Updated 1:30 p.m. Feb. 4 with information about the Davis Shakespeare Ensemble's fifth annual Camp Shakespeare. Three sessions are planned, the first two in the UC Davis Arboretum.

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By Dateline staff

It’ll be a fantastic, fun-tastic and free-tastic Sunday for the whole family on the Davis campus this weekend. And Campus Rec-tastic and STEM-tastic, too!

So, pack up the kids, or just yourself, and come to campus for:

• Two arboretum programs — “Winter Birds in Davis” in the morning and “Expedition to Africa” story time in the afternoon.
• Six museum open houses — It’s the fourth annual Biodiversity Museum Day! Visit our insect, wildlife, plant, archaeology and paleontology collections.
• One big summer preview — Get the low-down on Campus Recreation and Unions Youth Programs and the School of Education's Adventures in Enrichment camps. Early-bird registration: Sunday is your only opportunity fto sign up early; after that, you'll have to wait until March 16.

Admission and parking: Admission is free, and parking is complimentary with one slight exception for the Gateway Parking Structure (south entry), which is free before 1:30 p.m. and after 3 p.m.

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• Arboretum — “Winter Birds in Davis,” one-hour slideshow and talk, followed by a birdwatching tour on foot, with docent Lois Richter as your guide. 10:30 a.m., 146 Environmental Horticulture.

• Biodiversity Museum Day — A special day to go behind the scenes to learn how scientists conduct research and to see some of the curators’ favorite pieces. Visitors are invited to explore displays, talk to scientists and students, and participate in fun activities.

Visitors are encouraged to stroll or bike around the campus and visit all six collections (all are indoors). Look for signs and guides, and pick up maps at any of the museums and collections.

• Anthropology Collections — Young Hall.
• Bohart Museum of Entomology — 1124 Academic Surge.
• Botanical Conservatory — The conservatory is on Kleiber Hall Drive behind Storer Hall.
• Center for Plant Diversity (herbarium) — 1026 Sciences Laboratory Building
• Paleontology Collections — Earth and Physical Sciences Building.
• Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology — 1394 Academic Surge.

Click here for a map (PDF) of all six locations and nearby parking.

• Arboretum — Storytime Through the Seasons: “Expedition to Africa,” exploring stories and nature of Africa. 1-3 p.m., meet at arboretum headquarters, Valley Oak Cottage (rain location: 146 Environmental Horticulture) . The group will then proceed to the nearby Acacia Grove. The Arboretum Ambassadors (students) present this outdoor reading program for children and families.

• Summer recreation and education for children — Campus Recreation and Unions Youth Programs and the School of Education’s Adventures in Enrichment program are holding a joint open house, 1-4 p.m., Conference Center.

• Early-bird registration: No sign-ups will be taken during the open house; instead, you can arrange registration from your home computer, 1 p.m. to midnight. Click here for the online registration site.
• Discounts: Campus Rec Youth Programs — $15 off per camp (except aquatics classes and "Bio Boot Camp," and the Early-Check-In and Afternoon Adventures programs). Adventures in Enrichment — $25 off each camp.

You don’t need to attend the open house to qualify for the discounts. But, if you visit, you and your children can learn more about the programs and meet the Adventures in Enrichment instructors and Youth Programs staff.

Campus Rec and Unions Youth Programs

Learn about Cooking Camps, Green Craft classes, Inner Tube Water Polo, and dozens more camps and classes. They are categorized as follows:

• Ages 4-5 — Aggie Camps (for example, “Under the Sea,” “Camp Cartoon” and “Outer Space")
• Ages 6-7 — Aggie Camps, Craft Camps and Exploration of Movement
• Ages 8-10 — Aggie Camps (with field trips to amusement and water parks, the Sacramento Zoo and other places), “Kids, Farms and Food,” plus cooking, crafts, dance, fitness and wellness, sports and theater
• Ages 11-13 — Aggie Camps, “Bio Boot Camp,” and “Kids, Farms and Food,” plus cooking, crafts, dance, sports, theater and junior lifeguard.
• Teen Programs (ages 12-17) — "Campers in Leadership Training," "Bio Boot Camps," "Jump Start to College" and craft classes.

Camps and classes last one week; sessions begin June 15 and conclude Aug. 21.

More information about Youth Programs is available online, or by phone, (530) 754-4304, or email.

Adventures in Enrichment

The open house will feature hands-on activities with robots, bugs, computers, science and more as a preview of the School of Education’s “STEM-tastic Summer!” — weeklong camps in science, technology, engineering and math.

Adventures in Enrichment camps are for children entering Grades 2-8, and each camp is designated for a specific grade range. Camp sessions start June 15 and 22, July 6, 13, 20 and 27; and Aug. 3. Most camps run from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.; “High Velocity” camps run from 2:30-5:30 p.m.

Lower-grade camps include “It’s a Bug’s Life,” “Farmer Grady’s Challenge,” “Earthquake Technology Challenge,” “The Great Toy Challenge,” “Helicopter Hang Time Exploration” and “Magic of Electrons.”

Other camp subjects include robotics, website development and computer programming, video games and math (algebra and geometry), and life sciences (including personal genomics).

“STEM-tastic Summer!” also includes “Mission to Mars,” “Flight and Space,” “Aerospace and Digital Engineering” and “Becoming a STEM Maker.”

The complete catalog is available online.

More information about Adventures in Enrichment is available online, or from camp director Andee Press-Dawson by phone, (530) 574-8906, or email.

Spring break

Campus Rec and Unions Youth Programs’ spring break program, “Boredom Busters,” Monday-Friday, March 23-27, is now open for registration. This year’s program will provide a sampler of some of the most popular summer activities: Ultimate Frisbee and flag football, dance and theater activities, craft projects, rock wall climbing and more.

Camp Shakespeare

Registration is now open for the Davis Shakespeare Ensemble's fifth annual summer camp program. Three sessions are planned, the first two in the UC Davis Arboretum — July 6-17 and July 20-31 — featuring theater games, acting workshops and a camp production!. This year, campers will play pirates, clowns and long-lost twins in one of Shakespeare’s best comedies, Twelfth Night.

The third session, The Complete Works
, for ages 10 and up, will be held Aug. 3-7 at Veterans Memorial Theater.

More information about Camp Shakespeare is available online. The site includes a link to the registration form.

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