Programs and Registration
About Our Programs
Taproot offers school year and summer programs for children ages 3 to 18 along with events for whole families. Age guidelines for each camp are flexible; we would be happy to discuss your child’s individual needs and abilities to find the right program for them. Contact us at info@taprootnatureexperience.org or call 319.331.8476.
Activities in all of the programs vary from day to day and are highly dependent on the season, weather, group size, and children’s interests, but have included: hiking, sledding, shelter building, atl-atl throwing, yoga and mindfulness practice, bow making, fishing, found nature object art, creek wading, fire making, gold panning, mushroom hunting, cloud watching and quiet observation, vegetable and tree planting, creek exploration, fairy house building, pond canoeing and swimming with life-vests, owl pellet dissection, animal tracking, sand engineering, treasure hunting, native species identification, maple tapping, snow building, campfire tending and cooking, outdoor games, and much more. Read more about our educational philosophy here.
We go outside in all but the harshest weather–An important goal of the program is to help kids learn how to feel comfortable and safe in nature. We encourage parents to send their children with appropriate clothing, and we help kids learn how to wear it.
If dangerous weather prevents us from spending the day outdoors, we may go to the Natural History Museum, the Johnson County Historical Society Museum, the Office of the State Archaeologist, rec center gyms, the Iowa City Public Library, or the Water Treatment Facility, among other indoor locations.
Learn about financial aid and donations here.
School-Year Programs
After-School Program for Ages 5-12
Hours: School dismissal to 6:00 p.m.
Meeting Place: Upper City Park, Iowa City
Tuition: Depends on the day and pickup arrangements, see below
Group Size: Up to 20 children with three teachers
Spring ’25 Dates: March 24 to May 30, 2025
Fall ’25 Dates: September 2 to November 21, 2025
Spring ’26 Dates: March 23 to May 29, 2026
Kids sign up for one or more days of the week for the entire session.
NOTE: There is no Taproot ASP on Iowa City no-school days
Sprouts Mornings for Ages 3-5
Days and Hours: Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays 8:30 am to 12:30 pm.
Meeting Place: Upper City Park, Iowa City
Tuition: $450-$600 depending on the session and day
Group Size: Six children with two teachers
Spring ’25 Dates: March 24-May 30, 2025
Fall ’25 Dates: September 2-November 18, 2025
Spring ’26 Dates: March 23-May 27, 2026
Sprouts ride in the “Lorax,” our 15-passenger Ford van. Families provide a car seat or booster, which can be installed each day or left in the van for the session.
All-Day Programs for Ages 5-12
Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Meeting Place: Upper City Park, Iowa City
Tuition: $95/day
Group Size: 20 children and three teachers
Fall ’25 Days and Dates: Thursday, October 2; Friday, October 3; Tuesday, October 21; Tuesday, November 4
Spring ’26 Days and Dates: Friday, April 4; Friday, April 24
Kids can spend the day outside with Taproot friends. Destinations and activities will depend on the weather and who signs up,but you can be sure the day will be filled with nature and friendship.
Foundations for Middle and High School Students
Days and Dates: Throughout the month, September ’25 to May ’26
Locations: Various
Tuition: $2160 for the 9-month program ($240/month) A $500 deposit is required to register and the balance can be paid monthly or in full at the time of registration.
Building on Taproot’s principles of nonviolent communication and unconditional positive regard, Taproot Foundations is a nine-month program that will introduce and explore a variety of topics to help students advance their understanding of self-knowledge and self-care.
Summer Programs
Sprouts Camp: Ages 3–5
Days and Times: Monday–Friday 8:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Weeks: Each week of the summer from June 16 to August 22
Meeting Place: Parents or caregivers deliver and pick up Sprouts at each day’s destination, TBD
Group size: Six children with two Taproot teachers and a Junior Leader
Tuition: $250
Many of you asked for it, so this year we’re expanding Sprouts Camp to the whole summer! We’re also reducing the group size to six children, which will increase the amount of individual attention the teachers will be able to devote to each child. We’re psyched about these changes!
Sprouts is designed to give young children super fun time outdoors in natural settings, with gentle, knowledgeable guidance from experienced Taproot Teachers.
Cambium: All-Day Camp for Ages 5–8
Days and Times: Monday–Friday 8:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. Each week of the summer from June 16 to August 22, 2025
Meeting Location: Upper City Park, Iowa City
Group size: 24 kids split into two groups, but spending most of the week together
Tuition: $440
We will run two sections of Cambium Camp each week during the summer–The Lorax group and Otter group, named for their respective trusty carriages. The two groups of Cambium will be determined mainly by when kids sign up, but if your child wants to be with a friend, please let us know and it can most likely happen.
Last winter, Elesa and Zac scouted for new spots for a long field trip in addition to Wildcat Den State Park. We found Wapsipinicon State Park practically under our noses! How had we never been there before?! We are excited to explore and play at Wapsipinicon State Park this summer as a new Cambium destination!
Saplings: All-Day Camp for Ages 8–12
Days and Times: Monday–Friday 8:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. from June 16 to August 22, 2025 (No Sapling Camp June 30-July 4)
Meeting Location: Upper City Park, Iowa City
Group size: 20 children with three Taproot teachers and a Junior Leader
Tuition: $440
Sapling Camp is a rich, nature-filled experience for children, guided by excellent, kind teachers and surrounded by friendly kids in an atmosphere of Unconditional Positive Regard.
This summer we add Mines of Spain Recreation Area near Dubuque to our long-trip destinations! We’re super psyched to explore this awesome new spot along the Mississippi River. Check the registration description for each week’s planned destination.
Taproot Leadership Camp: Ages 12–18
When: 9 a.m. Saturday, June 7 to noon Saturday, June 14
Meeting Location: Harvest Preserve Main Entrance
Group size: 18 kids, with Elesa as the main teacher.
Tuition: $1350 (25% deposit required at registration)
This summer TLC begins on Saturday morning rather than Friday afternoon, which is the Iowa City schools’ last day.
Leadership Camp is a 7-day sleep away camp. Participants bring a tent and we camp at Harvest Preserve and go on daily field trips to various activities and events. Because it takes place in Iowa City, it’s possible to make some custom arrangements if kids have scheduling conflicts or have difficulty staying away from home.
Payment and Refund Policies (Revised for 2025)
We know that signing kids up for summer camp has become pretty high-pressure in recent years. It’s stressful for parents–and also for summer camp providers! Taproot’s reservation and refund policies have evolved as needed, to try to keep the process fair and reasonable for all Taproot families, and to protect Taproot’s institutional well-being. In response to increasingly common practices of the last couple years–namely reserving many weeks of camp and then canceling most of them at short notice, requiring Taproot to issue refunds and scramble to fill empty camp spots–we are making some changes to our deposit and refund policy this year. We will be paying close attention to how it works, and we welcome your feedback.
A 25% deposit is required to reserve a spot in any camp. This reservation deposit will not be refunded except in the case of an emergency.
Full payment for summer camp tuition is due by June 6. Before this date, you can cancel your reservation for any reason and receive a refund of all payments over the 25% deposit.
After June 6, if you cancel a camp week with more than two weeks notice, you’ll receive a refund of payments over the 25% deposit. Cancellations less than two weeks prior to the start of the camp week will not be refunded except in the case of an emergency.
Examples of an emergency:
- Your family has relocated to a different town
- Your child has a serious or longer-term illness or injury that will prevent them from participating in the camp (more than a minor cold or bug)
- Someone in the immediate family has an illness or injury that will prevent the kid from participating in camp
- You needed spots for two kids but only got one
- You accidentally registered for the wrong camp (and notified us asap)
- Your family has had a major change in circumstances or finances and cannot manage to get the kid to camp or afford the tuition (in this case, please contact Zac about financial aid or other options so your kid can still come to camp)
Non-emergency examples:
- You’ve changed or solidified your vacation plans
- Your child got into a different camp that week
- Your child’s buddy didn’t register for the same week
- Friends or family decided to come visit that week
This policy is harsher than in the past, and I’m sorry for that. I want to emphasize that we’re human beings at Taproot, and open to hearing about your unique situation that doesn’t fit any of the above examples. Contact Zac at info@taprootnatureexperience.org or call 319.325.0695.