From harvesting vegetables to meeting furry friends, and even building solar-powered ovens, children have opportunities to learn while having fun at Slippery Rock University’s Macoskey Center for Sustainability Education and Research. The center is inviting families with children to once again join its annual summer camp series.
The series explores different elements of nature-based learning and exploration and consists of four themed weekday sessions from 8:30 a.m. to noon, for children ages 4-5, and 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for children ages 5-9. The four sessions operate in three-day formats from June 9-11, June 23-25, July 14-16 and July 28-30 at the Macoskey Center at 247 Harmony Road.
“Our biggest goal is to help kids develop a close relationship with the natural world, to get them to explore and learn more about the outdoors and form community with other campers,” said Sami Bortz, director of the Macoskey Center. “We try to balance a mixture of lessons and activities so that kids are going out and interacting with the natural world as much as possible.”
Kicking off the summer camp series June 9-11 is “Farm to Fork – Let’s Get Growing!” Week one teaches campers how to plan, plant and grow a garden, which they will harvest in late July during week four of the camp series.
Bortz, who has a background as a teacher and environmental educator, has helped host the summer camps since 2022. She is also helping SRU students experience environmental educational programming in the real world.
“We have students from different disciplines coming together and learning from one another about how to implement environmental education programming,” Bortz said. “ This allows a diverse background of camp counselors to help expose campers to different areas of nature and sustainability sciences.”
Camp counselors, which include SRU students, come from a variety of backgrounds, including early childhood education, music education, park and resource management and environmental geoscience majors. The partnership comes from a collaboration with Amy Orville, assistant professor of curriculum, instruction and education leadership, and funding through the College of Education.
The remaining Macoskey Center 2025 summer camps include:
- Week 2: Fur, Feathers & Scales – A Summer Safari, June 23-25, duringwhich campers will learn what makes various animals unique and how they contribute to the local ecosystem.
- Week 3: Solar Quest – Exploring the Power of the Sun, July 14-16, as campers will harness the power of the sun as they build mini solar-powered cars, cook a tasty treat with a solar oven and create unique sun prints.
- Week 4: Farm to Fork – Let’s Get Cooking! July 28-30, as campers will experience and taste the Macoskey Center’s gardens and edible landscape while learning to harvest, prep and cook a delicious meal for friends and family.
Registration is open for weeks three and four while week two is operating on a waiting list basis with slots opening pending dropouts. Cost for camps is based on family’s household income with daily fees as low as $50.
To register and learn more about each camp, visit linktr.ee/MacoskeyCenter. More information about the Macoskey Center is available on the SRU website, or by contacting the center at 724.738.4050 or macoskey.center@sru.edu.
