Published: Jun 28, 2013 | 21:09 PM

Never Too Soon to Plan for Summer

Camps Abound at IRWD San Joaquin Marsh

In just six or seven weeks, school will be out for the summer. So what activities will excite the kids and keep them busy? Irvine Ranch Water District can help solve that dilemma with summer camps at the San Joaquin Marsh.

The camps are provided by the Sea and Sage Audubon Society and the Discovery Science Center and begin as soon as late June.

Sea and Sage has been providing summer nature camps at the Marsh for more than 20 years. Seven and eight-year-olds will enjoy the Fledgling Camp which takes place June 24-28, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Campers will learn observational skills on daily bird nature walks, where they will learn to keep a birding journal. Games, learning songs and doing crafts will round out the days.

Nine to 12-year olds may sign up for Marsh Bird Camp. Two sessions are available – June 24-28 and July 8-12, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. All aspects of Marsh bird life will be explored. Activities include daily bird walks, a visit from the Bird of Prey Center, painting bird houses, daily journals, crafts and more.

The Coastal Bird Camp covers all aspects of coastal shorebirds and their habitats, with off-site days on Tuesday and Thursday. Campers must be 11 years and older and have Marsh Camp experience. The session is July 15-19, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Advanced Bird Camp is for those 11 years and older with Marsh Camp experience. Sessions take place July 22-July 26 and July 29-August 3, 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Campers will explore oak woodlands habitat and its wildlife, and will paint a hand-carved wooden decoy. Week two will feature coastal sage scrub habitat and include a sleep-over on Friday night. Both camps include daily nature walks, sketching and craft.

Please visit Sea and Sage Audubon website for information on how to register for camp.

The Discovery Science Center and IRWD have partnered on summer camps for the past four years. Camp offerings are for children age five through 10.

If your youngster age five-six is too adventurous to stay indoors all summer, let them take a walk on the wild side of science at the Summer Smiles camp. Campers will explore science topics and investigate the world of frogs, bats, butterflies and crabs. They will use magnifiers to get an up-close look at butterfly wings, concoct ooey, gooey slime, make a bat box, and grind their own colorful sand. Young explorers will enjoy learning the purpose of the Marsh’s natural filtration ponds during nature hikes.

Youngsters age seven-10 will enjoy tinkering, creating and learn how things work at the Project Discovery camp. This camp features a series of challenge-based activities, such as testing different flying models, dropping an egg without breaking it and constructing a catapult. They will also investigate the secrets of the Solar System and take a close look at the planet we call home.

Information about Discovery Science Center summer camps is available on their website.