Summer camps at Loveland Living Planet Aquarium will look a little different this year with a new location and revamped educational content. All of the summer camps will be held in the new Sam & Aline W. Skaggs Science Learning Center on the Aquarium’s campus. This year, campers will have the opportunity to make art as they learn about all kinds of animals, plants and ecosystems. 

“We understand that not all children learn the same way,” Education Director Ody Flores said. “This year we are incorporating art into our program. We are partnering with Utah State University to coordinate how to include different art mediums from sculpture to painting and more traditional art like paper-making. It’s all an effort to inspire our youth in different ways.” 

All of the summer camps offered by the Aquarium reflect its mission statement: “To inspire people to explore, discover and learn about Earth’s diverse ecosystems.” 

“We are here to educate and inspire,” Flores said. “Our camps are not just focused on marine animals but on all ecosystems, plants and animals. Campers can discover the wonders of the ecosystems on our planet.” The curriculum for each camp emphasizes the interconnectedness of life on Earth. 

Summer camps at the Aquarium, which begin in June and run through August, are geared toward children and youth ages 4 through 17. There are single-day camps as well as weeklong camps. 

The single-day camps include the Ocean Explorers Adventure Camp, Rainforest Expedition, Mythical Creatures of the Sea, Eco-Warriors and Art & Science of the Sea. Campers are divided into groups by their ages and will do age-appropriate activities based on these themes. 

The educational content for the week-long camps is also geared toward specific age groups. While the youngest children can begin to learn about different kinds of animals and ocean ecosystems, camps for middle schoolers focus on more advanced subjects such as how plants and animals have inspired inventions and technology. Teen campers have the opportunity to conduct environmental research projects.

Flores explained that the camps are taught by a team of educators who are trained in how to reach students. Some have teaching experience in Montessori systems while others are certified in the arts. “We have a few with degrees in conservation and environmental science,” she said. Some of the high school level camps are taught by instructors with advanced degrees.

The Aquarium is also making a concerted effort to make their summer camps more accessible. “Students have diverse needs,” Flores said. “We want to make it more accessible for more students and improve on that for this year.”

All of the summer camps will be taught in the spacious new Sam & Aline W. Skaggs Science Learning Center. Part of the Aquarium’s long-range plans, the 120,000-square-foot building will house new classroom and laboratory spaces, the Asia Cloud Forest habitat and a community event space. 

Marketing Director Layne Pitcher noted that the expansion “makes us the fifth largest aquarium in the United States — in the desert state of Utah.” He reflected on this significant milestone as it was just over 25 years ago that the Aquarium first began to take shape. In the beginning, founder and CEO Brent Anderson taught local school children about aquatic creatures and their habitats via an outfitted “Aquavan.” 

The opening of the Science Center expands the Aquarium’s ongoing educational mission. The new building will house 11 classrooms and four laboratories, providing state-of-the-art facilities for elementary, secondary and university students. The spaces are intended to be used for both onsite and virtual education. The Aquarium is partnering with high school and college science teachers to create new educational experiences for Utah students.

The Sam & Aline W. Skaggs Science Learning Center will also have approximately 11,000 square feet of habitat space. The new Asia Cloud Forest habitat, a multi-level area inspired by the rainforests of Asia will house a multitude of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians and more. “Everything in the Expedition Asia habitat will be moving to the Asia Cloud Forest,” Pitcher explained. This includes species such as the clouded leopards, Komodo dragon and Asian small-clawed otters. 

There will be new animals and plants as well. “Tree kangaroos are among the new highlights,” Pitcher said. A tropical underwater garden and an area where birds can fly freely are two more examples of the habitats planned for the new building. 

“We are also going to have two rotating exhibit spaces so that we can have something new for our guests,” he added. 

The Science Learning Center’s second floor will incorporate space for large indoor gatherings, conferences and special events large enough to accommodate thousands of guests. Banquet halls and a pre-function space are available for rental to the public. The conference space will one day allow the Aquarium to host scientific conferences with attendees from all over the world. 

The first members of the public to utilize the new building, however, will be the children and youth attending the summer camps. Ody Flores explained that the Aquarium has invited other nonprofit organizations to use the space for their summer programs as well. “We are truly trying to build a community with our ZAP (Zoo, Arts & Parks Program) partners,” she said. Bad Dog Arts, based in Salt Lake City, will hold their summer camps in the new Science Learning Center. 

Registration for the Aquarium’s summer camps is already open. To register and learn more about summer camps at Loveland Living Planet Aquarium, visit www.livingplanetaquarium.org/education/youth-camps.λ