a white logo with text at the bottom saying Helen Woodward Animal Center. There are two kids with dogs, a horse, a bird and cats under a tree.

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Summer Critter Camp

A wonderful San Diego Summer Camp where kids connect with animals!

The magical adventure of Summer Critter Camp is in full effect, and campers are having a blast discovering the wonders of the animal world! Each week introduces exciting new themes like Magical World of Animals and Adventures with Animals, filled with hands-on animal encounters, creative crafts, and endless fun on our brand-new habitat-themed playgrounds.

 

There’s still time to join in, limited spots remain for the weeks ahead, so don’t miss your chance to be part of the wildest summer yet!

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Camp Times, Rates, Discounts and Details

New to camp? Start by creating a new account. Once you’re logged in, scroll down to find your available weekly or daily registration options. Available to grades Prek – 8th

  • Daily registration: a single day and applies the daily rate, regardless of how many days you register for. Allows flexibility to fit your schedule needs!
 
  • Weekly registration: a single week and applies the weekly rate, but we do not prorate or transfer credits if you don’t attend all the days of that week. Best value option and campers receive a free t-shirt!
 

We offer a Critter Careers camp for 7th – 8th graders on select weeks!

  • Weekly registration on 6 select weeks only.
  • Theme is the same each week and different from the weekly themes the other grades follow. Their themes focus on animal careers.

CANCELLATION POLICY

Please stay home if a member of your household is sick. We can transfer registrations that haven’t started, to another day if that day has room, for any purpose. Communicate with us about child’s illness and we can discuss the cancellation policy allowances.

Daily registrants: If you need to cancel and provide more than 24 hours’ notice to the start of the camp day, we can refund you with a $10 cancellation fee per day.

Weekly registrants: If you need to cancel and provide more than 24 hours’ notice to the start of the camp week, we can refund you with a $50 cancellation fee per week.

If you need to cancel with less than 24 hours’ notice to the start of the day for daily registrants or the start of the week for weekly registrants you will not receive a refund.

 

Summer Critter Camp runs June 2 – August 22, 2025.
Check the chart below for available dates.

Preschool

  • 9:00am – 3:00pm
  • Extended Care: Early drop-off at 8:00am is available for an additional fee, per day.
  • Preschool campers stay for the full day and enjoy a calm Nap/Rest Period midday. Extended care is also available till 5:00 pm for an additional fee, per day.
  • Must be at least 4 years old and able to use the bathroom independently.
 

Kindergarten – 8th Grade

  • 9:00am – 3:00pm
  • Extended Care option: Early drop-off at 8:00am and/or extended day to 5:00pm available for an additional fee, per day.
  • Be aware that camp has frequent transitions that can make an aide more necessary during camp than at school.
 

Discounts

  • 15% off camp tuition for active military. Call us at 858-756-4117 ext. 318 for the coupon code before you book.
  • Your child may be eligible for a scholarship! Please click here to find out more.

Your camp fee may provide a partial tax credit. Check with your tax professional to see if you qualify.

 

Details

  • All campers must be able to use the restroom confidently and on their own.
  • Must be at least 5 years old to pet reptiles.
  • Animals assigned to a theme may vary depending on animal health, safety, and availability.
  • Please provide your child with a snack and water bottle each day.
  • Lunch can be purchased for an additional fee, per child, per day, before 9:30am.
    It includes a main entrée and two sides. It is listed as a separate activity that you sign each child up for.
  • We know that camp sounds fun for kids and adults, but this camp is for kids only! If your child has an aide at school and you plan to have them come to camp with your child, please call us at 858-756-4117 ext. 318 so that we can help them complete the fingerprint process. All aides must be fingerprinted through us in order to attend camp, which can take 2 weeks or more. Be aware that camp has frequent transitions that can make an aide more necessary during camp than at school.
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Summer Critter Camp Themes

Adventure with Animals – Odd Weeks

 

Every day is a new adventure at Critter Camp! This week, campers will journey through the animal kingdom, exploring how creatures adapt, survive, and thrive in habitats around the world. From rainforests to deserts, oceans to grasslands, each day brings exciting lessons, animal encounters, and hands-on activities that celebrate the wonders of wildlife.

 

Daily themes vary by grade level. All campers will visit our Adoptions department, and older groups may explore other behind-the-scenes areas of the Center throughout the week.

 

Destination

LEARN MORE
From burrows to treetops, every animal has a perfect place to call home! Campers will discover how an animal’s unique traits and lifestyle help us understand where they live and thrive. Campers will meet a goat, guinea pig, small parrot, skink, and even earthworms!

Wardrobe

LEARN MORE
From fluffy coats to scaly suits, animals are dressed for survival! Campers will explore how different coverings help animals stay safe, find food, and attract mates in the wild. Campers will meet a sheep, rabbit, chicken, ball python, and leopard gecko!

Items

LEARN MORE
From armor to instincts, animals have amazing ways to stay safe without tools or weapons! Campers will explore the many ways creatures protect and defend themselves. Campers will meet a mini horse or donkey, dog, dove, turtle or tortoise, and a bearded dragon!

Transportation

LEARN MORE
Let’s get moving! From flying to burrowing, campers will discover why animals use different methods of movement to explore their world. Campers will meet a dog, rabbit, medium parrot, rosy boa or sand boa, and a beetle!

Treasure

LEARN MORE
The relationships between animals and their environment adds up to a delicate formula, where too much or too little of one thing can alter the arithmetic. Campers will meet a dog, chinchilla, small parrot, ball python snake, and an earthworm.
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Magical World of Animals – Even Weeks

 

Get ready for an enchanting summer at Critter Camp! In our Magical World of Animals theme, campers will dive into a world where animals inspire myths, spark imagination, and reveal their real-life “magic” through incredible adaptations. From camouflage to cultural legends, each day uncovers the wonders of the animal kingdom in fun and surprising ways.

 

Each grade follows its own adventure with unique daily themes, and all campers will visit our Adoptions department to meet some furry friends looking for forever homes. Older grades may also explore additional areas of our Center for even more animal-inspired excitement!

 

Spells

LEARN MORE
Some animal abilities seem almost magical, like breathing without lungs or changing color in a flash! Campers will discover the fascinating adaptations that make each species unique. Campers will meet a mini horse or donkey, rabbit, large parrot, ball python, and leopard gecko!

Potions

LEARN MORE
From healing to harmful, animals have their own magical “potions”, whether it’s through venom, scent, or secretions! Campers will explore the unique diets and defenses of these fascinating creatures. Campers will meet a goat, guinea pig, dove, rosy boa or sand boa, and a frog!

Mythical

LEARN MORE
From dragons to divine messengers, animals have inspired legends and stories across every culture. Campers will uncover the creatures behind the myths and learn how animals help humans explain the world around them. Campers will meet a mini donkey or horse, dog, chicken, bearded dragon, and a beetle!

Illusions

LEARN MORE
Let’s get moving! From flying to burrowing, campers will discover why animals use different methods of movement to explore their world. Campers will meet a dog, rabbit, medium parrot, rosy boa or sand boa, and a beetle!

Realms

LEARN MORE
Campers will travel through nature’s most fascinating habitats, from lush greenery to hidden underground worlds, as they uncover the unique ways animals adapt to where they live. Along the way, they’ll meet a sheep, chinchilla, small parrot, skink, and earthworms!
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Critter Careers – 7th-8th grade (same each week)

Explore the different ways you can work with animals, some of which include direct care of the animals, while others mean supporting them through the work you do at a distance. Campers will earn an hour of community service each day of camp by assisting our animal care team, plus they will meet professionals in the animal industry, and develop lifelong leadership skills during their time here at Helen Woodward Animal Center in San Diego.

Monday - Veterinarian

LEARN MORE
Animals communicate in a variety of ways which can tell us if they’re happy and healthy, or need medical attention. Discover the different ways veterinarians work with different species and what the path towards that career looks like. Campers will meet a miniature donkey, guinea pig, chicken, tortoise, ball python snake, bathe a large mammal, and visit a different department at the Center.

Tuesday - Keeper

LEARN MORE
Animals and humans have a lot of different relationships worldwide but one that is always needed is a keeper to care for the daily needs of animals. Explore the variations of needs different animal species have and how that translates to caring properly for them. Campers will meet a miniature horse, chinchilla, small parrot, leopard gecko lizard, frog, clean an animal enclosure, and visit a different department at the Center.

Wednesday - Trainer

LEARN MORE
Because humans and animals don’t speak the same language, we can develop a way to communicate through a new language, training! Learn the fundamentals of shaping behaviors and pairing them with signals, and understand why this is so important for animal happiness and health. Campers will meet a dog, rabbit, medium parrot, rosy boa snake, beetle, clean an animal pen, and visit a different department at the Center.

Thursday - Researcher

LEARN MORE
To best understand animals and learn from them, we need to research them. Careers are widespread and varied with this need, and can include field work or lab work. Understand the important role animals play in science and how we can make ethical decisions when studying. Campers will meet a goat, dog, large parrot, skink lizard, earthworm, walk a large mammal, and visit a different department at the Center.

Friday - Educator

LEARN MORE
Media and education are both crucial to supporting animals because they connect people and animals and the challenges they face, which generates better understanding and solutions based on positive change. Campers will meet a sheep, rabbit, dove, bearded dragon, Madagascar hissing cockroach, socialize chinchillas, and visit a different department at the Center.
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Critter Camp Frequently Asked Questions

  • For safety purposes we do not release children at pick up time to anyone not listed on the “authorized to pick up” list. We check ID daily at checkout time.
  • To add someone to the authorized list, we must confirm you are one of the parents/guardians and then we can add any additional names, or you can log into your account and add more in yourself.
  • During registration there is a section for “my child would like to be in the same class as” and that is where you should add the first and last names of other children to group with, if any. We group children into classes by grade level first; if we have multiple classes of the same grade level then we’ll pair requests together.
  • We generally group classes as follows: PreK/Preschool, Kinder, 1st-2nd, 3rd-4th, 5th-6th, 7th-8th. Depending on registrations for each grade level we may combine nearby grade levels into one class, such as a Kinder-2nd class.
  • We only move older children down into the younger groups.
  • If you need your child with another child regardless of grade level, please contact the office by email or phone to escalate your request to a need. Please do this before the start of the camp week you’re attending so that it can be taken care of prior to the start of grouping for that week.
  • ou can add extended care as late as day of by contacting the office about adding it at any time, or sign into your account and add it yourself. Extended care includes Early Drop-Off and Extended Day (Early Drop-Off is the only option for Preschool).
  • Early Drop-Off is 8:00-8:45am. Children will mostly free play with camp staff supervision. This is the only option available to children younger than Kindergarten.
  • Extended Day is 3:00-5:00pm. Children will do a craft or activity, have some guided games, help check on our outdoor animals for the night’s close, and free play under the supervision of camp staff. It is advised to pack extra snacks so your child has food for this time.
  • You can add lunch as late as morning of, as long as you do it before 9:30am when the lunch order is placed. Camp lunch includes an entrée and two sides.
  • You can contact the office about adding it day of or sign into your account and add it yourself (but please only add it yourself if its 24 hours’ notice otherwise it may be missed – we print rosters each morning at 8am).
  • Campers rotate locations and activities every 20-40 min (10-40 min for PreK). They meet 5 different animals and those presentations and interactions are dispersed throughout the day. Campers typically do a craft or a class activity before snack, then a craft or class activity before lunch (whichever they didn’t do before snack), and then after lunch the campers play a multi-class game.
  • 8:45-9:15: check in period, campers free play in our pavilion.
  • 9:15-9:30: circle up with the class to discuss the day, camp rules, and icebreakers.
  • 10-10:30: younger camper snack period. 20 min for snack, 10 min to free play if done eating.
  • 10:30-11: older camper snack period. 20 min to eat, 10 min to free play if done eating.
  • 11:30-12:15: younger camper lunch period. 30 min to eat, 10 min to free play if done eating.
  • 12-12:45: older camper lunch period. 30 min to eat, 10 min to free play if done eating.
  • 2:45-3:15: check out period, campers stay circled up with their class and play quiet games.
  • Please stay home if a member of your household is sick. We can transfer registrations that haven’t started to another day, if that day has room, for any purpose. Communicate with us about child’s illness and we can discuss the cancellation policy allowances.
  • Daily registrants: If you need to cancel and provide more than 24 hours’ notice to the start of the camp day, we can refund you with a $10 cancellation fee per day.
  • Weekly registrants: If you need to cancel and provide more than 24 hours’ notice to the start of the camp week, we can refund you with a $50 cancellation fee per week.
  • If you need to cancel with less than 24 hours’ notice to the start of the day for daily registrants or the start of the week for weekly registrants you will not receive a refund.
- Joanie L. “Super professional and organized, amazing facility, and most importantly, my kids were thrilled with the experience and are begging for more.”
- Joanie L. “Super professional and organized, amazing facility, and most importantly, my kids were thrilled with the experience and are begging for more.”
- Jeannete L. “My daughter is shy about joining groups she does not know. The teachers made her feel so welcomed and she adapted so quickly to join the group and meet people.”
- Jeannete L. “My daughter is shy about joining groups she does not know. The teachers made her feel so welcomed and she adapted so quickly to join the group and meet people.”
- Kim C. “[My son] loved the animal interactions and new knowledge he learned. The games were engaging. There was a great balance of learning, playing and even snack/rest.”
- Kim C. “[My son] loved the animal interactions and new knowledge he learned. The games were engaging. There was a great balance of learning, playing and even snack/rest.”
- Kathryn P. “Would definitely recommend. My son had a great time! He came home excited to share what he had learned and done each day at camp.”
- Kathryn P. “Would definitely recommend. My son had a great time! He came home excited to share what he had learned and done each day at camp.”
- Jennifer C. “My daughter absolutely loved this camp. She was thrilled with her experience. The kids were exposed to a broad number of animals, and learned a ton while having a blast. She even loved cleaning up horse manure, and is still talking about it. We are just sorry we didn't sign up for more sessions this summer, but now we know to do so next year!”
- Jennifer C. “My daughter absolutely loved this camp. She was thrilled with her experience. The kids were exposed to a broad number of animals, and learned a ton while having a blast. She even loved cleaning up horse manure, and is still talking about it. We are just sorry we didn't sign up for more sessions this summer, but now we know to do so next year!”
- Bansidhar G. “[The] ability to choose what days to send the kids to without having to register for the entire summer. The animal interactions kids have here is unmatched anywhere else.”
- Bansidhar G. “[The] ability to choose what days to send the kids to without having to register for the entire summer. The animal interactions kids have here is unmatched anywhere else.”

Your program fee helps support all of our adoptable animals, as well as the many human and animal services Helen Woodward Animal Center provides.

For more information:
Please contact us at education@animalcenter.org or 858-756-4117 ext. 318

Follow us online to get more humane education virtually including animal facts, cute animal photos and videos, and notifications about upcoming programs!

Due to Hurricane Hilary, all  departments will be closing at 3pm today.  Stay safe!