Summer Day Camps
Nature Adventure Camps at the Garden are specially designed to strengthen children’s connection with plants and the natural world. Each program includes hands-on activities and opportunities for individual exploration and problem solving. Whether diving into the aquatic world of the Lotus Pond or digging deeper into the habitats of local wildlife, each program offers unique lessons about living and learning in nature.
Pittsburgh Botanic Garden offers 1-day, 3-day, and 4-day camp options. Take a look below and find the perfect program for your young garden explorer!
Nature Adventure Camps
Nature Adventure Camp
Ages 8 – 11 years | 4-Day, Drop-Off
Enjoy 4 days of fun and exploration in the various habitats of Pittsburgh Botanic Garden! Ecosystems investigated include the Lotus Pond, Dogwood Meadow, Allegheny Plateau Woodlands, and Carbon Cycle (an earth art exhibit in a formerly strip mined area). Kids will have fun pond dipping, bird watching, insect collecting, tree identification, nature journaling and time for free play.
Nature Nurtures Camp
Ages 11 – 14 years | 4-Day, Drop-Off
Tune in to one of Pittsburgh Botanic Garden’s main messages; that nature nurtures. Each day will be an exploration of how nature can nurture not only your body, but your mind as well. Learn about the benefits of medicinal plants, cook with local produce, use the iNaturalist technology to learn about nature all around you and practice mindfulness in our many gardens and woodlands. Capture the end of summer freedom!
EcoArt Camp
Ages 11 – 14 years | 4-Day, Drop-Off
Release your inner artist and create nature -inspired art from natural and reclaimed materials! Young artists will utilize recycled materials, repurposed items bound for the landfill, and found items in nature (stones, wood, etc.) to create unique a unique piece of art. The outdoor sculpture exhibits at the Garden will serve as inspiration, including Perennially Green by Michelle Stitzlein, on display in the Welcome Center. Explore the many gardens and woodlands of Pittsburgh Botanic Garden to visualize what the campers’ collective artwork will be. The piece created at the end of the week will be displayed at the Garden through the end of October.
Pioneer Life Camp
Ages 7 – 10 years | 1-Day, Drop-Off
Get a taste of what it was like to be a pioneer in the 1790’s! Campers will tour the Walker-Ewing-Glass Log House from the 1790’s, then learn about daily life for European settlers in that era. After learning “chores” like how to weed a garden, do laundry pioneer-style, and fetching water before hoses, the group will enjoy a screen-free day of games and crafts that were popular 230 years ago.
Nature Play Camp
Ages 4 – 7 years | 3-Day, Drop-Off
Enjoy 3 days of fun exploration of the various habitats at Pittsburgh Botanic Garden! Ecosystems investigated include the Lotus Pond, Margaret Lawrence Simon Dogwood Meadow, Allegheny Plateau Woodland, and Carbon Cycle: An Earth Art Exhibit. Campers will engage in pond study, bird watching, insect collecting, tree measuring, nature immersion and free play.
Fairy Garden Camp
Ages 4 – 7 years | 1-Day, Drop-Off
Create your very own magical fairy garden! Visit Bookworm Glen to visit the fairy gardens that have been growing there for years, share stories of fairies, and make your own wand and wings. Participants will also eat a delicious fairy snack and create fairy gardens to take home.
Support Our Pollinators Camp
Ages 4 – 7 years | 3-Day, Drop-Off
Celebrate National Pollinator Week by learning all about our local pollinators, the plants they visit, what they do for us and how to support them! Campers will enjoy 3 days of adventuring through the Margaret Lawrence Simon Dogwood Meadow, the Garden’s apiary with working European honeybee hives, Hillside Pollinator Garden, arts and crafts, and time for free play.
Nature Adventure Camps
