Summer Camp registration is now open for Camp Live Oak’s Summer Camp Theme Weeks! At Camp Live Oak in Ft. Lauderdale, kids can unwind and disconnect while having loads of fun with friends exploring and learning about South Florida’s pristine, natural environment. C. amp Live Oak’s science curricula features environmental and marine science with unique themes each week. During the week-long sessions, kids will enjoy a variety of activities, as well as special guests, field trips, and onsite adventures. Summer Camp Sessions begin June 13 and run weekly through August 16, 2022. Here’s what you can expect this year!
Session 1 – Weeks 1 through 3
Week 1, Digging Deep – Discovering Old and Prehistoric Florida, takes kids back in time to when dinosaurs roamed the earth. Campers will discover the many prehistoric creatures and even unearth their own fossils (ancient clams, corals, shark’s teeth, brachiopods, and other creatures) in the limestone layers. As amateur geologists and archaeologists, kids will learn how ancient living creatures like the horseshoe crab link the present and the past.
During Week 2, the theme is planet earth. Campers will explore solar and wind energy, planetary science, and the importance of the earth’s movement with a special nod to the summer solstice. Kids will learn about solar collectors and solar energy and how they are used with hands-on experiments in energy, heat exchange, and photosynthesis, using reflectors, covers, water levels, and colors. They’ll even create a sundial and enjoy a field trip aboard the Jungle Queen!
As Week 3 commences, campers will enjoy learning about the living ocean and life beyond the shore in the coral reefs. Kids will discover the many corals and creatures which inhabit the reefs including seahorses, octopus, turtles, sea anemones, sea cucumbers, rays, and clownfish. They will dissect a fish, build their own reefs, while learning how to protect the oceans and reefs of the world. This week includes a special 4th of July celebration!
Session 2 – Weeks 4 through 7
Week 4 promises night creatures, crawlers, aliens of the deep, and glowing sea creatures (bioluminescence)! Campers will be excited to learn about night creatures, glow in the dark animals and organisms, as well as creatures of the deep like plankton, bacteria, algae, lanternfish, jellyfish, worms, crustaceans, sea stars, fish, and sharks. Kids will also learn about how animals use echolocation, vibration, bioluminescence, and infrared. This week even includes a field trip to the Palm Beach Zoo and the Starlight Sleepover at Birch State Park is July 9th!
During Week 5, kids will have fun discovering the mangroves and wetlands. Campers will visit mangroves, hotspots for biodiversity, and find out they are home, nursery, and feeding grounds for birds, fish, insects, crustacea, insects, and reptiles. As kids explore the wetlands, they will learn to use a kick net to catch invertebrates living in the waterways of Birch State Park. This week’s special event is Camp Live Oak Color Field Day.
Week 6 invites kids to learn about tortoises, frogs, and other slinky, slimy friends. Park Ranger Hugh Taylor will provide hands-on experience with turtles, frogs, salamanders, and more. Kids will learn about these slimy friends’ life cycles and discover all the different shapes, sizes, and colors they feature. The special activity for Week 6 is the Camp Live Oak BBQ with cotton candy and snow cones!
In Week 7, campers enjoy an ocean quest: fins, floating and fabulous with sharks, whales, orcas, and other predators of the sea! Kids will learn about the circle of life from predators to prey, and even dissect a dogfish to learn about the shark’s unique anatomy and phenomenal senses. Campers will discover the language of orcas, how they travel and hunt with sound and echolocation. Kids will create handmade shark’s tooth necklaces and design their own t-shirt, while also enjoying a field trip!
Session 3 – Weeks 8 through 10
Week 8 shares with campers how to be eco warriors! They will learn to test for pollutants and build a water filtration system as well as the importance of reducing, reusing, and recycling. Campers will create recycled projects and participate in a beach/park cleanup!
Week 9 is the final full week session and is all about inventing! Studying the physics and art of Leonardo da Vinci, campers will bring inventions to life as they study the incredible, dynamic physical attributes of nature and animal life that help plants and creatures to survive and thrive. This week includes a field trip to Manor Bowling Lanes!
Week 10 offers two final days for an awesome end of summer celebration with Minute to Win It games, beach activities, relays, snow cones, trivia, dance party, and more including lots of surprises and summer swag!