Summer Camps
ALL SUMMER CAMPS ARE FULL — you can add your name to the wait list
Summer Camp in Des Moines is taking a walk on the wild side!
Botanical Garden summer camps in Des Moines allow youth to explore the natural world through the lens of their favorite activities. Using the gardens as unique classrooms, our summer day camps inspire youth to create and explore with hands-on experiments, plantings, games and crafts.
All camps run 9 am-4 pm and are designed for students in first through fifth grade in fall 2025.
Prices
Five-Day Camps:
- Members $255
- Nonmembers $295
Members: be sure to sign in at the top of the registration page to apply your member discount!
Member Benefits
2025 Summer Camps
All camps run 9 am-4 pm and are designed for students entering first through fifth grade in fall 2025.
Summer Camp registration opens Thursday, January 2 for members. Summer Camp registration opens Thursday, January 9 for nonmembers.
Check out our Spring Break Day Camps. Filling fast—grab your spot today!
June 9-13: Garden Artists
Our collection of plants and unique garden spaces inspire creativity to artists of all ages. With unlimited prompts from nature, campers will explore their creative side as they grow their artistic expression through painting, sculpting, garden design, flower arranging, and more!
June 16-20: Magic in the Garden
Experience the magic of the Garden through science experiments and imagination. Students will channel their inner wizard as they are sorted into houses, assigned a plant patronus, and create their own magic wand! Enrollment will ensure proficiency in botanical potions, herbology, plant defenses against the dark arts, and more!
June 23-27: Garden Artists
Our collection of plants and unique garden spaces inspire creativity to artists of all ages. With unlimited prompts from nature, campers will explore their creative side as they grow their artistic expression through painting, sculpting, garden design, flower arranging, and more!
July 7-11: Garden Rebels
NEW! Buckle up, secure your goggles, and dive into the wacky world of plants that break the rules. Dissect, experiment, and explore while investigating the most unusual and rebellious plant species around the globe.
July 14-18: Plants & People
NEW! Investigate how plants around the world revolutionize art, music, science, conservation, and cuisine in amazing ways! From fiber arts and design to foods across continents, learn how plants and people work together to change the world.
July 21-25: Dragons in the Garden
NEW! Enter the world of Dragons in the Garden! Discover plant-like dragons and dragon-like plants, uncovering how they all adapt to deserts, mud, rain, and other environments. Create your own Garden Guardian and discover your plant in this playful, imaginative camp!
Jul 28-Aug 1: Garden Rebels
NEW! Buckle up, secure your goggles, and dive into the wacky world of plants that break the rules. Dissect, experiment, and explore while investigating the most unusual and rebellious plant species around the globe.
Aug 4-8: Plants & People
NEW! Investigate how plants around the world revolutionize art, music, science, conservation, and cuisine in amazing ways! From fiber arts and design to foods across continents, learn how plants and people work together to change the world.
Keep the Fun Growing!
Check out our School Break Day Camps. Spots fill fast so grab your spot right away!
Camp Logistics

All camps are designed for students entering first through fifth grade in fall 2025.



Multi-Age Classrooms
Advantages and benefits to cross-grade learning:







Summer Camp Testimonials
Parents Tell us What They Love About our Summer Camp