photo by Aaron Burden via Unsplash

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TINIES SUMMER SESSION!

• Montana Audubon Center
• www.mtaudubon.org/center
• 8 weeks starting June 13
• 8:30am-12pm, M-W-F | Cost: $90/week
• 8:30am-12pm, TU-TH | Cost: $65/week
• Ages: 3-5 years
• Tinies 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 8-week season. Campers must be potty trained.

AMAZING ANIMAL ADAPTATIONS

• Montana Audubon Center
• www.mtaudubon.org/center
• June 13-17 | 8:30am-12pm
• July 18-22 | 12:30-4pm
• 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?

GROW WITH THE FLOW

• Montana Audubon Center
• www.mtaudubon.org/center 
• June 13-17 | 12:30-4pm
• Grades: Entering K-2nd | Cost: $155
• From tiny seeds, whacky weeds, and the biggest trees, campers will grow in their knowledge of plants this week. Dirty hands, plant yoga, and more.  

 ZOOLOGY

• Montana Audubon Center
• www.mtaudubon.org/center 
• June 13-17 | 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 ZooMontana.  

FISHING & FORT BUILDING

• Montana Audubon Center
• www.mtaudubon.org/center
• Session A: June 13-17 | 8:30am-4pm
• Session B: July 11-15 | 8:30am-4pm
• Session C: Aug 1-5 | 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

TRAILBLAZER CAMP

• Yellowstone Alliance Adventures | Bozeman, MT
• www.yaacamp.org | 406-763-4727
• June 19-24 | Grades: 3rd-5th
• There will be no lack of fun during this week of camp at YAA! Adventurers will experience YAA in its full glory shooting down the zipline, competing in crazy camp games, fun worship songs, and amazing cabins and counselors. This week is guaranteed to be one for the books!

SUMMER DAY CAMPS

• Heart and Hand Center | Bozeman, MT
• heartandhandcenter.com | 406-587-4036
• Kids' Camp I (ages 8-12)
•   June 20-24, 10am-4pm
• Kids' Camp II (ages 10-13)
•   July 11-15, 10am-4pm 
• Back to School Camp (ages 10-14)
•   August 1-5, 10am-4pm
• Location: K-J Ranch, east of Bozeman
• Horses, Hiking, Art, Drumming, Yoga. 

 NATURE DETECTIVES

• Montana Audubon Center
• www.mtaudubon.org/center 
• June 20-24 | 8:30am-12pm
• 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! 

MINECRAFT MANIA

• Montana Audubon Center
• www.mtaudubon.org/center 
• Session A: June 20-24 | 12:30-4pm
• Session B: July 25-29 | 12:30-4pm
• Grades: Entering 3rd-5th | Cost: $155
• Learn the skills it will take to survive in your own mini-world. Stay safe from monsters and also ‘mine’ rocks along the Yellowstone River. Creative, Survival, Hardcore, or Adventure: how will you play in the real world?

TINY SCIENTISTS

• Montana Audubon Center
• www.mtaudubon.org/center 
• Session A: June 20-24 | 8:30am-12pm
• Session B: July 11-15 | 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!

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED

• Montana Audubon Center
• www.mtaudubon.org/center 
• June 20-24 | 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 Friday at noon

SCOUT DAY CAMP

• Yellowstone Alliance Adventures | Bozeman, MT
• www.yaacamp.org | 406-763-4727
• June 20-24 | Grades: 1st-2nd
• Campers will experience a full introduction to the camp experience during their 5 days at YAA through amazing field games, scavenger hunts, new friends, and amazing team leaders.

 DINO-TASTIC

• Montana Audubon Center
• www.mtaudubon.org/center 
• June 27-July 1 | 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! 

ROVER DAY CAMP

• Yellowstone Alliance Adventures | Bozeman, MT
• www.yaacamp.org | 406-763-4727
• June 27-July 1 | Grades: 3rd-4th
• Campers will experience a full introduction to the camp experience during their 5 days at YAA through amazing field games, scavenger hunts, new friends, and amazing team leaders.

WATER WIGGLES

• Montana Audubon Center
• www.mtaudubon.org/center
• Session A: June 27-July 1 | 12:30-4pm 
• Session B: August 1-5 | 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 close in canoes.

 MAD SCIENTIST 

• Montana Audubon Center
• www.mtaudubon.org/center 
• June 27-July 1 | 8:30am-12pm
• 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!

WESTERN ADVENTURES

• Montana Audubon Center
• www.mtaudubon.org/center 
• June 27-July 1 | 8:30am-4pm
• Grades: Entering 3rd-5th & 6th-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 at noon

 LITTLE CRITTERS

• Montana Audubon Center
• www.mtaudubon.org/center 
• July 5-8 | 8:30am-12pm
• Grades: Entering K-2nd  
• Cost: $125 (1/2 day, Holiday Week)
• 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.

FIELD DAY

• Montana Audubon Center
• www.mtaudubon.org/center | 406-294-5099
• July 5-8 | 8:30am-12pm
• Grades: Entering 3rd-5th
• Cost: $125 (1/2 day, Holiday Week)
• 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!

TALES & TRAILS

• Montana Audubon Center
• www.mtaudubon.org/center 
• July 5-8 | 12:30-4pm
• Grades: Entering K-2nd
• Cost: $125 (1/2 day, Holiday Week)
• 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!  

MADE IN NATURE

• Montana Audubon Center
• www.mtaudubon.org/center 
• July 5-8 | 12:30-4pm
• Grades: Entering 3rd-5th & 6th-9th
• Cost: $125 (1/2 day, Holiday Week)
• (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.

ROOKIE CAMP

• Yellowstone Alliance Adventures | Bozeman, MT
• www.yaacamp.org | 406-763-4727
• July 5-8 | Grades: 2nd-4th
• YAA’s youngest overnight adventurers maximize FUN and ADVENTURE. Zipline, archery, food, field games, challenges, chapel, goofy songs, and much, much more! Whether this is your first overnight camp or you’re a seasoned pro, our marvelous team of counselors will take good care of you and make your week special.

ARCHERY CAMP

• Yellowstone Alliance Adventures | Bozeman, MT
• www.yaacamp.org | 406-763-4727
• July 5-8 | Grades: 7th-9th
• Nock, Aim, Fire! Archery adventurers will spend 4 days with our expert archer in learning archery basics and tips, shooting, and growing a deeper relationship with Jesus.

BASE CAMP

• Yellowstone Alliance Adventures | Bozeman, MT
• www.yaacamp.org | 406-763-4727
• July 5-8 | Grades: 6th-8th 
• In this introductory wilderness experience, adventurers will spend 3 nights in the Gallatin National Forest. Whether it’s a day trip hike or wilderness training around camp this is an opportunity to have fun, learn, and enjoy God’s beautiful creation in the Gallatin National Forest.  
• YAA is permitted for outfitting and guiding in the Gallatin National Forest.

EXPLORER CAMP

• Yellowstone Alliance Adventures | Bozeman, MT
• www.yaacamp.org | 406-763-4727
• 2 Sessions Available | Grades 6th-8th
• Session 1: July 10-15
• Session 2: July 17-22
• Become YAA’s next top explorer! This week takes camp to the NEXT LEVEL through new activities, riveting competitions, impactful worship sessions, and our exceptional counseling team. Campers will be immersed into fun and challenge as they engage with cabin mates, try new things, and learn about Jesus. Register now for an unforgettable week.

 "B" a POLLINATOR

• Montana Audubon Center
• www.mtaudubon.org/center 
• July 11-15 | 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!

OUTDOOR SURVIVAL

• Montana Audubon Center
• www.mtaudubon.org/center 
• July 11-15 | 8:30am-12pm
• Grades: Entering 6th-9th | Cost: $155
• What are the odds you would survive if you were stranded in the wilderness? Learn how to pack, what to do in emergencies, how to build fires and shelters, and other survival basics. 

"FIRE" DAY CAMP

• Yellowstone Alliance Adventures | Bozeman, MT
• www.yaacamp.org | 406-763-4727
• July 11-15 | Grades: 1st-4th
• Fire Day Camp will explore fire through scavenger hunts, fire building, snacks, and much more! Alongside fire-themed activities and adventures, campers will participate in activities such as Hover Ball, ropes course, and scavenger hunts, that make camp at YAA so memorable.

LITTLE EXPLORERS

• Montana Audubon Center
• www.mtaudubon.org/center 
• July 18-22 | 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!

NATURE'S KITCHEN

• Montana Audubon Center
• www.mtaudubon.org/center 
• July 18-22 | 8:30am-12pm
• Grades: Entering 3rd-5th | Cost: $155
• Did you know that roses, pine trees, and some weeds are edible? Learn about and taste native, edible plants. Build your own recipe book this week as you make nature your kitchen. 

DISCOVERY GIRLS

• Montana Audubon Center
• www.mtaudubon.org/center 
• July 18-22 | 8:30am-4pm
• Grades: Entering 3rd-5th & 6th-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.

WATER DAY CAMP

• Yellowstone Alliance Adventures | Bozeman, MT
• www.yaacamp.org | 406-763-4727
• July 18-22 | Grades: 1st-4th
• Water Day Camp takes our beloved Water Day to a whole new level! With water themed games, lessons, and snacks campers will have a water-ful time! Campers will also take part in introductory YAA camp activities, songs, skits, and games.

SENSATIONAL SENSES

• Montana Audubon Center
• www.mtaudubon.org/center
• July 25-29 | 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!

BOGS, FROGS, & POLLIWOGS

• Montana Audubon Center
• www.mtaudubon.org/center 
• July 25-29 | 12:30-4pm
• 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!

SUMMER IN COLOR ART CAMP

• Montana Audubon Center
• www.mtaudubon.org/center 
• July 25-29 | 8:30am-12pm
• Grades: Entering 3rd-5th & 6th-9th 
• Cost: $155
• Fabulous, Fun, Field Studies! Art and outdoors, can you think of a better combo? Learn tricks of the trade as we create works of art inside and out! Each camper will take home an art kit with various supplies and tote. 
• *Additional $20 fee for take-home supplies* 

CAMPFIRE COOK OFF

• Montana Audubon Center
• www.mtaudubon.org/center 
• July 25-29 | 12:30-4pm
• Grades: Entering 6th-9th | 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 camp cook-off. May the best chef win!  

OUTBOUND ADVENTURE

• Yellowstone Alliance Adventures | Bozeman, MT
• www.yaacamp.org | 406-763-4727
• July 25-30 | Grades: 9th-12th 
• This wilderness experience will take high school adventures to new heights (literally)! Campers will be challenged to learn new things, work as a team, and see God and creation from a different perspective. Take a week to UNPLUG and engage in the stunning mountains God created in Southwest Montana.  
• YAA is permitted for outfitting and guiding in the Gallatin National Forest.

BUG OUT!

• Montana Audubon Center
• www.mtaudubon.org/center 
• August 1-5 | 8:30am-12pm
• 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. 

WATER WARRIORS

• Montana Audubon Center
• www.mtaudubon.org/center
• Aug 1-5 | 8:30am-12pm
• 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 and more. 

EVENING EXPLORATION

• Montana Audubon Center
• www.mtaudubon.org/center
• 1st TU, April-August | 4:30-7:30pm
• Cost: $10 suggested donation
• Choose your own adventure and enjoy time outside with your friends and family. Borrow field guides, insect nets, and binoculars. Or get in a canoe and explore the ponds with the setting sun. Exploration awaits! 

WEEKEND WONDERS FAMILY PROGRAMS

• Montana Audubon Center
• www.mtaudubon.org/center 
• 2nd SA each month | 10:30am-12pm
• 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. 

YOUTH CYCLING CAMP

• Billings Parks and Recreation
• www.billingsparks.org | 406-657-8371 
• July 11-15 | August 8-12, M-F, 9am-12pm
• Ages: 9-14
• Cost: $95
• 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.

Originally printed in the April 2022 issue of Simply Local Magazine

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