|
|
2009 Animal Care Summer Camps
ATTENTION: Sessions 1-5 are full and therefore closed and Sessions 1-3 and 5 are closed for teen assistants. Dog camp and vet camp have limited spaces.
Summer Camp Application (PDF)
2009 Summer Camp Descriptions
Registration Information
Frequently Asked Questions
Camp Descriptions
Junior Animal Camp - Entering 1st or 2nd Grade in Fall 2009
Session 1
Monday, June 15 - Friday, June 19
9 a.m. - Noon
Session 2
Monday, June 22 - Friday, June 26
9 a.m. - Noon
$150 registration fee
Animal-themed arts, crafts, games, and daily visits from Animal Ambassadors.
20 campers per week/5 camp assistants per week
Animal Care Camp - Entering 3rd or 4th Grade in Fall 2009
Session 3
Monday, June 29 - Friday, July 3
9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Session 4
Monday, July 6 - Friday, July 10
9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Session 5
Monday, July 13 - Friday, July 17
9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
$250 registration fee
An introduction to basic animal care plus animal-themed arts, crafts, games, and daily visits from Animal Ambassadors.
20 campers per week/5 camp assistants per week
Senior Animal Care Camp - Entering 5th or 6th Grade in Fall 2009
Session 6
Monday, July 20 - Friday, July 24
9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Session 7
Monday, July 27 - Friday, July 31
9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Session 8
Monday, August 3 - Friday, August 7
9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Session 9
Monday, August 10 - Friday, August 14
9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
$250 registration fee
An introduction to advanced animal care plus animal-themed arts, crafts, games, daily visits from Animal Ambassadors, and an opportunity to learn and practice the basics of dog training.
20 campers per week/5 camp assistants per week
Specialty Camps - Entering 6th - 12th Grade in Fall 2009
Cat Camp
Monday, July 20 - Friday, July 24
9 a.m. - Noon
$150 registration fee
Calling all cat lovers. This camp is the purrfect place to learn about feline health, care and behavior. Classroom time will be balanced with opportunities to observe and care for cats in our shelter.
15 campers per session
Dog Camp
Monday, July 27 - Friday, July 31
9 a.m. - Noon
$150 registration fee
Dog crazy teens will love this camp which focuses on the history, behavior, care and training of the canine. Classroom time will be balanced with opportunities to train volunteer dogs.
15 campers per session
Vet Camp
Monday, August 1 - Friday, August 7
9 a.m. - Noon (Friday, August 7 goes until 3:00 p.m. because of the field trip)
$150 registration fee
This camp provides a wonderful introduction to veterinary medicine and is a perfect first step for any student interested in a career in the field. Classroom time will be balanced with opportunities for observation in the MHS Veterinary Clinic and Shelter Medicine Department. A field trip to the Marin Pet Emergency Center and Wild Care veterinary department takes place on the last day of this camp.
15 campers per session
Teen Camp Assistant- Entering 7th -12th grades in Fall 2009
If you love animals and enjoy working with younger children, you may apply as a Teen Camp Assistant. You may assist for one week-long camp session and earn community service credit for your effort. Teen Camp Assistants help young campers with projects, play with them at recess, and assist the camp staff with the handling of our Animal Ambassadors. Each Teen Camp Assistant works directly with a group of 4-5 campers for the entire camp session (Monday - Friday).
Students in the 7th and 8th grade may apply as an Assistant in the 1st – 4th grade camps. Students in the 9th–12th grades may volunteer as an Assistant for any camp session.
$25 registration fee
Registration Information
The Marin Humane Society's Summer Camp Registration will be done by mail only. Mail your application form to:
Animal Care Camp
Marin Humane Society
171 Bel Marin Keys Blvd.
Novato, CA 94949
- We are not able to accept walk-in registrations.
- All forms must be received by mail no later than Monday, March 23, 2009. Applications received after that date will be given consideration only after sessions have been filled and only if there are additional openings available.
- Please do not include a check with your application form.
- Camp lists will be posted on our Web site by Monday, March 30, 2009. Within two weeks, campers will receive a letter of acceptance and a request for registration payment.
- All registration fees must be received by Friday, June 5, 2009 to secure your child's place in camp. Placement in summer camp will be forfeited if payment is not received by that date.
Dates to remember:
March 16 – Camp registration begins
March 23 - Applications due
March 30 – Camp lists posted on Web site
June 5 - Registration fees due
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. May my child attend more than one week of camp?
A. Due to the fact that we receive several hundred camp applications each summer, we must unfortunately limit a camper to one session.
Q. Why are there fewer kids in the Senior Animal Care Camps than in the other camp sessions?
A. Evaluations of previous camp years indicated that most parents wanted their older children to have more hands-on time with the animals and more time participating in activities "behind the scenes" at the shelter. We wanted that too! The only way to accomplish it was to limit the number of kids in those sessions so that we could have a better camper to adult ratio. Due to liability issues, all children interacting with animals at MHS must be under direct adult supervision at all times and smaller groups allow for more hands-on time per child.
Q. Will my child spend most of the day working directly with animals?
A. Everything we do at camp is aimed at teaching children about animal care, handling, and welfare. We strive to give our campers an opportunity to interact with several animals each day. However, we are an open-door animal shelter that cares for all animals including some that may be sick, injured, and sometimes aggressive. Our ability to have kids interact with animals relies entirely on the types of animals who are in residence during the camp season. Our two top priorities are to provide our campers with a safe and fun experience and also to prevent our resident animals from any undue stress. Some animals simply cannot handle the attention of twenty children at a time and we endeavor to teach the children to respect the needs of each individual animal. That being said, when a gentle bunny, curious rat, kid-loving dog or playful bunch of kittens comes through the shelter, the camp kids are definitely given opportunity to interact with them. In addition, activities like dog training and animal socializing with guest Animal Ambassadors are the highlight of the week for many of our campers.
Q. May my child bring their own animal to camp?
A. While you may have a well- trained dog and a child who is very experienced at handling him, we can’t guarantee that of all our campers and their pets. In the interest of keeping both the children and the animals safe, we ask you to leave your pets at home. We will make sure the campers have opportunities to interact with animals who we know are behaviorally appropriate.
Q. Why don’t you expand your camp sessions in order to accommodate more children each summer?
A. We currently run sessions from the Monday after school gets out in June until just one week prior to the start of school in August. As we only have one room available at the shelter in which to hold camp, it is not possible to run multiple sessions at one time. We have added four extra weeks of camp and increased the number of kids per session over the last few years. We would love to expand the camp even further and hope that some day we will have a larger facility to accommodate that dream!
|
|
|
