The Nature Explorers Art and Science Camp for children at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens will combine art and science in a full-day camp this summer.
Campers will discover plants and the natural world through art and science. They will spend time discovering the Botanical Gardens, completing multimedia art projects, learning drawing and painting skills, participating in games and taking home their own plants to care for.
Camps are appropriate for kids who have finished kindergarten through Grade 6.
Week-long sessions begin July 10 and run through Aug. 18.
Camp runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Campers are required to take a bagged lunch. Morning and afternoon snack is provided.
Prices are $180 per week or $36 per day for Botanical Gardens’ members and $200 per week or $40 per day for the general public.
Pre-registration is required, and completed camp forms are due the Wednesday before each camp session. Register here or call 716.827.1584 ext. 292 for more information.
The Nature Explorers Art and Science Camp highlights a different topic each week:
July 10 through July 14 is Wild Wacky Water Week. The art focus will be on painting in watercolor using techniques of washes, salt, dropping in color and spattering. Campers will paint beach, stream and ocean landscapes. Campers will also learn all about the water cycle and the different ways plants use water. This week also includes watery projects and wacky water games.
July 17 through July 21 will be Pollinators Week. Campers will sculpt a honeybee using clay and paint the symmetry of flowers in watercolor and tempera on the camp wall mural. The art of quilling to make a 3-D picture is also part of the fun. Campers will learn how pollination works by dissecting flowers and visiting the Botanical Gardens’ busy beehive. Explorers will also create beautiful butterflies, play pollination games, create a take-home garden and more.
July 24 through July 28 is Plants We Eat Week. Campers will consider how many different plants they eat in a day, paint a classical still life composed of fruits and vegetables and discover the method of botanical drawing by carefully inspecting plant parts and drawing them to scale. Explorers will discover how many plants in the Botanical Gardens are edible, squish oranges and other fruits into juice, make flour and sample weird-looking fruits.
July 31 through August 4 is Plants and Our Planet Week. Campers will learn about protecting the environment and how to become stewards of the planet. Campers will design posters about preserving habitat for our wild animals using colored pencils and markers. They will cover discarded bottles with paper scraps, paint and glue to create beautiful vases and use recycled materials to make planters and bird feeders. Explorers will also participate in environmentally themed games, explore the outdoor arboretum (collection of trees) and test the effects of pollution.
August 7 through August 11 is Rainforest Week. Campers will discover how plants and animals live in the rainforest while exploring tropical greenhouses. They will draw colorful parrots, hummingbirds and monkeys in oil pastels and create a collage of tropical flowers. Explorers will also learn how to fold an origami snake, play games and build a tropical terrarium to bring home.
August 14 through August 18 is Woodland Adventures Week. Campers will learn about what plants, animals and insects live in the forest. They will create a painting in tempera of a north woods scene complete with birds, deer, raccoons, reptiles and bugs. They will weave a wall-hanging using grasses, twigs and feathers and use pencils to create leaf and bark rubbings. Campers will also explore woodland habitats while learning about local plants and animals, participate in a special camp scavenger hunt and build a fairy garden.
Other youth activities
Hold a birthday party at the Botanical Gardens with activities designed for kids ages 5-12. Each two-hour party includes:
- A themed hands-on activity that includes a take-home planting craft
- A mini-tour of the Botanical Gardens followed by some playtime in the Wegmans Family Garden
- The final hour of the party is reserved for food, cake and presents
See more details here.
Field trips
Groups from day care, youth recreation and summer camps as well as schools can make field trips to the Botanical Gardens. You can make reservations not only for summer, but for fall and into 2018. Reservations are necessary and must be booked four weeks in advance. See more details here.
Linda, my sister said the same thing! Maybe they can do something like this for adults.
I want to go to the Nature Explorers Art and Science Camp! It sounds like a really fun filled summer activity.