Cumming Nature Center
Curiosity Camps
Stay curious with a hefty helping of hands-on, minds-on science fun with camps at the RMSC’s Cumming Nature Center this year. Camps at Cumming Nature Center offer exciting opportunities for young minds ages 6-15 to share in new adventures, discover science, and explore the natural world!
Give the Gift of Camp!
You can help send a curious mind to camp this summer! We reserve a designated amount of spots in our Curiosity Camps for students with financial needs.
Sponsor a camper for a day for just $50–$250 for a whole week!
Have you ever held a frog? Built a fire? Learned to identify a tree? This year, you can do all of those things and more at Curiosity Camps at CNC. Curiosity Campers at CNC enjoy unique and fun-filled educational experiences, interactions with environmental educators, and curiosity-led explorations of outdoor skills and environmental education topics.
Looking for camps at the Museum & Science Center? Click here.
Summer Curiosity Camps
8 Week-Long Sessions | Monday, July 5 – Friday, August 25, 2023
Ages 6-18
Get outside and explore the wonders of our world with Summer Curiosity Camps at the Cumming Nature Center! Each camp, led by an experienced educator, offers a variety of themes for different ages. With 900+ acres and 15 miles of trail, campers learn basic wilderness skills, nature science, outdoor team-building activities, nature awareness, and more. Camps days in the beautiful, natural surroundings of Cumming Nature Center offer an ideal setting for each discovery-based camp, creating summer memories that won’t be forgotten.
What People Are Saying
“my 6 year old granddaughter had the time of her life at cumming nature center this week. kudos and many thanks to your staff for such an incredible and fun-filled experience.”
-CNC Camp Grandparent
About Camps at CNC
HANDS-ON EXPLORATION
Curiosity Camps let your camper discover the wonders of our world through science, adventure, and outdoor skill-building. With the Nature Center as their playground, campers have access to 900 acres of forested landscape, along with CNC’s exhibits and guided educational activities.
EXPERIENCED EDUCATORS
Our camp instructors are outdoor naturalists and environmental educators who share our passion for life-long learning. Each camp has at least two instructors, and is supported by volunteers. Our staff to camper ratio is 1:8.
AccessibLE OPPORTUNITIES
Nature is for everyone! To ensure that all children can come to camp, we offer busing from Rochester for select summer camps, as well as Extended Care options at the beginning and the end of the camp day. A scholarship fund is available to cover camp tuition, busing fees, and Extended Care fees.
Curiosity Camp Scholarships
The RMSC is a place that inspires and equips students to follow their own curiosity, where they can experience new delight and wonder upon each visit or dive into specific subjects to participate in solving the deepest challenges of our times. It is a place where each learner is encouraged to follow their own unique journey.
Financial assistance is available for Summer Curiosity Camps at CNC. Need-based scholarships can be used to cover camp tuition, as well as bussing fees to transport campers to the Nature Center. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.
The RMSC is grateful to our many generous donors who make this support possible:
- L3Harris
- The RMSC Council
- Avangrid Foundation in partnership with RG&E
- The Eva Howe Stevens Scholarship Fund
- The Daisy Marquis Jones Foundation
- Foundation Dorthea Haus Ross
- The Bosch Community Fund
- Bertha L. Guptil
- The Mittra Family Foundation
- Richard A. Lewis
Applications for summer Curiosity Camps are available on a first-come, first-served basis and are reviewed regularly.
Scholarships cover 50% or 90% of the camp registration fee based on your child’s reduced or free lunch status:
- If your camper receives reduced lunch, you are eligible to receive a 50% scholarship. If your application is accepted, you will need to pay 50% of the registration fee.
- If your camper receives free lunch, you are eligible to receive a 90% scholarship. If your application is accepted, you will need to pay 10% of the registration fee.
Our scholarship capacity has been met for 2023. Please check back on this page to see if more funding becomes available.
Discover three floors filled with over 200 interactive science and history theme exhibits and science demonstrations.
Take a trip across the universe in our 65ft domed Star theater. Explore Star shows, laser shows, and featured giant screen films.
