Editor’s note: This camp is now full, and names are being placed on a waiting list.

If you’re a rising sixth- through ninth-grader and looking for a summer camp, the Suffolk-Nansemond Historical Society and the Suffolk Art League have a free option later this month.

The five-day Tidewater Summer Camp, funded by the Birdsong Trust and Chorey & Associates Realty, will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and begin July 15.

Campers will have the opportunity to paint, take a trip to the Great Dismal Swamp, do an art project using recycled objects, go on a fossil hunt at Chippokes Plantation State Park, swim and take a canoe trip on the Nansemond River with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

Sandra Councill, a board member with the Suffolk-Nansemond Historical Society, said part of her idea for the camp was to get different organizations working together and expose students to the world.

“My goal is that the children will be aware of how fortunate we are to live in such a beautiful water environment,” Councill said, “and we need to make sure that we keep it healthy, because a healthy environment makes healthy people.”

No advance registration is required for the camp, though anyone who wants to participate in the field trips will need to sign up at least 24 hours in advance and have signed permission slips, as space is limited.

Lunch will be provided on Monday and Wednesday of the camp, and snacks will be available daily. On the three field trip days, campers will need to pack a lunch, though a snack and beverage will be provided. Campers attending the trip to Chippokes Plantation State Park will need to bring a bathing suit and a towel.

“I just have a love of nature and a love of children, and I feel it is so important that we give back,” Councill said.

 

Camp schedule

• Monday, July 15 — Water-themed painting with artist Cynthia Quesenberry (meet at Suffolk Art League, 118 Bosley Ave.), 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Tuesday, July 16 — Field trip to Great Dismal Swamp (meet at the Suffolk Visitor Center, 524 N. Main St.), 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Wednesday, July 17 — Art project with recycled materials with Wayne Jones of Suffolk Litter Control Coordinator (meet at Suffolk Art League, 118 Bosley Ave.), 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Thursday, July 18 — Fossil hunt, beach picnic lunch and swimming in pool at Chippokes Plantation State Park (meet at the Suffolk Visitor Center, 524 N. Main St.), 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Friday, July 19 — Canoeing on the Nansemond River between Brady’s Marina and Hilton Garden Inn Suffolk Riverfront with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (meet at the Suffolk Visitor Center, 524 N. Main St.), 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

 

Rising sixth- through ninth-graders interested in signing up for the camp can call 539-2781 or sign up at the Suffolk-Nansemond Historical Society at 137 Bank St.