McHenry Co. Conservation District To Host Summer Camps

CRYSTAL LAKE-CARY, IL - From McHenry County Conservation District: What kind of fun do you want to have this summer? Learn how to canoe? Explore wetlands? Hunt for critters? Time travel? Camp under the Stars?

McHenry County Conservation District’s ten different summer camps provide all these great opportunities as well as crafts, activities, games, fun and much more! Day camps are available for children age 6 through 17.

Young campers age 6–7 can spend their mornings exploring habitats and the animals that live in ponds, fields or forests during Young Explorers Camp at Prairieview Education Center in Crystal Lake or Glacial Park in Ringwood.

Campers age 8–9 will sample a wide variety of creative arts and explore nature on a daily basis in Nature and Art Camp at Prairieview Education Center in Crystal Lake. Every day offers opportunities for some hands-on fun along with traditional day camp activities.

A regular favorite for campers 8–9 is Fishing Camp where they will learn the fundamentals of fishing in both moving waters at Beck’s Woods in Chemung and still waters at Brookdale in Woodstock.

Eco-Explorer Camp at Glacial Park in Ringwood and Outdoor Adventure Camp at Prairieview Education Center in Crystal Lake provide youth, ages 8–11, non-stop explorations. At Glacial Park campers will canoe, explore habitats, take part in a conservation work project, play games and decorate t-shirts. At Prairieview, campers will enjoy hiking adventures, outdoor challenges, fishing, canoeing, and nature crafts.

New this year is STEEM camp, for ages 9–12 to explore Science, Technology, Engineering and Math topics, using the natural Environment as the organizing theme. Along with all the traditional day camp activities, campers spend time with hands-on activities that build skills, foster critical thinking and pique their curiosity about how the natural world works.

Another popular camp for ages 10–12 is Time Travelers Camp at Glacial Park where youth experience a different era of history each day including Native American Life, Pioneer Life, and as French Explorers canoeing Nippersink Creek.

Not to be left out of all the summer fun, teens, ages 12–15, can pursue their natural world interest and get hands-on experience in Wild Things Camp at Glacial Park which concludes with a wilderness campout.

Aspiring young hunters ages 10–17, can sign up for Hunter Safety Camp, to learn all the requirements of the Illinois Hunter Safety course, as well as other hunting related activities including off-trail tracking practice, ending with an opportunity to test for Illinois Hunter Safety Certification for free.

Sign up now to reserve your space. Camp and registration information is online at www.MCCDistrict.org or request your copy of the spring issue of Landscapes.

Leave No Child Inside this summer — have your child get outdoors, explore and connect with their natural world. Visit the District’s website at www.MCCDistrict.org to view all program and event offerings or sign up to receive the seasonal magazine Landscapes. Register online, by phone (free programs only) at (815) 479-5779, by mail-in and drop-off at Prairieview Education Center, 2112 Behan Road in Crystal Lake, or drop-off only at Lost Valley Visitor Center, Route 31 and Harts Rd. in Ringwood.

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