Wildwood Zoo Summer Camp a Week of Fun for Kids
Kids will get a chance to explore their wild side this summer at the zoo’s brand-new Wildwood Camp. During the week-long, hands-on program, ages 8-12 will get to prepare diets for the animals, make crafts, provide fun toys for the animal’s enrichment, and learn practical wilderness skills from the zookeepers.
“We wanted to expand our outreach and the things that we offer the community,” said Zookeeper Steve Burns. “We’ve heard of other zoos doing similar programs and being really successful, so we wanted to put our spin on it and try it here.”
Each day will involve a different curriculum, so no two days are the same. Highlights of the week will be placing enrichment items out in the exhibit for the animals, being able to take a souvenir home each day to share with the family, and an “Olympics” day that tests the kid’s abilities against the animal kingdom.
According to Burns, this could involve testing how far one can jump compared to a mountain lion, and even a possible tug-of-war game with the cats. “The campers will be having a tug-of-war with the mountain lions,” he said. “One thing they do in the wild when they kill a deer is drag it some distance to hide it for later. It’s important for mountain lions to drag a lot of weight. To illustrate that strength with tug-of-war will show how strong they are.”
The zoo is also purchasing a special scale that the kids will squeeze to test their hand strength. “The Great Horned Owl is another animal that has incredible foot strength,” explained Burns. “The strength in their talons is pretty unbelievable.”
One day will involve teaching kids how to camp in bear country and keep their food safe to prevent negative interaction with bears. As a demonstration of the damage a bear can do to an unprepared campsite, a cardboard tent and cooler will be placed in the bear’s enclosure.
There’s other fun activities planned for the kids on the schedule. “I get excited just looking at it!” added Burns.
There will be three blocks, all the same activities. Register for one block at these links: June 11-15, July 9-13, and July 30-August 3. Registration is limited to ten children each block, and the camp runs 9-11 a.m. each day. The $100 fee includes a Camp Wildwood t-shirt and water-bottle. Register by May 11 to guarantee a shirt.
