Let’s get festive with redwood horticultural art! Celebrate the new Treasured Trees exhibit and the wonder of forestscapes by crafting an arboreal-inspired sculpture. This course will satisfy both plant and art lovers alike as you learn the science of redwood ecosystems by designing, weaving, and mounting redwood materials into a beautiful model. Create a masterpiece for your...
Are you a fossil forager, a dinosaur discoverer, or a rock wrangler? Join the Museum as we unearth the fossils, rocks, and ancient history of Santa Cruz by exploring the many surprising things you can learn from digging into the ground. Campers entering K-2nd grade will build friendships while investigating artifacts, studying fossils, playing games,...
Have you ever wondered what it takes to be able to live here in Santa Cruz? This summer, young adventurers can join us as we investigate the plants and animals that call Santa Cruz home and learn how they manage to survive and thrive here. Campers will go on walking field trips to explore nearby...
4th of July is always full of fun, fireworks, and friends! But our festivities can leave a mess on the beaches and potentially harm marine life. So, after celebrating the 4th of July, join the Museum on the 5th of July as we team up with Save Our Shores for a beach cleanup! Give back...
Have you ever noticed how places in nature around Santa Cruz are different from each other? In this camp young adventurers can join us on a journey to study the many incredible and interesting habitats you can find here. Campers will become more observant of the connections in nature around them and deepen their appreciation...
Biomimicry is an engineering concept that uses ideas from nature to create sustainable solutions. We invite kids to spend the week exploring and drawing inspiration from nature to solve design challenges and engineer their own solutions to help humans live more sustainably on Earth. The week leads up to completing an engineering project and an...
Jumbo July is off to a blazing start, as we learn the science behind redwood trees fireproof capabilities. This hot topic will showcase the unique adaptations of redwood trees, how wildfires transform forest ecology, and how the ecosystems are able to bounce back. REGISTER Instructor: Brian Woodward - Sempervirens’ Land & Stewardship Committee and Forest...
In collaboration with the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, adventure through exclusive areas as you partake in a redwood forest exploration. Guided by an expert ecologist, prepare to trailblaze into the unknown as you explore unique redwood forest ecosystems, survey wildfire scars, and, if you’re lucky, you might even discover an albino redwood! Open...
Love nature, science, and art, but don’t know where to start? Here is your opportunity to master a new skill and bring home your own environmentally-inspired masterpiece after just one class. Learn the basics of chalk pastel and colored pencil with step-by-step instruction by a master scientific illustrator. After a nature walk to gain knowledge...
Calling young artists and scientists curious about nature! This summer, young explorers can join us on a journey to investigate symmetries, patterns, and curiosities in the natural world. Spend the week exploring nearby beach, creek, and garden habitats, and making all sorts of art inspired by what we discover. CAMP FULL JOIN THE WAITLIST For...
Calling young artists and scientists curious about nature! This summer, young explorers can join us on a journey to investigate symmetries, patterns, and curiosities in the natural world. Spend the week exploring nearby beach, creek, and garden habitats, and making all sorts of art inspired by what we discover. REGISTER For entering K-2nd grade
The Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History is thrilled to be partnering with the Sempervirens Fund to offer Jumbo July, a series highlighting enormous trees, forest-dwelling giants, and our collaborative exhibit: Treasured Trees: The Story of Coast Redwoods. While California might be famous for coast redwoods, get your passport ready as this Jumbo July lecture...
As part of this redwood exhibit special, learn from a featured scientific illustrator on how to capture the intricate beauty of forest ecosystems. Using the rare artistic medium, Dura-Lar, learn specialized stenciling and color pencils techniques with step-by-step instruction by a master naturalist and artist. By layering reference materials under the Dura-Lar, participants will learn...
In collaboration with the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, adventure through exclusive areas as you partake in a redwood forest exploration. Guided by an expert ecologist, prepare to trailblaze into the unknown as you explore unique redwood forest ecosystems, survey wildfire scars, and, if you’re lucky, you might even discover an albino redwood! Open...
We are coming together as a community to steward Tyrrell Park through the City’s Adopt-A-Park program. At the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History, you gain new wisdom about local ecology, native plants, and sustainable gardening while connecting with nature outdoors. It’s time to get your hands dirty! Join us and volunteer in the Museum’s...
Do you love flipping rocks and logs and studying our invertebrate friends? This summer, young naturalists join us on a journey to investigate the animals of Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay that do not have a backbone, ranging from tiny creatures to some of the biggest in the world! Campers spend the week exploring nearby...
Calling budding artists and scientists curious about nature! Join us on a journey to investigate symmetries, patterns, and curiosities in the natural world. Spend the week exploring nearby beach, creek, and garden habitats, and making all sorts of art inspired by what we discover. Observe, explore, and appreciate the wonders of the natural world here...
As part of this Jumbo July special, join an esteemed artist as you learn the science and art behind the most massive mollusk around! Featuring beautiful scientific illustration displays, this program is perfect for aspiring artists and marine biologists alike. Taught by a professional illustrator and naturalist, this workshop will begin with a scientific presentation...
The mission of the Sempervirens Fund is to ensure the gigantic coast redwood forests in the Santa Cruz Mountains thrive for generations to come. But what does land stewardship mean and how does it relate to the conservation of an endangered tree? Learn how the Sempervirens Fund protects redwood forests in the Santa Cruz mountains,...
Are you a green thumb or a budding botanist? Join the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History for Bodacious Botany camp this summer to learn about the natural world by studying plants, trees, and much more. Campers will build friendships while investigating nature, playing games, and creating awesome crafts! REGISTER For entering 3rd-4th grade
Are you a future scientist? We invite kids to join the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History for Experiments in Nature camp to perform experiments and studies in the fields of biology, chemistry, physics, ocean studies, and climate science. Explore nature while learning more about how scientists study the natural world that surrounds us. REGISTER For entering...
Jumbo July wraps up by showcasing the giants dwelling within the redwood duff. These gargantuan trees hide an equally massive array of wildlife, and none more extraordinary than the seemingly mythical Giant Salamander. There is a lot to unpack with these large legends and here is an opportunity to learn about their incredible survival abilities,...
Love nature, science, and art but don’t know where to start? Here is your opportunity to master a new skill and bring home your own environmentally-inspired masterpiece after just one class. Celebrate the opening of the new Treasured Trees exhibit, and the redwoods’ resilience to fire, by learning to work with charcoal. Taught through step-by-step...
