The zoo has you covered with the wildest weeks of programming available in Michigan! Each day of camp includes a variety of hands-on experiences, animal presentations, and adventures typical zoo visitors don’t have.
We have a great camp season planned for 2022! We will continue to offer both morning and afternoon sessions each week of Zookambi for kids entering grades 1-7. We will again offer both morning and afternoon extended care.
Zookambi will continue to operate with the health and safety of campers, staff, and animals as a high priority. Mitigation measures will be in place including frequent hand washing, increased cleaning, and more time outdoors to ensure an engaging and safe experience for all. We strongly encourage all eligible campers be vaccinated prior to the start of camp. Although a lot may change before June, we plan to adhere to recommended COVID-19 health and safety policies and best practices in alignment with CDC, Ingham County, and American Camp Association recommendations.
Check out the schedule and descriptions in the tabs below:
Zookambi 2022 Registration Now Open!
Sessions are filling fast!
Click HERE to Register!
This summer we are offering our most popular sessions more than once. Please note that the activities and experiences will be the same for repeated sessions.
Cost
Membership saves you money, so if you aren’t already a member, join today!
| Regular | Member | |
|---|---|---|
| Half Day Program | $115.00 | $100.00 |
| Full Day Program | $230.00 | $200.00 |
| Extended Care (add-on) | $25.00 | $25.00 |
Entering Grades 1-2
Week 1- June 13-17
FULL Wild Tales (morning) FULL
The ugly duckling, the three little pigs, the tortoise and the hare… stories about animals are everywhere! Join us for this week-long exploration of some of our favorite stories about animals!
FULL Creature Power! (afternoon) FULL
Owl flight and Lion roar! Penguin dives and Eagle soar! Our creatures have some AMAZING powers! During our one week mission, we’ll explore some of the incredible abilities our animals use to leap, glide, hide, and hunt in the wild and see how we stack up when we test our own incredible creature powers!
Week 2- June 20-24
FULL What’s For Lunch? (morning) FULL
Anyone up for a hearty helping of mashed meal worms? This week, we’ll explore how animals find food in the wild while keeping from becoming food themselves! Head to Potter Park Zoo to get a glimpse of what’s on the menu this week for your favorite animals—meal worms and all.
FULL All in the Family (afternoon) FULL
Mobs of meerkats, ambushes of tigers and waddles of penguins…oh my! Animal families all look and act different! Join us as we learn about animal families here at Potter Park Zoo.
Week 3- June 27-July 1
FULL Sensational Zoo (morning) FULL
Why is the lion making a funny face? It just might have something to do with the wonderful ways that animals see, hear, smell, touch and taste their environment. We’ll have a sense-ational week as our five senses are fully engaged while discovering how animals perceive the world and solving mysteries about animal behavior.
FULL Wild for Art Jr (afternoon) FULL
Did you know that rhinos paint? So can you! Join us for a week-long adventure painting, drawing, and crafting our way through the zoo!
Week 4- July 18-22
FULL Wild Tales (morning) FULL
The ugly duckling, the three little pigs, the tortoise and the hare… stories about animals are everywhere! Join us for this week-long exploration of some of our favorite stories about animals!
FULL Creature Power! (afternoon) FULL
Owl flight and Lion roar! Penguin dives and Eagle soar! Our creatures have some AMAZING powers! During our one week mission, we’ll explore some of the incredible abilities our animals use to leap, glide, hide, and hunt in the wild and see how we stack up when we test our own incredible creature powers!
Week 5- July 25-29
FULL What’s For Lunch? (morning) FULL
Anyone up for a hearty helping of mashed meal worms? This week, we’ll explore how animals find food in the wild while keeping from becoming food themselves! Head to Potter Park Zoo to get a glimpse of what’s on the menu this week for your favorite animals—meal worms and all.
FULL All in the Family (afternoon) FULL
Mobs of meerkats, ambushes of tigers and waddles of penguins…oh my! Animal families all look and act different! Join us as we learn about animal families here at Potter Park Zoo.
Week 6- August 1-5
FULL Sensational Zoo (morning) FULL
Why is the lion making a funny face? It just might have something to do with the wonderful ways that animals see, hear, smell, touch and taste their environment. We’ll have a sense-ational week as our five senses are fully engaged while discovering how animals perceive the world and solving mysteries about animal behavior.
FULL Wild for Art Jr (afternoon) FULL
Did you know that rhinos paint? So can you! Join us for a week-long adventure painting, drawing, and crafting our way through the zoo!
Week 7- August 8-12
FULL Just Like Me (morning) FULL
Have you ever thought you were like a lion? Well you may not look much like the king of the jungle on the surface, but if you look a little closer you’ll see that you’re really not that different!
FULL Welcome Home (afternoon) FULL
Just like our houses, animals live in homes of all different shapes and sizes: burrows, nests, dens, caves and more! See how our animals live her at Potter Park Zoo and in the wild.
Entering Grades 3-4
Week 1- June 13-17
FULL Zoolympics (morning) FULL
Are you an athlete or sports fan? Want to find out which animal would take home the gold medal in the 100 meter dash or high jump? Come learn about some of the amazing athletes of the animal kingdom and see if you can take home your own medal when you test your skills in the Zoolympic Games!
FULL Around the World (afternoon) FULL
Grab your passport because we’re traveling around the globe, and you don’t even need to leave your favorite zoo! Each day will bring new adventures as we explore different continents to learn more about humans and animals share the unique environments they call home!
Week 2- June 20-24
FULL Wild for Art (morning) FULL
Animals have been a source of inspiration for for artists ever since the first cave paintings. It’s time to pull out your pencils, markers, and more and search around the zoo for inspiration to create our own masterpieces.
FULL Vet Med Jr. (afternoon) FULL
Love animals? Want to be a vet or vet tech? Join us for a week of fun animal health activities! You’ll learn about how animal bodies work and what our vet does every day to keep our animals healthy here at Potter Park Zoo!
Week 3- June 27- July 1
Grossology Jr. (morning) One spot left!
Animals do some weird, fascinating, and completely gross things! From throwing up to eating their own poop, you’ll investigate with us how being gross can actually be good for animals.
Nature’s Engineers (afternoon) Two spots left!
Ever wondered how beavers build dams? Or how spiders spin webs? Or why some birds build really fancy nests but others are simple? Come unravel the mysteries behind the amazing and unique structures that animals build.
Week 4- July 18-22
Zoolympics (morning) One spot left!
Are you an athlete or sports fan? Want to find out which animal would take home the gold medal in the 100 meter dash or high jump? Come learn about some of the amazing athletes of the animal kingdom and see if you can take home your own medal when you test your skills in the Zoolympic Games!
Around the World (afternoon) Two spots left!
Grab your passport because we’re traveling around the globe, and you don’t even need to leave your favorite zoo! Each day will bring new adventures as we explore different continents to learn more about humans and animals share the unique environments they call home!
Week 5- July 25-29
FULL Wild for Art (morning) FULL
Animals have been a source of inspiration for for artists ever since the first cave paintings. It’s time to pull out your pencils, markers, and more and search around the zoo for inspiration to create our own masterpieces.
FULL Vet Med Jr. (afternoon) FULL
Love animals? Want to be a vet or vet tech? Join us for a week of fun animal health activities! You’ll learn about how animal bodies work and what our vet does every day to keep our animals healthy here at Potter Park Zoo!
Week 6- August 1-5
FULL Grossology Jr. (morning) FULL
Animals do some weird, fascinating, and completely gross things! From throwing up to eating their own poop, you’ll investigate with us how being gross can actually be good for animals.
FULL Nature’s Engineers (afternoon) FULL
Ever wondered how beavers build dams? Or how spiders spin webs? Or why some birds build really fancy nests but others are simple? Come unravel the mysteries behind the amazing and unique structures that animals build.
Week 7- August 8-12
FULL Wildlife Detective (morning) FULL
Do you like a good mystery? Are following clues to find answers your thing? This is the summer camp for you! Come build your skills as a wildlife detective, and learn about the different signs that animals leave behind. Get your magnifying glasses ready!
Water, Water, Everywhere! (afternoon) Three spots left!
Water is all around us! From lakes to ponds to the Red Cedar River that runs past the zoo, water is teeming with animal life. Learn about animals that live in or near water both here at the zoo and in our local waterways through hands-on activities and explorations. There may even be a chance to get wet!
Entering Grades 5-7
Week 1- June 13-17
Grossology (morning)
Animals do some weird, fascinating, and completely gross things! From regurgitation to urination, you’ll investigate with us how being gross can actually be good for animals.
FULL Saving Animals From Extinction (SAFE) (afternoon) FULL
Be a conservation hero! Zoos and aquariums work together to save endangered animals, and part of that work is done through a global effort called SAFE. Learn about the animals that are part of this project, including our own black rhinos! You will also discover little ways YOU can make a big difference to wildlife, through games, projects, and more!
Week 2- June 20-24
FULL So You Want to Work at the Zoo (morning) FULL
Do you like asking questions, and learning why things work the way they do? Then this class is for you! Take on the role of a scientist, a behavioral analyst, an architect and many more exciting roles. Discover what it means to work at a zoo!
FULL Habitat Design (afternoon) FULL
Have you ever wondered what it takes to design and build a zoo habitat? Do you have an interest in architecture or like building models? Come explore habitat design at Potter Park Zoo! We will learn about the different habitats at the zoo to see how animal spaces have improved from the days of concrete cages with steel bars to the spectacular naturalistic habitats we have today. Then we’ll try our hands at constructing our own model habitats.
Week 3- June 27-July 1
FULL Animal CSI (morning) FULL
We need your help!! A crime has occurred at Potter Park Zoo and we need you to analyze the crime scene. Using careful observations, amazing skills of deduction, and the same type of scientific investigation methods used by real Animal Cops, help us figure out what happened and who was the dastardly culprit!
FULL Vet Med (afternoon) FULL
So you want to be a vet? Great! Come get a head start at Potter Park Zoo! We’ll be spending the week exploring surgical techniques, lab tests, and first aid skills that real veterinarians use every day! You’ll also get to try your hand at figuring out what’s wrong with one of our animal patients in Friday’s diagnostic challenge!
Week 4- July 18-22
Grossology (morning) Three spots left!
Animals do some weird, fascinating, and completely gross things! From regurgitation to urination, you’ll investigate with us how being gross can actually be good for animals.
FULL Saving Animals From Extinction (SAFE) (afternoon) FULL
Be a conservation hero! Zoos and aquariums work together to save endangered animals, and part of that work is done through a global effort called SAFE. Learn about the animals that are part of this project, including our own black rhinos! You will also discover little ways YOU can make a big difference to wildlife, through games, projects, and more!
Week 5- July 25-29
FULL So You Want to Work at the Zoo (morning) FULL
Do you like asking questions, and learning why things work the way they do? Then this class is for you! Take on the role of a scientist, a behavioral analyst, an architect and many more exciting roles. Discover what it means to work at a zoo!
FULL Habitat Design (afternoon) FULL
Have you ever wondered what it takes to design and build a zoo habitat? Do you have an interest in architecture or like building models? Come explore habitat design at Potter Park Zoo! We will learn about the different habitats at the zoo to see how animal spaces have improved from the days of concrete cages with steel bars to the spectacular naturalistic habitats we have today. Then we’ll try our hands at constructing our own model habitats.
Week 6- August 1-5
FULL Animal CSI (morning) FULL
We need your help!! A crime has occurred at Potter Park Zoo and we need you to analyze the crime scene. Using careful observations, amazing skills of deduction, and the same type of scientific investigation methods used by real Animal Cops, help us figure out what happened and who was the dastardly culprit!
FULL Vet Med (afternoon) FULL
So you want to be a vet? Great! Come get a head start at Potter Park Zoo! We’ll be spending the week exploring surgical techniques, lab tests, and first aid skills that real veterinarians use every day! You’ll also get to try your hand at figuring out what’s wrong with one of our animal patients in Friday’s diagnostic challenge!
Week 7- August 8-12
Aliens Among Us (morning)
Have you ever had that feeling that something was lurking near you that didn’t belong? Well, you were right! Monstrous fish with creepy saw-like mouths, flying disease factories…aliens from another ecosystem! Join us this week to learn more about invasive species.
Art Safari (afternoon)
Wait, what? The zoo is an art gallery? You bet! From graphics on signs to landscaping, exhibit design, sculpture and photography, there are many ways that art is used and made throughout the zoo. We will explore the art here at the zoo, and try our hand at creating some of our own!