SYCAMORE, Ill.—Youth ages 7–11 are invited to spend their summer exploring forests, discovering wildlife, and building lifelong skills at Nature Explorers Camp, a hands-on day camp led by University of Illinois Extension 4-H Youth Development professionals and Natural Resources Education Center (NREC) staff. Open to all youth — 4-H membership is not required to attend.
The camp is hosted at the Russell Woods Forest Preserve in partnership with the DeKalb County Forest Preserve. This camp experience, previously known as “Camp Russell”, has been offered to the community for 25 years and will continue to offer meaningful outdoor education to local youth.
Nature Explorers Camp offers three themed, week-long sessions where campers learn about the natural world through games, experiments, outdoor investigations, and team challenges. Designed to spark curiosity and confidence, the camp blends outdoor adventure with experiential learning in a safe, supportive environment.
Each camp day runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Natural Resource Education Center in Russell Woods Forest Preserve. Enrollment is limited to 20 campers per week to ensure a high-quality, engaging experience.
2026 Camp Weeks
- Trailblazers Camp — June 22–26 (Ages 9–11)
- Cold-Blooded Critters Camp — July 6–10 (Ages 7–9)
- Insect Investigators Camp — July 20–24 (Ages 7–9)
For more information on registering, contact 4-H Program Coordinator Katie Williamson at krw7@illinois.edu or at 815-758-8194.
University of Illinois Extension develops educational programs, extends knowledge, and builds partnerships to support people, communities, and their environments as part of the state's land-grant institution. Extension serves as the leading public outreach effort for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences in all 102 Illinois counties through a network of 27 multi-county units and over 500 staff statewide. Extension’s mission is responsive to eight strategic priorities — community, economy, environment, food and agriculture, health, partnerships, technology and discovery, and workforce excellence — that are served through five program areas — 4-H youth development, agriculture and agribusiness, community and economic development, health and community wellness, and natural resources, environment, and energy.