2018 Summer Camp Offerings Below

It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood! Won’t you come join us? An adventurous week awaits our youngest campers as we explore the wild creatures that call Quarry Hill Park their home. Puppet shows, songs, art activities, and lots of time to explore outdoors will help kids get to know our natural neighbors in the park. Each day will be a new adventure ensuring a fun filled week

Campers must be 4 yrs.old by the start date of camp.
Expand to see camp session dates below.
Waiting lists are available for sessions that are full. Place your child on a waiting list online or call the Quarry Hill office at 328-3950.

 

Calling all whiz kids who like to build things that float, fly and even explode! Think like a scientist and design like a real engineer as we set out on daily excursions in the park to conduct fun experiments. Building boats, engineering rockets and making things glow in the dark are just a few examples of the fun that awaits! The great outdoors will be our laboratory as we discover how nature puts science to cool use. Goggle up whiz kid... it’s going to be fun!
Expand to see camp session dates below.
Waiting lists are available for sessions that are full. Place your child on a waiting list online or call the Quarry Hill office at 328-3950.

Lace up your shoes, grab your gear and get ready for an expedition in Quarry Hill Park. We’ll safari in the savanna, creep in the cave, poke around the pond and frolic in the forest. Our mission is to find out what makes these intriguing places unique and to uncover what animals lurk in and around these mysterious habitats. Each day begins at our headquarters where we will investigate clues to the day’s destination. Then we’re off to the great outdoors to carry out our mission: Exploration. At the end of the day, log our discoveries in your mission journal and earn a badge.

Are you willing to accept the mission?

Expand to see camp session dates below.
Waiting lists are available for sessions that are full. Place your child on a waiting list online or call the Quarry Hill office at 328-3950.

Take a closer look at the fascinating world of plants while we hunt for the biggest trees in Quarry Hill, build natural shelters, canoe, and even make our own tasty treats ‘a la plant’ to eat. Tools in hand, we will unlock secrets to the forest, prairie, oak savanna, quarry, and pond in search of “S.W.A.M.P.  G.A.S.”

Expand to see camp session dates below.
Waiting lists are available for sessions that are full. Place your child on a waiting list online or call the Quarry Hill office at 328-3950.

Explore the wild side of Quarry Hill as you learn mammal tracking skills and capture live animals. Have fur-ology fun learning about our furry friends, the mammals, and their behavior! Campers will make mammal mazes for our resident mice and spy on the park’s nocturnal animals using outdoor trail cameras. All activities emphasize hands-on involvement and outdoor exploration. Campers will also canoe, hike and explore the sandstone cave.

Expand to see camp session dates below.
Waiting lists are available for sessions that are full. Place your child on a waiting list online or call the Quarry Hill office at 328-3950.

Exercise, fresh air, adventure! Ride on city bike trails to study animals and plants as we explore local waterways and other natural areas. Campers must provide a bike, helmet, water bottle, and be able to sustain a biking speed of 1 mile in 8 minutes, with daily distances of 5-10 miles.

Expand to see camp session dates below.
Waiting lists are available for sessions that are full. Place your child on a waiting list online or call the Quarry Hill office at 328-3950.

Trilobites, gastropods and crinoids, OH MY! Campers will learn about local geology as we travel in the Quarry Hill ‘Critter Coach’ to nearby fossil sites in search of ancient treasures! We’ll also spend some time rock climbing at Quarry Hill’s natural limestone climbing wall. Be ready for a rockin’ good time! Wear shoes that you can hike in.
Expand to see camp session dates below.
Waiting lists are available for sessions that are full. Place your child on a waiting list online or call the Quarry Hill office at 328-3950.

With camera in hand, venture to a unique location in the park each day! Our subjects will include: snakes, turtles, butterflies and flowers, and some special slow shutter speed ’flashlight painting’ in the cave . Campers learn the basic elements of photography using Quarry Hill digital cameras and laptop computers to edit and save their photos. Campers are provided with a 4G USB flash drive to take their photos home.
Expand to see camp session dates below.
Waiting lists are available for sessions that are full. Place your child on a waiting list online or call the Quarry Hill office at 328-3950.

No teenage mutant ninja turtles here! Our live turtles, frogs, and snakes want you to come and learn about them. Each day will include an animal encounter with on of our resident reptiles or amphibians. Canoeing , fishing, rock climbing, hiking, and looking for wild reptiles and amphibians will round out the week. 

Expand to see camp session dates below.
Waiting lists are available for sessions that are full. Place your child on a waiting list online or call the Quarry Hill office at 328-3950.

Explore the “wilder” side of Rochester by bike. Water and dry land adventures include fishing, canoeing and fire starting. Bikers must provide a bike with at least 24” wheels and 3 speeds, sack lunch, water bottle, and helmet. To be up to the challenge, bikers should be able to sustain a bike speed to cover 1 mile in 5 minutes, with daily distances of 10+ miles.
Adventure Biker is an all day camp from 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Expand to see camp session dates below.
Waiting lists are available for sessions that are full. Place your child on a waiting list online or call the Quarry Hill office at 328-3950.

Visit a local eagle’s nest by canoe, go road trapping to try to catch and band kestrels and red-tailed hawks, learn to tie the falconer’s knot, work with Quarry Hill’s live raptors, and more! We’ll spend the week learning about the birds of prey of our region and the basics of the ancient sport of falconry.
Expand to see camp session dates below.
Waiting lists are available for sessions that are full. Place your child on a waiting list online or call the Quarry Hill office at 328-3950.

Digging deeper into photography composition techniques, campers will hike to little known reaches of the park for unique photo opportunities. Each day of camp poses a new photographic challenge with opportunity for collaborative editing and review. Digital cameras, computers, and editing software is provided by Quarry Hill. Each camper will receive a 4GB USB drive for photo storage.

Expand to see camp session dates below.
Waiting lists are available for sessions that are full. Place your child on a waiting list online or call the Quarry Hill office at 328-3950.

What lurks beneath our macroscopic view of nature in the microscopic world? Ant lion jaws, tiger swallowtail scales and waterbears, (Oh My!), are just a few of the amazing things participants in this camp may discover on forays in the park. Back at the nature center campers will use microscopes and attached camera equipment to examine and record their discoveries. A group photo cd of some of the week’s highlights will be assembled and shared as we explore, collect and view the microscopic world of nature. Campers will also enjoy popular camp activities such as rock climbing and canoeing or kayaking. 
Expand to see camp session dates below.
Waiting lists are available for sessions that are full. Place your child on a waiting list online or call the Quarry Hill office at 328-3950.

Geo-caching is the high tech version of Hide and Seek. All around the world, people are hiding ‘geo-caches’ (think treasure chests without the gold or pirates) so other people can use their GPS to find them. During camp, we will learn how to use a hand-held GPS to find the geo-caches hidden in and around Quarry Hill Park. We may travel to other Rochester area parks, depending on geo-cache availability. Participants should expect to hike 1+ mile per day and be prepared for off-trail travel, such as walking through tall grasses or thick shrubs.

Expand to see camp session dates below.
Waiting lists are available for sessions that are full. Place your child on a waiting list online or call the Quarry Hill office at 328-3950.

Become a stream investigator! Be prepared to get wet as we catch and identify the various fish, crayfish, and other critters that live in area waters. We will also study the water itself to see how it effects the environment. Wade in to an adventure at our local streams & rivers. (Sandals with a strap or water shoes for this camp!)

Expand to see camp session dates below.
Waiting lists are available for sessions that are full. Place your child on a waiting list online or call the Quarry Hill office at 328-3950.

Slip on your adventurous shoes for this all-around, action packed camp! This week will offer experiences in slack lining, kayaking, fly-fishing, orienteering, fire starting, animal tagging, and more. So slip, slack, paddle-WACK, and throw a fish a fly - so much fun, why not give it all a try?

Expand to see camp session dates below.
Waiting lists are available for sessions that are full. Place your child on a waiting list online or call the Quarry Hill office at 328-3950.

Discover SE Minnesota’s wild side from inside a kayak. Spend the day looking for bald eagles, turtles, great-blue herons and more as we paddle our kayaks down the river. Lunch (and maybe a little swimming) will be at the sand bar of our choice. Campers will need to provide a lunch. In case of high water, area lakes will be explored instead. 

Kayak Paddle is a one day camp offered:
July 2, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
July 3, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.