The Oakland Zoo invites campers for an exciting week of nature discovery, animal adventures, and fun! Camp activities include stories, puppet play, games, craft projects, science activities and of course, animals! The Oakland Zoo takes great pride in creating age-appropriate options for campers age 4 through high school. Camp sessions are one week long and run from mid-June to mid-August. Registration is online and opens in mid-March each year.
When we asked campers what they enjoy most about ZooCamp, the first answer was always visiting the animals! But a close second is visiting the creek in Knowland Park. Our new program, Nature Play, will take campers through the zoo and beyond—with many activities incorporating the Arroyo Viejo Creek restoration site and other areas of Knowland Park. Camp days will fly by as kids catch tadpoles, build forts, look for bugs, and come nose to nose with nature.This new program proved to be more popular than anticipated and is now full. Please see the class descriptions below for other awesome ZooCamp options!
Wild and Green Families!
For all those adults who have dreamed of joining your child at ZooCamp, your wish has been granted! Celebrate the wild child in all of us and nurture your families’ passion for nature, as the zoo welcomes the entire family for a week of nature walks, zoo tours, animal close-ups, stories, crafts, science activities and special projects. We will explore themes such as: wildlife in your backyard, composting and recycling, your green home, zoo species and how to help them, smart pet choices, connecting to nature through play and more. Invite your family to be more in touch with the world around them and each other! Children must be entering Kindergarten or older. Adults can be any adult member of the family over 18 years.
If you are already registered for camp and need to make a change, please call us at 510-632-9525 x280.
If you are a returning camper, click here to confirm your email and password for our online registration process.
Again this year, kids can spend a second week at ZooCamp without repeating the same activities! For campers Pre-K through 5th grade, we are offering two classes on alternating weeks at each grade level. Register for Class A, Class B, or both in any order to have an enriching summer at the Oakland Zoo. Campers in grades 1-5 can add a third week of ZooCamp by attending our new Nature Play program!
Campers signing up for multiple weeks of ZooCamp will receive a 10% discount on their second and third weeks of camp! (Excluding Wild and Green Family Camp.)
Click here to download a chart of the ZooCamp schedule for summer 2009. Please note, this schedule is subject to change.
Campers should register for classes based on their grade in the Fall 2009.
Times: 9:00 am – Noon OR 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm. (Please note, kindergarten campers can only register for the morning OR afternoon class each week. Morning classes are offered every week, afternoon classes will only be available certain sessions.)
Class A will run: June 15-19, June 29-July 3, July 13-17, July 27-31, August 10-14
Class B will run: June 22-26, July 6-10, July 20-24, August 3-7
We are pleased to offer before and after care options during every session of camp this summer. Extended Care participants will spend their time supervised in our camp classrooms and picnic area with choices of crafts, stories, or games to keep them busy.
Registration is per week only, we are not able to offer a per day option or accommodate drop-ins.
Cost: $40 for 8:30-9:00 a.m., $60 for 4:00-5:30 pm, or $90 for both before and after camp care.
**Wondering about our odd dollar amounts?
ZooCamp is more committed to conservation than ever! The odd extra $1 of your registration fee will be donated directly to the Hornbill Research Foundation, a project working to save birds and their nest sites in Thailand. We have Wreathed Hornbills on exhibit and they will be featured on our 2009 ZooCamp t-shirts!
As of April 9, 2009, the ZooCamp Scholarship Fund has been exhausted. You are welcome to submit a scholarship application and we will grant additional aid if money becomes available. Click here to download details and an application form. If you are interested in contributing to our ZooCamp Scholarship Fund, please contact Emma Lee Twitchell, Director of Development, at 510-632-9525 x153. We would like to thank Lin Hullen and the Lowell Berry Foundation for their generous support of ZooCamp in 2009. Their donations provide much needed scholarships for hundreds of children in our community.
If your child cannot attend camp and you give more than 2 weeks notice, you will receive a 90% refund. If you need to cancel less than 2 weeks but more than one week of your scheduled camp session, you will receive 50% of your registration fees. Sorry, no refunds will be issued for cancellations after the Monday before your scheduled session. Membership fees are non-refundable.
Please note:
Final class schedules will not be available until June 2009. Each class will include zoo tours, animal close-ups, crafts, games, science projects, and behind-the-scenes experiences as appropriate. Each Monday you will receive an outline of what your camper will be doing during the week.
Pre-K: Mini-Mammals
Class A: Do you have two eyes, two legs, and thumbs on your feet? Animals are like us, except when they’re not! Join us to explore the idea of same and different in the animal kingdom.
Class B: Animals move in weird and wonderful ways! Slither, slide, creep crawl, waddle, and walk around to discover who in the zoo runs, rambles, climbs, swims, and romps!
Kindergarten: Busy Beasts
Class A: If you were an animal, would the world seem the same? Animals see/ hear/ smell/ touch/ taste the world in extraordinary ways.
Class B: Do you live in a house? Apartment? Nest? Animals build and protect homes for their families, just like people.
1st-5th Grade:
Nature Play Camp!
What can you find under a rock in the creek? How many ladybugs can you find? Camp days will fly by as kids catch tadpoles, build forts, look for bugs, and come nose to nose with nature. Campers in grades 1-5 will play together in this class.
First Grade: Furry Friends
Class A: What makes a bird a bird? Or an ant an ant? The animal kingdom encompasses a vast variety of unique groups of incredible creatures!
Class B: Who keeps you safe? Who gives you good food? Who tucks you in at night? Many animals help and care for their families in all kinds of ways.
Second and Third Grades: Animal Adventures
Class A: Can you dig with your nose? Can you fit a watermelon in your mouth? Where do you find food? Shelter? Safety? Animals are adapted to do all kinds of amazing things to survive in all kinds of habitats!
Class B: Would you rather eat or be eaten? Predators need to hunt to survive, but prey work to avoid being eaten in every way possible! Learn more about what makes animals good predators, wily prey, and who fit into both categories.
Fourth and Fifth Grades: Eco-Explorers
Class A: What would it be like to spend a day in the life of an animal…or zookeeper…or scientist? Come explore all the different perspectives that encompass the zoo!
Class B: Want to save the world? Conservationists are real life superheroes. Wild things and wild places are in trouble and you can help!
Sixth – Eighth Grades:
Wild Survivor:
Imagine you are on a hike, and suddenly you find yourself lost in the woods-what should you do? Each day, campers will learn about and practice important survival skills like building a fire, finding food, collecting water, or making a shelter. At the end of the week you’ll have the knowledge to help you survive and you’ll receive your very own emergency survival kit.
Curious Cachers I:
Did you know a box turtle weighing less than a pound can navigate through a mile of forest to find their home pond? Animals have extraordinary, almost unbelievable navigation skills. Campers will improve their own navigation skills by using a handheld GPS navigation device and get an introduction to the treasure-hunting hobby known as “geocaching.”
Curious Cachers II:
Did you enjoy your first taste of geocaching? Sign up for this advanced class to learn new tips and tricks of this treasure-hunting hobby. Participants must have attended Curious Cachers in 2008 or Curious Cachers I in 2009.
High School (9th-12th Grades):
Zoo Crew:
Experience the demands of being a zoo keeper in this dynamic, hands-on camp. Each day we explore a different aspect of modern zoo keeping including cleaning an exhibit, designing enrichment for captive animals, learning about veterinary medicine, assisting zoo keepers, and observing animal training. If you think you might enjoy a career with animals, this camp if for you! (Please note: this class does not include direct contact with or handling of any live animals.)
Teen Assistant (T.A.):
Love animals and kids? We need your help! Come to camp as a Teen Assistant and spend two weeks playing with kids and helping to lead activities while earning community service hours. Interested teens need to submit an application and a letter of reference. Participants then attend a training orientation and assist with two weeks of camp. Applications were due June 1. We are no longer accepting applications for ZooCamp 2009.
Still have questions? Please call the ZooCamp Hotline: 510-632-9525 x280 or email us:
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Click HERE to watch Oakland Zoo featured on CBS5's Eye on the Bay! Description of the episode: The show features several offerings of our Education Department: ZooMobile, ZooCamp and Family Sundown Safari. The host, Liam Mayclem, actually spent the night at the Zoo!
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