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The Grange Insurance Audubon Center awakens and connects participants to the beauty of the natural world in the heart of Columbus and inspires environmental stewardship in their daily lives.

Summer 2013 Audubon Adventure Camp Registration Now Open

Audubon has a long history of providing life-changing experiences in natural settings with over 30 summer camp programs in the US. Come be a part of this amazing network of nature centers around the country at the Grange Insurance Audubon Center this summer. Audubon Adventure Camp is an Accredited camp with American Camp Association (ACA). Join us this summer as we explore the grounds of the Grange Insurance Audubon and Scioto-Audubon Metro Park… where new adventures are around every corner and beneath every stone

Audubon Adventure Camp At-A-Glance
Audubon Adventure Camp (for Campers Entering Grades 1 – 5)
This program is designed to give elementary aged children the opportunity to experience hands-on, outdoor education and science curriculum while exploring the natural world around them. They'll go on scavenger hunts and guided hikes, fish along the river, enjoy daily sit spots and journal time in various habitats throughout the park and much more all while developing friendships and receiving encouragement from caring, engaged camp staff.

Audubon Adventure Club (for Campers Entering Program Grades 6 – 8)
Adventure Club is designed for middle school campers and provides exciting hands-on citizen science experiences, planning and implementation of conservation projects, weeklong leadership opportunities and the chance to make new friends all while enjoying camp activities and having a blast learning about each week's session theme! *Club members may receive service credit for participating in the program.

• Unique inquiry-based nature and outdoor education experiences
• Weekly session themes for children grades 1 - 5 and tweens/teens grades 6 – 8
• Audubon Adventure Camp is an American Camp Association (ACA) Accredited Camp
• Camp hours are 9 am to 4 pm
• Members tuition price is $185 and non-members tuition price is $200 per week
• Before and After Care is available daily from 8 am - 9 am and 4 pm - 6 pm
• Healthy snacks are provided each day and campers bring a WASTE-FREE lunch
• Camp is a PEANUT-FREE environment
• Campers are welcome to attend more than one camp!
• For more information contact Allison Roush, Audubon Adventure Camp Director, via e-mail aroush@audubon.org or call 614-545-5482

2013 Dates and Session Themes:

Nature's Got Talent June 10th – 14th
Session 1

Nature's got talent, it's all around you! Start your summer unplugged and connecting with nature in the great outdoors! Enjoy sit spots in various habitats, feel the mud ooze between your toes in the wetland, listen to birds in the forest, catch and release butterflies and dragonflies in the fields and fish along the Scioto River. We'll explore and experiment with some of nature's most fascinating talents like an animal or insect's ability to use camouflage, mysteries of bird language, journeys of seasonal migration, animal home construction and even the science behind some of nature's most powerful forces. You'll be ready to spend the rest of your summer amazed and surrounded by nature!

Birds the Word June 17th – 21st
Session 2
Explore the wonderful world of birds at the GIAC! We'll learn about what makes a bird a bird, bird bodies from beaks to feet, the interesting diets of our fine-feathered friends, bird flight, bird language, bird behavior and why birds are important environmental indicators. Find out why the GIAC is located in such a special place and the importance of our habitats in making sure birds survive during migration season and year-round! Get involved and take action in citizen science activities from point coints to feeder-watch and enjoy a morning or two with our conservationist observing her bird banding sessions. We'll teach you how to use binoculars and then we'll head out for daily hikes and sit spots to observe birds of all kinds throughout the park. We'll help you start a life list during your week of camp that you'll be able to take home and add to all year long.

Operation Conservation June 24th – 28th
Session 3

Calling all citizen scientists! Interested in learning why the Audubon Center was strategically placed where it is? Are you ready to get involved in observing our fine-feathered friends in point counts and feeder-watch? Would you accept our challenge to conquer invasive plant species and continue habitat restoration on the peninsula? Get involved, make a difference, even get your hands dirty with lots of work and tons of summer camp fun as you become the conservation expert in waste-free lunches to native plants! Help chart (literally) the course for citizen science in downtown Columbus!

Adventure in to the Night July 1st thru 2nd (grades 4th – 8th only)
Session 4
Explore the Scioto-Audubon Metro Park both day and night in this fun-filled two day camp with an overnight in between! Spend full days of fishing along the river, going on scavenger hunts, hiking through the woods, catching butterflies and dragonflies in the fields and dipping for macro invertebrates in the wetlands. You'll be amazed to see how the park transforms after dusk! Spend the evening listening to the natural "symphony" of the wetlands and watch what happens as your frog rafts sets sail across the water, take a night hike on the paved paths around the center while trying to catch and release fireflies, and end the evening enjoying a special treat, singing songs and telling stories by the campfire!

Scioto Sleuths July 8th – 12th
Session 5
Be a Super Sleuth! Track the shores of the Scioto to discover who calls the edge of the river home. Investigate water quality along various locations of the river. Explore the ecology of aquatic life using fishing poles and dip nets. Get your hands dirty and compare water, soil and aquatic life of the river to those in our wetlands. We won't get in the river but look forward to cooling off by dipping your toes in the wetland and feeling the muck ooze between your toes! Grab binoculars and head out on daily hikes to observe food chains at work by watching bird behavior of birds that depend on the Scioto River. Learn how our actions in Columbus, Ohio impact waterways all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. What can we do to protect our waterways for people and wildlife? How can we conserve water in our daily lives? Take a look at your water footprint and take action by helping clean up the banks of the Scioto.

Audubon Artists July 15th – 19th
Session 6
Unleash your creativity at this camp that encourages nature as a backdrop to express yourself! Find artistic inspiration from the world around you, inside and out at the Grange Insurance Audubon Center. We'll learn about featured artists at the center and explore the mediums they use to make art come alive. Learn a thing or two from some of our favorite visiting artists. Create a nature journal to use throughout the week to keep track of sketches and notes as we develop a few naturalist skills along the way. You'll create numerous masterpieces from food art to nature collages to recycled art and more. We'll wrap up our week with our popular Friday afternoon art gallery open to friends and family.

Myth Busting with Audubon July 22nd – 26th
Session 7
Sharing science myths can be fun but having the opportunity to debunk them can be even more fun (and educational at the same time)! This week is all about developing critical thinking skills and debunking claims with evidence and logic. When things sound unusual, unlikely or just too good to be true we'll ask questions like "How does this work?" and "What causes this to happen?" We'll use the scientific method and create fun experiments to test the validity of common myths. Will they be debunked, deemed plausible or proven as true? Family and friends will be invited to join us on Friday to see what we've learned, in a science fair atmosphere.

It's a Bug's Life July 29th – August 2nd
Session 8
There's been an insect invasion in the habitats around the GIAC! Learn the basics of insects: what makes an insect an insect, life cycles of insects, an insects role in the food chain, an insects important role in the ecosystem and finally, interesting tidbits about some of the most popular insects that delight us or just downright "bug" us. We'll grab our insect nets and bug viewers and head out on daily bug hunts to collect and identify insects. You'll record sketches and information in your very own bug journal each day before releasing your insects back into the wild. Participate in games that will show you the world from a bug's point of view. At the end of the week, go home with your very own bug jar to continue catching, investigating and releasing bugs from your own backyard!

Survivor: Audubon August 5th – 9th
Session 9
Come to camp and put your outdoor skills to the test after a week of focusing on observation, identification, tracking and wilderness survival. Use your own eyes and ears as well as hand magnifiers, binoculars, dip nets and field guides and learn real-life techniques that you can use to gain valuable information about the world around you! Enjoy practicing these outdoor skills during exciting, hands-on activities and missions or while relaxing during your daily sit-spot with journal time. We won't vote you off the Whittier Peninsula at the end of the week, but you'll have a chance to participate in fun team and individual challenges to see how you'll survive in the wild after camp!

Adventure Celebration August 12th – 16th
Session 10
All summer long we've been exploring the wonderful world around us! Celebrate the end of summer with the best of the best from Audubon Adventure Camp 2013! Camper favorites from each of our sessions will be combined to make this last week of summer camp one you will not soon forget! Spend the last day of the whole camp season celebrating with returning campers and club members and enjoying our final cookout of the summer! Please note, camp will end at 3 pm on Friday, August 16th and after-care will not be available on that day only.

End of Summer Celebration Aug 16th (9am – 3pm only)
Session 11
New this year, spend an exciting last day of the whole camp season celebrating favorite camp moments with returning campers and club members and enjoying our final cookout of the summer! Please note, camp will end at 3 pm and after-care will not be available on this day only.

General Information

Arrival
The camp day begins each morning at 9:00 am. On Monday morning parents/guardians will bring campers into the center to turn in paperwork, meet the staff and sign the camper in for the day. Staff will be curbside Tues – Fri so that parents/guardians can drop-off and sign in campers without having to get out of the car.

Dismissal
The camp day ends each afternoon at 4:00pm. Staff will be curbside, with campers for pick-up and sign out. If your child is going to be in After Care, pick up is by 6:00pm. All adults with permission to pick up your child must be listed on the pick-up form that will be part of your camper's confirmation packet. This form must be brought to camp on MONDAY.

Before and After Care - Curbside drop off and pick up is not available
We are happy to offer Before and After care. Before Care is available daily beginning at 8:00 am and runs through 9:00am. The cost for before care is $40 for the week. After Care starts at 4:00 pm and is available through 6:00pm daily. The cost for after care is $60 per week. Need both? The fee is only $95 for the week. Campers participating in before and after care will enjoy supervised free play. Please be sure to provide after care campers with an extra snack for the afternoon. Please note: Curbside drop-off and pick-up is not available for before and after care - parents must come inside the building to sign-in and/or sign-out their camper.

Make it Waste-Free!
One crucial way to help conserve and restore natural ecosystems is by reducing the trash we make and the packaging we buy. Audubon programs help kids make connections between their actions and their environment. We ask all campers to bring 100% WASTE-FREE snacks and lunches so we can significantly reduce the waste we put into our landfills. WASTE-FREE means all contents of your lunch are consumable and/or re-usable. For example, please use containers to store food, instead of plastic bags; include refillable water bottles instead of juice boxes; and add in a cloth napkin instead of a paper one. Please label all items with your camper's name so they find their way back home each with your camper each day.

Staff
Our summer camp staff is led by our full-time experienced educators that work year-round to provide learning opportunities for children and families through our programming. Our other education staff members will be joined by experienced seasonal camp counselors that have worked with children in educational, outdoor, day-camp settings.

How to register
Camp registration is ONLY available online. If you do not have access to a computer, please contact our camp director, Allison Roush, via e-mail aroush@audubon.org or by phone 614-545-5482. Save time by having your credit card ready when registering. A registration confirmation will be sent via email.

Upon registering for each camp session, you will have the option to pay the full tuition payment upfront OR the required deposit only. If you choose to pay the required deposit only, the remaining tuition payment will be processed on the first day of the camp session your camper is registered for. Any Before and/or After Care fees will be processed on the first day of the camp session in which Before and/or After Care is needed. The credit card used for the deposit payment, unless otherwise notified, will be charged. You will receive a confirmation email with more detailed information and you may download the necessary camp forms from the Camper Registration website.

If you are registering your camper for multiple sessions, a spot will be reserved for your camper once we have received the camp tuition deposit for each subsequent session. The credit card used for the deposit payment, unless otherwise notified, will be used to process any remaining tuition payments or Before and/or After Care on the first day of each remaining camp session.

Cancellation Policy:

Cancellations must be made two weeks PRIOR to the session for which your camper is registered in order to receive a partial refund. A cancellation fee will be retained from your original deposit. Cancellation within two weeks of the session for which your camper is registered in will result in the loss of your full deposit.

Camp Scholarships:
Limited camp scholarships are available. Campers who receive free or reduced lunch are eligible, and a letter from the school verifying this status must be submitted with the application. Please print and complete the application and return it, along with the letter from the school, to Amy Boyd by fax 614-545-5489 or mail 505 W. Whittier St. Columbus, OH 43215. Once the campership is approved you will be given a code to use for on-line registration. The Camperships are generously donated by the John Wilson Memorial Education Fund, The Lisle Campership fund and Wild Birds Unlimited.

Online Registration