Summer Break Camps

Summer Break Camps

June – August 2024

PLEASE READ THIS PAGE CAREFULLY, AS CAMP SCHEDULES AND DETAILS HAVE CHANGED FROM PAST SEASONS.

Join Tracy Aviary’s bird experts for an Avian Adventure during our week-long summer camps for children in Kindergarten through 5th grade! We offer both full-day and half-day camps.

Registration

Registration Open Dates

• March 5 at 9 a.m. for NHMU family membership holders and March 11 at 9 a.m. for the public for both Natural History Museum of Utah partner camps on the NHMU camps website.
• March 8 at 10 a.m. for all other camps listed on this page.

Registering for Summer Camp

• All camps will run Monday – Thursday. No camps on Fridays.
• Children must be AT LEAST five years old to attend camp.
• Children must be enrolled in the camp grade level that they are entering in Fall 2024.
• Enrollment is limited to 16-18 participants per camp, depending on the camp.
• Camp registration closes five days before the first day of camp.

Camp Fees

We use a tiered fee system for camp registration based on your annual household income before taxes. Thank you for choosing your registration fee accurately and honestly.

Please note: Partner camps with the Natural History Museum of Utah have different fee structures. Visit their website to view fees.

Scholarships

Scholarships are now closed. Thank you Chevron for providing scholarship funding for this summer!

Cancellation Policy

• You will receive a 75% refund if you cancel 30 or more days before your camp begins.
• You will receive a 50% refund if you cancel 14-29 days before your camp begins.
• No refunds will be given if you cancel less than 14 days before your camp begins. Instead, you may transfer your registration fee to another Aviary camp occurring within one year of your cancellation date.

If Tracy Aviary must cancel a camp, we will notify you by the Monday before the first day of camp. At that time, options for transferring enrollment fees and/or options for reimbursement will be shared.

Camp Menu

Starting March 8 at 10 a.m., click on the camp title to register. If you encounter a 404 error, that means registration for that camp is not yet available or is sold out.

• Pre-K Camps

  My First Aviary Camp (Pre-K)

  Week 10 | August 7-11 | 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. (half-day camp)

  It’s time to spread our wings and fly into summer camp! This week, we’ll be exploring our senses, the way we see, smell, hear, taste, and touch the world around us. Join us to learn and play through fun crafts, games, stories, and bird encounters.

  Adults/guardians accompany their children for this half-day camp. Ages 2-5.

  No Before or After Care available.

• K-1st Grade Camps

  Rainbow of Feathers (K-1st)

  June 10 – 13 | 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.

  Paints, crayons, clay, and markers—creativity in art is our focus this week as we learn about the different colors of birds and how each color aids their survival. We will explore a different part of the rainbow each day and search out the birds that wear it, exploring our spectrum of Tracy Aviary species through art projects, games, and close-up encounters with brilliant birds along the way.

  Treetops and Tropics (K-1st)

  July 22 – 25 | 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.

  The tropics may be far away, but campers can meet tropical birds right here at Tracy Aviary! In this camp, we will use our imaginations to uncover the mysteries of the world’s most diverse habitat—the tropical rainforest—while visiting our collection of colorful birds from all over the world. Bright paint and energetic games will dominate the week as we explore this magical environment.

  Fast as a Falcon (K-1st)

  SOLD OUT!

  August 5 – 8 | 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.

  This week we are soaring with some of the fastest, most majestic birds in the world! In this camp, your child will get an insider’s look at what makes raptors and vultures such talented hunters and fliers. Each day we will explore the world of hawks, eagles, owls, falcons, and vultures through creative crafts, sweet songs, close encounters, and high-flying games.

• 1st-2nd Grade Camps

  Flap, Soar, Dance (1st-2nd Grade) with Tanner Dance

  SOLD OUT!

  July 8 – 11 | 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
  

  Cavorting, spinning, leaping, dancing a jig—all of these are things both humans and birds love to do! In this full-day camp, campers will spend their mornings exploring Tracy Aviary and discovering the different ways birds’ special sashays help them survive in their habitats. Campers will then spend afternoons with Tanner Dance, on grounds at Tracy Aviary, engaging in dance, visual art and drama—all inspired by the motion of birds. Parents and guardians are invited to a special dance recital on Thursday afternoon!

  Drop off and pick up take place at Tracy Aviary.

• 2nd-3rd Grade Camps

  Dinos Past and Present (2nd-3rd) with Natural History Museum of Utah

  SOLD OUT!

  June 24 – 27 | 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

  Join us for a week of exploration! While at the Natural History Museum of Utah on Monday and Tuesday, campers will delve into the science of paleontology, discovering how fossils are formed, where we find them, and meeting some of the people who prepare and study fossils at the Museum. Wednesday and Thursday will be spent at Tracy Aviary, exploring the dinosaurs that live among us today—birds! Find out what makes a bird a bird and discover the amazing adaptations that allow them to live in diverse environments across the globe.

  Drop off and pick up take place at NHMU on Monday and Tuesday and at Tracy Aviary on Wednesday and Thursday.

• 3rd-4th Grade Camps

  Bugs and Birds (3rd-4th Grade) with Wasatch Community Gardens

  July 29 – August 1 | 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

  Join Tracy Aviary and Wasatch Community Gardens as we spend a fun-filled week discovering the amazing critters living down in the dirt and up in the air! Explore the world through the eyes of a bug as you work in the vegetable garden in the mornings; then grab your binoculars for the afternoon to find out how birds depend on all those tiny creatures. Campers will learn firsthand how living things interact with our environment through garden work, exploration, games, crafts, and tasty snacks.

  Drop off campers at Wasatch Community Gardens by 9am and pick up at Tracy Aviary at 4pm.

• 4th-5th Grade Camps

  Scales to Feathers (4th-5th Grade) with Natural History Museum of Utah

  SOLD OUT!

  June 24 – 27 | 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

  Dinosaurs are still among us! On Monday and Tuesday, while at Tracy Aviary, campers will explore the dinosaurs that live among us today – birds! They’ll find out what makes a bird a bird and discover the adaptations that allow them to live in diverse environments across the globe. On Wednesday and Thursday campers will delve into the science of paleontology—from the field to the lab—while at NHMU. They’ll discover how fossils are formed, where we find them, and meet some of the people who prepare and study fossils at the Museum.

  Drop off and pick up take place at Tracy Aviary on Monday and Tuesday and at NHMU on Wednesday and Thursday.

• 6th-8th Grade Camps

  Tracy Aviary Field School (6th-8th Grade)

  Week 2 | June 12-16 | 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

  Get hands-on with Tracy Aviary in this week of scientific study in the field! Find out what we can learn about wildlife from what they leave behind. Use radio telemetry and learn how scientists track populations. Try your hand at plant identification and pressing as you get to know a horticulturist. Hone your birding skills and conduct real bird surveys in local ecosystems. This is just a sampling of the fun we’ll have as we dive into the exciting world of field work!

  Conservationists-in-Training (6th-8th Grade)

  Week 8 | July 25-28 (four day camp) | 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

  Join Tracy Aviary for a week of hands-on career exploration! Experience what it’s like to work at a zoo and learn about a variety of other careers in conservation. Go behind the scenes to meet and shadow Tracy Aviary staff and help with projects on-site and in the field. Campers will use real tools and techniques and finish camp with 10 hours of service.

Check-in and Pick-up

Check-in and pick-up both occur at the Visitor Center of Tracy Aviary in Liberty Park. You must park and meet the camp counselors at the classroom door to the left of the large black gates – there will be signs to guide you.

Check-in and pick-up times are listed below:

• Half Day Camps
  • Check-in from 8:45 – 9 a.m.
  • Pick-up from 12 – 12:15 p.m.
• Full Day Camps (except NHMU Partner Camps)
  • Check-in from 8:45 – 9 a.m.
  • Pick-up from 4 – 4:15 p.m.
• NHMU Partner Camps
  • Check-in from 8:15 – 8:30 a.m.
  • Pick-up from 4:30 – 4:45 p.m.

Lunch and Snacks

• Full day campers will enjoy two snack breaks and a supervised lunch hour.
• Half day campers will enjoy one snack break. 
• Campers must bring their own snacks and lunches as appropriate. Please try your best to provide peanut-free snacks and lunches for your camper.

Our Promise to You

Our camp counselors promise to play, explore, and learn together in a place that is safe, fosters trust, and builds community, so that campers can feel a sense of belonging, wonder, and place as they grow their personal resilience and nurture their caring and understanding for birds and nature.

We use the following guiding principles:

• Be a role model. We model inclusion and appreciation. We are welcoming and inviting to all campers. We model appreciation for the world around us so that our campers can learn from our example.
• Be a resource. We curate unique experiences with nature by providing the right tools and resources. We educate campers on the world around them. We give them permission to use the tools we provide so that they can achieve a sense of accomplishment.
• Be a trusted mentor. We invest in each camper individually. We are patient, consistent, and understanding. By providing a safe space, each camper will leave camp feeling seen and understood. Our summer camps will be a place where kids can relax and just be kids.