[Columbia, SC] - Riverbanks' spring camp program will officially begin taking registrations by mail and online beginning January 15 and the Zoo's popular summer camp will open for registrations March 6.

ZOOm! Into Spring is for kids ages 6 to 9 and provides three days of fun for children out of school for spring break. The dates are Monday through Wednesday, April 10-12. Kids will learn how animals and plants celebrate the spring season, enjoying hands-on activities, animal encounters, behind-the-scenes tours, games and a giant Easter egg hunt in Riverbanks Botanical Garden.

Spring camp runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day and is $100 for Riverbanks Society members and $130 for non-members. An extended stay and play option is available for an additional $40 and allows campers to play at the Zoo until 5:15 p.m. Early drop-offs begin at 8:20 a.m.

Summer camp, including KinderCamp for 5-year-olds, Wild Weeks for 6 to 11-year-olds, and Adventure Camp for 12 to 14-year-olds, begins June 5. Parents can choose from eight one-week sessions, four of which are in June with four more weeks beginning after the July 4th holiday.

KinderCamp's focus this year will be on the life cycles of animals, allowing children to explore eggs, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. Children will enjoy hands-on activities, zoo walkabouts, scavenger hunts, crafts and games.

Wild Weeks offers three different curriculums for three age groups. 6 and 7-year-olds will study the "Wild World," focusing on animal homes and habitats throughout the world. "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow" is for children ages 8 to 9 and explores the threatened and endangered plants and animals of the world, as well as some of the extinct creatures that once roamed the Earth. Campers ages 10 to 11 will enjoy the "What's for Dinner?" program, designed to uncover the consumers of the wild. Carnivores, herbivores, omnivores, scavengers and decomposers will help serve up a lesson on nature's tasty tidbits.

Adventure Camp helps teens and pre-teens become environmentalists, exploring local and global conservation issues and traveling to various areas in the Midlands to see conservation in action. At the Zoo, campers will focus on some of the global issues the species at Riverbanks would face in the wild. They'll also learn about enrichment activities that help mimic real-life encounters Riverbanks' animals would experience in nature.

KinderCamp begins at 8:30 a.m. each day and ends at noon. Wild Weeks and Adventure Camp both run from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. with extended stay and play options available. KinderCamp is $100 for Riverbanks Society members and $150 for the general public. Wild Weeks is $160 for members and $210 for the general public and Adventure Camp is $230 for Society members and $280 for the general public.

Parents can register their children for ZOOm! Into Spring online at www.riverbanks.org or by mail. For more information on any of Riverbanks' camp programs or to request a registration form, call 803.779.8717, x1113.