Registration Is Open For

Audubon’s 2006 Summer Day Camp

SOUTHBURY — For children who yearn to be in the outdoors exploring and discovering the many wonders of nature, and for parents who think their child needs to breathe a little more fresh air and would benefit from a quality outdoors program this coming summer, the Audubon Center at Bent of the River is offering day camp programs for summer 2006.

Children entering grades 4 though 8 can attend one of three week-long camps depending on their grade level. There is Audubon Naturalists, Watershed Wizards and EcoDiscoverers. The cost ranges from $160 to $285, depending on the week and the camp program selected. A limited number of scholarships are available.

Audubon’s three programs are a bit unusual as far as summer day camp programs go. They each offer a unique outdoor experience in the midst of a beautiful, richly diverse and fascinating 660-acre natural setting. The Pomperaug River meanders through the Bent, where otters and ducks and frogs and little critters living under the rocks swim and play and eat and breed.

There are meadows exploding with wildflowers and forests full of all kinds of trees, rare orchids, insects and animal hideouts. Naturalists, Wizards and EcoDiscoverers get to unravel the mysteries of nature through hands-on activities in this alive, rich and fun environmental laboratory.

Working in the field like true scientists, using scientific tools and techniques, campers will explore, discover, learn and reflect on the habits and habitats of the many plants and animals that reside at Audubon. Through games, stories, art and journaling, they will have an exciting and fun-filled week-long adventure.

Each day camp session is limited to ten campers and with a student-teacher ratio of five to one, campers receive a lot of personal attention from very experienced instructors.

Each camp session is five days, Monday through Friday, from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm (until 2 pm for the EcoDiscoverer Day Campers).

During the weeks of July 3, 10, 17 and 24, two of the programs are available: the Audubon Naturalist Day Camp for children entering grades 4 and 5 and the EcoDiscoverer Day Camp for children entering grades 6-8.

During the week of July 31, children entering grades 5 and 6 can attend Watershed Wizard Day Camp.

Camp registration forms and scholarship information are available by calling the Audubon Center at 264-5098. Forms should be submitted as soon as possible to reserve a space in the day camp of one’s choice. Registrations are taken on a first-come, first-served basis.

Scholarship applications should be submitted along with registration forms.

The Audubon Center at Bent of the River is one of many National Audubon Society centers throughout the country that are encouraging children to become stewards of the environment.

The Audubon Center at Bent of the River is located at 185 East Flat Hill Road in South Britain, about a half mile from Connecticut Route 172.