The zoo has you covered with the wildest weeks of programming available in Michigan! Each day of camp includes a variety of fun activities designed to get you learning, playing, and exploring the world around us!
Times
All of our programs run Monday through Friday. Zookambi kids can attend in the morning, afternoon, or all day! All sessions will have a snack provided.
Morning classes are 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Afternoon classes are 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Full day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Drop off times with no additional charge are 8:45 a.m. for morning sessions, and 12:45 p.m. for afternoon sessions. Pick up must be promptly at 12 p.m. or 4 p.m. Extended care is available for your convenience for an additional fee of $50. If your child is enrolled in both morning and afternoon classes, lunchtime supervision is provided by zoo staff. All you have to do is pack a lunch for your camper!
Extended Care
Need a little extra time? No problem! We have early drop off and late pick up available. Campers can be dropped off as early as 7:30 a.m. and/or picked up as late as 6 p.m. Extended care is an additional $50 per week.
Members receive a discount on camp registration! Don’t have a membership? Join today!
Have questions about registration? Check our FAQs here. Still have questions after reading the FAQs? Call us at 517-342-2713.
When registering, please note the availability section on the right hand side of the registration page. If a class is full, this will be indicated with “waitlist” under the availability section. Registering for a full class will put you on the waitlist. As spots become available, you will be notified in the order you were waitlisted. Registration for each section will close the Wednesday prior to the start of the session.
Frequently Asked Questions
Check out our FAQs document here for more information about registration, waitlists, start times, etc.
For those interested in giving summer camp as a gift, please call 517-342-2713.
Cost
| Non-MEMBER | Member | |
|---|---|---|
| Half Day Program (9am – 12pm or 1pm – 4pm) | $160 per week | $140 per week |
| Full Day Program (9am – 4pm) | $320 per week | $280 per week |
| AM & PM Extended Care (add-on) | $50 for each section per week (AM & PM purchased separately) |
$50 for each section per week (AM & PM purchased separately) |
Membership saves you money, so if you aren’t already a member, join today!
Schedule and Descriptions
Entering Grades 1-2
Please note that class themes and descriptions are the same as the previous year; however, many of the activities will be different.
Week 1- June 9-13, 2025
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 16-20, 2025
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.
All in the Family (afternoon)
Mobs of meerkats, ambushes of tigers and waddles of penguins…oh my! Animal families are all very different! Join us as we learn about animal families here at Potter Park Zoo!
Week 3- June 23-27, 2025
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 discovering how animals perceive the world and solving mysteries about animal behavior.
Wild for Art Jr (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 4- July 14-18, 2025
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 5- July 21-25, 2025
Just Like Me (morning)
Have you ever wanted to be 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!
Welcome Home (afternoon)
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 here at Potter Park Zoo and in the wild.
Week 6- July 28-Aug 1, 2025
It’s Not Easy Being Green (morning)
Hop, slither, or climb your way down to Potter Park Zoo where we’ll explore the world of amphibians and reptiles. During our week-long adventure through the scaly slimy world of herps, we will learn about what makes these animals unique and what we can do to help them survive in the wild.
Happenin’ Habitats (afternoon)
Tropical forests, frozen tundras, and dry deserts… Animals live everywhere! Join us as we explore the world’s biomes and learn how animals use their unique adaptations to find food and survive in these very different areas.
Week 7- August 4-8, 2025
A Bug’s Life (morning)
Come join us for a week-long safari exploring the crazy, colorful, and complex 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!
Earth Superheroes (afternoon)
Do you like superheroes? Have you imagined becoming one? You can! Join us to learn about things that you can do at home to be an Earth Superhero and protect the important animals and plants with whom we share our planet!
Entering Grades 3-4
Please note that class themes and descriptions are the same as the previous year; however, many of the activities will be different.
Week 1- June 9-13, 2025
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 explore different continents to learn more about how humans and animals share the unique environments they call home!
Week 2- June 16-20, 2025
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 3- June 23-27, 2025
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 14-18, 2025
Flying Wild (morning)
Prepare yourself for a fast-paced flight through the world of winged animals. We’ll learn about the unique adaptations these animals have that allow them to soar, dive, and wing their way through the skies.
Planet Protectors (afternoon)
Planet Earth is our home and it needs protecting! Join us at Potter Park Zoo to learn about some of the challenges facing our planet and the animals who inhabit it as well as thing you can do every day to help make a difference!
Week 5- July 21-25, 2025
Wildlife Detectives (morning)
Do you like a good mystery? Is 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!
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 28-Aug 1, 2025
The Power of Pollinators (morning)
Bees, butterflies, bats, and hummingbirds! Why do all these tiny critters have a BIG impact on our world? Learn about the power of pollinators, and how we can help them, through games, crafts, and activities.
Dare to be Different (afternoon)
There are millions of species on our planet and they’re all different! Join us as we explore and celebrate the differences that exist in the animal kingdom that allow them to survive and thrive in very different habitats – from the north pole to the tropics!
Week 7- August 4-8, 2025
Just Misunderstood (morning)
Have you heard stories about rotten rats, sinister snakes, and blood-sucking bats? Did you know that most of them just aren’t true? Join us this week to hear the other side of the story as we dispel some of the myths, mysteries, and negative stereotypes around some of our wonderful but misunderstood animals.
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 through hands-on activities and explorations.
Entering Grades 5-7
Please note that class themes and descriptions are the same as the previous year; however, many of the activities will be different. Animal CSI activities will remain the same due to the nature of the class.
Week 1- June 9-13, 2025
Beastly Behavior (morning)
Join us as we explore animal behavior at Potter Park Zoo! We will spend the week learning about different aspects of animal behavior at the zoo, including topics like training, enrichment, and animal well-being.
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 examine 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.
Week 2- June 16-20, 2025
So You Want to Work at the Zoo? (morning)
Did you know that there are dozens of different jobs at the zoo? Join us as we explore the many different career options at zoos, including everything from graphic design to animal care and everything in between!
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 3- June 23-27, 2025
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 law enforcement, help us figure out what happened and who committed the dastardly deed!
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!
Week 4- July 14-18, 2025
Beastly Behavior (morning)
Join us as we explore animal behavior at Potter Park Zoo! We will spend the week learning about different aspects of animal behavior at the zoo, including topics like training, enrichment, and animal well-being.
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 examine 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.
Week 5- July 21-25, 2025
So You Want to Work at the Zoo? (morning)
Did you know that there are dozens of different jobs at the zoo? Join us as we explore the many different career options at zoos, including everything from graphic design to animal care and everything in between!
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 6- July 28-Aug 1, 2025
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 law enforcement, help us figure out what happened and who committed the dastardly deed!
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!
Week 7- August 4-8, 2025
Aliens Among Us (morning)
Have you ever had that feeling that something was lurking near you that didn’t belong? Well, you were right! Fish with crazy monster mouths, flying disease factories… aliens from another ecosystem! Join us this week to learn more about invasive species.
Conservation at Home (afternoon)
We all have the power to make a positive difference in the world around us. Join us this week to learn about how we can help the planet at home and throughout our state!
