SUMMER 2024 CLASS REGISTRATION ARE *OPEN*
Our summer Outdoor Science Education Program (OSEP) consists of a variety of week-long classes offered June through August for students in grades 1-8, on topics ranging from science and art, to natural history. Courses are taught by experienced outdoor educators and take place at either Valentine Camp or the Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Lab (SNARL). Students who enroll should have a strong interest in science, love being in the outdoors, and be willing to participate in all aspects of these academic classes. Students are expected to behave in an appropriate, respectful, and safe manner. In an effort to allow as many students to enjoy all of our camps, priority will be given to students who have not previously attended specific camps. All classes are geared to next year’s grade level.
Scholarship Information
We don’t want a family’s financial difficulties to prevent any child from participating in our Outdoor Science Education summer programs. We offer full and partial scholarships for those in need. If your family is facing financial difficulties, we invite you to complete our confidential scholarship application. Scholarship awards are limited, based upon need, available funds and number of qualifying applicants. Applications are reviewed on a case by case basis. Please contact Carole Lester – carole.lester@ucsb.edu, 760-914-3722 for an application and if you have any questions.
To register for a class:
- Choose your class
- Click on register and fill in the required information
- You must register for each class individually
- You child will not be confirmed in a class until you receive an email from carole.lester@ucsb.edu
- Once confirmed you will receive an email with a link to the payment page.
If you have any problems or concerns please call/text or email Carole at 760-914-3722 or carole.lester@ucsb.edu
2024 Summer Schedule of Classes
Fibonacci Fun! (Dual Immersion)
June 24 to June 28
9:30 am – 2:30 pm(Mon-Thurs.) 9:30am – 12:30pm(Friday)
Grade(s): 5-6
Valentine Camp
Heather Hund
$155.00
Must be proficient in Spanish/English at 5th grade level. Admission to class is dependent on instructor approval. Nature is full of mathematical concepts! Who is Fibonacci and what’s so special about his numbers? What’s a fractal? Do you know what nature’s favorite shape is? During this camp, students will create a STEAM journal to record everything they learn about Fibonacci numbers, fractals, symmetry and more. Additionally, students will work on a fun Piet-Mondrian-style mason jar craft that they will take home of Friday
Involving Dissolving (DUAL LANGUAGE)
July 01 to July 05 (No class on Thursday July 4th)
9:00 am – 1:00 pm
Grade(s): 2-3
Valentine Camp
Shelly Escobar
$110.00
Must be proficient in Spanish/English at 2nd/3rd grade level; admission subject to instructor. Come see what happens when we mix powders with liquids, play with evaporation, and create crystallized masterpieces. Will everything we mix dissolve? We’ll use resources at Valentine, read stories, and create chemical reactions involving dissolving during this week of scientific exploration. Please note, non-toxic materials will be used.
Fireworks!
July 01 to July 05 (No class on Thursday July 4th)
9:30am- 1:30pm
Grade(s): 6-9
SNARL
Bryan Neale
$110
Did you know that wildfires are an integral part of a healthy forest
ecosystem? How do native plants and animals survive fire? Why are some
wildfires more severe than others? Through exciting experiments and
exercises, we will learn about wildland fuels, the science behind
combustion, and how humans have long influenced fire-dependent
environments. Join us as we learn all about fire and why it’s an important
natural process in many ecosystems including our own!
Flora & Fauna Fun / Diversión con Flora y Fauna
July 08 to July 12
9:00 am – 1:00 pm
Grade(s): 2-3
Valentine Camp
Ana Danielson
$140.00
Dual Language camp. Must be proficient in Spanish at the 2nd grade level. Acceptance subject to teacher approval. Through games, languages, literature and art we will explore our natural surroundings. The class will be bilingual (Spanish-English) while also exploring other world languages and cultures through art, music and literature.
Painting Nature
July 08 to July 12
10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Grade(s): 5-6
Valentine Camp
Annie Barrett
$140.00
Learn basic acrylic painting surrounded by the beauty of Valentine Reserve. Through a series of fun and easy projects and exercises the students will work up to creating a beautiful painting. They will also have lots of time to explore Valentine.
Involving Dissolving
July 15 to July 19
9:30 am – 12:30 pm
Grade(s): 3-4
Valentine Camp
Carole Lester
$105.00
Come see what happens when we mix powders with liquids, play with evaporation, and create crystallized masterpieces. Will everything we mix dissolve? We’ll use resources at Valentine, read stories, and create chemical reactions involving dissolving during this week of scientific exploration. Please note, non-toxic materials will be used.
A Bug’s Life
July 15 to July 19
9:00am – 12:00pm
Grade(s): 1-2
Valentine Camp
Judy Burgenbauch
$105
Come explore the unbee-lievable lives of bugs here at Valentine Camp! Search for our many-legged friends in this excell-ant program and learn why they are so important .Have you ever wondered what the world looks like for insects? Come on this artful arthropod adventure and Become a young entomologist by exploring nature’s smallest neighbors – BUGS! We’ll embark on a bug safari through fields, forests, and water in search of a bug’s life.
Hurray for Habitats
July 22 to July 26
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Grade(s): 1-2
Valentine Camp
Judy Burgenbauch
$105.00
Owls, mule deer, rabbits, coyotes, bugs and bees all make their homes at Valentine. We will observe animals or evidence of animals that live in the high desert and/or riparian zones of the Eastern Sierra. As young scientists, we will record our findings and observations on our Habitat Boards. If you like to hike, explore, play games, and do outdoor science activities, then come join this expedition.
Wild Island Adventure
July 22 to July 26
9:00 am – 12:30 pm
Grade(s): 4-5
SNARL
Carole Lester
$105.00
Get ready for a week on the Wild Islands at SNARL. From the water we drink to the oceans that circle the Earth, liquids are everywhere. We will explore the properties of water and the wetlands surrounding the islands by observing the creatures that live there and discovering how liquids do what they do. Come prepared to get wild and wet as you learn all about our most precious resources.
Amazing Adaptations
July 29 to August 02
9:00 am – 1:00 pm
Grade(s): 3-4
Valentine Camp
Susan DesBaillets
$140.00
How do plants and animals survive in different habitats and climates?? Join our class as we explore native plants along Valentine’s trails, examine animal skulls, and discover unique and interesting adaptations! Our observations will lead us to hands-on experiments, sketching, watercolor painting, and more, as we find art in nature.
Fantastic Fish! (Dual Language Class)
July 29 to August 02
9:30 am – 12:30 pm
Grade(s): 1-2
Valentine Camp
Kathi Kirkeby
$105.00
Dual Language Class. Must be proficient in Spanish/English at 2nd grade level; admission subject to instructor. Come learn about the amazing world of fish. We will learn all about fish and their underwater world. Do fish ever sleep? How do they breath under all that water? Were there any fish here a long time ago? These are all questions we will explore through art, books, hands on experiments and more. Come join our ichthyoid (fish like) adventure at Valentine!
Aquatic Adventures in the Eastern Sierra
July 29 to August 02
9:30 am – 3:00 pm
Grade(s): 6-8
SNARL
Sandi Roll
$210.00
Come with us as we learn about the wildly diverse Sierra Nevada aquatic world. We will visit and survey lakes, streams, and hot and cold springs. We will observe a variety of flora and fauna that live near and in the water. This camp will introduce you to biotic and abiotic sampling and analysis techniques. Hands-on experience collecting and analyzing samples from the phenomenal aquatic realms in our backyard.
Animal Adventures (Dual Language)
August 05 to August 09
9:00 am – 1:00 pm
Grade(s): 4
Valentine Camp
Tatum Sandvigen
$140.00
Must be proficient in Spanish/English at 4th grade level; admission subject to instructor. Ready to learn more about your local animals? In this camp we will become animal experts. We will watch animals, look for animal clues, paint animals, learn about animal adaptation, and more! There’s no better place to learn more about animals than their own habitat, and Valentine Reserve is the perfect place for it.
Beautiful Bats
August 05 to August 08 (no class on Friday 8/09)
12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Grade(s): 2-3
Valentine Camp
Michelle Kubiak
$110.00
Bats are familiar to nearly everyone, yet most people have never seen one up close. Are bats dangerous? Do bats get tangled in your hair? Folktale and fantasy are all part of people’s ideas about bats. In this class you will learn the truth about bats is more astonishing than any of the stories about them.