Summer Camps

Camp Location

All camps have home base in the DeFouw Education Center on Zoo grounds. Drop-off and pick-up is via a car line system in the Wallace Avenue parking lot. During a typical camp day, participants will take excursions outside to visit zoo exhibits, go behind-the-scenes, and take advantage of the beautiful Columbian Park setting. Scheduled recesses take place in open green spaces inside the zoo, or in Columbian Park, with full-day camps including a supervised free-play lunchtime recess at the SIA Playground in Columbian Park, weather-permitting.

Lunch and Snacks

A daily snack will be provided for all camps and will follow the schedule below:

Monday - pretzels

Tuesday - veggie sticks (carrots, celery, etc)

Wednesday - animal crackers

Thursday - fresh fruit (apple, banana or clementine)

Friday - goldfish crackers

Parents should plan to pack an alternate snack if their child has food allergies or particular tastes. Children will be permitted to choose between a snack item from their pack and the zoo snack as part of the regular routine. 

Parents of full-day campers are expected to pack a lunch for their child daily. Please avoid including nut-based food items due to allergy concerns. Refrigeration and reheating are not available. We encourage children to bring a litterless lunch and a reusable plastic cup or water bottle. Lunch may take place in the Education center or outside in one of Columbian Park's picnic shelters, depending on the weather.

Allergies and Functional Needs 

A Zoo Health Advisory and Accommodations Form is a required part of the pre-registration process. This form is available by download here if you need to update the information you have provided. We also invite you to discuss any allergies or functional needs your child may have with the Education Team prior to registering, so that we may answer any questions you have and learn how we can best set up your child for a successful camp experience. It is always our goal to be as inclusive as possible. We believe the first step to achieving this is open and transparent two-way communication. 

Please note that Zoo facilities are NOT peanut-free, tree nut-free or latex-free. Despite our best efforts, we cannot guarantee your child will not be exposed to an allergen. Although contact allergies with zoo animals are rare, please discuss any known animal-related allergies with Zoo staff prior to camp.

If your child requires medications to be administered during camp hours, or travels with an Epipen, rescue inhaler or other critical care medication, please review our Medication Policy found in the Education Programs Participation Agreement.

Extended Care

Due to low registration and rising costs, we are no longer able to offer an extended care service. We have a 30-minute grace period on either end of the camp day during which children can be dropped off and picked up for no additional charge. Pick-ups after the designated grace period (12:30pm for half day camps, 4:30pm for full day camps) a Late Pick-Up Fee of $25 per 15 minutes will be automatically billed to your account to offset the costs incurred. 

Are You a Member?  Members receive a special discount of 15% off camp fees! If you're not already a member, consider joining today.  Click HERE to join online.