School’s out, let's go on an adventure!
Scroll down for information about the 2024 Straub Outdoors camp program. To register, click HERE for our 2024 summer camp registration form.
Please contact us at Info@StraubOutdoors.org or at 503-779-5227 if you have questions or to check on camp availability before registering.
Our week-long summer camps provide kids ages 6-13 with opportunities to experience fun, science-based activities in a supportive outdoor environment. Camps are led by compassionate, college-educated teachers with small groups for personalized experiences. Campers learn about Oregon's insects, wildlife, forests, rivers, wetlands, geology, engineering, art, and cultural history during daily field trips to state parks and other natural areas.
Straub Outdoors summer camps:
Help students feel comfortable and safe in outdoor settings
Provide hands-on experiences that increase knowledge about Oregon’s environment and natural resources
Inspire curiosity, cooperation and multi-sensory connections with nature
Teach campers how to be good stewards of our natural world
To register, review the camp sessions and topics below with your child, visit this webpage on or after Monday, January 22, to download our 2024 camp information form with more detailed descriptions of each camp, and submit a registration form for each child. Spaces are filled on a first-come, first-served basis, based upon the date we receive your completed registration. To finalize your child(ren)’s registration, a 50% non-refundable deposit is due within five days of receipt of an invoice, which will be sent via email within 48 hours of registration.
2024 camp schedule & tuition:
Ages 6-11
June 24-28 | Swamp Creatures! (wetlands plants & animals) Day Camp | $479
July 8-12 | Fruit Fare! (farm to fork pies & other culinary treats) Day Camp | $479
July 15-19 | Rockin' Reptiles & Amphibians (newts, frogs & lizards) Day Camp | $479
July 22-26 | Herbivore Hijinks (rabbits, mice, and deer) Day Camp | $429
July 29-Aug 2 | Pedal Power! (human-powered tractors, bikes & watercraft) Day Camp | $479
August 5-9 | Carnivorous Critters (cougars, bobcats & otters) Day Camp | $429
August 12-16 | Super Smart Scavengers (vultures, crows & ravens) Day Camp | $429
August 19-23 | Diggin' with Detritivores (millipedes, crabs & slugs) Day Camp | $429
August 26-20 | Chill Out! (Ice Age studies & ice science) Day Camp (Field Trips) | $479
Ages 11-13
August 5-9 | Far-out Fossils (fossil digging & paleontology studies) Overnight Camp | $679
For more information about our 2024 camps, download our 2024 Camp Information sheet, visit our Calendar page, or email Info@StraubOutdoors.org. To register, click HERE.
About our camp program:
Who:
Ages 6-13 (See age ranges for each camp in the camp information above.) Our camp program is geared for children who will be entering Grades 1-8 in the fall. Our 2024 day camps will comprise three cohorts of nine campers each for a total of 27 spaces in each camp. Cohorts will be based upon age (6-8 years, 8-10 years, and 9-11 years) with exceptions made at our staff’s discretion for siblings and friendship bonds.
Where:
The drop-off/pick-up location each day for all day camps is at the Eco Hub (1313 Mill Street SE, Salem, at the Willamette Heritage Center). Our “Nature” Day Camp participants will be transported to Smith Creek Village (in Silver Falls State Park) each day for fun nature explorations and science activities. Our “Discovery” Day camps will include daily field trips to state parks and other natural areas within roughly one hour of Salem. And our new “Adventure” Overnight Camp for middle school students will include five days and two overnights with fossil digging activities and other hands-on paleontology studies in Central Oregon and the Willamette Valley.
Please note: The number of overnights for the Far-out Fossils camp has been adjusted from four to two overnights to create a welcoming experience for campers that are attending a sleep-away camp for the first time. The overnights will take place on Wednesday, August 7, and Thursday, August 8, at Cottonwood Canyon State Park near Wasco, Oregon. Parents and guardians are welcome to camp-out at the park as well. Please email ExecutiveDirector@StraubOutdoors.org or call 503-302-4645 for more information.
Camp Hours:
Monday-Friday, 9:00 am to 4:30 pm. Check-in at the Eco Hub is between 8:30 and 9:00 am each day and pick-up is between 4:30 and 5:00 pm for all day camps.
For the 2024 “Far-out Fossils” Adventure Camp, check-in will be per the day camp schedule on Monday, August 5, and Tuesday, August 6. On Wednesday, August 6, check-in will be between 8:30 and 9:00 am and pick-up will be on Friday, August 9, from 4:30-5:00 pm. If your child is interested in the Adventure Camp, please feel free to contact Catherine Alexander at 503-302-4645 or at ExecutiveDirector@StraubOutdoors.org for additional information.
Tuition:
See the camp listings above for tuition information. A 50% deposit is required to confirm your child’s place at camp. Please note: The deposit is non-refundable and non-transferable and is due within five days of receipt of the deposit invoice after your registration has been received and processed. Payment of the remaining balance is due on or before Monday, June 17, at 4:00 pm and is also non-refundable and non-transferable. We offer a 10% discount for siblings registering for the same camp session. (Due to increased program costs, we are no longer able to offer discounts for multiple weeks.) A limited number of partial and full scholarships are available. Call 503-779-5227 or email Info@StraubOutdoors.org for details and to request a scholarship application form.
Registration Policies:
Because we hire staff, order educational materials, and reserve admission-based activities based upon registrations, we ask that you complete a camp registration for your child after you feel confident of your summer plans.
Once we receive your registration, you’ll receive an email with a confirmation of your child’s place in the selected camp(s). Registrations will be closed for each camp cohort when all of the spaces in that cohort have been allocated. If a selected camp is full at the time of your registration, you’ll receive an email notifying you of this and we’ll place your child on the camp waitlist.
Feel free to call 503-779-5227 or email Info@StraubOutdoors.org to check on the status of a particular camp prior to submitting a registration. We apologize, but we are no longer able to hold spaces in camps prior to registering. Spaces will be allocated on a first-come, first served basis, based upon the date and time your registration is received.
Cancellation Policies:
Should you need to cancel your child’s registration after paying the deposit and/or balance, your tuition payment(s) will be applied to our scholarship program and you’ll receive a donation receipt for the full amount for tax purposes. If your child experiences a medical emergency or communicable disease before or during camp or in the event of a force majeure circumstance or bereavement for an immediate family member that necessitates a cancellation of part or all of your child’s participation in a camp session, all applicable tuition payments will be refunded on a prorated basis or they can be applied to another camp at your discretion, pending availability.
Why have our tuition levels increased?
This is a great question and we’re happy to share more information about this. At Straub Outdoors, we don’t cut corners in providing the very best, most engaging real-world, place-based experiences in our summer camps. To make this possible, this year and in previous years, our camp program has been supported, in part, by our donors, grant funds, and operating funds, in addition to tuition payments. As this supplemental funding is variable and not guaranteed from year to year, it’s become necessary to adjust the tuition for our camps accordingly. We understand that summer camp can be expensive. We appreciate your commitment to your child’s learning and development, and we’re delighted that our camp program can be an important part of your family’s summer plans. Please see the information in the tuition section about our scholarships and let us know if you have questions. We’re committed to making our camp program as accessible as possible, regardless of your family’s financial resources.
A special note about our program:
Nature can be a source of joy and peace for some children and contain triggers for others. We take care to ensure each camper is welcomed, supported, and respected. However, we also realize that our camp program is not for everyone. If your child is neuro-sensitive; has anxieties or fears about being outdoors or away from home; has an IEP, 504, or behavior plan at school; has moderate to severe environmental allergies; or isn’t especially interested in science, please be aware that our camps may not be the right fit. Contact Melissa Nyseth, Administrative Director, if you have questions about whether a Straub Summer Camp is a good choice for your child. Please see our camp Code of Conduct in the 2024 Camp Information sheet for behavioral expectations and camp rules.
Ready to register? Click HERE for our 2024 Summer Camp Registration Form.
503-779-5227 | email Info@StraubOutdoors.org.
