In the blink of an eye, Walking Mountains Science Center's 2023 summer science camp season is nearly over. From learning how Colorado was formed from an ancient sea to looking at the inner workings of a flower, campers who attended our camps this year have grown into the latest stewards of our valley and learned a lot along the way. Summer camps provide unique, hands-on learning experiences for children who attend, and they’re so much FUN! We are excited to share some of the stories, photos, and laughs we’ve had this summer!
Summer Camp started off with a rainy week, but "Mountain Musicians" campers brought the sunshine by creating a music video for the song, "Here Comes the Sun." Their debut music video featured a juxtaposition of many small rays of sunshine frolicking in front of an overcast backdrop. Mountain Musicians summer camp taught campers how to listen to the sounds of nature, and they learned how to make instruments out of natural materials to make the world their stage!
While some campers sang their way through the summer, other campers got their hands dirty as they hunted for fossils in "Dino Detectives" camp. Summer camp star, Billy Doran, of Fossil Posse, started the Museum at Dinosaur Junction as a passion project and it’s been a favorite visit for campers this summer. All three "Dino Detectives" groups went to the museum in Edwards, Colorado. Campers got to meet a real-life paleontologist and see all the incredible fossils and specimens he’s found. Billy filled the experience with cool facts about ancient Colorado, and campers were astonished to learn that one fossil took Billy a year and a half to uncover!
Not all campers stayed in the Eagle River Valley; some traveled to space during camp! "Space Station" K-1st grade campers were contacted directly by “Astronaut Stardust” to find all the planets that fell from space after the gravitational pull had been pushed! Campers successfully found all of the missing planets to restore the balance of the universe. Walking Mountains camps provide a fun, creative, inquiry-based form of learning. "Space Station" campers used their newfound knowledge of space to solve mysteries laid before them, and they even got to create and launch different types of rockets.
Aside from weeklong day camps and two-day Earth Explorers camps, Walking Mountains offers hut trips for campers in 3rd grade and up. Middle schoolers had an unforgettable experience making new friends on one of our hut trips in the mountains. The "STEM: Trailblazers" campers were seen NOT on their cell phones, and they might have broken a sweat! This trip gave participants the opportunity to learn about how our beautiful trails are cared for and why maintaining trails is so important to our community. They were excited to explore the thoughtful creation of the trail systems on Vail Pass while spending time at Walter’s Hut, a 10th Mountain Division Hut tucked away up by Shrine Ridge. Campers finished their trip by participating in trail maintenance on Buck Creek Trail with the help of Vail Valley Mountain Trails Alliance.
This summer has been filled with lots of laughter and incredible adventures, and the journey doesn't end here. Most camp instructors, who are also graduate fellows, still have two more weeks of Summer Camp. Sadly, for our 2023 graduating class, Anna, Kaylyn, Rachel, and Natalie, the journey is coming to an end as we celebrated their graduation from the Foley Graduate Fellowship on Friday, July 28. These fellows are off to new and exciting experiences!
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see snapshots from our 2023 Summer Camp season, and join our email list, to be the first to know about summer science camp registration dates in 2024!
Written by Cassy Jo Brown. Cassy Jo is the Summer Programs Manager at Walking Mountains Science Center.
