Spring Break? Summer Vacation? We've got a camp for that!
Do you have a curious young bug enthusiast who wants to spend their break at the butterfly house? MBHI offers both spring and summer break camps for a wide range of ages.
Camps at the Missoula Butterfly House & Insectarium provide students with a chance to learn about “the little things that run the world” as they investigate, explore, experiment, observe, build, and more. We’ll play to learn as we spend the week being curious and creative.
Spring Break Camp is Back!
Spring Break Camp runs the week of March 17th. Parents can sign their kids up for individual days or the whole week.
All camps include:
- Camp daily from 9:00-3:30pm
- Enthusiastic and energetic educators who love working with kids.
- Interactions with living Bug Ambassadors and time exploring the Butterfly House every day.
- Exciting age-appropriate activities.
Lunch is not included.
Per day: $65 for members, $70 for non-members
For the whole week: $300 for members, $325 for non-member
All camps will be capped at 12 students each.
Camps are for students in grades K – 5th.
Each day will feature a new theme to guide or bug-filled explorations and time both in the museum and outdoors, weather permitting. Activities will not be repeated between the days to keep a new and exciting atmosphere for returning students. Camp days run from 9:00-3:30.
Monday March 17th: Behind the Scenes
Tuesday March 18th: Busy Bees
Wednesday March 19th: Super Spiders
Thursday March 20th: Insect Engineering
Friday March 21st: Creative Camouflage
Summer Camps at the Missoula Butterfly House
More details are coming soon, but check out the dates, ages, and themes for this year’s camps! Registration will open in early March.
All camps include:
- Camp daily from 9:00-3:30pm
- Enthusiastic and energetic educators who love working with kids.
- Interactions with living Bug Ambassadors and time exploring the Butterfly House every day.
- Exciting age-appropriate activities.
Lunch is not included.
Full Day Camps: $325 for members, $350 for non-members
Half Day Camps: $150 for members, $175 for non-members
Scholarships:
Thanks to a generous donor, we are able to offer summer camp scholarships this year. Fill out this short scholarship application form by February 21st to be considered.
All camps will be capped at 12 students each.
Each week of camp will have it’s own age range for students going into the following grades:
- PreK (3 – 5 years old, must be fully potty trained)
- 1st – 2nd
- 3rd – 5th
- 6th – 8th
Each week of Bug Camp will have its own theme to guide our explorations and adventures!
Lil’ Bugs: Preschool Adventures
This half-day camp for preschoolers will be full of fun, silly adventures as we play to learn all about insects and their relatives. We’ll hold bugs, explore the museum and butterfly house, play games, and work on art projects.
Bugs n’ Botany: Middle School
Go behind the scenes with this camp for curious middle schoolers looking to get their hands dirty working on real STEM projects. We’ll spend time working with biocontrols being used to manage invasive weeds, explore the inner workings of the Missoula Butterfly House’s USDA containment facility lab, dig into the management of the Rocky Mountain Gardens, and more. This exciting camp is a partnership between the Missoula Butterfly House & Insectarium and the Missoula County Department of Ecology and Extension. Thanks to this partnership campers will get access to experts from both organizations, completing real STEM projects and experiments that explore the worlds of botany and entomology.
Creative Creatures
This camp sits right at the exciting intersection of art and science. We’ll use art and our imaginations to explore the world of insects and their relatives. This camp is perfect for bug lovers looking to stretch their creative muscles and young artists curious about the natural world. We’ll be holding live Bug Ambassadors from around the world and going on bug hunts to look for local ones to inspire our creative projects.
Insect Engineering
The world is full of creatures that build astounding structures: termites building mounds as tall as adult humans, bees creating hexagonal homes, and spiders spinning elaborate webs, just to name a few. During this exciting camp, we’ll do some building of our own as we investigate these natural architects and more.
Bugs of the World
The Missoula Butterfly House is home to over 130 species and 1,000s of individual Bug Ambassadors from around the world. During this bug camp, we’ll spend each day exploring a different habitat, all of the bugs that call it home, and the adaptations they use to survive there. From tropical leaf insects to desert-dwelling beetles, we’ll travel the world without leaving Missoula.
Date: 6/23
Time: 9:00 – 11:30
Age: PreK
Theme: Lil’ Bugs
Date: 6/23
Time: 12:30 – 3:00
Age: PreK
Theme: Lil’ Bugs
Date: 7/7
Time: 9:00 – 3:30
Age: 6th – 8th
Theme: Bugs n’ Botany, in partnership with the Missoula County Department of Ecology and Extension
Date: 7/7
Time: 9:00 – 3:30
Age: 3rd – 5th
Theme: Creative Creatures
Date: 7/14
Time: 9:00 – 3:30
Age: 1st – 2nd
Theme: Creative Creatures
Date: 7/21
Time: 9:00 – 3:30
Age: 3rd – 5th
Theme: Insect Engineering
Date: 7/28
Time: 9:00 – 3:30
Age: 1st – 2nd
Theme: Insect Engineering
Date: 8/11
Time: 9:00 – 3:30
Age: 3rd – 5th
Theme: Bugs of the World
Date: 8/18
Time: 9:00 – 3:30
Age: 1st – 2nd
Theme: Bugs of the World
Camp Testimonials
I won’t hesitate to look for this camp and include it in our summer scheduling next year! I have video of my son presenting his science fair project to me and it is something I will cherish forever. He already knew so much about bugs, but he shocked me with the big words he was using and explanation of concepts that I don’t even fully understand. It was a super proud mom moment!
Parent of a Past Camper
A month later and I’m still hearing bits and pieces of things Morgan learned, and memories from her time in camp.
Parent of a Past Bug Camper
Lots of fun to be had at Bug Camp!
