When Catherine and Ryan’s mother picked them up from Cub Creek Science and Animal Camp, the kids couldn’t talk about anything else. “They were singing on their way home from camp. They recited camp skits and they had a list of camp friends they wanted to stay in contact with,” says Cub Creek Science and Animal Camp owner Lori Martin. When the holidays come around, they asked grandparents, aunts and uncles to chip in so they could return next summer, she adds.
It’s understandable why youngsters would look forward to returning. An overnight camp for children ages 7 to 17, Cub Creek offers programs in 100 different activities, ranging from crime scene investigation and survival skills to candy-making. Mostly, though, it’s about the animals: the 240-acre property just outside Rolla, Mo., is home to more than 300 animals from 100 species.
Every activity stems from the personal passion of Martin, her husband Scott and their two daughters. “Just about anything we could imagine, my husband has built,” Martin says. “We have two zip lines, climbing walls, a gemstone and fossil quarry for campers to dig in, and a culinary science building dedicated to kids learning how to make candy and fudge. Anything my children loved doing, and I loved doing, we offer.”
Animals always have been a passion for Martin, and at Cub Creek they take center stage. Foxes, wallabies and kangaroos are always a hit, and the Adopt-an-Animal course is a perennial favorite. Kids who sign up choose an animal and become its caretaker for a week. Campers also can participate in the Junior Vet and Advanced Vet programs, which are led by enthusiastic veterinary students and give campers a hands-on look at the veterinary profession, says Martin. “They learn to read X-rays, give injections and perform exams,” she adds. “And every session the kids get to watch a local vet perform a surgery in our facility’s surgery room.”
A new venture for the Martins this year is Animal Camp Jamaica, designed for kids interested in exploring marine biology. During 13-day sessions, campers will stay in a luxury villa on the Jamaican coast, steps away from a coral reef, where they can snorkel and explore the marine life. “They will have access to hundreds of different marine animals and learn to identify fish and coral,” Martin says. While mornings will be spent in the water, campers can explore the island in the afternoons. “They’ll visit a dolphin cove and an authentic outdoor produce market, swim with stingrays and go on Segway tours through the jungle.”
Above all, the Martins want to foster a love and respect for animals in all their campers. “We want kids to take care of this planet and the animals that call it home,” Martin says. “Our animals are not in cages; they are in habitats, and campers get to go inside those habitats. Lemurs take food from them and birds land on their shoulders. Campers create a special bond with the animals, and when they hear about habitats being destroyed, it means something because they know whose habitat that is.”
Photo by Cub Creek Science and Animal Camp
[Cub Creek Science and Animal Camp is located at 16795 State Route E in Rolla, Mo. For more information, call 573.458.2125 or visit mosciencecamp.com or animalcampjamaica.com.]
