Summer
Youth Programs 2013
The Henry County Conservation Department will offer summer youth programs as
well as family programs. Activities will be available on a first-come-first-served basis. All children
who have not graduated from first grade must be accompanied by an adult, as do all
children requiring one-on-one aids while in school. Some
programs may be a bit advanced for younger children– see camp descriptions
for details and age restrictions.
Programs will be geared toward school aged children.
Pre-registration is required and all fees are due at least two weeks prior
to the start of the program.
All programs will begin and end at the Oakland Mills Nature Center.
Activities
will be held rain or shine. Dress accordingly. Avoid sandals.
Summer Camp 2013 registration form
CLICK
HERE FOR PARENTAL CANOEING CONSTENT FORM
CLICK HERE FOR At the Park ACTIVITIES
Opportunities for all children AND their
parent(s) or guardian(s)
June 11th– 1:00 p.m.– 3:00 p.m.
Day camp– Animal tracks.
Who goes there? Let’s find out!
All ages.
$5
Limit 20.
June 13th– 1:00 p.m.– 3:00 p.m.
Day camp– Mythical animals.
Dragons, unicorns, serpents– oh my! All ages.
$5
Limit 20.
June 14th-
1:00 p.m.– 3:00 p.m.
Day camp– Canoe scavenger hunt.
Learn the basics of pond canoeing, safety, and basic strokes while playing a
game.
Meet at Gibson.
Children who have not yet completed 3rd grade
must have a parent participate with them.
Kids without parents will be paired up. All parents will be required to sign
a waiver. Waivers will be at Gibson or are also available on the
conservation website.
$5
Limit 6 canoes– 3 persons per canoe is fine.
Canoes/equipment/lifejackets will be provided. BRING bug spray, sunscreen,
and swimsuit. Adults are FREE with their child! Please specify if an adult
is attending when registering.
June 17th-
10:00 a.m.– noon
Day camp– Rivers and ponds part 1.
Let’s explore the pond. We will use dip nets to look for water bugs and
tadpoles.
All ages.
$5
Limit 20. Bring or wear shoes that can get wet. You WILL get dirty so wear
old clothes.
Note: You do not have to sign-up for part 2 to participate in part 1.
June 17th-
1:00 p.m.– 3:00 p.m.
Day camp– Rivers and ponds part 2.
Let’s explore the river. We will walk down to the Skunk River, water level
permitting, to search for mussels.
All ages.
$5
Limit 20. Bring or wear shoes that can get wet. You WILL get dirty and
possibly wet so wear old clothes.
Note: You do not have to sign-up for part 1 to
participate in part 2.
June 24th-
10:00 a.m.– noon
Whoooo or what do owls eat?
Let’s talk about owls and dissect owl pellets. Live owl.
All ages.
$5
Limit 20.
June 26th-
10:00 a.m.– noon
Head to Toe.
Learn how animals move. Based on the Eric Carle book and game.
Geared toward younger children.
$5
Limit 20.
June 28th-
10:00 a.m.– 3:00 p.m.
Basic Canoeing.
Learn the basics of pond/lake canoeing, safety, basic strokes, and hop the
Nature Center bus to go canoeing at Lake Geode. Return to nature center by
approximately 3:00 p.m. Participants
must have completed 4th grade
and parents will be required to sign a waiver. Waivers will be available at
drop off or are also available on the conservation website.
$15
Limit 12.
Canoes/equipment/lifejackets will be provided. BRING your lunch, bug spray,
sunscreen, and swimsuit. No flip-flops or sandals. Sturdy water shoes are
acceptable. Feet will get wet.
July 9th–
10:00 a.m.– noon
Fishing!
Iowa’s fish species and basics of fishing will be discussed before we head
outside and try to catch fish ourselves! Poles, equipment, and bait will be provided. All ages.
$5
Limit 15.
July 11th- 10:00 a.m.- noon
Bull’s-eye!
Archery, atlatals, and BB guns will be the featured activities. Must have
completed 3rd grade.
$5
Limit 12.
July 12th-
10:00 a.m.– 3:00 p.m.
Advanced Canoeing.
Only
for those who have already taken Basic Canoeing with the HCCD staff on Lake
Geode either this year or previous.
Plan to return by 3:00 p.m. This will be a river trip– location TBA.
Participants
must have completed 5th grade
and parents will be required to sign a waiver. Waivers will be available at
drop off or are also available on the conservation website.
$15
Limit 12.
Canoes/equipment/lifejackets will be provided. BRING your lunch, bug spray,
sunscreen, and swimsuit. No flip flops or sandals. Sturdy shoes are
required! Feet will get wet.
July 15th– 6:30 p.m.– 8:00 p.m.
Night Camp. Digital scavenger hunt.
Hike the park to photograph various items on a scavenger hunt list. When
finished, participants will bring their devices to the classroom for
verification of the photos. Prizes will be given. Official guidelines will
be handed out at the beginning of the camp.
FREE
No limit to number of participants. Bring your camera or cell phone.
July 17th– 6:30 p.m.– 8:00 p.m.
Night Camp. GPS treasure hunt.
Learn what GPS is, how it got started, and how to use a hand-held unit.
Teams will head outside to follow clues to a treasure!
FREE
Limit 14 teams. No limit to number of people on a team. GPS units will be
provided.
July 19th-
1:00 p.m.– 4:00 p.m.
Family Canoeing.
Learn basic strokes and safety of pond/lake canoeing at Lake Geode.
Participants
must have completed 4th grade to be in a canoe without an adult
and parents will be required to sign a waiver. Waivers will be available at
drop off or are also available on the conservation website.
$15 per family/per canoe
Limit 6 canoes.
Canoes/equipment/lifejackets will be provided. BRING bug spray, sunscreen,
and swimsuit. No flip-flops or sandals. Sturdy water shoes are acceptable.
Feet will get wet.
Meet at Lake Geode beach boat ramp near old concession stand.
CONSERVATION CAMP
Join the Friends of Conservation in Henry County as they team up with
Whitetails Unlimited, Pheasants Forever, The National Wild Turkey
Federation, Ducks Unlimited, and the Henry County Conservation Department to provide a day camp for youth interested in hunting. For more details contact Linn Hunsaker at 319-931-1184.
BE AN IOWA JUNIOR NATURALIST!
Participation in this program is new to the Henry County Conservation
Department. The Iowa Junior Naturalist program is a wonderful opportunity
for children ages 6-12 to experience environmental education programs,
outdoor recreation, and our natural resources. This program encourages
children to attend programs offered by local county conservation
departments, Iowa Department of Natural Resources state park units, local
libraries, nature centers, YMCA camps, 4-H, or any other program with a
nature theme. In addition, participants will be encouraged to work on
independent activities. When all requirements are completed, participants
will receive an official Iowa Junior Naturalist patch and certificate of
achievement. Patches will be different each year. Contact Naturalist Cari
Nicely for more information at
cnicely@henrycountyconseration.com.
Environmental Education
The Henry County Conservation Department has a Naturalist available for your
organization, group, or classroom free of charge. Call for an appointment.
Programs given at Oakland Mills Nature Center, in school classrooms, or at
other facilities. We have a constellation board in the Oakland Mills
Nature Center Environmental Education Classroom ceiling, a bird viewing area
on-site, and live raptors for presentations!
Cari Nicely, Naturalist
Office: 319-986-5067 Cell: 319-931-2942
E-mail:
cnicely@henrycountyconservation.com
Program ideas for all ages include, but are not limited to:
live raptors, a specific animal, ecosystems, food chains, geology,
Native Americans, pioneer activities and crafts, dutch oven cooking, area history, weather, plant parts,
tracks, predators, birds, campfires, planets/stars, compass, trees, leaves,
weeds, poisonous plants, wild edibles, energy conservation, renewable
resources, pond study, pollution prevention, wildlife, habitats,
adaptations, prairies, fishing, wetlands, night creatures, outdoor
photography, nesting boxes, endangered species, insect study, survival
skills, groundwater protection, hazardous waste, recycling,
Leave No Trace,
and wildflowers.
Cub
Scout, Boy Scout, and Girl Scout programs are also available. Rank specific
and badges.
Programs prepared for school groups are:
There are many changes beginning this school year. Some
teachers have changed grade levels or buildings and others have changed
specialties. This list is intended to help with those transitions. Remember-
environmental education classes aren’t just for science! Call Cari at
319-986-5067 or e-mail her at
cnicely@henrycountyconservation.com
to schedule appointments for your classrooms.
Maple syruping for all ages in February/March
Kindergarten:
eggs, Iowa mammals, animal locomotion, fireflies, apples, owls, mouse
paint- color, tail adaptations, zoo in the sky, snakes, turtles/silly snowy
day, birds, animal olympics, groundhogs, tops and bottoms- gardens, insect
actions, animal babies, recycling, camouflage
1st grade:
teeth/skulls, recycling, birds, bears, hibernation, *seeds, shells, , frogs and toads, gardens, bats, Rockhounds, spiders, weather, plants, habitats, The Mitten, nature crafts,
camping, fall, winter, animal valentines, which is which, animal teams,
animals on the job, spring,
deer and turkeys
2nd grade:
clouds, *insects, bees, monarchs, moths and butterflies, insectigations,
solar system, habitat story, sound,
rocks, Diary of a Worm and activities,
dinosaurs, *fall/winter, Earth Day- trees
3rd grade:
water cycle, geology, food chains, *habitats, prairie, adaptations, The
Lorax and activities, owls and owl pellets, trees
4th grade:
solar system- planets, *constellations, phases of the moon, body systems, rainforest, leaves, animal
tracks, snails, The Great Kapok Tree and activities,
electricity, mussels, Earth Day- Agatha's Feather Bed,
basic compass
5th grade:
vertebrates/invertebrates, mammals, reptiles, fish, birds- She's Wearing a
Dead Bird on Her Head, endangered species, *pond
study (good for invertebrates, watersheds, bison and the Native Americans,
*pioneer activities and crafts, canoeing-pond, wild
edibles, outdoor survival, Ioway movie and Indian LIFE, Lewis
and Clark, plate tectonics, Ice Age with atlatal
Middle School:
plant and animal cells, Indian LIFE, tree ID/leaf margins,
biomes, water pollution and watersheds, wetlands, wildlife management,
cells, *bobcat/native cats, orienteering and GPS, Iowa
Conservationists, Windows on the Wild (illegal
wildlife trade), Five Kingdoms of Life, Biofuels, Bag It!, soils- land
management, Bottled Water, renewable-non-renewable resources, Global Warming is Global,
Arctic Adaptations and Global Impacts, What’s that Smell? (air pollution),
beaver trade, consumption (Agatha’s Feather Bed), Calculate Your
Wildlife Career, Caught in the Act,
Mystery of the Living Rock (Note: These last few include language arts
and social studies curricula. There are others available. All center
around illegal animal trade.)
High School or College:
prairies, career choices, observation and creative writing activities,
canoeing, hiking, wildlife management, water monitoring, volunteerism
The
environmental education program is flexible. If you don’t see it on the
list, please ask! We can design a program to fit your curriculum or
circumstances.
* These programs are more effective at Oakland Mills Nature
Center but are not necessarily limited to it.
