Explore the interesting animals of the Laurel Highlands – both real and imaginary! Investigate the real mammals, amphibians, birds, and reptiles that play important roles in the Appalachian environment, and unravel the mysteries of the mythical creatures that live only in imagination. From the real but elusive hellbender to the mythical crying squonk, discover the animals that play a role in fact and folklore and what those stories can teach us about the natural world.
Learn more about Myths and Legends: Animals of Appalachia.
Do you have the drive and determination to survive in the wild? Build your survival skills as you play team-building games, decipher puzzles, and problem-solve your way through challenges. Investigate and identify edible, medicinal, and poisonous plants. Build a shelter, practice filtering water, and learn navigation techniques. Compete in a series of friendly competitions to see if you have what it takes to survive. The challenge is on!
Learn more about The Drive to Survive.
Curious campers, let’s ask questions and seek out answers! Ponder, hypothesize, and experiment your way through a week of hands-on science. Learn how to extract DNA, investigate optical illusions, and test out colorful chemical reactions. Create a cozy case for an egg and see how far it can fall without breaking. Make a racetrack for marbles, plus build a Rube Goldberg-like contraption to watch what happens next as you ask, “What if I?...”
Learn more about What If I....
Spend the week creating crafts and enjoying nature like you live in a cozy cottage in the woods! Trek through the forest to watch for Pennsylvania birds, press flowers from the meadow, and pick fresh raspberries for homemade pies. Try your hand at sewing and upcycle old fabric to braid into rugs. Extract essential oils to use in candle-making, and relax with puzzles of all types. Make a scrapbook of your adventures to remember your cottage core camp!
Learn more about Cottage in the Woods.
Campers, let your imagination run wild as you explore daily themes with crafts, games, and creative play. Make tents and “camp out” as you learn about wilderness survival. Uncover your inner “forest witch” and brew potions, look for frogs, and collect worms for your magic spells. Imagine life in underwater kingdoms, sculpt with mud, host a fairy tea party, and much more!
Learn more about Investigation Imagination.
Adventure out into the wild and search for treasure in the forest, meadow, and stream! Hone your observation skills and seek out oddities to amass into a creative collection. Learn how to use a metal detector, press plants, and recycle collected items to leave no trace in nature. This camp will keep you active while using your creativity to turn trash to treasure!
Learn more about Treasure Hunters.
Become a junior researcher and experience real science in action at Powdermill! Spend the week participating in active science in the field. Uncover an environmental issue, develop a research question and hypothesis, and collect data to prove your point. Work as a team to learn research methods to address real problems. Your group will be in full control of what you explore! At the end of the week, present your findings for review by a Powdermill ecologist.
Learn more about Junior Researchers.