Get grossed out!

Fresh Air Family

Crawdads, slimy salamanders and roly poly races — it’s the kind of science children love: hands-on, a bit disgusting, and all taking place in the Great Outdoors.

Award-winning Gross Out Camp provides children a safe opportunity to explore and study their natural world. Held outdoors at McCallum Park in Vestavia, among other locations, we will spend the day in the creek and on the trails. The camp is geared for children entering grades 1-4, with counselor-in-training opportunities for older kids. Gross Out Camp runs a full day, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with before- and after-care available 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Campers hike the trails as they look for millipedes, worms, jelly-eared mushrooms and a host of flowers and bugs. In the creek, we will hunt for crawdads and other creatures. We will study whatever they find. A live animal show will bring in snakes, turtles, bearded dragons, skinny pigs and a bunny, all available for touching and holding (except for one really fast lizard)!

Fresh Air Family also offers scholarships so that all interested children can participate. There are only 20 campers per session, a perfect size for maximum learning. Sessions run weekly from May 30 to July 28.