photo by Aaron Burden via Unsplash

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FLEDGLINGS SUMMER SESSION!

• Montana Audubon Center
• mtaudubon.org/center | 406-294-5099
• 9 weeks starting June 7
• 8:30am-12pm, M-W-F | Cost: $90/week
• 8:30am-12pm, TU-TH | Cost: $65/week
• Ages: 3-5 years
• Fledglings Summer Session provides a great foundation for lifelong learning. Our experienced staff and high quality program emphasize social skills, risk management, and learning that emerges from play. 80% of the program is outside. Class is limited to 8 students. Sign up for one week at a time during the 9-week season. Campers must be potty trained.

SUMMER KICK-OFF CAMP!

• Montana Audubon Center
• mtaudubon.org/center | 406-294-5099
• June 7-11 | 12:30-4pm
• Ages: Grades entering K-9th | Cost: $155
• Kick off your summer with a sample of our most popular activities: canoeing, fort building, macroinvertebrate collection, and more. Join us for this camp and start the summer off right! All ages combined.

DINO-TASTIC

• Montana Audubon Center
• mtaudubon.org/center | 406-294-5099
• June 14-18 | 8:30am-12pm
• Grades: Entering K-2nd | Cost: $155
• What's your favorite dinosaur? Learn more about these prehistoric creatures, dig for bones, and get to know modern dinosaurs - birds! 

FISH & FORT BUILDING

• Montana Audubon Center
• mtaudubon.org/center | 406-294-5099
• Session A: June 14-18 | 8:30am-4pm
• Session B: July 5-9 | 8:30am-4pm
• Session C: Aug 2-6 | 8:30am-4pm
• Grades: Entering 3rd-5th | Cost: $275 (+$20 optional cookout)
• Two great ways to have fun in the outdoors! Create a variety of shelters in the surrounding forests and learn how to build fires, tie knots, and canoe. Whittle your own fishing pole and drop a line in the surrounding ponds. 
• Camp ends Friday at noon

LINDI'S ART ADVENTURES 1

• Montana Audubon Center
• mtaudubon.org/center | 406-294-5099
• June 14-18 | 8:30am-12pm
• Grades: Entering 3rd-9th | Cost: $155
• Fabulous Fun Field Studies! Learn all the tricks and tips to master watercolor brush pens as you create detailed field studies and more. Each camper will take home a watercolor brush pen set, a field study guide/workbook, pencil, waterproof pen, eraser, and tote. 
• *Additional $20 fee for take-home supplies*  

MUSIKGARTEN NATURE TRAIL AT ZOOMONTANA

• Karen Haughey Music Studio
• khmstudio.com | 406-671-9574
• Location: ZooMontana
• June 14-18 | 9-11:30am OR 12:30-3pm
• Ages: 4.5-7 years
• Our popular day camp connects music, art, and nature!
• Cost: $150 (includes all music and art supplies)

NATURE DETECTIVES

• Montana Audubon Center
• mtaudubon.org/center | 406-294-5099
• June 14-18 | 12:30-4pm
• Grades: Entering 3rd-5th | Cost: $155
• Hmmm….it seems we have a mystery on our hands. Pick up a magnifying glass to investigate the stories of bones, tracks, scat, feathers, and other animal signs and what they are trying to tell us. Sleuthing awaits! 

TINY SCIENTISTS

• Montana Audubon Center
• mtaudubon.org/center | 406-294-5099
• Session A: June 14-18 | 12:30-4pm
• Session B: Aug 2-6 | 12:30-4pm
• Grades: Entering K-2nd | Cost: $155
• Put on your lab goggles and safety gloves for a week of experiments. Learn how fire burns, how water fills our ponds, and more. Ask questions and get EXPLOSIVE answers as tiny scientists!

ZOOMONTANA SUMMER CAMPS (Ages 4-5)  

• ZooMontana
• zoomontana.org | 406-652-8100
• Time: 9am-12pm | Cost: $99/week

     Home Sweet Habitat: June 15-18 or July 13-16 

• Venture into lush rainforests, scorching deserts, high mountain peaks, and open prairies as we explore the amazing habitats that animals call home! Discover how animals survive extreme heat in the desert, how tigers can disappear into the grass, and why some animals only come out at night.

     Shapes, Critters, & Clay!: July 27-30 

• Let ZooMontana's living models be the stars of your art! This art adventure focuses on learning the shapes needed to draw and sculpt our animal friends here at ZooMontana. On our daily "Walk About," we will learn fun facts about our amazing animal friends, inspiring us to draw and sculpt. 
• Register at zoomontana.org/summer-camps. 

TRAILBLAZER CAMP

• Yellowstone Alliance Adventures | Bozeman, MT
• yaacamp.org | 406-763-4727
• June 20-25 | $400
• Grades: 3rd-5th
• This week overflows with exciting adventures and new experiences in the great outdoors. YAA provides a welcoming environment in which campers are able to learn about Jesus while being accompanied by top-notch counselors.
• YAA is permitted for outfitting and guiding in the Gallatin National Forest.

DISCOVERY GIRLS

• Montana Audubon Center
• mtaudubon.org/center | 406-294-5099
• June 21-25 | 8:30am-4pm
• Grades: Entering 3rd-9th | Cost: $275 (+$20, optional cookout)
• (Combined ages) Join a girls-only group for a week of exploring the world around you. Build fires, hike, make natural scrubs, fish, geocache, and much more. Get out there and be a nature girl! Camp ends Friday at noon.

FIELD DAY

• Montana Audubon Center
• mtaudubon.org/center | 406-294-5099
• June 21-25 | 8:30am-12pm
•    Grades: Entering 6th-9th
• June 28-July 2 | 8:30am-12pm
•    Grades: Entering 3rd-5th
• Cost: $155
• Capture the flag, canoe games, and relay races abound during this week of camp. Join us for a week of fun and games and great times!

LITTLE EXPLORERS

• Montana Audubon Center
• mtaudubon.org/center | 406-294-5099
• Session A: June 21-25 | 8:30am-12pm
• Session B: Aug 2-6 | 8:30am-12pm
• Grades: Entering K-2nd | Cost: $155
• Muddy boots, pond soup, and tree climbing, oh my! Get down and dirty scouting out the ponds and forests. The wild awaits!

WATER WIGGLES

• Montana Audubon Center
• mtaudubon.org/center | 406-294-5099
• Session A: June 21-25 | 12:30-4pm 
• Session B: July 26-30 | 12:30-4pm
• Grades: Entering K-2nd | Cost: $155
• Splish and splash yourself into puddles, ponds, and streams all week long. Learn about (and catch!) some of the creatures that call these waters home and get up closer in canoes.

ZOOMONTANA SUMMER CAMPS (Ages 6-8)  

• ZooMontana
• zoomontana.org | 406-652-8100
• Time: 8am-12pm | Cost: $99/week

Survivor!: June 22-25 or July 27-30

• Do you think you can survive the wild? Join us as we investigate some truly amazing animal adaptations and the skills they use to survive every day! Learn how to build a nest like a bird, stalk like a tiger, forage for food like a bear, and escape a hungry heron as a frog during a week at the Zoo! 

It's Alive! Drawings & Sculptures That  Move!: July 13-18  

• Artists watch as their artwork takes shape and moves like the animals we will study at ZooMontana. This camp will explore the art of cartoon flipbooks and puppetry through locomotion observation. Each student creates a character and moves it through the pages of a flipbook. From our drawings, we will sculpt our clay creature and add the strings of a marionette puppet.  
• Register at zoomontana.org/summer-camps.  

ZOOMONTANA SUMMER CAMPS (Ages 9-12)  

ZooMontana

• zoomontana.org | 406-652-8100
• Time: 8am-12pm | Cost: $99/week

ZooArt- Pouring & Brushing Puddles of Color: June 22-25

• Whether you like to brush or pour paint, this camp is coloriffic! Geared toward older artists, ages 9+, artists will explore the colorful world inside ZooMontana, using watercolor brush pens and a paint pour. This camp challenges artists to create field studies and observations using their watercolor brush pens while teaching them watercolor techniques used with this new media, finishing up with a paint pour on canvas. 

Wildlife CSI: July 6-9 or Aug 10-13  

• Animals are all around us as long as you know where to look. Learn about the lives of animals from around the world, and the signs they leave behind. Study tracks and scat, examine bones, construct your own shelter, and discover if you can solve the case of a wildlife crime! 
• Register at zoomontana.org/summer-camps.  

PIONEER CAMP

• Yellowstone Alliance Adventures | Bozeman, MT
• yaacamp.org | 406-763-4727
• June 27-July 2 | Cost: $400
• Grades: 5th-6th
• This camp is set up to allow everyone to participate and enter in, whether you are a seasoned camper or first time participant. Students are provided with incredible leadership, unforgettable memories, and amazing food!
• YAA is permitted for outfitting and guiding in the Gallatin National Forest.

BOGS, FROGS, & POLLIWOGS

• Montana Audubon Center
• mtaudubon.org/center | 406-294-5099
• June 28-July 2 | 8:30am-12pm
• Grades: Entering K-2nd | Cost: $155
• Some animals are plenty happy in slimy, wet, and muddy places. Get to know and search for your friendly neighborhood amphibians!

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED

• Montana Audubon Center
• mtaudubon.org/center | 406-294-5099
• June 28-July 2 | 8:30am-4pm
• Grades: Entering 6th-9th | Cost: $275 (+$20 optional cookout)
• Are you ready for this?! Challenge yourself this week with low ropes courses, obstacles, games, and survival skills. Camp ends at noon on Friday.

MINECRAFT MANIA

• Montana Audubon Center
• mtaudubon.org/center | 406-294-5099
• June 28-July 2 | 12:30-4pm
• Grades: Entering 3rd-5th | Cost: $155
• Learn the skills it will take to survive in your own mini-world. Build and craft fires and shelters. Stay safe from monsters and also ‘mine’ rocks along the Yellowstone River. Creative, Survival, Hardcore, or Adventure: how will you play?

SEEDS TO SPROUTS

• Montana Audubon Center
• mtaudubon.org/center | 406-294-5099
• June 28-July 2 | 12:30-4pm
• Grades: Entering K-2nd | Cost: $155
• Dig in the soil, plant seeds and discover plants - from tiny sprouts to the tallest trees, including some that we can eat! 

ADVENTURE CAMP

• Billings Family YMCA
• billingsymca.org | 406-248-1685
• July 5-9, 9am-12pm
• Grades: 3rd-6th
• Cost: Members- $125/week, Offsite members- $150/week, Non-members- $175/week 
• Location: Montana Audubon Center
• In this collaboration with the Audubon Center, campers will explore the outdoors, learn to identify bugs, animal tracks, and plants, and learn the safety guidelines for canoeing and being on the water. 
• Register by June 28 to avoid late fees! 

LINDI'S ART ADVENTURES 2

• Montana Audubon Center
• mtaudubon.org/center | 406-294-5099
• July 5-9 | 8:30am-12pm
• Grades: Entering K-2nd | Cost: $155
• Sketch & sculpt your favorite creatures ranging from prehistoric beasts to critters who call Montana home. Each camper will make and paint multiple clay sculptures and receive their own personal sculpting/sketching workbook, pencil, pen, eraser, and tote bag. 

LITTLE CRITTERS

• Montana Audubon Center
• mtaudubon.org/center | 406-294-5099
• July 5-9 | 12:30-4pm
• Grades: Entering K-2nd | Cost: $155
• The most important things in nature are often the smallest! Look high and low for minnows, worms, grasshoppers, and other tiny creatures that are all around.

TAKING FLIGHT

• Montana Audubon Center
• mtaudubon.org/center | 406-294-5099
• July 5-9 | 8:30am-12pm
• Grades: Entering 3rd-5th | Cost: $155
• Birds, insects, and bats all call the skies home. Learn about these creatures through birding, insect collection, and much more! Also study the science of flight as you engineer your own flying creations.

ROOKIE CAMP

• Yellowstone Alliance Adventures | Bozeman, MT
• yaacamp.org | 406-763-4727
• July 6-9 | Cost: $280
• Grades: 2nd-4th
• Geared towards younger campers who are ready to take the leap into overnight camp but not quite prepared for an entire week.
• YAA is permitted for outfitting and guiding in the Gallatin National Forest.

ARCHERY CAMP

• Yellowstone Alliance Adventures | Bozeman, MT
• yaacamp.org | 406-763-4727
• July 6-9 | Cost: $420
• Grades: 7th-9th
• This camp is for those with a keen interest in archery! Under the guidance of an expert archer, campers will enhance their skills using a variety of different bows. Space is limited!
• YAA is permitted for outfitting and guiding in the Gallatin National Forest.

BASE CAMP

• Yellowstone Alliance Adventures | Bozeman, MT
• yaacamp.org | 406-763-4727
• July 6-9 | Cost: $400
• Grades: 6th-8th 
• Base camp is now open to boys and girls, challenging you to exchange cabins for hammocks, dining hall meals for campfire cooking, and skill-builders of day hikes and backcountry survival skills! Space is limited!
• YAA is permitted for outfitting and guiding in the Gallatin National Forest.

EXPLORER CAMP

• Yellowstone Alliance Adventures | Bozeman, MT
• yaacamp.org | 406-763-4727
• 2 Sessions Available | Cost: $400
• Grades: 6th-8th
• Session 1: July 11-16
• Session 2: July 18-23
• This week is full of countless activities and adventures while being mentored by some of the best counselors from across the country. The camp trip to Hyalite Reservoir proves to be a crowd pleaser as kids get the opportunity to spend the day canoeing, rafting, and swimming in a fun, yet safe environment!
• YAA is permitted for outfitting and guiding in the Gallatin National Forest.

 "B" a POLLINATOR

• Montana Audubon Center
• mtaudubon.org/center | 406-294-5099
• July 12-16 | 8:30am-12pm
• Grades: Entering K-2nd | Cost: $155
• Birds, bugs, and bats are all pollinators. Learn how important pollination is to our everyday lives while playing games, finding these cool critters, and taking home your own beginner pollinator garden. This week is sure to bee great!

NATURE'S KITCHEN

• Montana Audubon Center
• mtaudubon.org/center | 406-294-5099
• July 12-16 | 12:30-4pm
• Grades: Entering 3rd-5th | Cost: $155
• If you love to eat, join us for an adventurous week of outdoor cooking and foraging skills. Show off your newly learned skills during our camper cook-off. May the best chef win!

OUTDOOR SURVIVAL

• Montana Audubon Center
• mtaudubon.org/center | 406-294-5099
• July 12-16 | 8:30am-12pm
• Grades: Entering 6th-9th | Cost: $155
• What are the odds you would survive if you were stranded in the wilderness? Learn from specialists and naturalists to increase your odds in this week's camp. Learn how to pack, what to do in emergencies, how to build fires and shelters, and other survival basics. 

YOUTH CYCLING CAMP

• Billings Parks and Recreation
• billingsparks.org | 406-657-8371 
• July 12-16 | August 9-13, M-F, 9am-12pm
• Ages: 9-14
• Cost: $85
• In partnership with Kids In Motion, BP&R's new Cycling Camp focuses on navigating all aspects of cycling. Emphasis on safety instruction and proper bike maintenance and care. Expect to gain confidence on your bike, learn to use your bike for transportation, and to safely navigate the different types of terrain at Riverfront Park. KiM will provide each camper with a basic tool kit and show campers how to use the tools. Participants are expected to have their own bike, helmet, and water bottle. 
• Scholarships available. Helmets required.

TALES AND TRAILS

• Montana Audubon Center
• mtaudubon.org/center | 406-294-5099
• July 12-16 | 12:30-4pm
• Grades: Entering K-2nd | Cost: $155
• Books are great places to find adventures, and nature is too! Each day will include a nature book storytime and a chance to have adventures of your own!  

BUG OUT!

• Montana Audubon Center
• mtaudubon.org/center | 406-294-5099
• July 19-23 | 12:30-4pm
• Grades: Entering K-2nd | Cost: $155
• Explore the Center through the eyes of a bug. Roll over logs, scoop in the pond, and use bug nets to learn about the lives of these minibeasts up close and in person. 

MAD SCIENTIST

• Montana Audubon Center
• mtaudubon.org/center | 406-294-5099
• July 19-23 | 12:30-4pm
• Grades: Entering 3rd-5th | Cost: $155
• MUH-HA-HA-HA-HA!! Laugh like a mad scientist as we do exciting experiments. Put on goggles as we erupt volcanoes, make flubber, and smash rocks. Discover the chemistry of nature and the physics of play as a mad scientist!

SENSATIONAL SENSES

• Montana Audubon Center
• mtaudubon.org/center | 406-294-5099
• July 19-23 | 8:30am-12pm
• Grades: Entering K-2nd | Cost: $155
• Touch, taste, smell, listen, and see the natural world around you by using your 5 senses to explore. Learn what animals have sensational senses too!

WESTERN ADVENTURES

• Montana Audubon Center
• mtaudubon.org/center | 406-294-5099
• July 19-23 | 8:30am-4pm
• Grades: Entering 3rd-9th | Cost: $275 (+$20 optional cookout)
• (Combined ages) It’s the wild west, y’all! Live and explore like Lewis and Clark: learn how to make fire, use compasses, and build shelters. Go back in time during Western Adventures! Camp ends Friday noon.

AMAZING ANIMAL ADAPTATIONS

• Montana Audubon Center
• mtaudubon.org/center | 406-294-5099
• July 26-30 | 8:30am-12pm
• Grades: Entering K-2nd | Cost: $155
• Why do animals have wings, scales, tails, and claws? Explore different adaptations and learn how animals survive in their environment. Can you adapt?

MADE IN NATURE

• Montana Audubon Center
• mtaudubon.org/center | 406-294-5099
• July 26-30 | 12:30-4pm
• Grades: Entering 3rd-9th | Cost: $155
• (Combined ages) Craft your way through this week of camp as you discover how to use natural materials around you. From food to hand-made products, you’ll have plenty of projects to take home.

ZOOLOGY

• Montana Audubon Center
• mtaudubon.org/center | 406-294-5099
• July 26-30 | 8:30am-12pm
• Grades: Entering 3rd-5th | Cost: $155
• Who doesn’t love animals? Spend a week as a zoologist in training. Learn more about, and see, all kinds of critters; from insects to tigers. Identify tracks, scat, and skulls to become a pro! Offered in partnership with Zoo MT. (INSERT ZOOMT LOGO)

WATER WARRIORS

• Montana Audubon Center
• mtaudubon.org/center | 406-294-5099
• Aug 2-6 | 12:30-4pm
• Grades: Entering 6th-9th | Cost: $155
• Conquer water through water sports and activities (canoe rescues included). Learn how the Yellowstone River supports our local ecosystems.

CAMP EXTREME YELLOWSTONE EXPEDITION

• Montana Learning Center
• montanalearning.org
• Grades: Entering 7th-10th
• August 1-6
• Cost: $1,195, includes transportation from MLC's campus to Paradise Valley, camping, meals, snacks, high-ropes course, and whitewater rafting
• At this overnight camp, where Paradise Valley serves as the hub for camping, meals, and science experiences, it's also the perfect jumping off point for excursions to Geyser Basin, Yellowstone Falls, and Lamar Valley. 

CAMP DINOSAUR

• Montana Learning Center
• montanalearning.org
• Grades: Entering 8th-12th
• August 15-20
• Cost: $1,195, includes ltransportation from MLC's campus to Ekalaka, camping, meals, snacks, and all program-related fees
• MLC is partnering with Carter County Museum in Ekalaka for a unique camping experience. This adventure includes 3 field days of expeditions to active paleontological dig sites in the Hell Creek Formation. In addition to the fossil dig site activities, campers will tour Carter County Museum, sort material collected in the field, learn the basics of fossil preparation and prepare fossils they gathered at the digs for display in the Museum.  

NATURE NUTS PRESCHOOL PROGRAM

• Montana Audubon Center
• mtaudubon.org/center | 406-294-5099
• Every TU, year-round, 10-11am
• Ages: 1-4 with an accompanying adult
• Cost: $5/child or FREE for members
• Join Montana Audubon teacher naturalists for guided outdoor play and learning about the local area. 

WEEKEND WONDERS FAMILY PROGRAMS

• Montana Audubon Center
• mtaudubon.org/center | 406-294-5099
• 3rd SA each month, 9:30-11am
• Ages: All ages
• Cost: $5/person; free for members
• These naturalist-led programs are designed for all ages of explorers. Every month features a different topic that will get you and your family outdoors, learning about plants and animals in our big backyard. 

Originally printed in the April 2021 issue of Simply Local Magazine

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