Get your children outdoors this summer and book them in a Nature Explorers Summer Camp. Our nature camps are hands-on, fun-filled learning at Allan Brooks Nature Centre! Children will learn about our local ecosystems and wildlife through outdoor lessons, play, crafts, games, and activities!
Our Nature Explorers Camp is a day camp for children ages 6 – 8. These are full-day camps that run for 4 days from 9 am – 4 pm, Tuesday – Friday.
Nature Explorers Theme: Weather Watchers
Clouds, wind, rain, sun: kids become weather detectives. Campers keep a daily weather log, build windsocks, play wind and cloud games, and learn how animals and people stay “storm smart”. The week ends with a Forecast Fair where teams share their best weather predictions.
Day 1 Weather detectives, windsocks and logs
Indoors: Welcome and camp culture: Name game and “Weather name” Safety: sun hats, water, wind awareness. Start the daily weather log. Temperature, cloud type, wind strength, “how it feels”, and a sky sketch. Create a “weather word wall”: gusty, calm, bright, hazy, etc. Introduce “microclimate” in kid language: “same place, different weather feeling”. Indoor weather-charades and build mini “wind vane” models. Make a windsock.
Outdoor: Wind games: “Windsocks” test them outdoors at 2–3 different spots (open grassland vs near building/trees). “Wind relay” (carry feathers/paper without dropping). “Be the wind” obstacle course: kids move like breeze/gust/whirlwind. Log what is discovered throughout the day.
Day 2 Cloud spotting, wind science and simple graph
Outdoor: “Cloud spotting” Cloud bingo with picture cards (cumulus/stratus/cirrus in kid terms). “Cloud story”: what weather might come next? Build a mini weather station: DIY anemometer demo (cups/straws), or ribbon wind indicators. Shade mapping: find 3 shady spots and rate them “coolest to warmest”. Sundial moment: Visit the analemmatic sundial: find out how shadow shows time. Log what is discovered throughout the day.
Indoor: Simple graph: Use yesterday and today’s logs to make a bar chart (wind) or pictograph (cloud types). “Forecast corner”: teams predict tomorrow’s weather using evidence. Indoor cloud-in-a-jar demo or cloud cotton-ball modelling.
Day 3 Shelter-building challenge and being storm smart
Outdoor: “Storm Smart” shelter build. Teams build a small shelter for a toy animal: must block wind, must resist “rain” (spray bottle test), must stay cool (shade/airflow challenge). Debrief: what worked and why? Lightning and safety basics. “When thunder roars, go indoors” concept, plus calm behaviour in changing weather.
Indoor: Weather hazards lab: Heat safety checklist (water, shade, breaks) tied to Okanagan summer realities “Wind can take your breath away” practise securing hats, mindful walking. Habitat Room soundscape: pick which ecosystem might feel windiest/driest today and discuss why.
Day 4 Forecast Fair and outdoor recap
Indoors: Teams choose a forecast theme: wind, clouds, temperature, “how it feels”. Create a simple display: log pages, graphs, windsock results, shelter drawings. Forecast Fair: Rotate as “audience” – kids ask each other 2 questions (prompt cards provided). Add a quick demonstration: windsock test or anemometer.
Outdoor recap challenge: Weather scavenger hunt: find evidence of wind/sun/shade on the grounds (flags, grasses, cloud movement). “Microclimate sprint”: which spot is coolest right now within a defined area? Why? Celebration; Weather awards – best evidence, clearest presenter, best teamwork etc.
Once you are registered for a camp you must fill out this Family Information Form.
For inquiries about our 2026 summer camps please contact the ABNC office. Email: education@abnc.ca Phone: 250-260-4227.
