Summer Critter Camp 2020

• The grade range for this year’s animal camp for kids is now Kindergarten – 6th Grade.
  • We will have a few groups running per day and will do our best to group campers together based on age, depending on registrations.The groups will be kept separate from each other as much as possible and have limited sharing of space or items.
• Groups will have a maximum of eight campers with two staff members. (No Junior Volunteers this year)
• In order to keep the group of campers the same all week, daily sign-ups are not permitted. You must register for the entire week.
• Click here to review the CDC travel notices; please refrain from attending camp within 14 days of travelling to a Level 3 destination.
• Morning sessions will run from 8 a.m. – 11 a.m. Afternoon sessions will run from
  12:20 p.m. – 3:20 p.m. *Policies, topics, animals, and crafts are the same in the morning and afternoon.
• Due to the shortened day, there will be no lunch break. Please provide a snack from home for snack time.
  • Your child will be given their own bucket to use all week to always place their items from home into.
• We will check temperatures and give a short health questionnaire each morning. Please keep your child out of direct sunlight or warm environments to avoid incorrectly high temperature readings.
• Masks are required and must be worn whenever social distancing cannot be maintained. Please have all people wearing masks during check-in and check-out (children under the age of 2 do not need a mask).
  • We will not play games that involve running or too much movement. We will have animal encounters, quiet games and a craft.

• • We will go over proper hygiene each morning with the campers.
• We will maintain 6 ft. distance whenever possible.
  • Staff will facilitate the animal interactions with each child, one at a time.
• • Campers will use hand sanitizer directly before and after each animal interaction. We will encourage routine and thorough hand-washing throughout the day.
• For the first few weeks of camp, we will only permit campers of essential workers and local families (Rancho Santa Fe, Fairbanks Ranch, Del Mar, Solana Beach, Rancho Penasquitos, Black Mountain Ranch, 4S Ranch, Carmel Mountain Ranch, Encinitas, Cardiff).
• We will clean and disinfect our camp areas daily.
• The camp fee is $195 per week, per child (excluding the week of 6/29, which is $156.)

**Modifications are subject to change. Reach out to us at education@animalcenter.org if you have any questions or concerns.

Activities will be similar to the following and may include:

1. Participate in a rabbit playgroup as you discover how their ears give them super hearing powers.
2. Interact with a millipede and learn about the secret weapon that some species use to thwart predators.
3. Are you wondering how animals help people? Find out one of the ways as you pet our surprisingly soft alpacas!
4. Hold a chicken and learn how their super strong stomachs allow them to digest food, despite the fact that they don’t have any teeth.
5. Does a skink’s blue tongue scare off the bad guys? Discover the answer when you interact with this reptile.
6. Superheroes should not only have physical powers, but should be willing to help humans as well. Meet and pet a dog while you learn about the canine contributions over the course of history.
7. Show off your power of turning nothing into a work of art as you create unique crafts.
8. Hold a Madagascar hissing cockroach as you uncover their secret identity, which benefits the rain forest that they are native to.
9. Have a parrot perch on your shoes while learning about their awesome ability to see UV light that our eyes can’t see!
10. Discover the true healing powers that animals have as you find out about our Pet Encounter Therapy program.
11. Interact with a chinchilla as you discover how their dense fur allows them to survive in extremely high altitudes and low temperatures.
12. Since box turtles can’t rely on powers like super speed or strength to defend themselves, they depend on their capability to hide in their shell. Find out how they do it when you meet one!

Species and activities may vary depending on animal health, safety, and availability.

Must be at least 5-years-old to pet/hold reptiles.

This is not a full list of the animals that campers will interact with during the week – they will meet the majority of the species that are a part of the Education department.

“Not only did my son get to meet lots of cool animals, but he was able to build social confidence through learning interesting facts about them in the kind, compassionate environment encouraged by the educators and the overall mission of the Center.” ~Theresa K.

“This was the best summer camp of his summer. He is wondering why he has to go to kindergarten – he’d rather spend all year in Critter Camp. Thanks so much.” ~Dana G.

“My son had a great week! He was excited to go to camp every day and came home talking about what he learned and did. He loved his counselor and told me she was the best counselor he ever had at camp. He said he wanted to go back for 2 weeks next year!” ~Jaimee S.

“My kids loved how hands-on it was and I loved how easy the drop off/pick up was. I also loved how the camp was simple for the parents (no asking to put the kids in a certain color shirt each day or pack different clothes, etc.)” ~Sarah S.

“I especially liked the questions/answers that were provided in the parent information e-mail before camp started. Each day on the ride home, I asked the kids the questions of the day and they were able to answer with lots of details and additional facts. They were excited to share and I was impressed!” ~Courtney E.

“This is a great program, so fun and we love that it’s educational as well. We learn a lot as parents too because our kids can’t stop talking about the animals and everything they learned. Great job!” ~Sarah L.

“Thank you for sharing your outstanding resources with our community and for providing an excellent educational experience for my son… He loved it, and he looks forward to future camps at the animal center.” ~Jaquelin D.