Ecology Day Camp

Full-day outdoor camps for 6 to 12 year olds

Ecology Day Camp's full-day program runs wild around the forests, brooks, and ponds of the Green Mountain Audubon Center. Each week of camp focuses on a different theme, but all campers will get a chance to search for wildlife, make crafts, go on hikes, and hone their nature awareness skills while exploring the most magical places at Audubon.

Looking for camps for someone younger? View Preschool Nature Camp.

On this page for Ecology Day Camp:

Camp Structure
2023 Camp Calendar + Program Descriptions
Camp Details

Looking for more information? View our Summer Camp information guide. Frequently Asked Questions.

Camp Structure:

Age Range: 6-12 years (each session open to specific ages). For those camps of mixed ages, we spend parts of our day together and parts in smaller age-specific trail groups.
Time: These are full day camps from 9:00 am - 4:00 pm. Precare: 8:15am-9am

2023 Ecology Camp Calendar & Fees

Members, save 5% on registration by entering FINCH23 at checkout!

2022 Dates	Camp Theme & Description	Ages	Fee
June 20-23 (no camp June 19)	JR Conservation Crew. Calling all Conservationists! Join us for this new and exciting week if you are willing to get dirty and take some real conservation action! We'll take hikes and play games to discover our space. Then we will have plenty of time to get on our work gloves and build brush piles, salamander condos, and improve the landscape for wildlife!	8-12	$240
June 26- 30	Hootin' and Howlin'. Coyotes and owls are the tricksters of the animal world, hiding in the shadows, sniffing out secrets, and gliding through the forest. Join our pack, master your camouflage, sharpen your eyes, and build a secret camp in a week of stealthy adventure!	6-10	$285
July 3-7 (no camp July 4)	Backwoods Ventures. Build and practice your backcountry survival skills, then put them to the test. From a hike up Camel's Hump to an overnight in the Audubon woods, this is a great introductory trip for campers ready for a little more adventure. Includes overnight July 6th-7th.	10-12	$265
July 10-14	Mud Boot Naturalist. Join us for a week of in-depth ecological studies of habitats. We will experiment, explore, and become a wild scientists while turning nature into our study space. We will explore many different ways to look at and learn about nature this week, with a scientific twist!	6-10	$285
July 17-21	Secrets of the Sanctuary. Audubon is a magical place to discover nature’s most mysterious plants and animals. From poison ivy to plantain, we’ll learn to tell hazard from helper. We’ll have lots of time for foraging, making magical concoctions, and building fairy houses too!	6-8	$285
July 24-28	Bring on the Birds. This week we will get out with our binoculars to explore Audubon's forests, fields, and ponds in search of our avian neighbors. The bird revelry will also include games, a daily bird walk, and bird songs to celebrate what makes a bird a bird and what makes them fascinating to us. Get ready to party it up!	6-10	$285
July 30- August 4	Aquatic Adventures. Dive into all things wet and wonderful! Cool off on a summer's day engineering dams and boats at the pond, river, and brook. Discover the creatures that live below the surface and find your place in the watershed during this week of watery worlds.	6-10	$285
August 7-11	Audubon Quest. X marks the spot! Join us as we put our treasure hunting skills to the test! This week we will learn to make and read maps, decipher clues, and search for the natural mysteries of Audubon!	6-10	$285

Many camp sessions fill up quickly. Sign Up for email updates to learn about other Audubon education opportunities and to receive Summer Camp updates.

We have scholarships available. Camp registration requires a 30% deposit- if you need scholarship funding to help with the deposit, please apply before registering for camp. Otherwise, you are welcome to register for camp first. To apply, please complete the Scholarship Application online. We try to give out as many partial scholarships as possible to make sure that everyone has access to the outdoors.

Ecology Camp Details

A gear list will be emailed to the email address we have on file.
A note on age. If your child is on the cusp of an age range, feel free to give us a call to let us know if you want them in an older camp or a younger camp. We are usually okay with whatever parents think is best. Speak to either our Summer Camp Director or Assistant Director for more information and to make these changes in registration.
New starting summer 2022:
- Audubon requires all campers and camp staff to have completed the age-appropriate vaccine schedule recommended by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and to submit proof in the form of a current immunization record prior to participating in any camp activity https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/vaccines-age.html
- Anyone with a medical exemption to immunization must submit documentation sufficiently in advance of the camp start date from a Physician (MD or DO) or a Pediatric/Family Practice Advanced Practice Nurse (ARNP or PNP) that describes the reason for the exemption. Vermont also recognizes religious exemptions. Exemption forms can be uploaded to CampDoc under "immunizations".

What does a typical day at camp look like?

Our camp week will be filled with games, hikes, crafts, stories, sit spots, and lots of exploration and play. Here is an example of a day at camp:

8:15-9:00- Optional Pre-Care. Note: You must register in advance.
9:00 – Sign-in at the Clubhouse and welcome activity
9:20 – Opening circle and game
10:00 – Snack
10:15 – Morning activity block: We will split into groups to study the land, play games, or see if we can build a shelter that keeps us dry in the rain
Noon – Lunch and quiet activity option (ex: nature journaling)
12:45 – Time to blow off some steam! Choice of active game or something quieter
1:00 – Afternoon activity block: Something different each day, based on camper interests and what nature has to offer us. We might build rafts or learn how to tie knots.
2:00 — Snack
3:30 – Back to Clubhouse for closing circle and to share stories from the afternoon
4:00 – Pick-up time