Wilderness Camp
WILDERNESS CAMP!
Ages 9-10
Monday thru Friday $475
Same great camp now offered through Pet World's sister company, the Nature Objective!
Group 1 M-F 8am-3pm
Group 3 M-F 9am-4pm
Designed for adventurous fourth graders (ages 9-10) who have attended Animal Camp at least once! (No first time campers, sorry.) Wilderness Camp is a week long day camp designed for returning campers who just can't get enough of our private nature reserve and the tortoise farm!
Every day begins with a field trip to Pet World for free time with the animals before they open followed by an all day outing at our nature preserve including hiking, creeking, frogging, climbing, snake hunting, trailblazing, and fort building! Morning drop off is is near the Pooch Park at Pet World. Local kids can be picked up at PW or we'll drop them off at home (or a prearranged location) after camp. On Thursday evening, parents and families of 10 year olds (who will be too old to return next year) are invited to pick up at our nature preserve instead of PW. Kids can take their families on a private tour of the property! 9 year old campers will end camp at their normal time.
Why Wilderness Camp? Every year our older kids had a hard time facing their last summer of Animal Camp so we created this advanced level camp for kids who really loved the nature preserve and had already mastered the lower levels. Most kids attend PW's Critter Camp at age 5 or 6 (although they can now start in Lil' Critter Camp at 3!), move up to Animal Camp around age 7 or 8, then repeat Animal Camp for a second time. Before Wilderness Camp, kids found themselves sad with no higher level camp for them to look forward to the next summer. Even though our camp kids are allowed to start volunteering at the rehoming center at age 10 (instead of waiting until 11 like other youth volunteers) many of the really adventurous kids needed something more.
The truth is, our private nature preserve is a pretty magical place and most kids just can’t get enough of it. So Wilderness Camp was designed to take these kids to the next level and provide a camp for kids up to age 10. The huge nature preserve is private with no public access. Very few people are allowed to use the property so it stays pristine and natural. The experience is about as primitive as a kid can get these days.
Because Wilderness Camp enrollment is limited to returning campers only, the kids in this camp already know what they're doing have considerably more independent, free time with only moderate refresher training. In addition, we forego the traditional field trips of Animal Camp and spend all day at the nature preserve every single day (with the Family Farewell for 10 year olds on Thursday night). Even though they go home every evening, kids build forts and set up campsites a little each day while blazing trails, seining the creek, hiking, fishing, snake hunting, caring for the tortoises, and basically just enjoying nature with no interruptions from the modern, outside world. They learn to navigate using the sun and a compass and communicate with two way radios.
Families of 10 year olds are invited to join us Thursday night so kids can take them on a private tour of their last Wilderness Camp experience!
Spots are very limited in all camps. Because we provide free transportation, we can only have as many kids as we have seat bealts. Early registration begins March 15 (with additional fees) and open enrollment starts on April 15.
This outdoor camp goes on rain or shine!
The most all-inclusive of our nature camps, WC includes camp shirt, laundry service M-R, free transportation from PW to the farm and back home. Normally we provide lunch M-F, drinks, snacks, and extra campfire snacks on Thursday night but because of COVID-19, unfortunately, our camp kitchen will not be open this summer and all participants will need to bring their own lunches from home. We hate this limitation and are SO SORRY for the parent inconvenience!
Campers navigating trails (L).
Camp counselor teaching the kids how to start a campfire to cook their lunch - take note of the MUD (R).
Campers with wild, baby ringneck snakes they found herping with camp counselors.
Brave camper crossing the famous tree bridge to go see the tortoise enclosure.
WILDERNESS CAMP!
Ages 9-10
Monday thru Friday $475
Group 1 M-F 8am-3pm
Group 3 M-F 9am-4pm
Kids will be transported in a group of 10 via passenger van or groups of 3 in SUVs. As soon as one time slot exceeds six that will probably be the 10 child group and the other time slots will be limited to six. If you have friends in camp together, please note that on your enrollment form and we can seat them together.
Click here to ENROLL NOW in Wilderness Camp
Enrollment Forms are activated at 10am, March 15
Please note:
2023 SOLD OUT March 18
2022 - SOLD OUT March 16
2021 - SOLD OUT March 25
2019- SOLD OUT May 1
2018 - SOLD OUT April 2
Please e-mail questions to Ande at Ande.PetWorldExperience@gmail.com
The Fine Print: Online registration forms are updated by 10am on March 15. Please check the year on the form before submitting or the price may be incorrect. Parents, please submit completed forms at your earliest convenience. We call our programs "summer camps" for convenience but actually they are classified as instructional, topic/task specific classes under K.S.A. 65-501 which are exempt from licensing requirements (similar to a sports training camp or Vacation Bible School). Our programs are private and sometimes used for childcare, however, because they are less than five weeks in duration, they are not classified as daycare. Even though licensing is not required, our instructors and leaders are fully trained in animal husbandry, local nature, certified in rescue, first aid, and CPR, and we maintain an adult to child ratio of 1 adult to 6 kids. Enrollment is limited because we keep our groups very small.
Open Enrollment
Registration with no additional fees is first come, first served, beginning when the store opens on APRIL 15 (tax day).
Early Enrollment
It's possible to pay an additional, early registration fee and register beginning March 15. Early, prepaid registrations are processed in the order received as long as they are accompanied by the early fee. First time camp parents can stop by in person and we'll help you through the process or you can enroll from your own computer. The numbers of available spots are updated every day from March 15 until all camps are sold out (which happens every year by mid May, except 2020, of course).