Break Camp Guidelines

General Guidelines

Age Limits
Break Campers must be the appropriate age on or before the start of camp. Your child must be 5 years old by September 1 of the current school year. We regret that we cannot make any exceptions to this policy. 

Parent Information
On the first day of camp, a weekly plan for each camp will be available that lists activities and includes suggestions to help you and your camper share the camp experience. Please note that the order of events may change due to weather or other circumstances beyond our control. Please note that both weeks of Winter Break Camp will include the same activities. We do not recommend enrolling for both weeks.

Special Needs
The Garden is committed to providing accessible experiences for all children. If your child will require special accommodations, please call (847) 835-8361 to discuss your situation prior to registering.

Staffing
In order to provide the best possible experiences for your children, camp is limited to 20 campers. Camps are led by Chicago Botanic Garden staff and qualified teachers, with assistance from interns and volunteers. Biographies of your campers’ instructors will be available at the drop-off location on the first day of camp.

Please Do Not Bring to Camp
The Garden is NOT responsible for any item lost or broken during camp. Please leave the following items at home: personal video game players, cell phones, and MP3 players/iPods.

Camper Code of Conduct

  • Campers will treat their fellow campers, instructors, and volunteers with respect.
  • Campers will follow directions and stay with their group.

Please read and discuss these expectations with your child. In the event that a camper does not follow the Code of Conduct, or his or her behavior endangers other campers or interferes with an instructor's ability to provide programming, the coordinator of Camp Programs or camp instructor will inform the parent at pick-up or through a phone call. If a second incident occurs, parents may be asked to withdraw their child from camp. Refunds will not be given for behavior-related withdrawals.