The available camps are for grades 4-5 and 6-7, with more for the 4-5 grades.

https://nationalzoo.si.edu/education/camps/summer

Color me surprised, there are some openings, 9 camps have spots but no idea how many are available.

Anonymous wrote:What does it take to actually get in one of these?

The folks I know who attend sign up the day sign ups are opened. Most of them are members of the Zoo but I don't know at what level. I have no idea if there are slots open right now but I would be surprised to hear that there are any openings. It is a popular option.

What does it take to actually get in one of these?

How does pick up and drop off work? That is the only thing holding me back? Do I have to park and walk far to bring my child to one of the buildings or do they have a kiss and go type situation.

Anonymous wrote:A counter point on zoo camp - my daughter did it a couple of years ago when she was 6 and didn't really like it. It was a lot of sitting around, like in class, learning about the animals. She'd come home and say there was no "wiggle time" (her words). I got the sense that it was well run and probably good for older kids that were more focused. But that was just my experience - sounds like others on this board really liked it.

My focused, animal-loving older kid (11) hated it, and I've never heard her say that about any camp, even ones I thought were a waste of money. She felt like they were treated like babies, and the material was dumbed down a lot. Granted, it was the end of the summer, and she was probably burned out on camps in general by then, but she'd been looking forward to learning about conservation efforts and protection of endangered species. Instead they did a full day learning about recycling, and some habitat stuff they'd already done in science class in fourth grade.

To be fair, I do think it was partly a letdown because she'd done the FONZ overnight nature camp at SCBI in the past, and since that camp is no longer being run, was hoping this might be similar. But in our experience, it definitely wasn't great for the top range of the age groups, especially for kids who are already "into" the subject matter.

A counter point on zoo camp - my daughter did it a couple of years ago when she was 6 and didn't really like it. It was a lot of sitting around, like in class, learning about the animals. She'd come home and say there was no "wiggle time" (her words). I got the sense that it was well run and probably good for older kids that were more focused. But that was just my experience - sounds like others on this board really liked it.

Anonymous wrote:NP. How quickly do the summer camps fill up? We are FONZ members but not Premier Plus, which gets advanced Sign Up. Will it fill up before the rest of the FONZ members, or general public, have a chance to sign up?

Anyone?

NP. How quickly do the summer camps fill up? We are FONZ members but not Premier Plus, which gets advanced Sign Up. Will it fill up before the rest of the FONZ members, or general public, have a chance to sign up?

My 5 yr old loved zoo camp last year and I felt it was money well spent. Will be doing it again this summer.

My dd has gone 3 years in a row and loved it each time! They are very organized and have great safety practices. The teachers are a great combination of kind, prepared, and knowledgable.

She's tried several day camps around town including a lot of the super popular ones, and this is the one I'd recommend without hesitation.

DS has done the Spring break camp since K and he always wants to go back. Typically they focus on a different section of the Zoo or habitat each day. I prefer the Spring though since the city gets so hot in the Summer, and it is a lot of uphill walking.

Very well organized and one of the more professionally staffed summer camps. If your child is really into animals, I'd recommend it. Don't, however, expect a lot of "behind the scene" access to the zoo. Also, probably better for younger kids, but my rising animal obsessed 5th grader would be more than happy to return.

I'm thinking of trying them this summer, but they don't have a lot of information on their website.
What do the kids actually do all day? And how are the counselors?