Building up our kids' appreciation for the living ecosystems of Northeast Ohio means getting them engaged—through science, art, math, music, language arts and games.
The following is a list of eco-minded programs and camps for kids and young adults in the Northern Ohio area (if you see that one is missing, please post a comment with the information).
- Summer Farm & Science School at Crown Point Farm and Education Center, 3220 Ira Road in Bath, Township. Offers children 6-8 and 9-11 the opportunity to investigate the interactions of people, plants and animals in the farm community. Children will become members of Crown Point's diverse community engaging in science, art, math, music, language arts and games to develop critical thinking and team-building skills. Six one-week day sessions: June 16-20, June 23-27, July 7-11, July 14-18, July 21-25 and July 28-August 1. Fee is $175 per week. Partial scholarships are available for families with special financial needs on first-come basis. Register here by May 15. For more information call (330) 668-8992, Ext 101.
- The Oberlin Heritage Center four-week day camp for boys and girls ages 8 to 13. The session from 8/4-8/8, is on "Exploring the built environment: An architecture workshop for kids". Learn more about the basic elements of architecture, historic buildings and green building through hands-on activities, constructing mini buildings, exploring the center's historic buildings and taking a walking tour of Oberlin. Call 440-774-1700 or email tourinfo@oberlinheritage.org
- Each year, the Student Environmental Congress of the Earth Day Coalition brings students from Northeast Ohio together around an issue, such as urban sprawl or energy, through a series of workshops and fun, educational outings. The final outing, a spring community-service project, is a culmination of the students’ yearlong work and planning. The highlight of the Student Environmental Congress is a student-led conference, which takes place every spring. In addition to the outings each school develops their own environmental project.
- Earth Force programs offer educators innovative materials, training and support that help youth connect to their communities and address environmental issues. Lake Erie-Allegheny(LEA) Earth Force offers programming in Western Pennsylvania, Western New York, and
Eastern Ohio . - Lake Erie Nature & Science Center in Bay Village offers a wide range of nature education programs and activities for kids and adults—both during the school year and at summer camp. Click here for more information.
- Nature Center at Shaker Lakes offers year-round nature education programs and field studies, including popular programs like Babes in Nature (for newborns), Big/Little (2-3 yrs old), Squirrel Scouts (4-5 yrs old), and Nature's Explorers (8-10 yrs old).
Experience A Drop of Nature at Cleveland Botanical Garden
Josh Steffen Says:Hershey Children's Garden at Cleveland Botanical Garden offers a safe environment where:
"Every child should have mud pies, grasshoppers, waterbugs, tadpoles, frogs, mud turtles, elderberries, wild strawberries, acorns, chestnuts, trees to climb, brooks to wade, water lilies, woodchucks, bats, bees, butterflies, various animals to pet, hayfields, pine-cones, rocks to roll, sand, snakes, huckleberries and hornets, and any child who has been deprived of these has been deprived of the best part of education (Luther Burbank)."
Daily, April through October, kids enter a world their size, fostering an awe, wonder and love for living things through daily and weekend drop-in programs and fee based BotaniCool School Classes for ages 3 and up. Cleveland Botanical Garden also invite students and teachers to engage with plants through a variety of programs and initiatives, all designed to foster appreciation for plants and the complex and wonderful roles they play in all of our lives. For more information visit Cleveland Botanical Garden on the web.