Inside the Outdoors to welcome Orange County students at Summer Day Camp

Students participate in games at 2022 Summer Day Camp at the Shipley Nature Center. (Courtesy of Inside the Outdoors)

From exploring the elements to navigating hiking trails, Orange County students will have the opportunity to expand their knowledge of the great outdoors at the popular Summer Day Camp hosted by Inside the Outdoors starting in June.

Inside the Outdoors logo

Led by Inside the Outdoors’ program naturalists, the environmental education camp administered by OCDE encourages children to foster their creativity and curiosity as they take part in educational games and experiments at the Shipley Nature Center in Huntington Beach.

Students ages 6 to 12 years old can be registered for a themed weeklong camp experience, while kids 13 to 17 will have tailored activities for their age group and opportunities for leadership roles.

Summer Day Camp will begin Monday through Friday at 9 a.m. and conclude at 2 p.m., featuring camp songs, skits and lunchtime followed by choose-your-own adventure activities with staff. Daily activities will include performing songs, writing journal prompts, interacting with live animals, making crafts and more.

From June 26 to July 28, each week will offer activities focused on a specific nature-related subject for young campers. Starting out with “‘Elemental’ Summer Fun,” students will experiment with the elements through making crafts and playing games with their teammates. The second week of camp will highlight “Nature Navigators,” as campers test their navigation skills by drawing out maps of the nature center and charting their observations of the stars.

Campers enrolled in the “Mysteries of Nature” week from July 17 to July 21 can get a closer look at Shipley Nature Center by learning about its myths, legends and tales and searching for animal evidence while discovering the weird and wacky parts of nature. During the camp’s final week, students will traverse the center and conduct hands-on natural science experiments while on the lookout for animals on the various hiking trails for the “Where the Wild Campers Are” theme.  

Interested families can sign up their soon-to-be campers and learn more about the program at ocde.us/ito/Pages/SummerCamp.