OSEP Summer Program Registration

2026 Summer Program Schedule. Registration will open Monday, March 23 at 5pm

How to Register for a Class

Click on the title of the class for which you would like to register.
Select the register button and fill in the required information. If registering for more than one class, you must register for each class individually.
Once you submit your registration form a window with the payment link will appear. Please click the payment link to complete your registration and payment.
If you have any problems or concerns please call/text or email Carole Lester at 760-914-3722 or carole.lester@ucsb.edu

We kindly ask that students only register for camp if they are able to attend all five days. This ensures that each participant can fully engage in the activities and experience the camp to its fullest, making the most of the learning and fun offered throughout the entire week.

Please note that we will not be able to issue any refunds for camp registrations after May 15th, 2026.

We will be provide transportation to and from Valentine Camp to Mammoth Elementary School

Scholarships

Scholarship awards are limited, based upon need, available funds and number of qualifying applicants. Please contact Carole Lester – carole.lester@ucsb.edu, 760-914-3722 for an application and if you have any questions.

2026 Summer Programs

Click on the + sign to the right of the Class title to Register

The grade level listed is the grade student is entering in Fall 2026

Fantastic Fish – $135
Dates: June 22 to June 26
Times: 9:00 pm – 12:00 pm
Grade(s): 1-2
Location: Valentine Camp
Teacher: Kathi Kirkeby

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!

Involving Dissolving (DUAL LANGUAGE) – $135
Dates: June 22 to June 26
Times: 9:30 am – 12:30 pm
Grade(s): 3
Location: Valentine Camp
Teacher: Shelly Escobar

Must be proficient in Spanish/English at 2nd/3rd grade level; admission subject to the 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.

A Bug’s Life – $135
Dates: June 29 to July 3
Times: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Grade(s): 1-2
Location: Valentine Camp
Teacher: Anna Strathman

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.

Involving Dissolving – $135
Dates: June 29 to July 3
Times: 9:30 am – 12:30 pm
Grade(s): 3-4
Location: Valentine Camp
Teacher: Carole Lester

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.

Cryptid Creations – $135

cryptid (noun): an creature that has been claimed to exist but never proven to exist

Dates: July 6 to July 10
Times: 9:30 am – 12:30 pm
Grade(s): 5-6
Location: Valentine Camp
Teacher: Paige Lary

Big Foot! Moth Man! The Loch Ness monster! These cryptids are legendary, but what about the cryptids of the Eastern Sierra? At this camp, participants will draw inspiration from the natural environment to develop their own imaginary creatures. Using a variety of art media and creative techniques, participants will make their own field guides to display and describe their cryptids, highlighting how these animals use their adaptations to survive and thrive in local environments.

Wild Explorers Camp – $135
Dates: July 13 to July 17
Times: 9:30 am – 12:30 pm
Grade(s): 2-3
Location: Valentine Camp
Teacher: Ana Danielson

Get ready for an exciting outdoor adventure! In this class, we’ll explore nature like true explorers — climbing, running, discovering hidden treasures, and playing games in the great outdoors. We’ll make art from natural materials, learn about the animals that call Valentine home, tell stories under the trees, and have tons of hands-on fun. Every day is a new adventure, full of laughter, creativity, and the magic of exploring the world around us! 🌟🌿

Hurray for Habitats! -$135
Dates: July 13 to July 17
Times: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Grade(s): 1-2
Location: Valentine Camp
Teacher: Judy Burgenbauch

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 – $135
Dates: July 13 to July 17
Times: 9:30 am – 12:30 pm
Grade(s): 4-5
Location: SNARL
Teacher: Carole Lester

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.

Cryptid Creations – $135

cryptid (noun): an creature that has been claimed to exist but never proven to exist

Dates: July 20 to July 24
Times: 9:30 am – 12:30 pm
Grade(s): 5-6
Location: Valentine Camp
Teacher: Paige Lary

Big Foot!Moth Man!The Loch Ness monster! These cryptids are legendary, but what about the cryptids of the Eastern Sierra? At this camp, participants will draw inspiration from the natural environment to develop their own imaginary creatures. Using a variety of art media and creative techniques, participants will make their own field guides to display and describe their cryptids, highlighting how these animals use their adaptations to survive and thrive in local environments.

Animal Adventure(dual language) – $180
Dates: July 20 to July 24
Times: 9:00 am – 1:00 pm
Grade(s): 4th
Location: Valentine Camp
Teacher: Tatum Sandvigen

Students should be proficient in Spanish at the 3rd grade level. Ready to become an animal expert? In this camp, we’ll have a blast discovering all about the cool animals around us! We’ll watch animals in action, hunt for animal clues, paint your favorite creatures, learn how animals survive in the wild, and so much more! There’s no better place to learn about animals than where they live, and Valentine Reserve is the perfect spot for all our animal adventures!

Up Close with Nature – $135
Dates: July 27 to July 31
Times: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Grade(s): 1-2
Location: Valentine Camp
Teacher: Fabiola Sanchez

Get ready to become nature detectives! Together we will use magnifying glasses, microscopes, binoculars, and a camera to discover and look closely at bugs, leaves, rocks, and more. We’ll go on fun scavenger hunts, play outdoor games, and create colorful art inspired by what we discover. Let’s zoom in and explore the amazing details of nature!

Aquatic Adventures in the Eastern Sierra – $270
Dates: July 27 to July 31
Times: 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Grade(s): 7-8
Location: SNARL
Teacher: Sandi Roll

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.

Beautiful Bats – $144
Dates: August 3 to August 6(no class on Friday 8/7)
Times: 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Grade(s): 2-3
Location: Valentine Camp
Teacher: Michelle Kubiak

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? Folktales 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.