Overview
It’s a full-day program offering 3-, 4- and 5-day options—each day is different and spent outside at a park.
Kids entering grades K-5 will be active and learning as they explore themes like pioneer life, hiking and climbing, what grows in the wild and more, tapping into creativity through nature-themed arts and crafts and playing sports and games. Kids stay active with swimming, group games and weekly field trips.
Location
Lake Elmo Park - South Pavilion
1515 Keats Ave N
Lake Elmo, MN 55042
Vehicle Permits are required for all vehicles entering the park, including vehicles belonging to registered campers.
- Daily Permit: $7
- First annual permit: $30 - Vehicle Permit Pass
- Second annual permit (for same household, must be purchased at same time as first): $20
Dates & Hours
Entering grades K – 5 in fall
June 5 – August 25, Monday – Friday (No program July 3 & 4)
Program Hours: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Drop-off: 6:30 a.m. – 9 a.m.
Pick-up: 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Field Trips
Exciting themes guide weekly activities and field trips to keep kids engaged and learning new things. Field trip schedules subject to change.
Cost
Customize your child’s summer to fit the needs of your family. Enroll your child for the whole summer, choose a few weeks, or mix it up even more with full and partial weeks.
Choose from 3-, 4- or 5-day options.
- $185 – 3 days/wk.
- $229 – 4 days/wk.
- $262 – 5 days/wk.
Registration Fee - $50 per child, one-time fee, non-refundable. Weekly fee includes all field trip admissions, open swimming, program t-shirt and program supplies.
Weekly Themes
There’s always something fresh and new at Nature Power. Exciting themes guide the weekly activities to keep kids engaged and learning new things.
Please note: these are just a sample of the themes available during Nature Power. Actual themes for each week may vary based on program dates and location. Below are the planned themes for 2023.
June 5-9: Summer Daze – Kick off the summer with a rockin’ fun time! No lazy days allowed this week as we make new friends, learn new games, and celebrate the great outdoors!
June 12-16: Backyard Bugs – Caterpillars, ladybugs, and ants- OH MY! Get your bug nets and magnify glasses ready! Spend the week learning all about the bugs that live right in your backyard. How does a caterpillar turn into a butterfly? Find out how many ants make up a colony. Use your imagination to create your very own creepy crawly!
June 19-23: Blast from the Past – Let’s dig like archeologists into ancient civilizations! Using STEM and Art, we will explore how hieroglyphics are used, build our own pyramids, and make our own paper. We will blast into the past to learn about ancient civilization cultures and the similarities we may have now!
June 26-30: Marine Magic – Time to deep dive into the Marvelous and Mystical Oceans! Join us for a game of ships across the ocean, create mesmerizing ocean animal themed art, and learn cool animal facts like the marine mammal diving reflex through fun STEM projects.
July 3-7: Holiday Hoopla – Experience a full year in just one week of Summer Power. We will bring the magic of the year's holidays straight into July. From Winter Holidays to Halloween to St. Patrick's Day the celebrations are sure to be off the charts!
July 10-14: Paint Me Silly – The colors fly high during Paint Me Silly week! Prepare to get messy as we toss, play, and make Summer Power colorful! Splatter paint, watercolors, and ultimate color capture the flag are just a few of our colorful events.
July 17-21: Tropical Paradise – What better way to spend your week at Summer Power than with a cool island vibe? We will be introducing fun summer games from limbo contests, beach ball volleyball, and sand art. Join us while we bring the beach to the Y!
July 24-28: The Great Outdoors – Join us as turn the natural world into a makerspace! Participants will be engaging in fun activities from arts and crafts to outdoor nature walks. Using both natural and human-made materials, we will explore their creativity and learn more about the great outdoors.
July 31-August 4: Spirit Week – We've got spirit! How about you? This will be a week filled with relay races, obstacle courses, and team spirit! We'll learn the importance of teamwork during team building activities and competitions. Wear your favorite sports team gear and get ready to have fun!
August 7-11: Drip, Drip, Splash – In the hottest weeks of summer, let the YMCA help you cool off. Participants will be engaging in activities around wonderful water. From water themed arts and crafts to STEM projects helping us learn just how important water is to fun onsite water games, participants will have a wet and wild week!
August 14-18: Astronaut Adventures – Join the YMCA as travel through space. Each day we will take on a new mission! On our adventures, we will explore the vastness of outer space and everything that goes with it including planets, rocket ships and even find out what it takes to become an astronaut.
August 21-25: Going Green – This week participants will learn about having fun in an environmentally friendly way. Art and STEM projects will focus on using recycled materials to create something brand new! Activities and games will focus on the outdoors and making a positive impact on our world.