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Green Valleys Association (GVA) is pleased to provide an excellent environmental-education-based summer day camp for children ages 4 through 14. Camp is held at our headquarters at Welkinweir, a beautiful 197-acre property in northern Chester County, characterized by forests, fields, and a series of 5 brook-fed ponds, all of which allow terrific opportunities for hands-on nature experiences.
This year Green Valleys Nature Camp again offers 9 weeks of camp for ages 4 through 11, as well as one week of “Nature Quest!” camp for ages 11 to 14. GVA continues its partnership with Historic Yellow Springs (HYS) in Chester Springs. Older campers will enjoy new opportunities to discover the natural history of the area at the HYS site. For more information on HYS, visit www.yellowsprings.org.
Our summer camp staff includes new and returning counselors. Camp groups are taught by Senior and Junior counselors. Volunteer counselors assist with 4 & 5 year old age groups. All counselors are trained by the Camp Director and have cleared the required state background checks. Each camp group has a ratio of 3 counselors per 12 campers.
Registration for Green Valleys Association members begins February 5, 2009; and March 5th for non-members. Registration is by mail or fax only.
Click here to download our 2009 Registration Form.
Please see the link below to download Green Valleys Nature Camp 2009 brochure.
Click here to download our 2009 Camp Brochure.
June 15th - 19th
WEEK 1 |
Birds – The Fantastic Flyers
Explore the world of the animals that defy gravity! Be a nature detective and identify many birds and their behaviors. Make bird feeders and houses, meet hawks and owls up-close, create your own flying objects, and more!
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June 22nd - 26th
WEEK 2 |
Backyard Wildlife
Do you know what kinds of plants and animals live in your community? Do you know how they are important to the health of the environment? Studies show children today may know more about distant habitats such as the Amazon rain forest than they know about their own neighborhood woodlands or fields. Through nature walks to find various birds, reptiles, and insects, interactions with live animals, planting in the garden, and free play and exploration, you’ll reconnect with nature in your own backyard. *9-11 year old campers will hike the Horseshoe Trail one day this week. Optional Thursday night sleepover at GVA for 9-11 year olds.
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June 29th - July 3
WEEK 3 |
Creepy Creatures
Bugs, slugs, and spiders, oh my! Find out why these animals are so important to the environment. Design a spider web, explore rotting logs, dig in the soil to look for crawling critters underground, and examine live snakes and insects to discover how we are all connected to these creatures. Optional Thursday night sleepover at GVA for 9-11 year olds.
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July 6th - 10th
WEEK 4 |
Watery World, 1
Discover our most important resource – water! Through exploration of the stream, ponds and wetlands, you’ll find out why and how you can protect your waterways. Learn about the water cycle, pollution, and search for critters living in these waters. You’ll also visit Prizer’s Creek with your hand-made boat for the annual Boat Race. At Historic Yellow Springs, older campers will uncover the water history of the yellow springs while studying the stream and springs, performing water tests, and having their own Boat Race. 4 – 8 year olds at GVA site, 9:00am-3:00pm and 9 – 11 year olds at HYS site, 9:30am-3:30pm.
Drop off at specific sites.
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July 13th -17th
WEEK 5 |
Habitat Explorers
Everyone needs a habitat! Hiking and exploring fields, forest, streams and ponds will reveal the types of wildlife living around us. Through different activities, you’ll create your own food chains, discover the needs of plants and animals in their habitats, and find out how predators and prey interact. Optional Thursday night sleepover at GVA for 9-11 year olds.
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July 20st - 24th
WEEK 6 |
Plant Power!
What gives us clean air and water, food, medicine, and shade on a sunny summer day? Plants! Plants are all around us, and our property of Welkinweir is home to some amazing plant species! Some are rare, like the Franklinia tree. Others are mystical, such as the popular, nearly 100-year-old Weeping European Beech tree, otherwise known as “The Magic Tree”. In addition to exploring the property, you’ll plant seedlings, create compost, tend the garden, investigate edible plants, and perform fun plant experiments. *9-11 year old campers will hike to Warwick County Park one day this week.
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July27th - 31st
WEEK 7 |
Survival in the Animal World
Animals have many features and use many methods to hide and protect themselves, find food, and keep from becoming food. Through creative demonstrations, activities, and study of live animals themselves, you’ll discover the adaptations of many wildlife species, predators and prey, as well as endangered and extinct animals to find out what adaptations they may have used.
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August 3rd - 7th
WEEK 8 |
Watery World, 2
Same content as “Watery World, 1”. 9-11 year old campers will hike to Warwick County Park this week.
Nature Quest! For ages 11-14 only
This unique experience for older campers gets them out and about on daily field trips to experience nature in a variety of outdoor settings. Whether exploring the waters of French Creek, learning outdoor survival skills and wildlife identification from naturalists, hiking the beautiful landscapes of a local historic area, or capturing the beauty of nature through photography, the week will be packed with adventures! Optional, at no additional cost, Thursday night sleepover for ages 11-14 at GVA.
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August 10th - 14th
WEEK 9 |
Nature's Artists
Discover the amazing artwork nature displays and use natural items to make your own works of art. Paint with plants, weave with grasses, create plant dyes, sculpt with natural clay, and present your work at the Camp Art Show! *9-11 year old campers will hike the Horseshoe Trail one day this week.
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Make a difference in a child’s life by contributing to a week at Green Valleys Nature Camp this year. A donation of $175 is requested, but any amount is greatly appreciated.
Your donation will give a full, fun-filled week of nature study at Green Valleys Association to a deserving child from our local community.
For more information on scholarships, contact Dawn White
at 610-469-8646. Checks and credit cards accepted. Checks should be made payable to Green Valleys Association, Camp Scholarship. Thank you!
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Make a difference in a child’s life by contributing to a week at Green Valleys Nature Camp this year. A donation of $175 is requested, but any amount is greatly appreciated.