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Hidden Pond Nature Center Offers Winter Break Camps

Finding childcare during breaks from school can create headaches for busy working parents. Where will they go? Who will watch them? Is it a safe environment? This year, parents can send their kids to two exciting new Winter Break camps at Hidden Pond Nature Center in Springfield, Va. Children ages 5 to 10 years old are invited to attend Wilderness Survival Camp and Gross Encounters of the Weird Side Camp. Both camps run December 26 through December 28, 2012.

At Wilderness Survival Camp kids will learn skills that last a lifetime. This camp will teach basic survival skills one would need if they ever found themself lost in the woods without shelter, heat, or food. Participants will learn tracking basics, how to build a fire and maintain it, shelter building to survive torrential rain, high wind and cold, fishing, trapping, finding a clean water source, use of a compass, and other skills. Camp starts at 12:30 p.m. and ends at 3:30 p.m. The fee is $115 per child. Registration is available at  Parktakes Online or call 703-222-4664.

Gross Encounters of the Weird Side Camp will introduce kids to really off-the-wall nature and science phenomena. From experiments to strange animals, to downright disgusting facts about our natural world, hands-on or hands-off, it will be a memorable experience for all participants. This two-hour camp begins at 4 p.m. Registration is available at Parktakes Online or by calling 703-222-4664.

For more information about the camps, call 703-451-9588.

Hidden Pond Park is located at 8511 Greeley Blvd in Springfield, Va. The nature center overlooks the pond and is the gateway to 700-acre Pohick Stream Valley Park. Visitors can explore snakes, turtles, fish, frogs, and other local animals. Listen to the podcast Welcome to Hidden Pond Nature Center.