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Summer Safari Camp

Experience the amazing world of animals with Summer Safari Camps at the Virginia Zoo! Safari camps are an exciting opportunity for rising 1st-8th grade students to dive into nature in a safe, hands-on, and age-appropriate setting. Campers of all abilities and learning styles can enjoy a fun, action-packed week where they will encounter animals up close, express their creativity, and explore the entire Zoo. With behind-the-scenes adventures and games galore, Safari Camp is a new way to discover the natural world.

All Safari Camp programs support Virginia Standards of Learning and Next Generation Science Standards. A summary of learning topics for each program is available upon request.

 

For additional information on Safari Camp, email the Education Department or call 757.441.2374 (232).


A Typical Camp Week Includes:

 

  • Hikes through the Zoo

  • Meet and greets with animal ambassadors

  • Crafts

  • Games

  • Behind the scenes experiences

  • Learning activities

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Safari Camp instructors are thoroughly prepared to provide your campers with an awesome day of camp! They are excited to share animals and nature with kids of all ages, and are trained in conservation education, classroom management, special needs, and First Aid/CPR.

Our camp programs are inclusive and encourage campers of all abilities and learning styles to learn at their own pace. A few activities may be overstimulating for campers who are sensory-sensitive. If you have concerns about whether Safari Camp is a good fit for your camper, please contact the Virginia Zoo Education Department.

COVID-19 Policies:

To ensure the safety of all Safari Camp participants, all program participants and staff should stay home when sick. All program participants must also wear a face mask at all times during the scheduled program. The Virginia Zoo Education Department reserves the right not to admit a person who poses a communicable disease threat to others or refuses to comply with the request to wear a facial covering. All Zoo visitors, including any program participants, must review the City of Norfolk’s COVID-19 Screening Questionnaire. While we continue to monitor the situation with COVID-19, registration fees will be refunded for any program missed due to illness.

Early Explorers Kindergarten Camp

Furry Tails

Bibbidi bobbidi ZOO! Join us on a magical journey as we explore the animals in our favorite fairy tales. Stories will come to life as campers meet charming frog princes and delightful dragons in their adventures through the zoo. 

For purposes of this program, “kindergarten-aged” is defined as no younger than four and entering kindergarten in the Fall of 2021.

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!

Time: 9:00am – 3pm. 

Drop off starts at 8:45am. Pick up ends at 3:15pm.

Session 4: July 12-15

Session 6: July 26-30

PRICES

$275/members and $300/non-members.

Sign Up Today!

1st-3rd Grade

Zoo Detectives

Whoooo done it? Another summer, another round of zoo mysteries! Campers will use their detective skills as they follow the trail to solve the mysteries of the animal kingdom. Work with the Director of the ZIA (Zoo Intelligence Agency) to follow clues, solve puzzles, and crack the case to earn your Virginia Zoo Detective Badge!

Sessions: 

(Session 3) July 5-9 SOLD OUT

(Session 8) August 9-13 SOLD OUT

Time: 9:00am – 4:00pm. Drop off starts at 8:45am. Pick up ends at 4:15pm

In the event of a sell-out, you may ask to add your camper to the wait list. To add your child to the wait list, please email vazoo.education@norfolk.gov with the subject line "Summer Safari Wait List". Please provide your name, camper name, the name and dates of the camp you'd like, and your contact information.

PRICES

$300/members and $350/non-members.

Sign Up Today!

Epoch Adventures

Do you have a future in time travel? Join the Time Voyagers on their adventures through the Virginia Zoo to discover animals throughout time. Journeying from the beginning of life on Earth to the distant future, time travelers will explore animal adaptations, Earth patterns and change, and the depths of their imaginations. Through up-close animal encounters and hands-on learning activities, campers will become experts on animals throughout the ages. It’s going to be epoch!

Sessions: 

(Session 1) June 21-25

(Session 10) August 23-27

Time: 9:00am – 4:00pm. Drop off starts at 8:45am. Pick up ends at 4:15pm

Grades: Rising 1st-3rd

PRICES

$300/members and $350/non-members.

Sign Up Today!

Eco Engineers 1st-3rd

Where do scientists get such crazy ideas!? Animals might be the answer. Explore how animals are the inspiration for many human innovations and artistic creations in this STEAM camp. Campers will discover animal adaptations while becoming scientists and artists alike. What will inspire you?

Sessions: 

(Session 7) August 2-6 SOLD OUT

(Session 9) August 16-20

Time: 9:00am – 4:00pm. Drop off starts at 8:45am. Pick up ends at 4:15pm

Grades: Rising 1st-3rd
PRICES

$300/members and $350/non-members.

Sign Up Today!

Zooperheroes

BAM! POW! WHACK! Become Earth’s mightiest Zooperheroes while learning about the most amazing creatures on the planet. Campers will discover the adaptations and superpowers of animal heroes and villains alike, and will learn what they can do to be good sidekicks for animals in their backyards and around the world.

Session 5: July 19-23 - SOLD OUT

Grades: Rising 1st-3rd

To add your child to the wait list for Zooperheroes, please email vazoo.education@norfolk.gov with the subject line "Summer Safari Wait List". Please provide your name, camper name, the name of the camp, and your contact information.

PRICES

Full week: $300/members and $350/non-members.

SOLD OUT

4th-6th Grade

Myths & Monsters

Bigfoot, dragons, megalodons, and dinosaurs: need I say more? Travel back in time or deep into your imagination to meet notorious beasts in history and folklore. Discover the science behind fantastic myths and investigate real monsters that went extinct long ago. Over the course of the week, campers will become cryptozoologists, storytellers, and myth-busters as they explore some of the most impressive species that ever lived.

 

Sessions: 

(Session 2) June 28 - July 2

(Session 5) July 19-23  SOLD OUT!

(Session 8) August 9-13

Time: 9:00am – 4:00pm. Drop off starts at 8:45am. Pick up ends at 4:15pm

Grades: Rising 4th-6th
PRICES

$300/members and $350/non-members.

Sign Up Today!

Eco Engineers 4-6

Where do scientists get such crazy ideas!? Animals might be the answer. Explore how animals are the inspiration for many human innovations and artistic creations in this STEAM camp. Campers will discover animal adaptations while becoming scientists and artists alike. What will inspire you?

Sessions: 

(Session 4) July 12-16

(Session 7) August 2-6 SOLD OUT

Time: 9:00am – 4:00pm. Drop off starts at 8:45am. Pick up ends at 4:15pm

Grades: Rising 4th-6th
PRICES

$300/members and $350/non-members.

Sign Up Today!

6th, 7th, & 8th Grade Camps

Junior Zookeepers

Have you ever wanted to know if you have what it takes to be a zookeeper? Come find out in this in-depth look at everything zookeepers do: from feeding animals and cleaning exhibits, to conservation and animal research. Campers will get down and dirty as we learn the ins and outs of how we care for our animals here at the Virginia Zoo.

Sessions: 

(Session 3) July 5-9   

(Session 6) July 26-30

(Session 9) August 16-20

Time: 9:00am – 4:00pm. Drop off starts at 8:45am. Pick up ends at 4:15pm

PRICES

$300/members and $350/non-members.

Sign Up Today!

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