WILD Outdoor STEAM Camp

CASA is thrilled to partner with WILD Outdoor Education, a STEAM based outdoor adventure camp for 1st - 5th graders that combines hiking, science, conservation, art & fun! There are four unique weeks of WILD. Drop off & pick up occurs at SOTA, but campers enrolled in WILD spend most of the day outdoors exploring SF parks!

Bugs & Butterflies (Gr 1-3) June 9-13

Why learn about bugs? Well to start with, there are around 10 quintillion insects in the world and each species is unique! Seriously, the world of insects is beyond rich, so get your magnifying glasses - we’re diving in! We’ll be investigating the basic characteristics of insects. Explore the process of metamorphosis and the dance of pollination.  Students will get to discover the role insects play in their ecosystem and their importance to humans. There will be a lot of turning of stones and looking under leaves. We’ll also be making some sweet bug hotels and more! Students will leave inspired to protect insects and their habitats.  

Crystals: Mineral Magic! (Gr 1-3) June 16-20

Crystals are beautiful and awesome! But what are crystals and how are they made? Did you know that snowflakes, sugar and even salt are forms of crystals? There are crystals all around us, and they grow! In fact they grow in very special ways that we will get to learn to build- like nature's legos! Crystals week will include everything from making fun birthstone decorations while learning about geometry to forming some of our own crystals, and even eating them! 

Awesome Adaptations! (Gr 3-5) June 23-27

Shark skin inspired swimsuits, a communication system invented by bats, sea sponges that helped invent fiber optic cables... all part of the amazing world of adaptations! Adaptations are like super powers and we're going to jump into the wild and awe inspiring world of biodiversity and why all the species of this planet have adaptations including us! From close up encounters with hands-on specimens, to art projects that tap into the creative and innovative parts of our minds, to seeing adaptations in action as we trek out on the daily hike! Kids will get to work together and shine as we look at how we can adapt to our world's needs as well as our own and influence the world around us for the better?

Crafty Shelters: Your Home in Nature! (Gr 3-5) July 11-14

Shelter is essential for survival, but what makes a good shelter? This week we’ll answer that and learn how to build a shelter out of available resources. Explore why shelter is so important for humans and animals alike, why some animals live the way they do and about how native americans in the Bay Area built their shelters. Get ready to check out where and how local animals live, fantasize your dream shelter, and build a shelter of our own! 

And let's not forget how we shelter our bodies everyday in clothes! How did our ancestors make different clothing? What did they wear?! How did they paint or dye those clothes? Get ready to find out! Time to make natural pigment paintings, learn to create patterns and stamps, and play  camouflage games! 

These activities and more as we explore the rainbow of natural ways to make beautiful colors and how they turned clothing and homes into more than just shelter but also tools of expression!