May 18, 2001 UNT Inhouse publication: Elm Fork Education Center Explorer's Camp registration deadline June 1

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Elm Fork Education Center Explorer's Camp registration deadline June 1

Parents of children in the second through eighth grades have until June 1 to register their children for the 2001 Elm Fork Explorer's Camp. The program offers a variety of opportunities, organized into eight half-day (8 a.m. to noon) weeklong camps and one full-day option. All camps are held at the Elm Fork Education Center and the Environmental Education, Science and Technology Building at UNT.

The camps were designed by teams of teachers, professors and students and are designed to introduce campers to the joy of learning about the world around them. Each camp's content and staffing is tailored to a particular age group.

A complete listing of the camps available and the age range and cost for each can be viewed below. North Lakes Park is offering a full-day camping option through the Elm Fork Explorer's Camp, allowing campers to enjoy swimming, sports and outdoor activities.

Not all camps are offered each week and it may be possible for a child to attend more than one. Camps are scheduled weekdays June 11-29. Registration forms are available at the Elm Fork Education Center's web site, www.efec.unt.edu.

Circle of Life is the new and improved version of the Elm Fork Explorer's Camp's first camp program, which was called Earth Quest 1. As part of this program, campers entering second through fourth grades will explore the complex connections of living systems. They will discover the microscopic world of water, learn why plants need sunlight to grow and experience how scientists investigate the environment. Every activity is designed to be hands-on, and campers will create projects that they will be able to take home. This camp will be offered all three weeks: June 11-15, 18-22 and 25-29. Capacity is limited. The same camp is offered each week, so children should only be enrolled for one session. Cost per camper is $130.

Dig-In Time is an archaeological adventure offered to campers entering third through fifth grades. As part of an archaeological team, campers will undertake an expedition to uncover the secrets of the past. Written records of history in Texas begin with accounts of the Spanish explorers less than 500 years ago, but people came to Texas more than 11,000 years before that. The unwritten story of those thousands of years lies hidden in the Texas soil. Dig-In Time will be offered June 11-25. Capacity is limited. Cost per camper is $130.

The neighborhood will never be the same to campers entering third through fifth grades who choose to become Neighborhood Naturalists. Campers will discover the wonders that exist in their own back yard through an exploration of the plants and animals that are native and not so native to North Texas. Campers will discover where fire ants and armadillos came from and will become experts on trees, insects, birds and more. Neighborhood Naturalist will be offered June 18-22 and 25-29. Capacity is limited. Cost per camper is $130.

Campers can join the Elm Fork Explorer's Camp on a journey back in time and deep into the Earth's crust with Journey to the Center of the Earth. Campers entering third through fifth grades will discover what is buried deep beneath their feet. Designed around UNT's new Troutt Texas Geological Trail, this camp will focus on the rocks, mineral, soils and effects of time and catastrophic events that formed the land we now call Texas. Journey to the Center of the Earth will only be offered the week of June 18-22. Capacity is limited. Cost per camper is $130.

Have you ever wondered what makes a pond a pond? Campers entering third through fifth grades who choose to join Elm Fork Explorer's Camp in a look Just Beneath the Surface will discover for themselves the secrets behind this mysterious aquatic world. Campers will start by examining the water itself and then peer into the depths to find insects, tadpoles, fish, microscopic organisms and more. Just Beneath the Surface will be offered the week of June 25-29. Capacity is limited. Cost per camper is $130.

EFEC Field School Adventures allows campers to take the next step toward becoming real scientists. Campers will discover the wonders of working in the field, collecting data standing ankle deep in mud. The Mean Green Environmental Machine (the Elm Fork Education Center's own compressed natural gas bus) will depart daily on an adventure to the wilds of the Greenbelt for the following three camps:

Have you ever wondered what a raccoon does during the day? Or what might be living in that strange hole in the ground? For students entering sixth through eighth grades, Homes, Habits and Habitats is the solution to all the "who, what, why and how" questions about nature. Campers will learn to build nests and dens, see for themselves what a variety of animals are up to and explore the part each plays in creating the delicate ecosystem balance. Campers will collect data on local field trips, perform hands-on experiments in university laboratories and discover firsthand the fascinating facts about some of the wildlife in North Texas. Homes, Habits and Habitats will be offered June 11-15. Capacity is limited to the first 30 to register. Cost per camper is $155.

Ex-Stream Adventure provides a whole new aquatic world to campers entering sixth through eighth grades. They will investigate firsthand the unique nature of the Elm Fork of the Trinity River and/or Clear Creek. Campers will learn what lives in, on and near a river and discover the secrets the water can reveal about how the land around it is treated. Ex-Stream Adventure will only be offered the week of June 18-22. Capacity is limited to 30. Cost per camper is $155.

In Making History, Elm Fork Explorer's Camp puts together a team of dedicated archaeologists to investigate reports of the discovery of ancient artifacts. Campers entering sixth through eighth grades can join a simulated local dig and work as a team to excavate and map a "newly discovered" site. Data will be collected daily and analyzed in an attempt to reconstruct the stories of the ancient cultures they have uncovered. Making History will be offered June 25-29. Capacity is limited to 30. Cost per camper is $155.

As a full-day option, North Lakes Park will offer special daily afternoon sessions from noon to 6 p.m. for a limited number of campers per week. For just an extra $45 per week, campers will enjoy swimming, sports, outdoor activities and at least one area field trip per week. Call 349-7218 for details about this opportunity.