Camps/Summer Programs

Nature and art come together as we watch animals of the sanctuary and then create based on observation. Campers will use papier-mache to design animal puppets and illustrate feather texture as they paint a favorite bird.

Registration is required. For children ages 9 - 11 yrs.

Wet places are wonderful areas to look for frogs, herons, and dragonflies. Campers will discover how bugs breathe underwater and why beavers build dams. Water games and activities will get your camper excited about the importance of wetlands.

Registration is required. For children ages 5 - 6 yrs.

Explore the Ipswich River and learn how to paddle a canoe. We'll venture to different areas of this quiet meandering river, learn paddling strokes, river safety, and have fun. We'll discover the insects, mammals, birds, and plants that live in the backwaters and islands of the river.

Registration is required. For children ages 12 - 14 yrs.

Grab your boots and join us as we discover all the amazing coastal creatures that live at the Cox Reservation, located on the Essex River. An artist's studio barn provides a unique base for our camp. Children will explore river, salt marsh, and upland habitats, with many opportunities to participate in sensory awareness activities, play games, create art, and look for animals in these unique locations. A program highlight is a day spent exploring Choate Island, part of The Trustees of Reservations Crane Wildlife Refuge. We will take a boat ride over to the island to hike and investigate the island's plants, animals, and amazing history.

Registration is required. For children ages 7 - 10 yrs.

Join us for a week of creating beautiful landscapes. Campers will learn how to use various mediums such as charcoal to create textured drawings of woodlands, and watercolors to paint a wetland scene, while creating the illusion of perspective.

Registration is required. For children ages 9 - 11 yrs

Join us for a week of exploration as we search for bugs! Campers will search through fields, forests, and wetlands to discover butterflies, grasshoppers, pill bugs, slugs, snails and more. We'll use nets, bug boxes, and microscopes to gain a better understanding of how these animals live.

Registration is required. For children ages 5 - 6 yrs.

Take a closer look at nature by focusing on a new exciting topic each day. Campers will explore with special guest naturalists including a tracker to search for mammal signs and an insect specialist to learn amazing facts about butterflies. As a special day, the 7 and 8 year-old group will spend a morning on a lobster boat cruise, while the 9, 10 and 11 year-old group will experience a whale watch out of Gloucester.

Registration is required. For children ages 7 - 11 yrs.

Kids do not have to travel to the Amazon to see amazing creatures! Join us for a week of jaw-dropping stories about local animals and their amazing lives. Some creatures we're likely to encounter include the tiny ruby-throated hummingbird, with its ability to drink nectar with its long beak, and the white-tailed deer, with its long nimble legs that enable it to run through the forest at 40 miles per hour. Together, campers will discover it's a jungle right here.

Registration is required. For children ages 5 - 6 yrs.

This week long day camp is hosted by the Mass Audubon Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary, but the location is the Shore Lea Nature Center in Marblehead. Spend a week discovering the beauty of nature while unlocking your artistic creativity. By closely investigating the Shore Lea Nature Center surroundings, campers get to hone their appreciation for nature while developing an inspiration for art. We'll explore various habitats, observing each one for its content, structures, and patterns. These findings will become the subjects for campers as they learn techniques for drawing, painting, sculpture, and other media.

Registration is required. For children ages 7 - 10 yrs.

This is a series of 5 one day classes. Native people had a strong connection to the natural world, and much can be learned from their history and lore. Each day we'll have a new focus including building a wetu shelter, paddling the Ipswich River, and quietly walking through the woods. The week will be highlighted with an afternoon visit from Native American storyteller Pat Bade and a live owl.

Registration is required. For children ages 9 - 11 yrs.