SUMMER CAMP 2023
2023 Summer Camp Registration is now open!
CAMP INFORMATION
Dunwoody Nature Center’s outdoor summer camps are week-long day nature-themed camp experiences for children ages 4-13. Combining traditional day camp fun and sleepaway camp activities, we offer the best of both worlds to kids of all backgrounds. A rotating set of themed camps keeps kids engaged in age-appropriate activities that inspire a love of nature through exciting adventures in the great outdoors. Our small class sizes and emphasis on learning through play make our camps some of the most popular in the Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, and Brookhaven areas; we welcome campers from all around the Atlanta metro area!
We offer a special half-day camp for campers that are 4 years old, with specialized activities that focus on gross and fine motor skills, socialization, and (most importantly) safe summer fun in Dunwoody Park.
Younger campers in grades K-5th enjoy approachable STEM activities, crafts to practice fine motor skills, and new social interactions as they hike, play, and explore for a full day in 22-acre Dunwoody Park.
Older campers ages 9-13 are engaged with advanced activities like canoeing, hiking, and science-based nature surveilling at our full-day Island Ford campus at the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area.
If you have any questions that are not covered in the camp descriptions, Fast Facts, FAQ, or our Policies & Procedures, please contact us at camp@dunwoodynature.org or call us at 770-394-3322 during business hours.
We offer a discounted rate on all our summer camp offerings for Dunwoody Nature Center members. There’s a reason most camp families have a membership – in many situations, being a member pays for itself within a few weeks of camp! We highly encourage you to evaluate our membership options and see what works best for your family.
Explore Dunwoody Nature Center membership benefits by clicking here.
Summer Camp 2023 Fast Facts
| Half Day Camp | Full Day Camp |
|---|---|
For Age 4 All Weeks | Age 3.5 - 4 August ONLY | For Rising K-5th Graders |
9:30AM - 1:00PM | 9:30AM - 3:30PM |
Price Per Week**: $200 members / $235 non-members | Price Per Week***: $295 members / $330 non-members |
Early drop-off and Adventure Club late pickup available |
Half Day program for 3.5-5 year old children operates under the Bright From the Start exemption category #6 which states: Nursery schools, playschools, kindergartens, or other educational programs for children two (2) years through six (6) years of age that operate for no more than four (4) consecutive hours per day.
Full day program for 5 year old and older children operates under Bright From the Start exemption category #7 which states: Day camp programs for children five (5) years and older that are operated between school terms, whose primary purposes is to provide organized recreational, religious, or instructional activities. The day camp programs may operate during summer and other school breaks and shall operate for no more than twelve (12) hours per day.
Early Bird drop off beginning as early as 8:00am $45 for 5 days, available for full day campers only
Adventure Club late pick up until 6:00pm $70 for 5 days, available for full day campers only
**Four-Day Week (Half Day) – Members: $160, Non-Members: $188
***Four-Day Week (Full Day) – Members: $235, Non-Members: $265
Not a member? Join or renew today to get discounts on camp registration!
Dates & Themes
MAY 30 – JUNE 2 | Birds of a Feather (Four Day Camp)
Our campers will have a flappin’ great time learning all about birds this week! We have so many birds that call Dunwoody Park home — owls, crows, hawks, hummingbirds, and several songbirds. Join us we discover how these birds build nests, find food, and defend their territory in the park. Campers will create feathery works of art, flap around our trails, and fly along the creek searching high and low for our feathered friends.
JUNE 5 – 9 | Creek Week I
This is a whole week dedicated to the crown jewel of Dunwoody Park, and our campers absolutely love it! During Creek Week, kids get TWO DAYS in Wildcat Creek and water play every day. The campers will learn all there is to know about our creek: What feeds it? Where does it go? Who lives there? What grows near it? And, perhaps most importantly, how can we help preserve this local treasure? Bring campers prepared to get wet and go home happy!
JUNE 12 – 16 | Bugs and Slugs
Kids love bugs! They are just plain fun, especially when they can spend a whole week learning about and scouring the park for ladybugs, roly-poly’s, ants, water striders, and more. Campers will learn how to identify and classify creepy crawlies from insects to spiders. Bugs are very active at the Nature Center during the summer and it si the perfect place to learn all about them while playing games, hiking, or making cool crafts. Kids will explore the world of bugs as they sing about them, move like them, paint them, and even hold them!
JUNE 19 – 23 | Wonderful Wetlands
Come and spend a week with us to find out why water is so essential for all of Earth’s inhabitants–plants, animals, and humans alike! We will explore our wetlands and Wildcat Creek, and discuss different types of wetlands all over the world. Follow a drop of water on it’s journey from wetlands to rivers to oceans and clouds! Through games, experiments, crafts, and exploration, campers will become hydrologists and learn all about the importance of water in our world.
JUNE 26 – 30 | Ooey Gooey Science
Does your camper love to mix things together to see what will happen or have questions about how things are made? This is the perfect week of camp for budding scientists! During the week, we will ask questions, hypothesize, experiment, and analyze as only the Nature Center scientists can. Using nature as the subject, we will begin to make sense of the natural world through hands-on experiments. Nature is full of things that we can better understand… if we think like a scientist!
JULY 3 & 5-7 | Eco Adventures (Four Day Camp)
Take a journey around the world, exploring the various habitats that exist on our planet. From deserts to rain forests to glaciers, animals have adapted traits that help them survive. Your camper will learn why snakes in the desert jump instead of slither and how gorillas use rocks as tools to break seeds. This week of camp allows your camper to step into that habitat and learn to live like these animals do! There is no camp on Tuesday, July 4 in observance of Independence Day.
JULY 10 – 14 | Creek Week II
Because one week of all things creek just isn’t enough! We have a second week of our most popular camp dedicated to the crown jewel of Dunwoody Park. During Creek Week, kids get TWO DAYS in Wildcat Creek and water play every day. The campers will learn all there is to know about our creek: What feeds it? Where does it go? Who lives there? What grows near it? And, perhaps most importantly, how can we help preserve this local treasure? Bring campers prepared to get wet and go home happy!
JULY 17 – 21 | Claws, Paws, and Jaws
Predators are truly amazing and fascinating creatures, from their sharp teeth to their long claws, they are magnificent! Campers will discover the impressive features and adaptations of several top predators in North America. They will learn how loud a bear can roar, how sharp shark teeth are, or if an owl can really turn it’s head all the way around. Join us as we learn about these and many other predators–including some surprisingly small predators like the ladybug and praying mantis.
JULY 24 – 28 | Reptile Roundup!
If it has scales, a shell, or slithers, it will be fair game this week as your camper is immersed in all things reptiles. Through nature exploration, games, and crafts, campers will leave no stone unturned learning about our cold-blooded friends. Our creek and wetlands are the perfect place to begin to understand what makes reptiles so interesting. Shh… if we’re quiet, we’ll probably see some happy herps as they bask in the sun, search for food, or swim in Wildcat Creek.
JULY 31 – August 4 | We Dig Dirt
At the Dunwoody Nature Center, we know our campers love digging in the dirt. This week, campers will use their senses and powers of observation to explore the different textures, smells, colors, and size of the different materials that make up soil. Whether looking for cool rocks, examining shiny materials, casting fossils, digging for artifacts, or searching for hidden treasures, campers will get their hands dirty as they investigate and explore Dunwoody Park’s bedrock.
August 7 – 11 | Nature Makes Sense
You have five senses that work together to let you see, hear, smell, taste, and touch the world around you. Animals use their senses just as much as we do, though they sometimes use them in unique ways! Did you know butterflies smell with their antennae and taste with their feet? Is that how you smell and taste? Campers will have lots of fun exploring nature and using their senses in new and different ways. Many animals also have enhanced senses that help them to survive in their habitat. Bats have excellent hearing, snakes have a strong sense of smell, and birds of prey have super strong vision. What’s your best sense?
August 14 – 18 | We Love Bugs, and Butterflies Too! | HALF DAY ONLY
Kids love bugs and butterflies! Nothing captures the attention of our youngest campers more than finding a really cool bug or watching a beautiful butterfly flutter through our pollinator garden. The bugs and butterflies are plentiful at the Nature Center in the summertime, and we love to show them off! Your camper will explore and discover the world if bugs and butterflies as they play games, take hikes, and make cool crafts.
August 21 – 25 | Where the Wild Things Are | HALF DAY ONLY
Are they swimming in Wildcat Creek? Are they buried underground? Or are they hiding at the top of the Magnolia Tree? Come explore as we discover where the animals of the Nature Center spend their time. We have four distinct habitats at the park, each with unique animals and plants. Let’s travel to each one and see if we can find the wild things!
Registration FAQ
You must add a membership on our website, it will NOT be availble on the camp registration system.
We will check memberships as we process registrations. There is no member number. If you are not a member and attempt to register during the members only time frame, your registration will be cancelled.
Our cancellation policy is after your registration is processed, we offer an 80% refund if the start of camp is two weeks or more away from your cancel date; if it is within two weeks of the camp start date, there is no refund.
You may transfer to another camp week with no penalty if we have space available in the week you would like.
No. For our full day option, your child needs to be five years old by the date of the camp you are registering for.
No. Our half day camp is only for 4 year-olds only with the exception of 3.5 year-olds in August.
Yes, as long as there is still space available. Before and after care classes are capped at 25 campers per week.
Yes, if there is still space available you will be able to prorate before care and after care the week of the camp. We will not know if there is space available until the week of camp.
Your email address is your user name and then you will need to reset your password on the Sawyer login.
You will receive an email from the camp director one week prior to your camp starting. You may also find the information below, in the general camp FAQ.
If a spot opens in a camp you are waitlisted for, we will call you to see if you still want the spot. If you approve, we will process the registration and charge your card on file.
We do have a buddy request during the registration process. If they are within a few month of the same age it is usually not a problem, but if there is a bigger age difference we will put the older child in the younger child’s class. We do our best to honor your request.
No, we do not offer before and after care at Island Ford. The day runs from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
You will need to drop the child off at Island Ford first and then bring the DNC child afterwards. When you pick up, you will need to get the DNC child first and then pick up the Island Ford child.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)
Our campers spend the camp day participating in specific camp-themed nature activities, both inside and outside. They’ll play games, make crafts, do experiments, hike on the trails, and play on the playground.
Each camp has one Creek Day, where there are several water-themed activities planned and campers are allowed to play and explore in the creek. For the creek-themed camps, there are two planned Creek Days. There will be an email sent with specific instructions for what to bring for Creek Day.
Campers should dress for the weather, wearing comfortable summertime clothes and closed-toe shoes. Campers will need to bring a snack, a lunch, and a refillable water bottle every day. Please apply sunscreen and bug spray prior to drop off. Please send sunscreen and bug spray if you’d like your child to reapply during the day. There will be an email sent with specific instructions for what to bring for Creek Day.
Our summer camp teachers are either trained naturalists or formal school teachers. All of our summer camp teachers are First Aid and CPR-certified. We have one teacher to ten campers for our half day camps. We have one teacher to thirteen campers for our full day camps. All of our camps also have Junior Counselors (teenage assistants).
We find that if your child is in a regular classroom at school without an aide, then they usually do great at our camps. Our teachers are wonderful, but most are not trained in special education. If your child requires a special education classroom or teacher, then camps at the Dunwoody Nature Center might not be a good fit.
Yes, we will have a limited number of spots available for our Early Bird (from 8:00am) and/or late care (Adventure Club, latest pickup at 6:00 pm). These extended care options incur an additional charge; please see our Fast Facts at the top of the page for current rates.
Please monitor your child’s health from home. Please do not send your child to camp if any persons in the home are sick.
If your child is sick at camp, we will separate them from the group and give you a call or the emergency contact you provide. You will need to come and pick up the child as soon as possible. No refunds will be given due to illness.
We are no longer requiring masks for campers or staff while inside or outside. If you wish for your child to wear a mask, please be sure to send them to camp with one.
All receipts will be available on your Sawyer account page. If you need your receipts from 2022, you can login to your CamperReg account here. Your statements will be available for download.
POLICIES & PROCEDURES
Registration is online only; we accept Debit and Credit (MasterCard, Visa, and Discover). Membership will be verified at the time your registration is processed.
If you cancel more than two weeks prior to your camp start date, 80% of your registration fee will be refunded to the card you registered with. Inside of two weeks (and during the camp), no refunds will be issued for any reason.
Alternately, your registration fee can be transferred to another camp week during Summer 2023 that has open spots remaining. Your registration fee cannot be transferred to any other school break camp sessions in 2023 or to Summer Camp 2024. You may also choose to donate your camp fee to the Nature Center for a tax-deductible donation.
All registration changes (including cancelations) must be requested in writing via email to camp@dunwoodynature.org. No phone calls, please.
We are no longer requiring masks for campers or staff while inside or outside. If you wish for your child to wear a mask, please be sure to send them to camp with one.
If a camper, Junior Counselor, or staff member is found to be positive for COVID-19, we will inform all members of that camp group of potential exposure. Campers, JCs, and staff that were exposed may attend camp as usual as long as they do not exhibit any COVID symptoms.
Campers, JCs, and staff that tested positive may return once they have a negative COVID-19 test; five (5) days have passed if they are asymptomatic; or have been fever and fever medication-free for seventy-two (72) hours, or other symptoms have improved and at least ten (10) days have passed since symptoms first appeared.
We will adjust policies when necessary to follow CDC guidelines for quarantining and other COVID procedures.
The Dunwoody Nature Center’s goal is for every camper to have the opportunity to have fun and discover their strengths. In order to do this, every child must feel safe at camp. Please review the Behavior Policy with your child before arriving at camp, as this is what helps us ensure everybody’s safety and the quality of our programs. Download the Behavior Policy here.
All receipts will be available on your Sawyer account page. If you need your receipts from 2022, you can login to your CamperReg account here.
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