Summer Camps

An instructor sits next to a child as they compare their science experiments

Summer Camps

The Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo provides interactive week-long science camps every summer. Registration for Summer 2022 Science Camps starts February 2nd for Palo Alto Residents and February 9th for families living outside of Palo Alto. 

Bay Camp: Come spend a week discovering our very own Salt Marsh! Each day we will have a different theme to explore through engaging activities. You will be a fisherman and a scientist, traverse Byxbee Park, and paddle the Baylands sloughs in canoes for a closer look at the plants and birds. Be prepared to be out in the sun and to get a bit muddy or wet while you learn about this special habitat. Daily games and arts & crafts activities will complement the days' themes, so bring your imagination!

Jurassic Camp: Learn all about dinosaurs and geology in this incredible exploration of the earth. Examine real dinosaur fossils, make casts of fossils and conduct a fossil dig. Build a volcano, investigate rocks and minerals, and start your own rock collection. 

Camp Oceana: Investigate the mysteries of the deep. Learn about underwater volcanoes and mountains, ocean creatures and plants, and things that sparkle in the darkest parts of the sea. Join us to explore the biology, geology, and chemistry of the sea. The week of June 13th, campers will take a study trip to an oceanside environment (to be announced)!

Wildlife Camp: We're getting wild at Foothills Park this summer with a camp that's full of adventure and fun in the great outdoors. We'll be hiking daily, tracking animals, investigating botanicals, and reliving lifestyles of the past. 

Camp Kinetic: This highly charged camp will make your hair stand on end! Join us to explore physics and chemistry. We'll be building, breaking, floating and squishing all sorts of contraptions and gooey concoctions. 

Camp Chronos: Time travel through science! Join us and rediscover ancient technologies as you build famous inventions, perform historic experiments, and look back in time through space. Explore physics, chemistry, and astronomy in the past, present, and future!

Zoo Camp: Be the first to experience the new Zoo at the Junior Museum-- a wonderous land of adventure for kids and animals. Safely interact with new and returning animal residents, inclduing a wide variety of exotic birds that roam freely in the netted Zoo. Learn about animal behavior, habitat, anatomy, and diet, and find out what it takes to be a zookeeper by participating in the zoo's daily activities. 

Post Camp: Join us after camp for more fun activities! Post campers will create art, swim, and play at Rinconada Park. Available until 6pm. 

Science for Kinders: Kindergarteners will enjoy this introduction to the best science of the Junior Museum & Zoo. We will explore chemistry, physics, botany, architecture, and zoology in this hands-on, minds-on science camp.

Science for Preschoolers: This special camp provides preschoolers with a fun introduction to zoology, botany, physics, chemistry, and architecture. Camp days are chock full of both focused science explorations and age-appropriate science play outside.