Summer Camps

The Foothills Learning Center and Boise WaterShed host and sponsor several summer camp programs or classes for youth ages preschool and up. 

Information about all camps and classes is posted in the early Spring and published in the Spring and Summer Boise Parks and Recreation Activity Guides. You can register either online or by calling Fort Boise at 208-608-7680.

Preschool Nature Camps for ages 3 1/2 to 6 years old are offered as one day classes throughout the year at the Foothills Learning Center. Boise WaterShed offers summer art classes taught by local artists.  Advance registration is required. You can register online by going to the Boise Parks and Recreation online registration system. Select "Activities", then search Boise WaterShed under the "Location" menu.

Summer Camps

Junior Garden Camp

Monday June 3 – Friday June 7
9 am til noon each day
Ages 8-12

Children aged 8-12 will plan, plant, and tend their own vegetable and herb garden, have fun with Junior Master Gardener activities, and bring their skills back to your home garden.  It all begins with this five-day camp; kids are invited share the bounty from this beautiful garden all summer long.  This is a great partnership between the Foothills Learning Centerand FarWest Landscape and Garden Center. 

Boise Earth Action Camp -Bogus to the River

Monday June 17 – Friday June 21;  or
Monday June 24 – Friday June 28
9 a.m. til 4 pm. each day.
Ages 8-12

Meets at Fort Boise Community Center

Upper elementary students will have a week of adventure exploring Boise’s amazing outdoor environment.  We’ll examine our local ecosystem from the forested mountains at BogusBasin, through the foothills into the city, and right into the Boise River.  Campers will hike, explore, and play in the wonderland that is our Boise backyard.  Along the way, they’ll have many opportunities to see how humans interact with the environment, for better or worse.  We’ll be outside and on the move most of the time, so campers should dress for the weather.

Wild in the City
While it is a city, Boise is part of an amazing variety of habitats including deserts, forests, and rivers.  Explore the wilds of the city and experience the outdoor recreational opportunities Boise has to offer.  We will hike in the Boise Foothills while learning about sagebrush deserts; float the Boise River while discovering river and riparian habitats; take a wetland adventure with the Boise WaterShed; explore our City of Trees guided by urban foresters through many of our city parks investigating and identifying different trees and their functions; and safari through the zoo to explore ecosystems and animals from around the world.  Meet at Zoo Boise each morning.  Transportation to locations provided.  Class size:  Maximum 12.

Cost:  Boise Resident: $76.00                      Nonresident: $117.25   

Dates:7/22-7/26               M-F/9:00am-4:00pm      Ages 10-12  Activity Number:1066.431

Summer Art Classes

• Birds of the Watershed with artist Rachel Murphy - FULL
  Tuesday, June 18, 10:00 am – 12:30 pm, grades K-4

• Animals of the Watershed with artists Matt Laurance and Josh Olson
  Friday June 28, 10:00 am – 12:30 pm, grades K-12

• Woven Roots with artist Nellie Baker and storyteller Joy Steiner
  Tuesday, July 2, 10:00 am – 12:30 pm, grades 3-6

• Nature’s Texture with artist Amy Nack
  Tuesday, July 9, 1:30 – 4:00 pm, grades 3-12

• smART Plants with artists Amy Nack and Rachel Murphy
  Thursday, July 11, 6:00 – 8:00 pm, Adults (18+)

• Plants are in Charge! With artist Linda Bucyznski
  Thursday, July 18 , 1:30 – 4:00 pm, grades 6-12

• Seeing the Big Picture with artist Renda Palmer
  Tuesday, July 23, 1:30-4:00 pm, grades 3-12

• Flowers of the Watershed with artist Rachel Murphy
  Tuesday, July 30, 1:30-4:00 pm, grades 4-12

• Shaping the Story of the Land in Clay with Jerry Hendershoot
  Tuesday, August 6, 9:00 am - 1:00 pm, grades 6-12