Outdoor Education at Mary Gray Bird Sanctuary
3499 S. Bird Sanctuary Rd, Connersville, IN 47331
About
Outdoor Education at Mary Gray Bird Sanctuary offers one-week sessions built around the themes “Incredible Insects” and “Creepy Crawlies,” where students take part in hikes, a Bug Safari, games, and a cookout. Campers rotate through hands-on activities such as learning insect vocabulary, how insects produce sounds, the role of bees and other insects in pollination, compound eyes, and the metamorphosis and life cycle stages of butterflies and moths, including the release of three monarchs and a luna moth. Activities also include an insect Olympics comparing human and insect strength and speed, experiments with earthworms and pill bugs, observing crayfish anatomy, constructing “pooters” to safely capture very small insects, a photo hunt in the woods to study spider webs followed by crayon-resist paintings, art projects using leaves to create butterfly paintings, hiking Garrison Creek, a sing-along of theme-related songs such as “Going on a Bug Hunt,” read-alouds by staff, and a field trip experience to Hueston Woods State Park.
• Ages: 7–12 years old
• Schedule: One-week sessions in June 2025, with daily programming from 9:00 a.m. through 1:30 p.m.
Each session in 2025 enrolled 55 students, and all 55 spots were filled during both weeks of camp. Each camper received a camp shirt, a field guide, a nature journal, and a net for catching bugs to take home. Daily structure included a choice of hikes, pre-hike snacks, station rotations, lunch in Brooks Hall, read-alouds, theme-related songs, and tick checks. Family night brought approximately 90 people back to the sanctuary for a shady hike, creek exploration, and an ice cream sundae bar in the barn, and campers wrote thank-you notes to staff, volunteers, and sponsors using their crayon-resist spider web paintings.
Funds were used to provide stipends for qualified and experienced staff, and seven teen volunteers and 15 adult volunteers assisted during camp. A special guest, apiarist Bill Cummins, gave an hour-long presentation about bees, and staff led an activity called “Life in a Bee Colony/Bee Metamorphosis.” Over 85 percent of campers surveyed rated camp at a 4–5, and nearly all said they would like to come back the next year.
Outdoor Education at Mary Gray Bird Sanctuary held its seventh year of programs in June 2025 for elementary students in grades two through six. The program takes place at Mary Gray Bird Sanctuary, which is described as an outdoor science lab and serves as the physical headquarters of the Indiana Audubon Society. Indiana Audubon, founded in 1898, is the oldest conservation organization continuously operating in Indiana and the fourth oldest “Audubon” in the country, and its mission is to engage communities in the enjoyment of birds in their habitats, through conservation, education, and research. The sanctuary property has been used for school groups, college classes, and summer outdoor educational programs for area youth, and collaboration with local non-profit and service organizations includes sponsoring meeting space there. Funds from Indiana Audubon Society, Whitewater Valley REMC, Yaryan Eye Care Center, Roots Blower, USLA Bank, and FCN Bank were used to support the program.
Last updated May 12, 2026.
• Ages: 7–12 years old
• Schedule: One-week sessions in June 2025, with daily programming from 9:00 a.m. through 1:30 p.m.
Each session in 2025 enrolled 55 students, and all 55 spots were filled during both weeks of camp. Each camper received a camp shirt, a field guide, a nature journal, and a net for catching bugs to take home. Daily structure included a choice of hikes, pre-hike snacks, station rotations, lunch in Brooks Hall, read-alouds, theme-related songs, and tick checks. Family night brought approximately 90 people back to the sanctuary for a shady hike, creek exploration, and an ice cream sundae bar in the barn, and campers wrote thank-you notes to staff, volunteers, and sponsors using their crayon-resist spider web paintings.
Funds were used to provide stipends for qualified and experienced staff, and seven teen volunteers and 15 adult volunteers assisted during camp. A special guest, apiarist Bill Cummins, gave an hour-long presentation about bees, and staff led an activity called “Life in a Bee Colony/Bee Metamorphosis.” Over 85 percent of campers surveyed rated camp at a 4–5, and nearly all said they would like to come back the next year.
Outdoor Education at Mary Gray Bird Sanctuary held its seventh year of programs in June 2025 for elementary students in grades two through six. The program takes place at Mary Gray Bird Sanctuary, which is described as an outdoor science lab and serves as the physical headquarters of the Indiana Audubon Society. Indiana Audubon, founded in 1898, is the oldest conservation organization continuously operating in Indiana and the fourth oldest “Audubon” in the country, and its mission is to engage communities in the enjoyment of birds in their habitats, through conservation, education, and research. The sanctuary property has been used for school groups, college classes, and summer outdoor educational programs for area youth, and collaboration with local non-profit and service organizations includes sponsoring meeting space there. Funds from Indiana Audubon Society, Whitewater Valley REMC, Yaryan Eye Care Center, Roots Blower, USLA Bank, and FCN Bank were used to support the program.
Last updated May 12, 2026.
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