Alley Pond Summer Camps Teach Kids About Nature

BAYSIDE, QUEENS — Summer camps at Alley Pond Environmental Center are giving kids the chance to get outdoors and learn about nature while school's out.

Summer Nature Kids is accepting students from kindergarten to second grade for a bi-weekly program of exploring life on the beach. Students will learn about the coast through storytelling, pictures and hand-on activities. They will also have a chance to get to explore their creative side through crafts and will enjoy the summer to the fullest by playing games on the beach.

Listed below are the four sessions for Summer Nature Kids:

Mon/Wed 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
July 10, 12, 17, 19, 24, 26

Tues/Thurs 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
July 11, 13, 18, 20, 25, 27

Mon/Wed 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
July 31, August 2, 7, 9, 14, 16

Tues/Thurs 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
August 1, 3, 8, 10, 15, 17

APEC Explorers will teach students entering third and fourth grades about local ecosystems. Students will explore berries, fungi and aquatic blooms during the bi-weekly classes. There will be two different courses, both of which will focus on different parts of the local ecosystem. During session one, students will observe animals that live by day and the second session will introduce them to creatures of the night. There will be hands-on experiments, lessons and games about science. Each class will be supplemented with a field exploration, where students will get a chance to take photographs and document their findings in a log.

Dates for the session are listed below:

• APEC Under the Sun

Mon/Wed 10:00 am -12:00 pm
July 10, 12, 17, 19, 24, 26

Tues/Thurs 10:00 am -12:00 pm
July 11, 13, 18, 20, 25, 27

• APEC Under the Moon

Mon/Wed 10:00 am -12:00 pm
July 31August 2, 7, 9, 14, 16

Tues/Thurs 10:00 am -12:00 pm
August 1, 3, 8, 10, 15, 17

Alley Pond Pioneers will provide an opportunity for kids to spend the summertime outdoors. The two sessions will include beach clean-ups and guided nature walks at Totten Park, Oakland Lake and Joe Michael's Mile. Students will also get a chance to learn yoga and spend time at the Alley Pond Adventure Course.

Below are the session dates for the Alley Pond Pioneers program:

Tues/Thurs 10:00 am -12:00 pm
July 11, 13, 18, 20, 25 & 27

Tues/Thurs 10:00 am -12:00 pm
August 1, 3, 8, 10, 15 & 17

Lead image via Kenneth Dellaquila/Flickr