Into the Heart of Nature Summer Camp at Tara Redwood
June 24 – July 19
Tara Redwood School offers a great summer camp.
Into the Heart of Nature Summer Camp is located in an extraordinary setting nestled in the Nisene Marks Forest near a calm creek.
We offer cooperative games, creek exploration, habitat studies, playful skits, and nature-themed art. Kids explore the various elements that support all life.
Tara Redwood School’s summer camp educators are highly experienced in outdoor activities and wildlife studies.
Children learn social skills and kindness. Your child will make new friends, develop mindfulness, and learn how to help others.
Children have access to several hiking trails for daily play and to absorb some of our core tenets for happiness through developing a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness of nature to all parts of life.
The program is best if experienced in its entirety. Children have the opportunity to fully connect, learn new skills and complete special tasks. Please do reach out to us if you have special suggestions or concerns. office@tararedwoodschool.org
Ages 4-7
Preschool: 8:30am-2:30pm, $100/day, M-F, June 22-July 17 and July 20-14, aftercare available
TK-Elementary: 9am-3pm, $2,000, M-F, June 22-July 27
5810 Prescott Rd, Soquel, 831-462-9632, https://tararedwoodschool.org/summer-camp/ ~ office@tararedwoodschool.org
Kennolyn Day Camp
Ready to get your child away from technology and into a nourishing community of fun, friends, and the great outdoors? Give your child a healthy dose of GRATITUDE, POSITIVE ATTITUDE, and GROWTH at Kennolyn Day Camp!
On 450 acres of privately owned redwood forest only 4 miles from town, Kennolyn Day Camp is just a short bus ride away with stops across Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties. Your child will thrive in this fun, active, supportive environment, and you will get a break (or at least be able to work without interruption). And after a day of exploring the fields, pond, and miles of trails, they’ll be happy-tired after each fun day!
Amazing activities keep your camp busy all day: high ropes course, climbing wall, BMX, fencing, pool time, horseback riding, animal care, archery, crafts, and more!
Campers grades K-9 are placed in coed groups based on their grade with two well-trained adult counselors.
Campers entering 10-11th grade may apply for our Leadership Development program.
Groups follow a planned schedule with some choice built in from Monday through Thursday. On Friday Fun Day, campers grades 2+ choose their own activities during the morning. The afternoon wraps up the week with a fun event based on a different theme each week. This is a great change of pace for campers who spend multiple weeks at Kennolyn.
Nowhere else in the local region will you find a more complete, authentic summer day camp experience. Just ask your friends and neighbors.
8205 Hacienda Lane, Soquel ~ (831) 479-6714 ~ https://www.kennolyncamps.com/santa-cruz-day/ ~ camps@kennolyn.com
We’re thrilled to offer a summer camp program where a vibrant, diverse group of campers and staff come together to explore the outdoors, plant seeds, make farm-fresh snacks, sing songs, and grow side by side!
Life Lab Garden Classroom, on the UCSC Farm. Park in UCSC Parking lot 116 and walk to farm. (map)
UCSC Farm ~ 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz ~ daniela@lifelab.org ~ (831) 400-2016 https://www.lifelab.org/camp
2026 Summer Camp Dates:
Session 1: June 22 - 26
Session 2: June 29 - July 2 (no July 3)
Session 3: July 6 - 10
Session 4: July 13 - 17
Session 5: July 20 - 24
Session 6: July 27 - 31>
Camp Hours: 9 am - 3 pm
Aftercare Hours: 3 pm - 5 pm (Limited spaces available)
Ages: 7-10 year olds (Child’s age as of June 22, 2026)
Location: Life Lab Garden Classroom, located on the UCSC Farm.
95064
Summer on the Mountain
Summer day camps on Mount Madonna School’s 380-acre redwood-forest campus offer weekly sessions:
- Nature explorers age 3-6, June 22-July 31
- Mountain Explorers age 6-9, July 6-July 31
- Redwood Explorers ages 9-13, July 6-July 31.
Students enjoy arts and crafts, hiking, sports camps, STEAM projects, astronomy, team-building and an overnight camp-out for Redwood Explorers. Horse camp option available for campers 7+.
Play in nature, cultivate relationships, build skills, and more – unplugged, outdoors, and active!
Camps are Monday through Friday, 9am-3:30 pm. Transportation is available.
Details and registration online at:
www.mountmadonnaschool.org/hawk-life/summer-on-the-mountain/~ 408-408-2717 ~ summerprogram@mountmadonnaschool.org ~ 491 Summit Road, Watsonville
Mount Madonna School is a Preschool through 12th grade Independent School, fully accredited by WASC and CAIS. We are a community of learners. We support our students to become caring, self-aware and articulate critical thinkers.
Located between Gilroy and Watsonville, Mount Madonna School pursues our mission and values through the integration of Academic Excellence, Creative Self-Expression and Positive Character Development. This integration brings depth, meaning and enthusiasm to learning.
Through exploration, experimentation, and experiences outdoors the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History hopes to inspire future scientists during our weekly day camps. Join us to discover a passion for nature, learning, and community. All Nature Explorers camps connect campers to their environment in fun and exciting ways that engage their natural sense of curiosity while supporting academic success.
The Museum offers week-long 5-day camps during Summer, Spring and Winter breaks for K-6th.
- General Pricing: Varies depending on length of camp
- Discounts: Sibling & Museum Members $20 Off (Family Level & Above)
- Times: Drop-off 8:30-9:00 am | Pick-up 3:00-3:30 pm
Summer Theme Camps: Santa Cruz Safari ~ Magnificent Museum ~ Can You Dig It? ~ Surviving Santa Cruz ~ Wild World of Santa Cruz ~ Biomimicry ~ Incredible Invertebrates ~ Vivan Los Vertebrados ~ Art and Science in Nature ~ Experiments in Nature ~ Beginning Botany ~ World of Birds Details
https://www.santacruzmuseum.org/camp/ ~ 1305 E. Cliff Dr., Santa Cruz ~ camp@santacruzmuseum.org ~ (831) 420-6115
Reduce the Cost of Camp
We accept scholarship requests beginning 1 month prior to registration opening, and will notify you of your acceptance before registration begins. If you are awarded a scholarship, it is your responsibility to register your camper using the link provided.
The Scholarship Fund is made possible by generous donations by members of the community. We hope to reduce barriers to enriching experiences such as our science camps for families in our community who would otherwise not be able to afford such opportunities.
Wildflower Adventure Camps are joyful, play-based experiences where children explore the world through curiosity, imagination, and freedom to follow what excites them most.
Each day brings a new outdoor location somewhere around the county: from forests and fields to beaches and hidden nature gems — giving children endless opportunities to discover, create, and connect with the natural world.
Our days are guided by the kids themselves, with caring facilitators supporting their ideas, questions, and spontaneous adventures.
Whether they’re building forts, observing wildlife, inventing games, or simply wandering and wondering, every moment is rooted in exploration, friendship, and the magic of childhood.
Dates: Every week June 1- August 28
Days: M-F or choose individual days
Hours: 10-3
Ages 3.5-10
Adventure Summer Camps will normally be at these locations: Monday: Seabright Beach and Park
Tuesdays: UCSC arboretum
Weds: Fredrick St. Park
Thursdays: De La Veaga Park
Fridays: Wilder Ranch
https://sites.google.com/view/wildflowerlearningcircle/home ~ odetoheather@gmail.com ~ 707-477-8663
