2018 Kansas City Summer Camps: Science and Nature Camp

Here is the much-awaited KC Kids Fun listing of 2018 Kansas City area Science and Nature Camps. Whether your kid is scientifically-inclined or just a nature-lover, there are some exceptional camps available around the metro for. Your first stop might be to check out the offerings of your local parks and rec department and then check out the super camps on our list (and on our General Day and Overnight Camps list).

Sponsored Listings:

Camp Invention: This summer’s all new curriculum allows children in kindergarten through 6th grade to bring their “smart” home to life with smart furniture and eco-smart energy, design a robotic dog and diagnose puppy problems, explore sensors by designing tracks for an Optibot, a robot that senses dark and light surfaces, and build Cake Catapults! Local educators lead the week of fun, hands-on, STEM activities that allow children to think big, explore their curiosity, and never give up.

Visit campinvention.org or call 800.968.4332 for information. Use promo code ThinkBig25 by 3/23 to save $25 on registration or ThinkBig15 by 5/4 to save $15 on registration.

Regular Listings:

Anita B. Gorman Conservation Discovery Center (Kansas City, MO) has a variety of nature and wildlife exploration programs offered throughout the year.
Bear River Ranch Cub Creek Science Camp (Rolla, MO) has a residential summer camp for boys and girls, ages 7 to 17. The ultimate animal camp!
Blue Valley Recreation (Overland Park, KS) – Classes are designed to spark imaginations and inspire a desire to learn about life sciences, earth and space. Many have make-and-take projects.
Boy Scouts Camp (Lee’s Summit, MO) offers traditional Boy Scout and STEM camping experiences for Boy Scouts.
Bricks4Kidz (Kansas City, MO) – Build, learn and play with LEGO® bricks. Programs are built around proprietary motorized model plans, designed by engineers and architects, with exciting themes such as space, construction, expeditions, and amusement parks.
Camp Invention: See our Sponsored Listing above!
Clay-Platte Montessori’s “10-Acre Wood” (Kansas City, MO) located on ten wooded acres with a meandering creek through the middle of the property, offering an ideal outdoor environment for our nature and science themed camps and workshops.
Ernie Miller Park and Nature Center (Olathe, KS) hosts outdoor discovery camps for children ages 6-12. Hikes, environmental games and nature crafts are centered around a weekly theme.
iD Tech Camps (Kansas City, MO) At iD Tech Camps for ages 6-18, we offer weeklong day & overnight summer camps for aspiring programmers, app developers, video game designers, robotics engineers, 3D modelers & animators, filmmakers, photographers, and more.
Johnson County Park and Recreation District offers tons of summer camp programs for ages 3-18. Included are camps focusing on nature, dinosaurs, science, hiking and fishing! Dates, locations and fees vary.
Kansas Cosmosphere & Space Center Camps (Hutchinson, KS) tons of day and overnight camps. This is an overnight camp and scholarships are available.
Kansas City Zoo Summer Camps (Kansas City, MO) offers some really neat week-long science and animal-related day camps for all ages.
Kansas Starbase (Kansas City, KS) is a really cool camp for kids who have finished 4th, 5th or 6th grades to discover and apply principles of aviation and rocketry.
KU Edwards Campus Summer Camps (Overland Park, KS) – KU Edwards Campus is hosting a variety of summer camps for children who are interested in a variety of topics.
KU Engineering Camps (Lawrence, KS) – KU offers a camp for high schoolers interested in engineering, to explore the different engineering disciplines through classes led by KU faculty. A middle school camp will be held at Blue Valley Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS) in Overland Park, KS.
Lagoon Island Summer Camps (Kansas City, KS) has environmental learning camps for pre-K-8th grade at the Environmental Learning Center at Wyandotte County Lake Park.
Lakeside Nature Center (Kansas City, MO) is open year-round and features an array of nature offerings for kids!
LEARN Science and Math Club – Each summer, LEARN’s all-volunteer staff of engineers, programmers and other techie types donates up to five weeks of their time to give kids a rip-roaring good time playing with robots, developing video games and doing lots of other fun (and secretly educational) projects. For ages 5-14
Mad Science KC (various locations) is offering several camps this summer for a variety of ages. They can learn about everything from the great outdoors to rockets to robots. And it’ll be super fun!
Martha Lafite Thompson Nature Sanctuary (Northland) has a fantastic summer program called EGADS (Earth Guardians Adventure Days). Offerings include outdoor exploration, games, crafts and songs.
Outdoor Education Laboratory (south Johnson County, KS) is open to campers from kindergarten thru 7th grade. Kids get down and dirty, spending the day outside in the forest, learning about nature and science in a very hands-on and very fun environment. This camp is EXTREMELY popular – sign up quick!
Powell Gardens (Kingsville, MO – east of Lee’s Summit) offers a variety of educational opportunities throughout the year for kids.
Science City (Kansas City, MO) sparks interest in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) learning through interactive, challenging and FUN activities! Extended hours and fun topics to explore for kids ages 6-12.
St. Teresa’s Academy Summer Camps (Kansas City, MO) offers STEAM camps for girls entering grades 6-9.
UMKC – Kansas City Summer Transportation Institute (Kansas City, MO) is a unique camp for high schoolers focused on career exploration in the transportation sector, skill building, teamwork and college preparation. A great opportunity for your older ones!
Wildwood Outdoor Education Center (near LaCygne, KS) offers residential camping in a gorgeous setting. Five-day programs for boys and girls ages 7-15 . An incredible outdoorsy camp with an emphasis on leadership and self-esteem. Full and mini sessions available for this overnight camp.
YMCA (20 locations in the metro) offers camps for 5-15 year olds throughout the summer with tons of themes and traditional camp activities. Great hours for working parents with before and after camp care.