Summer Camp 2021
Our summer program is currently full
Love Children. Love Nature.
Welcome to Great Beginnings day camp - Our campers will spend the summer exploring everything from the playground on our local campus to local mountain ranges to the edges of local lakes. Based on their ages, they will have fun getting dirty in the soil, playing along local riverbanks, and learning about the unique ecosystems that make Montana a wonderful place to live and play.
Our younger campers stay on campus. Our campers 6 and older go off campus every day to explore!
Great Beginnings Summer Day Camp 2021:
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Bumblebee Camp (ages 2-3)
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Huckleberry Camp (ages 3-6)
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Yurt Camp (ages 6-9) Rising 1st - 3rd grades
The Great Beginnings Montessori School has been a local non-profit for 36 years and has offered Summer Nature Camps since 2007! Our Summer Camp provides quality, nature-based fun in an outdoor, hands-on setting. Campers spend most of their time outside, having a great time observing nature up-close using tools like binoculars, magnifying lenses and microscopes. Ecology concepts are introduced in a fun environment, with crafts, games and hands-on activities, and activities are specific to age groupings.
What do you LOVE about the
local outdoors?
Fish, rivers, lakes, streams, insects, rocks, minerals, mammals and more.
We have 9-weeks of connected programming.
Come for one week, or stay for the summer!
Week 1: June 14 - 17, 2021
Weird Science:
For the first week of summer, join us for a week of amazing discovery as we create scientific experiments from everyday objects. Pop dry ice smoke bubbles, experiment with solar bags, whip up a batch of elephant toothpaste, and be dazzled by solar power!
Air is one of the most popular themes for science fair projects. When you explore the properties of air, you discover that air occupies space, has weight and exerts pressure.
Week 2: June 21 - 24, 2021
Animal Olympics:
Run as fast as a cheetah! Jump higher than a bullfrog! How do different animals move with four legs, two legs, or no legs at all? Learn about our animal and insect neighbors this week, and try your best impersonation for the Animal Olympics! Meet Montana’s amazing animals and learn about their gold medal adaptations.
Week 3: June 28 - July 1, 2021
Barnyard Palooza:
Pigs, goats, sheep, chickens, rabbits, cows, donkeys, and the pets in your home! This week because we are going to focus on the animals..all of them. In addition to animals, use your garden trowel in our salsa and pizza gardens, and learn about local herbs and flowers. Discover why gardens are a good thing for our environment, and learn about composting.
Week 4: July 6 - 8, 2021
Round the World (in 3 days):
This week campers will explore various cultures from around the world! Music, food, crafts, and games will delight our senses as we discover the colors and rhythms of Mexico, India, Israel, and more! From Cricket to Rugby, Lapta to Catching Seven Pieces, every nation has its own list of sports and games.
Week 5: July 12 - 15, 2021
Artful Adventures:
In this visual art day camp and nature-based studio, young artists will explore the line between reality and fantasy this summer with imagination as muse! Join our professional art instructors for a summer of art FUN-damentals.
Week 6: July 19 - 22, 2021
Go with the Flow
Dive into this camp and investigate the water all around us. Explore water from every angle as you dip, measure, and splash. Delve into the elements as we explore flowing water and air. We’ll spend our days outdoors making small waterways, dams, boats, pinwheels, streamers, kites, small hot air balloons, and more. Bring your curiosity, ingenuity, and a change of clothes because we may get wet!
Week 7: July 26 - 29, 2021
Fairy Gardens & Gnome Homes
Bring your imagination and curiosity for this creative camp! What fun the fairies and gnomes will have with the homes, playgrounds, and gardens we make for them. Who knows, they may come out of hiding and join in our circle games and songs. Explore the fairy realm and create fun arts and crafts.
We will also be looking at storytelling and fairy-tales.
Week 8: August 2 - 5, 2021
Shelters & Forts
Ever build a fort? Well, here's your chance to explore and experiment with structures made of natural materials that we will find and gather. We'll learn how to choose a good campsite (since a good shelter in a bad location is a bad shelter). We'll also learn the principles necessary for any effective survival shelter. You will have a chance to work on individual forts and possibly a large group structure.
Yurt Camp: We will also play games and take walks in the woods, fields, and wetlands to see what we can learn from other creatures’ nests, dens, and hideouts. Bring ideas and enthusiasm! We’ll design and build forts and shelters using the raw materials that nature provides and our historical knowledge. Learn about the cultures that were here before us and explore with wonder and curiosity.
Week 9: August 9 - 12, 2021
Love Where You Live:
Our most popular camp of the summer!
We will work together to make Bozeman a more beautiful, happier, and cleaner place to live with a variety of projects to help local charities.
Learn about all the ways that we can help make the world a better place and little things we can all do to help those in need, enjoying the satisfaction that comes from a job well done.