Animal Summer Camp - Animals Are Our Specialty
A Summer Camp for Kids Who Love Animals
With more than 300 animals representing over 100 different species, animals are a part of everyday life at Cub Creek Science Camp. Campers don't just learn about animals—they meet them, feed them, care for them, and get hands-on experience working with them.
Whether your camper dreams of becoming a veterinarian, loves exotic animals, or simply wants to spend the summer surrounded by animals, Cub Creek offers experiences that are difficult to find at a traditional summer camp.
Campers can choose from animal-focused activities including Junior Veterinarian, Advanced Junior Vet, Adopt an Animal, Amazing Animals, and Animal Care & Enrichment. They can work with animals ranging from traditional barnyard favorites to reptiles, birds, small mammals, and exotic species.
And animal experiences aren't limited to campers who choose an animal class. Our animals are part of the Cub Creek experience throughout the week, giving campers opportunities to encounter, learn about, and enjoy them during their time at camp.
If your child is looking for an animal summer camp where animals are more than something to see, welcome to Cub Creek.
Choose Your Animal Experience
Campers can make animals a major part of their week—or simply enjoy the animal encounters that happen naturally throughout camp. There is no separate animal summer camp program to register for. Instead, campers choose from animal-focused courses and classes along with all of Cub Creek's other activities. Explore the options below to find the animal experiences that interest your camper most.
Classes
Courses
Look below for a list of our animal related courses and classes.
Our Most Popular Animal Courses Are Guaranteed
Many Cub Creek courses have limited enrollment, but Junior Vet, Advanced Junior Vet, and Adopt an Animal are guaranteed for every camper who wants to take them. We know these hands-on animal courses are one of the main reasons many kids choose Cub Creek.
That is why we offer multiple sections throughout the day and prepare enough instructors and materials to give every interested camper an opportunity to participate.
Junior Veterinarian
Junior Veterinarian, better known at camp as Junior Vet, is one of our most popular animal courses. Designed for kids who are curious about veterinary medicine, this week-long course introduces campers to real veterinary skills through hands-on activities, demonstrations, and animal experiences. Campers who complete Junior Vet may also choose our Advanced Junior Vet course.
Basic Animal Examinations – Campers learn what veterinarians look for during a basic health exam. They practice observing an animal's overall condition and learn why a physical examination is an important first step in veterinary care.
Learning Suturing Techniques – Campers learn why veterinarians use sutures and practice basic stitching techniques. They begin with practice materials before working with real suture needles and thread on a banana.
Watch a Live Surgery – Our veterinarian visits camp each week to perform examinations and surgeries. Campers may observe procedures such as spays and neuters on rescued dogs and cats, as well as occasional procedures involving other animals, while asking questions and learning directly from the veterinarian.
Giving Injections – Using colored water and oranges, campers practice drawing up and administering medications. They also learn why injections are given, where they may be administered, and how veterinarians use them in animal care.
Skeletal Anatomy – Campers learn to identify bones across several species. They use diagrams, animal examples, and X-rays to compare skeletal structures and better understand how anatomy differs from one animal to another.
Advanced Junior Vet
Advanced Junior Vet takes veterinary learning to the next level. Campers explore animal nutrition, parasites, wound care, internal anatomy, and other topics in animal health and treatment. Hands-on activities include microscope work, basic animal first aid, dissection, and the opportunity to observe a veterinarian performing surgery at camp.
Nutrition – Campers explore how diet affects animal health. They visit camp's feed rooms, compare foods used for different species, and learn why nutritional needs vary from one animal to another.
Parasites – Campers learn about internal and external parasites that can affect animals. They prepare samples and use microscopes to look for parasites and other abnormalities.
Watch a Live Surgery – Campers observe a veterinarian performing a procedure at camp, often a spay or neuter for a rescued dog or cat. They can ask questions about the procedure, veterinary medicine, and the veterinarian's career.
Wound Care – Campers practice basic animal first aid, including how to assess, clean, and bandage wounds. They also learn about medications commonly used in treating injured animals.
Internal Anatomy – Through a mouse dissection, campers identify major organs, examine where they are located, and learn how different body systems work together.
Adopt an Animal
Adopt an Animal gives campers the chance to experience what responsible animal care is really like. Each camper chooses one of Cub Creek's 300+ animals and helps care for that animal throughout the week. Along the way, they learn about feeding, cleaning, health care, enrichment, ecology, and conservation while building a special connection with the animal they have chosen.
Meet & Choose Your Animal – Campers spend time getting to know the animals in their chosen area. They learn how those animals are cared for and handled before selecting the individual animal they will adopt for the week.
Feeding & Cleaning – Campers learn about their animal's diet and help maintain a clean, healthy enclosure. They also discover how the food we provide relates to what the animal would naturally eat.
Health & Care – Campers explore preventative animal care, including grooming, nail trimming, dental care, veterinary procedures, and the ongoing responsibilities involved in keeping an animal healthy.
Animal Enrichment – Campers visit our Enrichment Room and create toys, treats, and activities designed to encourage natural behaviors and keep their adopted animal mentally and physically active.
Ecology & Conservation – Campers learn about their animal's role in the wild and explore how human actions can affect wildlife and habitats. The week ends with time to say goodbye and reflect on what they have learned.
Amazing Animals
Amazing Animals is for campers who want to experience the incredible variety of animals that call Cub Creek home. Throughout the week, campers explore different animal areas while learning what makes mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates unique. Along the way, they discover how adaptations such as beaks, feet, tails, scales, feathers, and fur help animals survive.
Fish & Frogs – Campers explore the major groups of vertebrates and spend time learning about fish and amphibians. They visit the Nature Center and examine the features that help these animals live in and around water.
Mammals – From tiny mammals to large hoofstock, campers explore the wide variety of mammals at Cub Creek. They compare body structures, behaviors, diets, and adaptations while meeting animals from several different groups.
Birds – Campers discover how feet, beaks, feathers, and other adaptations help birds survive. They compare different species and learn why a parrot's foot works differently from a chicken's.
Creepy Crawly Critters – Campers explore amphibians, spiders, scorpions, millipedes, insects, and other small creatures. Some are found in our animal areas, while others can be discovered right outside if you know where to look.
Reptiles – Campers learn about cold-blooded animals and the adaptations that make reptiles unique. Depending on the animals and conditions, they may also help take reptiles outside for natural sunlight and enrichment.
Animal Care & Enrichment
Animal Care & Enrichment gives campers a closer look at how we keep animals healthy, active, and mentally stimulated. Campers learn how an animal's natural behavior influences the care and enrichment it needs. Throughout the course, they create enrichment, work with birds, explore animal training, make feeding activities, and practice basic grooming.
Animal Enrichment – Different animals have different behavioral needs. Campers learn how enrichment can prevent boredom and encourage natural behaviors through toys, scents, sounds, movement, and problem-solving activities.
Bird Play – Parrots are among the most intelligent animals at camp. Campers learn why mental stimulation is so important for birds and explore ways to keep them active, curious, and engaged.
Animal Training – Campers learn the basics of operant and classical conditioning. They discover how training can teach behaviors, provide mental stimulation, and even help animals participate more comfortably in their own veterinary care.
Feeding Fun for Animals – In the wild, animals often spend a large part of their day searching for food. Campers create feeding activities that encourage animals to move, explore, and problem-solve instead of simply receiving food in a bowl.
Animal Grooming – Grooming is about much more than appearance. Campers learn how brushing, bathing, nail care, dust baths, and other grooming practices can help keep an animal's skin, coat, feet, and nails healthy.
Our Most Popular Animal Courses Are Guaranteed
Many Cub Creek courses have limited enrollment, but Junior Vet, Advanced Junior Vet, and Adopt an Animal are guaranteed for every camper who wants to take them. We know these hands-on animal courses are one of the main reasons many kids choose Cub Creek.
That is why we offer multiple sections throughout the day and prepare enough instructors and materials to give every interested camper an opportunity to participate.
Ready to Explore More?
Animals may be our specialty, but they're only part of the Cub Creek experience. Explore our science, adventure, nature, arts and crafts, and other camp activities to discover everything campers can choose from during their stay.
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