Photo courtesy of Dungeness River Nature Center / Fifth-graders enjoy a summer camp experience on the trail.

Photo courtesy of Dungeness River Nature Center / Fifth-graders enjoy a summer camp experience on the trail.

Art classes, summer camps set at Dungeness River Nature Center

SEQUIM — Local youths can experience nature with a number of classes and summer camps that kick off this month.

Children’s summer art classes begin on Sunday at the Dungeness River Nature Center, 1943 W. Hendrickson Road, and are scheduled through September.

Art classes will be held in the center’s new Cedar Hat classroom which opens through three large garage-style doors to the outside. Materials will be provided. Classes are $10 per child for each class.

Summer day camps begin mid-July and include several popular robotics classes. Registration for art classes is at Dungeness RiverCenter.org.

All volunteers and staff working with children have been cleared with a thorough background check, organizers note.

All art classes, geared for children 4-11 years old, begin with a short lesson on nature before children begin work on a related craft. All creations go home with the maker.

Parents and/or guardians must stay on with the child for art classes rather than dropping them off. Participants are asked to arrive at 1 p.m. but if a child completes their craft early, parents/guardians and their child/children do not need to stay until 3 p.m.

Art classes

• Sunday — Paint a Pot, Plant a Seed.

Learn about seeds and plants, then paint a small pot to put them in.

• Sunday, June 25 — More Tree Cookies, Please

Learn about trees and decorate a wooden “tree cookie” with paint. Youths can either turn their craft into a necklace, a coaster or an ornament.

More classes are scheduled for July 9 and 23, Aug. 6, Sept. 3 and 17. Check DungenessRiverCenter.org or contact education manager Montana Napier at montana@DungenessRiver Center.org for details.

Summer camps

Designed for children who love nature, enjoy science-based learning or just being outdoors, the center’s summer camps have several full and partial youth scholarships are available. All day camp registration is online at DungenessRiverCenter.org.

• Olympic Discovery Trail Bike Camp, 9 a.m.-noon, Tuesday-Thursday, July 18-20; ages 8-14; cost: $175.

Experience the trail from Diamond Point to the Elwha River in this three-day adventure. Campers will travel through forests and farmlands, cross rivers and creeks, look for wildlife, and enjoy spectacular views of the Olympic Mountains and the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

• Creative Robotics Camp and Animal Parade; 9 a.m.-noon, Monday-Thursday, July 31-Aug. 3; ages 10-14; cost: $200

In this camp, students will combine art and technology to make their own robotic parade floats. The floats will be built out of common materials like cardboard, paint and paper and brought to life through coding, motors, lights and a variety of components.

• Girls in Science Camp ; 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Wednesday-Friday, Aug. 9-11; ages: 8-12; cost: $275.

This camp will immerse young girls in science, observation and the great outdoors. They will explore different areas of the Dungeness River while learning about the plants and animals that live there. Girls in Science will also focus on collaboration and confidence building through teamwork and adventure.

• Dirty Tires Bike Camp; 9 a.m.-noon, Tuesday-Thursday, Aug. 15-17; ages: 9-14; cost: $175.

This camp will help young bikers to build skills and confidence riding a mountain bike through the forested trails of Miller Peninsula State Park and Dungeness Trails. Campers will specifically work on how to negotiate and pedal through obstacles, proper braking and bike body separation.

• Creative Robotics Camp: Critters; 9 a.m.-noon, Monday-Thursday, Aug. 21-24; ages: 10-14; cost: $200

In this camp, students will combine art and technology to make critters (real or imagined) out of common materials like cardboard, paint, and paper and bringing them to life through coding, motors, lights, and a variety of components.

More in Life

ISSUES OF FAITH: Finding faith that there is ‘somebody out there’

I’VE ALWAYS HAD a passion for music, especially ’80s music. Back in… Continue reading

The Rev. Larry Schellink will present the program at 10:30 a.m. Sunday. Schellink is the minister of record at Unity in the Olympics, 2917 E. Myrtle Ave.
Weekend program scheduled for Unity in the Olympics

The Rev. Larry Schellink will lead a discussion regarding… Continue reading

The Rev. Pam Douglas-Smith.
Speaker set at Unity in Port Townsend for weekend service

The Rev. Pam Douglas-Smith will present “The Twelve Conditions… Continue reading

The Rev. Bruce Bode
Bode scheduled for OUUF weekend program

The Rev. Bruce Bode will present “Basic Morality and… Continue reading

Matthew Nash / Olympic Peninsula News Group
Jennifer Scott of the Hudson Valley region in New York with her niece Calliope Scott of Denver walk the lavender fields of Jardin du Soleil. Scott said she loves lavender. Last week was their first time visiting a lavender farm.
Lavender weekend to bring concerts, food and music

Festivities set across Peninsula from Friday through Sunday

John Goar speaks to a group of visitors before leading them on a moonlit hike up Hurricane Hill for a tour of the constellations. Goar is a volunteer who leads the full moon hikes and dark sky telescope tours that are part of the astronomy program at Hurricane Ridge. (Paula Hunt/Peninsula Daily News)
Hurricane Ridge astronomy program reveals treasures

Volunteer-run tour guides visitors at Hurricane Ridge

Karen Griffiths
Rainshadow Equine Sanctuary Team’s Debi Pavlich-Boaz leads Paliday calmly over a blue tarp as part of his daily training routine. She worked with the Yakima Sheriff’s Department to capture the mini stallion when he was running alongside a freeway, deftly evading capture. Without her help, and an offer to take him home, the sheriff’s department planned on taking the then-untrained pony to a local holding pen to await transport to a slaughter house in Canada. Instead, Paliday is now happily living the rest of days out as a gelding at the sanctuary.
HORSEPLAY: Peninsula animal rescue, shelters need our help

DID YOU KNOW that most of our local horse, dog and cat… Continue reading

A GROWING CONCERN: Get your garden schooled on Nutrients 101

AS WE MOVE through July and our yard and gardens are flourishing,… Continue reading

ISSUES OF FAITH: Truth and honesty important in leadership

THROUGHOUT THE TORAH, we are taught the importance of honesty and justice.… Continue reading

Doug Benecke will be joined by Sallie Harrison for special music at 10:30 a.m. Sunday.
Program set for weekend service

Doug Benecke will present “Play Ball!” at 10:30 a.m.… Continue reading

The Rev Craig Vocelka will present “Listening for the Whisper” at 10:00 am this Sunday at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 1020 Jefferson Street.
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church plans service

The Rev. Craig Vocelka will present “A Thankful, Generous… Continue reading

The Rev. Pam Douglas-Smith.
Speaker set at Unity in Port Townsend for weekend service

The Rev. Pam Douglas-Smith will present “Divine Feeding of… Continue reading