Since 2003, the original ANIMAL CAMP!
Super Early Registration opens March 15
Early Registration opens April 1
Open enrollment begins April 15!
Please e-mail questions to
info.NatureObjective @ gmail . com
All Invoices, forms, registrations, and payments are handled electronically in the order recieved.
Please allow 24 hours to receive your invoice!
Designed for adventurous third graders (ages 7-8-9) who love animals and aren't afraid to get dirty! Animal Camp 1 (intro) and Animal Camp 2 (advanced) are both week long, action-packed day camps. Kids learn about nature and animals, work and play with animals, and take field trips every day! We promise our summer camps are unlike any camp your child has attended.
Friday is an all day outing at a private nature preserve including hiking, creeking, frog and snake hunting, and more! The Friday field trip gives kids a glimpse of what they can look forward to with Wilderness Camp when they outgrow Animal Camp.
Due to popular demand, Animal Camp was revised in 2006 and expanded, adding a second week (Animal Camp Week 2 Advanced) for returning AC kids and then, in 2014, we added a third week (Wilderness Camp) for really advanced level, returning campers who already had two years of AC. Our second year Animal Camp kids always want more time outdoors and with reptiles and fish so we made more time for longer field trips and cold blooded critters during AC 2 Advanced. We also expanded our programs to include Campfires and Forts, and adventures like 2 Hour On the Path and 3 Hour Off The Path to accommodate the growing need for nature camps.
Since Animal Camp Week 1 (Intro) sells out immediately every year, we've added these extra camps to make room for more new kids! Even if your child did not attend Animal Camp 1 last summer, you can still enroll first timers in Week 2 Advanced. We will take time to catch them up on last year's instruction so they'll fit right in!
NOTE for 7 year old children:
If your child is a very young 7 year old, fresh out of first grade, with a birthday not long before June, (or a first time participant) you might seriously consider Big Critter Camp. If your child is an older 7 year old, soon to be 8, who has done at least one of our camps before, or is adventurous and can easily handle an all day camp with 8 year olds, you might consider either week of Animal Camp or Little Wilderness Camp.
Details for Animal Camp 1 vs Animal Camp 2
Animal Camp 1 is our original, all day summer camp debuting in 2003, open to any kids. We suggest Animal Camp 1 for former campers who have completed half day Critter Camp or have experience with The Nature Objective's Off The Path program, and are now ready for all day Animal Camp. It's also for kids who are completely new to the day camp experience who really enjoy animals, nature, learning, and field trips. Kids will learn about the animals at Pet World, beginning with small mammals, birds, everyone's favorite day -- reptiles -- and, of course, fish! They’ll become expert handlers and impress friends and family with their pet knowledge. Daily field trips will expose kids to nature in the great outdoors. We’ll start with smaller, local field trips then work our way up to an all day trip on Friday, visiting places like a park ranger station, public nature trails, Sanders Mound at Clinton Lake, Prairie Park nature center, Mary’s Lake, the Baker Wetlands, and even make a trip to Sunfire Ceramics on Fish Day to paint Animal Camp keepsakes. Also on fish day, kids will learn about aquarium keeping and, if they pass the Betta fish lesson, they'll earn a gift card for a free betta fish (to be redeemed at their convenience)! On Friday we’ll spend the entire day at a private nature preserve!
If Animal Camp 1 is already sold out or if your child wants longer field trips, is more into reptiles and fish than birds and bunnies, try Animal Camp 2 (Advanced)!
NOTE: Even though many kids attend Animal Camp at age 7 then again at age 8, AC 1 and 2 are each designed for one-time attendance. If your child attended Animal Camp at 7 or a very young 8 and was new to our camp experience, it's possible to repeat the same week again for a second summer but not recommended because the program is exactly the same. In order to expand children's interests and make room for new kids, third time repeats are not allowed.
Animal Camp 2 (Advanced, aka Cold Blooded Camp) is a very similar experience to Animal Camp 1 but with an emphasis on reptiles, arachnids, and fish with longer outdoor field trips (hence, the nickname Cold Blooded Camp). It's perfect for new kids who particularly enjoy fish and reptiles or last year's Animal Camp kids who wanted more cold blooded time indoors and are not quite ready for Wilderness Camp. Kids will still take field trips every day like Animal Camp 1 but they will be longer. They'll also spend more time "working" with fish and reptiles at Pet World, feeding and caring for the animals starting Monday (instead of waiting until Wednesday), and, instead of just doing the "betta lesson" to earn a free betta fish coupon and then painting a keepsake at Sunfire Ceramics, they'll actually create their own betta scape aquariums during the week, testing their water and building them a little each day, until they're ready to add a live betta fish. On Friday, AC 2 Advanced kids will take the same long field trip to a private nature preserve but are invited to take their aquatic creations home with them to keep at no extra charge -- (donated by PW sponsors) easily $150 value!
If your child has already attended Animal Camp twice, we strongly recommend Wilderness Camp for third time campers unless they simply can't be outdoors all day.
Has your child already been through Animal Camp at least once? Were they obsessed with the private nature preserve?
Check out Wilderness Camp!
Campers hanging out in the creek at the tortoise farm.
Camper proudly showing off how muddy she got during camp!
Campers observing and handling newly hatched baby snakes.
Camp counselor showing campers a worm snake found while herping.
Campers holding our giant burmese python, Goliath!
Spots are very limited in all PW camps. We can only have as many kids as we have seatbealts. Super Early Registration begins March 15 (additional fee), Early Registration begins April 1 (smaller addl fee) and open enrollment starts on April 15 (no additional fee).
If you're signing up with friends and neighbors, make sure you sign up for the same week!
Indoor, outdoor, rain or shine!
Includes camp shirt, laundry service M-R, extra snacks, free field trip transportation, and free, optional campfire lunch on Friday.
2025 Animal Camp 1 (intro)
Ages 7-8-9
Mon-Fri 8:30am-3:30pm or 9am-4pm
JUNE 2-6, 2025 - $380 + $95 optional Friday field trip fee
Click here to check AVAILABILITY
After Mar 14, click here to ENROLL NOW in Animal Camp
Enrollment Form will be activated at 10am, March 15
Remember to REFRESH after 10am, March 15 to update the link to this year's form and refresh often to see current enrollment numbers. If camp fills before you get in, you can still submit an enrollment form, be added to the waitlist, and then be billed later if space opens up.
All Invoices, forms, registrations, and payments are handled electronically in the order recieved.
Please allow 24 hours to receive your invoice!
Please note:
2025 SOLD OUT March 15
2024 SOLD OUT March 16
2023 SOLD OUT March 17
2022 SOLD OUT March 22
2021 SOLD OUT March 29
2020 SOLD OUT March 26
2019 - SOLD OUT April 6
2025 Animal Camp 2 (Advanced, aka "Cold Blooded Camp")
Ages 7-8-9
Mon-Fri 8:30am-3:30pm or 9am-4pm
JUNE 9-13, 2025 - $380 + $95 optional Friday field trip fee
Click here to CHECK AVAILABILITY
After Mar 14, click here to ENROLL NOW in Animal Camp 2
Enrollment Form will be activated at 10am, March 15
Remember to REFRESH after 10am, March 15 to update the link to this year's form, and refresh often to see current enrollment numbers. If camp fills before you get in, you can still submit an enrollment form, be added to a waitlist, and then be billed later if space opens up.
Registration opens April 15*
*Early Registration opens April 1 (addl fee)
*Super Early Registration opens March 15 (addl fee)
info.NatureObjective @ gmail . com
All Invoices, forms, registrations, and payments are handled electronically in the order recieved.
Please allow 24 hours to receive your invoice!
The Fine Print: Online registration forms are updated by 10am on March 15. Please check the year on the form before submitting or the price may be incorrect. Parents, please submit completed forms at your earliest convenience. We call our programs "summer camps" for convenience but actually they are classified as instructional, topic/task specific classes under K.S.A. 65-501 which are exempt from licensing requirements (similar to a sports training camp or Vacation Bible School). Our programs are private and sometimes used for childcare, however, because they are less than five weeks in duration, they are not classified as daycare. Even though licensing is not required, our instructors and leaders are fully trained in animal husbandry, local nature, certified in rescue, first aid, and CPR, and we maintain an adult to child ratio of 1 adult to 6 kids. Enrollment is limited because we keep our groups very small.
Open Enrollment
Registration with no additional fees is first come, first served, beginning when the store opens on APRIL 15 (tax day).
Early Enrollment
It's possible to pay an additional, early registration fee and register beginning March 15. Early, prepaid registrations are processed in the order received as long as they are accompanied by the early fee. First time camp parents can stop by in person and we'll help you through the process or you can enroll from your own computer.The numbers of available spots are updated every day from March 15 until all camps are sold out.
