree rings, visit the Herbarium to view trees of the past and present, and discover the unique things trees have to tell us.

Kids vs. Wild

Full day
Can you survive in the great outdoors? Explore native woodlands and wetlands, and gain the skills needed to survive in these ecosystems. Set up camp, learn navigation skills, build a shelter, fish, and make tools to explore and tame the wild.

Nature Photography I

Full day
Use your nature observation skills and get creative with digital photography. Practice composition, subject placement, close-ups, moving targets, and more. With your classmates, create an Arboretum digital slideshow. Participants must bring their own digital camera.

New! STEM: Branching Out

Full day
What can you build with branches? Challenge yourself to work as a team to tackle engineering and art activities. Celebrate art and engineering as we explore how natural materials can be used to create sculptures, or solve problems.

 
Summer Science Camps are generously supported by:
 
Molex logo for Summer Science Camp sponsorship

Entering Grades 6 through 8

Camp Offerings

Arboretum Invaders

Full day
Uncover alien species that have invaded the woodlands, prairies, and wetlands of Illinois. Learn why we consider these species invasive, how to remove them, and develop ways to prevent their return.

Filming in the Forest

Full day
If a picture is worth a thousand words, how many words is a video worth? Capture the movements of nature from falling leaves to crawling caterpillars and make a moving story out of the natural world. Participants must bring their own digital camera with video ability.

Forest Escape

Full day
Put your forest and problem solving skills to the test as you take on daily challenges, solve puzzles, and explore the Arboretum to answer riddles. In teams, campers will create their own “escape room” challenge in the forest!

Help Wanted

Full day
What does it take to make an Arboretum run? Take a behind the scenes look at careers at the Arboretum and experience what it takes to become a Champion of Trees.

 
Summer Science Camps are generously supported by:
 
Molex logo for Summer Science Camp sponsorship

Supervised Play

Week of June 5

Week of June 12

Week of June 19

Week of June 26

Week of July 10

Week of July 17

Week of July 24

Week of July 31

Week of August 7

Registration, Cancelation, Transfer, Late Pickup, and Refund Policies

Registration

Space is limited. Preregistration is required and payment is due in full at the time of registration. Camp registration closes at 4:00 p.m. the Monday prior to the next camp’s week. All camp forms, including Medication Authorization Forms with doctors’ signatures, must be in before the start of camp.

Refunds

We are unable to give refunds for camp within three weeks of the start date of the camp. A $15 nonrefundable processing fee is included in each camp registration fee. If your child is unable to attend camp due to medical reasons, you may receive a refund prior to the start of camp with a doctor’s note. We are unable to refund for missed days of camp.

Cancelations

The Morton Arboretum reserves the right to cancel a camp due to low enrollment. Camp participants will be refunded in full for cancelations.

Transfers

We are unable to do transfers within three weeks of the start of the registered camp. Transfers will only be applicable from a camp of equivalent pricing. A $10 transfer fee will be assessed at the time of transfer.

Late Pickup

If a child is picked up late, parents/guardians will be assessed a $15 late fee per child for pickup 15 minutes late and $1 per minute thereafter.

Pricing

  • Full-Day Camps $365 (nonmembers $410)
  • Two-Week Full-Day Camps $720 (nonmembers $810)
  • Half-Day Camps $210 (nonmembers $245)
  • Morning Supervised Play (8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.)
    $60 (nonmembers $70)
  • Midday Supervised Play (noon to 12:30 p.m.)
    $15 (nonmembers $20)
    Free with purchase of two half-day camps
  • 30-Minute Afternoon Supervised Play (3:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.)
    $15 (nonmembers $20)
  • Afternoon Supervised Play (3:00 to 5:30 p.m.)
    $90 (nonmembers $106)

Medication Authorization Form

If your child will be bringing medication to camp, please have your child’s physician complete the Medication Authorization Form. This form only needs to be completed if your child will be bringing medication to camp. Please email this completed form to kphelps@mortonarb.org.

Parent Welcome Letter

Please read the Parent Welcome Letter for more information about Arboretum camps.

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