Summer Children's Programs for 2008
Share the joy of discovery with your children by enrolling them in Yampatika's hands-on nature programs. Our summer courses are designed to allow children to explore, inquire, and learn about animals, plants, weather, mountain ecosystems, and more. We offer a variety of weekly themes to allow young naturalists to hone their skills and nurture their connection to the natural world.
Our Yampatykes programs for children ages 4, 5, and 6 years old are offered once a week at either a morning or afternoon session. Each offering runs for two-hours (9-11 am or 1-3 pm), and are limited to 8 children. These programs offer an introduction into various naturalist themes relevant to the ecosystems of northwest Colorado.
Our 7-8 year old Nature Explorers programs focus on a specific theme for an entire week and provide children with a depth of experience and knowledge about topics such as geology, water, and animals. The Junior Naturalists program (ages 9 - 11) is also a week-long program that will help your child develop his or her naturalist skills and includes an overnight camping trip.
Each program is open to 8 participants. Payment is necessary to reserve the spot. A minimum of 4 participants are needed for each program. Please call 871-9151 to register, or you may register using online using the child registration form, or send us email at info@yampatika.org. If you register online or leave us a message, we will contact you within two business days to confirm your registration. If you do not hear from us, please contact us to make sure we have your correct information.visit our website at www.yampatika.org. Please also look at Yampatika's cancellation policy. Registration for children's programs requires both an emergency contact form and a release form. You may download the contact form and the release form bring it with you when you drop off your child.
We do offer need-based scholarships and hope that you will apply if you need it. Application forms are available at Wells.Fargo.Scholarship.Programs08.pdf and Craig-Scheckman Foundation Scholarships.
Yampatika is currently seeking sponsors for our summer 2008 programs. Click here for more information on how you can support Yampatika by becoming a sponsor.
- Age: 4 - 6 years
- Dates: 4 year olds: Tuesdays June 24 - August 12
5 year olds: Thursdays, June 26 - August 14
6 year olds: Fridays, June 27 - August 15 (no camp on July 4th) - Times: 9-11 am or 1-3 pm.
- Location: Yampatika
- Cost: $20 nonmembers or $18 members, need-based scholarships are available.
- Curiosity about the natural world begins at a young age. Let your little one explore a new topic each session through hands-on activities. This year we are offering programs in both the morning and the afternoon to give more children an opportunity to attend. Each age group will explore the same topics (see the Program topics), but the content will be adjusted to the appropriate level. Sponsored in part by The Industrial Corporation.
- Register Now!
Yampatykes -- Separate programs for separate ages
Nature Explorers' Camp
- Ages: 7 - 8 years
- Dates: See camp descriptions below for specific dates
- Times: 8:30 - 3:00
- Location: Drop-off and pick up at Yampatika.
- Cost: $230 nonmembers or $210 members (need-based scholarships available)
- Immerse your child in a week-long interactive program focused on exploring the natural world. There are three different themes to choose from, and each week will be packed with activities that encourage discovery, creativity, and inquiry. Children will also spend a day exploring the surrounding mountains on an age appropriate day hike and may have an opportunity to participate in a hands-on stewardship project that teaches the importance of caring for the natural world. Limited to 8 participants.
- Register Now!
- Wet, Watery Worlds!
July 7 - 11
The aquatic environment is home to oodles of interesting animals, plants, and insects. Study life under the water's surface using dip nets, hand lenses, and other naturalist tools and learn to identify, track, and better understand the critters that live on and around Colorado's waterways. - Winged Wonders!
July 21 - 25
Listen! Cheerio, cheeese-burger, beep, beep, beep... Do you want to know who is making those calls and what they are saying? Spend the week outside learning your local birds, their songs, their habits, and their habitats. Look for nests, tracks, and, of course, the birds themselves through binoculars and scopes. - Tracking Tales
August 4 - 8
Become a wildlife sleuth and learn the art of tracking animals. From identifying footprints, scat, and animal homes, you're sure to develop a new set of detective skills that you can use in your own backyard! And you'll learn a lot about how these animals live and behave by following their tracks.
Junior Naturalists' Camp
- Ages: 9 - 11 years
- Dates: July 14-18, July 28-August 1, or August 11-15
- Times: 8:30 - 3:00 -- overnight camping trip on Thursday night of program week
- Location: Drop-off and pick up at Yampatika.
- Cost: $260 non-members or $240 members (need-based scholarships available)
- What is a naturalist? Someone who studies nature. They carry a journal to record their questions and observations whenever they go hiking; they spend a lot of time outdoors which requires outdoor camping skills; they have a backpack filled with naturalist tools like binoculars, private eyes, tape measures, plant presses, and animal and plant identification guides to help with their research. Join us on a week of "naturalist training" that culminates in an overnight backpacking excursion. Themes are similar to the Nature Explorers' Camp but they are at an appropriate age level. Limited to 8 participants.
- Register Now!
- Naturalist Adventures I (Wet, Watery Worlds!)
July 14 - July 18
- Naturalist Adventures II (Winged Wonders!)
July 28 - August 1
- Naturalist Adventures III (Tracking Tails)
August 11 - August 15
