Camp teaches survival

While other kids were inside playing with their new Nintendo Wiis and Sony PlayStation 3s the day after Christmas, 8-year-old Adam Jones learned how to harvest fruit from a prickly pear cactus and make a traditional Native American shelter from branches at the Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach.

“We collected sticks and dug holes to stick them in. It’s fun,” Adam said.

The Environmental Nature Center offers winter nature camps for children to learn about different animals and their natural habitats and winter survival skills.

With most local kids out of school until January, the camps give children a chance to get some hands-on learning experience with nature, said guest naturalist Mark Hay, who is teaching third- through sixth-graders winter survival skills at the center the next two weeks.

Hay will teach children traditional Native American survival skills such as how to start a fire and identify animal tracks on the center’s enclosed nature trails over the next two weeks at two-day camp sessions.

“The thing I like to focus on is hands-on experiences,” Hay said. “Building a shelter is a concrete goal, and they have to work together as a team. Grades are individual, tests are individual, so building a shelter in a team is something very fundamental.”

Two four-day winter camp sessions will begin again at the center next week and spots are still available, said Dan Green, Environmental Nature Center lead naturalist.

The camps do more than just teach kids about nature, Green said.

“They really get into building a shelter and it gives them a self-confidence boost,” Green said.

The next winter camp session runs Dec. 31, Jan. 2-4 and costs $175 per student.

Children in kindergarten through second grade learn about different natural habitats and animals through activities, games and crafts. Children in third- through sixth-grade hone survival skills such as making a bow and arrow and how to identify edible plants.

Nine-year-old Cameron Dewan said she was having a blast hiking through the nature center’s walking paths Wednesday and learning about different kinds of plants that grow across Southern California.

“I like to go on hikes and climb on rocks,” Cameron said. “You learn a lot about nature and try new foods.”

For more information on the Environmental Nature Center winter camps, visit www.encenter.org or call (949) 645-8489.

WINTER BREAK ACTIVITIES

 Kids can learn to shoot like at a 3-day winter basket ball clinic hosted by Boys & Girls Club of the Harbor Area. The $75 clinic runs 10 a.m. to noon Jan. 2-4 at the Lou Yantorn Branch Boys & Girls Club, 2131 Tustin Ave.

Call (949) 642-8372 for more information.

 The city of Costa Mesa will offer kids a chance to polish their skateboarding moves Dec. 31 and Jan. 2-4 at Volcom Skate Park of Costa Mesa. For $48, kids ages 8-12 can learn the fundamentals of skateboarding. Parents may register in person at the Balearic Community Center, 1975 Balearic Dr. Call (714) 754-5158.

BRIANNA BAILEY may be reached at (714) 966-4625 or at brianna.bailey@latimes.com.