Summer Guided Discoveries

Guided Discoveries are week-long outdoor natural adventure camps for children ages 4 to 14.

Programs, taught by experienced naturalists and educators, give children an in-depth exploration of nature and science.

Scholarships are available. Application deadline is April 15. Award notification by April 30. Applications will be accepted after the deadline if scholarship funds remain.

Summer 2019 Guided Discoveries

June 24-28

Nature Explorers
9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. | Ages 4-6
Our explorations will introduce the wonders of the natural world. Through many outdoor activities and discoveries we will explore, enjoy, and learn together.
Cost: $140/member; $160/non-member

All About Birds
9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. | Ages 7-9
Become an ornithologist and learn all about birds. From beaks to feet, we will discover the adaptations that makes this group of animals unique. Meet avian animal ambassadors throughout the week during up close encounters with live birds. Activities will include observing birds with binoculars, building bird feeders, and even banding birds like real ornithologists do.
Cost: $150/member; $170/non-member

Fairy Houses and Gnome Homes I
1:30-4:30 p.m. | Ages 7-9
This week of fun is inspired by Tracy Kane's fairy house stories. We will build and float fairy boats on the pond and construct fairy houses and gnome homes among the trees in the forests and the flowers in the fields. We will even build a few structures big enough to fit inside!
Cost: $140/member; $160/non-member

July 1-5

Sky Hunters
9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. | Ages 4-6
Learn about the hunters that command the skies. Investigate the world of flying predators. Visit with live owls, hawks, and falcons. Meet other airborne predators too, such as dragonflies and bats.
Cost: $140/member; $160/non-member

Animal Experts
9:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. | Ages 9-12
This week is all about animals! Each day will focus on a different class or group of animals through observations, activities, projects, and opportunities to meet animal ambassadors up close. Find out what it means to be a member of a class of animals and how species play a specific role in their natural community.
Cost: $280/member; $300/non-member

Mad Science
1:30-4:30 p.m. | Ages 7-9
Experience a week of wacky, hands-on fun as we explore science inspired by the natural world around us. Each day will be filled with mixing, growing, fizzing, bubbling, and more as we ask questions and see what kinds of answers explode around us!
Cost: $150/member; $170/non-member

July 8-12

Flap, Hop, and Wiggle
9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. | Ages 4-6
Flap like a falcon, hop like a hare, and wiggle like a worm! It's all about movement as we explore different groups of animals and focus on the ways they move. Become an expert on animal locomotion through outdoor activities, stories, and up close observations of our animal ambassadors.
Cost: $140/member; $160/non-member

Be a Survivor: Bushcraft and Wilderness Survival
9:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. | Ages 10-14
Learn bushcraft and the wilderness living skills necessary to survive outdoors comfortably. We will explore knife use and safety, fire making and responsible use, outdoor shelter making, trip planning, and making and using tools like baskets and rope. Learn about our ecosystem in a hands-on way by keeping weather journals, pressing plants, and learning about the animals that inhabit the world around you, including up close encounters with live animal ambassadors.
Cost: $280/member; $300/non-member

Nature Adventurers
1:30-4:30 p.m. | Ages 7-9
From the top of Mt. Fayal to the lower pond, go on an adventure to a new seldom seen location at the Science Center each day. Through games and scavenger hunts, learn about the wild plants and animals that live here. Throughout the week we will meet animal ambassadors for an up close encounter with native wildlife.
Cost: $140/member; $160/non-member

July 15-19

Discovering Dinosaurs
9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. | Ages 4-6
Dinosaurs are coming to the Science Center this summer! We will dig into dinosaurs to learn about the different types of dinosaurs displayed on the exhibit trail. Discover how fossils form, see what it's like to dig for fossils, and even meet some modern day dinosaurs through visits with live animal ambassadors.
Cost: $140/member; $160/non-member

The Nature of Clay I
9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. | Ages 7-10
Want to take earth and turn it into art? Using wild animal ambassadors and the natural beauty of ponds, fields, and forests as inspiration, we will transform our ideas into ceramic treasures. Under the guidance of Community Clay Center instructors and Science Center staff, explore a variety of ceramic techniques to create functional and sculptural projects.
The ceramic process will be completed at the Community Clay Center in Plymouth. Finished projects will be ready for pickup by August 19. Shipping is available for an additional fee.
Cost: $280/member; $300/non-member

Modern Dinosaurs
1:30-4:30 p.m. | Ages 7-9
Dinosaurs are coming to the Science Center this summer! Become a paleontolgist as we dig into dinosaurs to learn about the species featured on the exhibit trail. We will discover how fossils form, see what it's like to dig for fossils, and even meet some modern day dinosaurs through visits with live animal ambassadors.
Cost: $140/member; $160/non-member

July 22-26

Up, Down, and Around
9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. | Ages 4-6
Investigate land, water, and air animals. Plan on plenty of outdoor exploration, hands-on activities, and creative crafts. Meet many different species to learn what makes them different from each other and why they live where they do.
Cost: $140/member; $160/non-member

The Nature of Clay II
9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. | Ages 10-14
Want to take earth and turn it into art? Using wild animal ambassadors and the natural beauty of ponds, fields, and forests as inspiration, we will transform our ideas into ceramic treasures. Under the guidance of Community Clay Center instructors and Science Center staff, explore a variety of ceramic techniques to create functional and sculptural projects.
The ceramic process will be completed at the Community Clay Center in Plymouth. Finished projects will be ready for pickup by August 19. Shipping is available for an additional fee.
Cost: $280/member; $300/non-member

Fairy Houses and Gnome Homes II
1:30-4:30 p.m. | Ages 7-9
This week of fun is inspired by Tracy Kane's fairy house stories. We will build and float fairy boats on the pond and construct fairy houses and gnome homes among the trees in the forests and the flowers in the fields. We will even build a few structures big enough to fit inside!
Cost: $140/member; $160/non-member

July 29- August 2

Junior Animal Keepers I
9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. | Ages 9-12
Otter popsicles? Training time for a coyote? Treats and puzzles for opossums? Do you love caring for animals? Do you wonder what the Science Center’s animals eat for dinner? Learn how New Hampshire’s wild animals survive. Then apply that knowledge by helping to care for and feed the wildlife at the Science Center. Go behind the scenes to watch staff members train animals, and then make puzzles and treats to engage our resident animals. On the last day, family, friends, and Science Center staff will stop by to learn about your adventures.
Cost: $150/member; $170/non-member

Yoga Wild
9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. | Ages 6-8
Come along on a journey and get wild with yoga! Meet a live animal each day and learn new yoga poses expressing its movements and postures. Practice yoga outdoors in fields and forests. Adventures will include nature scavenger hunts, nature journaling, mindful listening, relaxation in the forest, and fun yoga games.
Cost: $170/member; $190/non-member

Animal Superheroes
1:30-4:30 p.m. | Ages 4-6
You may not consider animals to be superheroes, but they do have super powers. We call them adaptations. Learn about nature's super powers as we explore ways animals find food, avoid being eaten, and protect themselves from the elements. Discover some of these adaptations through experiments, games, and visits with live animals.
Cost: $140/member; $160/non-member

August 5-9

Junior Animal Keepers II
9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. | Ages 9-12
Otter popsicles? Training time for a coyote? Treats and puzzles for opossums? Do you love caring for animals? Do you wonder what the Science Center’s animals eat for dinner? Learn how New Hampshire’s wild animals survive. Then apply that knowledge by helping to care for and feed the wildlife at the Science Center. Go behind the scenes to watch staff members train animals, and then make puzzles and treats to engage our resident animals. On the last day, family, friends, and Science Center staff will stop by to learn about your adventures.
Cost: $150/member; $170/non-member

Animal Art for Young Artists
9:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. | Ages 6-8
Let animals and their habitats serve as your inspiration as we create art from and of nature. Experience the subject matter of your art through hands-on explorations of forests, fields, and ponds and up close encounters with animal ambassadors. Use a variety of media to create two-dimensional and three-dimensional art, and share your work at an art show for family and friends.
Cost: $280/member; $300/non-member

Marvelous Mammals
1:30-4:30 p.m. | Ages 4-6
Discover what makes mammals special as we focus on this diverse group of animals. From herbivores and insectivores, to carnivores and omnivores, mammals serve a range of functions in the natural world. Meet a mammal up close each day and learn about the role it plays and the adaptations it has to survive.
Cost: $140/member; $160/non-member

August 12-16

Summer Sensations
9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. | Ages 4-6
Explore New Hampshire’s summer environment with a focus on each of the five senses. Smell, taste, touch, see, and hear your way through a week full of fun.
Cost: $140/member; $160/non-member

Animal Art
9:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. | Ages 9-12
Let animals and their habitats serve as your inspiration as we create art from and of nature. Explore the Science Center grounds from the top of Mt. Fayal to the shores of the lower pond as we study form, examine color, and observe light to inform the art we create. Up close encounters with animal ambassadors will provide the opportunity to focus on detail. Use a variety of media to create two-dimensional and three-dimensional art, and share your work at an art show for family and friends.
Cost: $280/member; $300/non-member

Wild Tales and Trails
1:30-4:30 p.m. | Ages 7-9
This session features our favorite nature-based children's stories, adventures on and off the trails, visits with live animals, and more! Start each afternoon with a wild tale – a children's book featuring nature and wildlife. Venture outdoors to discover and learn about the creatures and habitats from the story and meet a live animal connected to the tale.
Cost: $140/member; $160/non-member

For program questions contact Education Director Audrey Eisenhauer at 603-968-7194 x 14 or email

Cailin Nelson, 08/03/18
Very nice place, clean and informative. Different from other places - lots for kids to learn hands on. I was a little apprehensive due to the cost and not many animals but felt like it was worth every penny. I would recommend packing a lunch and taking advantage of the trails - make a full day out of it.
Shaun Wyndman, 08/18/18
This is a very pricey cross between a zoo and a nature trail. The science center features several exhibits relating to the animals in the area. It also has exhibits relating to conservation etc. They offer animal shows, demonstrating live animals several times a day, and feedings three days a week, so check the schedule to see if your favorite is on display. In addition to the move animal exhibits the center features several walking trails offering an opportunity to see local wildlife and plant life. Most tree species are marked for easy identification of the local foliage. There is also a ninety minute boat tour of squam lake available for an additional fee.
Howard Nash, 10/08/18
Very well presented exhibit on the wildlife of New Hampshire. Coming from the UK, we had some concerns about the moral question of keeping wild animals in cages. This was set against the very obvious great condition of the animals on display and the effort taken to educate on the natural world - a video or even holograph would not have the same impact. The reason we give it only 4 stars is that not enough effort is made to explain why the animals, particularly the large animals, are kept in relatively small enclosures. Looking at the negative reviews that focus on the moral question, your responses are very encouraging. Perhaps you should cut out the middleman and make more effort at the Centre to explain why the animals are maintained in captivity from a conservation perspective.
Eben Gannett, 03/26/19
This is by far one the best not so hidden gems of Central New Hampshire! While it functions similarly to a zoo the goal of the facility is to rehabilitate and care for local animals found in the white mountains fo NH. The animals who stay are there for medical or other legitimate reasons to keep them from living in the wild and are given wonderful care. The staff that works there is knowledgable and kind, eager to answer any questions about the animals you may have. The path to see all the animals is fun and equivalent to many easy day hikes with spots to picnic, and a wonderful play/learning area for the young and young at heart. It is a place my family loves to visit time and time again, never getting board of the wonderful animals, new things to learn, and great day that always ensues.
Barbee & Hayden, 09/03/18
Great enclosures for the animals with water features and lots of shade! And for taking pictures, no cage lines in my pictures because they use thick glass for viewing. Animals looked very healthy especially the lion she was fat :) Loved the walking trails too. It was just lots of fun and we will be back when its not so hot!