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 2021! 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.
Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, Zookambi is being reimagined with reduced class sizes and more time outdoors to ensure an engaging and safe experience for all. 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. More information will be added on this webpage as it comes available.
Check out the schedule and descriptions in the tabs below:
Zookambi 2021 Registration Now Open! Click here
This summer we are offering our most popular sessions more than once. Please note that the activities 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 14-18
Wild Tales (morning)
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!
Creature Power! (afternoon)
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 21-25
What’s For Lunch? (morning)
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.
Wild for Art Junior (afternoon)
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 3- July 5-9
Sensational Zoo (morning)
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.
All in the Family (afternoon)
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 4- July 12-16
Wild for Art Junior (morning)
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!
Wild Tales (afternoon)
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!
Week 5- July 19-23
A Bug’s Life (morning)
Do you love crawlers, hoppers, or flyers? Come join us for a week-long safari exploring the crazy, colorful, and creepy world of insects! We’ll use our explorer skills to find insect homes, learn to identify some common Michigan insects, and discover how insects interact with many of our animals at the zoo!
Sensational Zoo (afternoon)
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.
Week 6- July 26-30
All in the Family (morning)
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!
What’s for Lunch? (afternoon)
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.
Week 7- August 2-6
A Bug’s Life (morning)
Do you love crawlers, hoppers, or flyers? Come join us for a week-long safari exploring the crazy, colorful, and creepy world of insects! We’ll use our explorer skills to find insect homes, learn to identify some common Michigan insects, and discover how insects interact with many of our animals at the zoo!
Creature Power (afternoon)
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!
Entering Grades 3-4
Week 1- June 14-18
Zoolympics (morning)
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)
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 fly off to different continents to explore animal and human cultures sharing various unique habitats.
Week 2- June 21-25
Nature’s Engineers (morning)
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.
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- July 5-9
Grossology Jr. (morning)
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)
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 12-16
Zoolympics (morning)
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!
Water, Water, Everywhere! (afternoon)
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!
Week 5- July 19-23
Wild for Art (morning)
Animals have been a source of inspiration 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!
Vet Med Jr. (afternoon)
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- July 26-30
Around the World (morning)
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 fly off to different continents to explore animal and human cultures sharing various unique habitats.
Grossology Jr. (afternoon)
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.
Week 7- August 2-6
Wild for Art (morning)
Animals have been a source of inspiration 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!
Water, Water, Everywhere! (afternoon)
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 14-18
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.
Saving Animals From Extinction (SAFE) (afternoon)
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 21-25
So You Want to Work at the Zoo (morning)
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!
Habitat Design (afternoon)
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 explore 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- July 5-9
Animal CSI (morning)
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!
Vet Med (afternoon)
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 12-16
Saving Animals From Extinction (SAFE) (morning)
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!
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!
Week 5- July 19-23
Exhibit Design (morning)
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 explore 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.
Grossology (afternoon)
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.
Week 6- July 26-30
Vet Med (morning)
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!
Animal CSI (afternoon)
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
Week 7- August 2-6
So You Want to Work at the Zoo (morning)
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!
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!