Environmental Resource Center Summer 2010
Know Your Home, Love Your Home!
Overnights * Days * Family
Grades 4-6th * 7-9th * All Ages
Explore * Inquire * Learn * Connect * Play
Come Spend Summer with the ERC
Know Your Home, Love Your Home!
Welcome to summer with the Environmental Resource Center!! Warm days, cool nights, and mountains serve as the backdrop for the centerpieces of our valley: creeks, rivers, sagebrush, forests, wildlife – and you! We invite your family to take an active role in connecting with our amazing valley this summer. The ERC is committed to providing fun and meaningful experiences for children and families. Through our day camps and overnight adventures, we offer something for everyone. Each of our programs focuses on environmental education. At the ERC, that means exploring nature and science, and our role within it. At the end of our programs, whether for an hour or a week, you’ll have a deeper connection to our valley, a better understanding of its natural phenomenon, and an understanding of how we impact all of this – and what we can do to help sustain the valley we love.
ERC
Read on to find the perfect match for your family or your children. Summer will be here before you know it, and we can’t wait to share it with you! All the best, Lisa Huttinger Education Coordinator
EcoCamp: CSI Creative Science Investigators Mon July 19—Fri July 23 $325*
EcoCamp: Liquid Life
The Mysteries of Water Mon July 26—Fri July 30 $325*
EcoCamp: Charting the Unknown In the spirit of Lewis & Clark Mon Aug 9—Fri Aug 13, $325*
Overnight Rising 7th—9th Graders EcoCamp: Wild Art
Nature through the Artist’s Eye Mon Aug 9—Fri Aug 13 $325*
Family Overnight, Day, and Evening Programs Shooting Star Sleep Out A family overnight adventure Fri Aug 13—Sat Aug 14 Starting at $75/family
Wild Lunch Nature day camp and lunch with The Hunger Coalition Free! June and July
ERC at the Symphony Parent’s Night Out! Free! Aug 4, 5, and 17
Table of Contents
Overnight Rising 4th—6th Graders
Overnights for Rising 4th-6th Grade
You asked, and you got it—this year, there are two sessions of EcoCamp for rising 4th—6th graders! The program overviews are below; details on our facility, field groups, and other logistics are located on the “How We Do It” page. The last page has our registration form, including information on Early Registration, Family, and Multiple Session discounts.
EcoCamp: CSI
EcoCamp: Liquid Life
Creative Science Investigators Mon July 19—Fri July 23 $325*
The Mysteries of Water Mon July 26—Fri July 30 $325*
Mysteries, puzzles, and secrets can be found throughout nature. With patience, skill, and curiosity, we can unravel them all! During CSI, we will crack the case of animals, plants, rocks, and water. For every mystery we solve, we’ll gain a better understanding of the natural world! Detective hat optional, but an inquisitive mind is not!
From the smallest puddle to a raging river, water fascinates and mesmerizes. During Liquid Life, we will explore the amazing aspects of water. From discovering where it hides in the landscape to exploring its varied chemistry in creeks, rivers, and hot springs, we will gain a better sense of this key to life!
Know Your Home, Love Your Home!
Charting the Unknown
In the Spirit of Lewis & Clark Mon July 26—Fri July 30 $325* Explorers relied upon a deep connection with the natural world in order to discover and map the West—and to survive while doing it! In Charting the Unknown, we will delve into the understanding and skill required to navigate, construct maps, and secure food, shelter, and water. We’ll also use journaling and art as means of documenting experience.
Wild Art
Nature through the Artist’s Eye Mon Aug 9—Fri Aug 13 $325* One look at the works of Ansel Adams or Andy Goldsworthy and we can see the intersection of art, nature, and science. Wild Art will explore these connections, providing opportunities for self-expression and discovery. The Sun Valley Center for the Arts will provide daily art workshops to complement our field studies.
Adolescents have their own unique needs at camp! Our programs will keep them engaged and challenged this summer.
Overnights for Rising 7th-9th Grade
Overnight Rising 4th—6th Graders (Continued)
Family Overnight Program
As the spring goes on, we will continue to add more family programs, so be sure to check back! Here are our current programs. The Shooting Star Sleep Out and the Symphony require registration; Wild Lunch does not. Let us know about other programs you would like to see! The sky was even more beautiful than I had Shooting Star Sleep Out expected. My 2nd Annual!! everlasting gratitude! Fri Aug 13—Sat Aug 14 Pricing starts at $75/family* Due to popular demand, this end-ofsummer celebration is becoming a mainstay of the ERC summer! Families (of all types) are invited for the unparalleled experience of sleeping out under the stars (cabins are on hand if you prefer) to watch the Perseid meteor shower (thanks to Mark Nelson of Shades of Sun Valley). Dinner will be provided by XX, and dessert by The Chocolate Moose.
I felt the whole thing was awesome. The breakout sessions were fun, the campfire was great, and the stars were amazing.
Know Your Home, Love Your Home!
With The Hunger Coalition June and July Free! We are still finalizing the dates, but we will once again offer Wild Lunch, a series of nature education day camps, during The Hunger Coalition’s Summer Lunch Connections at Woodside Elementary. The program is open to ages 1-18, but children under 10 need to be accompanied by a caretaker over 15. Learn more about the plants and animals that share our home—and get a nutritious and scrumptious lunch at the same time!
Wild Connections at the Symphony A Parent’s Night Out! Aug 4, 5, and 17 Free! The ERC will bring Wild Connections to the Sun Valley Summer Symphony again this summer. We’ll create a fun and educational setting where your children can connect with nature, freeing you to connect with the concert! You’ll find us on the lawn at the Pavilion. Open to ages 5—13.
Family Day and Evening Programs
Wild Lunch
Overnight Programs Location
Overnight Events All of our overnight programs take place at the Central Idaho 4-H Camp, 17 miles north of Ketchum. The facility is nestled next to Prairie Creek and surrounded by mountains, forests, and abundant wildlife. Participants stay in cabins with counselors, share a bathhouse, and eat breakfast and dinner in the lodge. Our days are spent discovering the diversity and delight of nature with professional field instructors, and lunch is eaten in the field to take advantage of every moment of the day. Evenings we gather at the campfire circle for s’mores, and to celebrate the events of the day.
Know Your Home, Love Your Home!
Our programs—especially our overnight camps—are a bit different from a typical camp. At the end of a program, each camper will have a deeper understanding of this amazing valley, the roles of diversity and community, and of themselves. We achieve this by spending days in the field with experienced teachers who deliver a comprehensive ecology and natural history curriculum. Each day builds on the knowledge and discoveries made the day before, allowing participants to expand and apply newly-gained expertise.
We also keep our group sizes small (8:1 student-teacher ratio) so that we can create a sense of community among participants. We value teamwork and collaboration and reflect this in everything from field activities to meals and chores. Our goal is to create meaningful, hands-on experiences that draw on your child’s imagination and love of play to help them discover and learn about the natural world.
How We Do It...
Program Philosophy
Frequently Asked Questions
What discounts might I receive?* Registrations paid in full before May 14 qualify for a $25 early registration discount. Families sending more than one participant to any of the four EcoCamps will receive a $50 discount off the total for all. Families sending the same camper to more than one session will receive a $50 discount off the total. Is financial aid possible? Scholarship support is available for the four EcoCamps; however, every participant will pay a minimum of $50. Please send in the registration form with $50 and indicate that you would like to receive a scholarship application. If we can not offer you adequate financial support, we will refund the $50 in full. Early registration and family discounts do not apply to scholarships. What if I must cancel my registration? Cancellations are subject to a $25 processing fee up to four weeks before each program begins and a $200 fee if cancelled less than four weeks before the start date. How can we help another family enroll their child? If your family is able to help another during this difficult economic time, please consider a tax-deductible donation to our scholarship fund, and connect one more child or family to nature! What if my child has special needs? We can work with your family to properly support any dietary and health concerns your child may have. We have also worked in the past to include children at camp with learning differences. Please contact us for more information. *Families can receive either a Family Discount or a Multiple Session Discount.
Know Your Home, Love Your Home!
Did you know... ‌ that camper registration fees only cover 70% of the cost of camp? Thank you so much to our funders and partners that make it possible to bring you these programs by covering the rest of the costs!!! It takes a team to make it all happen!
The Deer Creek Fund
In-Kind Donations
The Campfire Foundation, Inc. Shades of Sun Valley
Thank You to Our Partners!
Funders