2 p.m.:  Check-in Begins 

2 to 3:30 p.m.: Assistance with Setting Up Your Tent — Need help setting up your tent? Assistance will be provided by students in the College of Public Health's KPAP (Kinesiology Physical Activity Program) Backpacking and Camping Class! Just stop by the KPAP table in Bright Hall Circle and ask for help!

2 p.m., September 21 to 10 a.m., September 22: Ceramics Pit Firing Demonstration — On Saturday, students from the Tyler School of Art and Architecture Ceramics Program will construct a “pit” with cinder blocks and load it with combustible material for a big fire — different materials create different effects on the ceramics. Tyler students will then place ceramicware that they will have made within the “pit” — including some items created from clay from the riverbank of Ambler Arboretum. On Sunday, the students will pull out their creations and show them to our campers! Ceramics students and faculty members Lauren Sandler, Associate Professor and Program Head of Ceramics, and Natalie Kuenzi, Adjunct Professor of Ceramics and a program alumna, will be on hand to talk about the process during the Campout. (Please Note: The Ceramics Pit Firing is weather dependent. Heavy rain might prevent the firing.)

2 to 6 p.m.: Get Hands-on With Nature! — 4 Elements Earth Education invites you to connect with nature with their Please Touch Nature Museum. Experience hides, arrowheads and animal skulls firsthand, guess who’s who in the nature quiz and create crafts using natural materials!

2 to 9 p.m.: Self-Guided Tours of the Ambler Arboretum of Temple University — Feel free to stroll around the campus gardens!

2 to 9 p.m.: Corn Hole and other Outdoor Games — Games will be facilitated by students in the KPAP (Kinesiology Physical Activity Program) Backpacking and Camping Class!

3 to 5 p.m.: Leave No Trace — Temple University student EcoReps, part of the Office of Sustainability, will provide important information about Leave No Trace. The 7 Principles of Leave No Trace provide an easily understood framework of minimum impact practices for anyone visiting the outdoors. The principles can be applied anywhere — from remote wilderness areas, to local parks and even in your backyard. 

3:30 to 5:30 p.m.: Science of Scary — Learn about things in nature that may seem frightening but are important for their environments. Learn more at https://ambler.temple.edu/scienceofscary.

4 p.m. Arboretum Weird and Wild Plant Walk — Poison and Thorns and Carnivory — Learn why plants have adapted to have thorns, poison and even meat-eating qualities as we take a garden walk looking at (but not touching) some of the scariest plants in the gardens. 

4:45 p.m. Academy of Natural Sciences Stream Walk — The tour will travel a short way to Tannery Run Creek located on campus to explore the essential micro- and macroinvertebrates living within the stream.

5 to 7 p.m.: El Toro Serrano Food Truck. Delicious choices will be available for purchase from the El Toro Serrano Food Truck. Check out their menu here.

Choose Your Own Adventure!

5:30 p.m.: Don’t Be Scared of Navigation — Delaware Valley Orienteering Association

5:30 p.m.: Evening Garden Stroll with the Ambler Arboretum

6 p.m.: A Walk on the Weird Side of the Tyler School of Art and Architecture Greenhouse Education and Research Complex

6:30 p.m.: Get Your S’mores Kits!

6:45 p.m.: Campfire Safety — Krista DeLone, Temple Ambler Office of Student and Campus Life

7:00 p.m.: Campfire Sing-along — Krista DeLone, Temple Ambler Office of Student and Campus Life

7:30 p.m.: Campfire Stories from the Lenape Nation — Chief Adam “Waterbear” DePaul, Tribal Storykeeper and Director of Education of the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania

8:15 p.m.: Astronomy Talk — College of Science and Technology Dean Miguel Mostafá will give a special astronomy talk in Bright Hall Lounge!

8:45 to 10 p.m.: Stargazing with the Delaware Valley Amateur Astronomers and the Bux-Mont Astronomical Association (Please note: Stargazing is weather dependent. If there is heavy cloud cover, stargazing will not be possible).

9:30 to 10:30 p.m.: Ambler Arboretum Moth Tour! —  Ambler Arboretum

Temple Ambler EarthFest 

How do you celebrate sustainability and the environment while reaching out to students, teachers and residents in a way that will excite them about citizen science and “going green?” In 2003, Temple  Ambler presented the answer to that question on a grand scale, developing an outdoor, educational celebration of Earth Day — EarthFest! Our mission is to provide meaningful, impactful educational experiences for all ages throughout the year. Instead of one day and one event, we invite you to celebrate the Earth at several smaller, student and family-centered events!

Ambler Arboretum of Temple University

The Ambler Arboretum of Temple University is an educational resource modeling the art and science of horticulture and environmental responsibility while fostering research, celebrating the achievements of women in horticulture, preserving the historic significance of the campus and highlighting the health benefits of nature, plants and gardening. The Ambler Arboretum of Temple University is proud to be a part of America's Garden Capital. The Ambler Arboretum additionally provides a series of videos designed to help you connect with nature and the outdoors. Take an arboretum walk with Arboretum Director Kathy Salisbury, make new “fronds,” learn about emerald ash borer, and more!

Recreation, Outdoor Education & Wellness at Temple Ambler

Temple University Ambler offers unique experiences to engage with others through applied activities in a beautiful outdoor setting. Our trained facilitators will guide your group through a series of problem-solving, communication and trust exercises that can be tailored for indoor or outdoor use. Recreation, Outdoor Education & Wellness at Temple Ambler offers custom-length programs from one to six hours in length and can accommodate groups of 6 to 60 participants. 

Temple Ambler Field Station

The Ambler Campus was designated in 2020 as the Temple Ambler Field Station, a platform for environmental field research and education. The Field Station leverages the 187-acre Ambler Campus and Ambler Arboretum as a living laboratory, providing access to a diversity of natural habitats. The Field Station’s goal is to be a platform for research across disciplines, from STEM fields to the liberal arts. The Ambler Field Station also provides research and educational support facilities including laboratory and instructional spaces, offices for visiting scholars, conference rooms, a dedicated research array, a fully equipped technology center, library, and field vehicle access. Ongoing research at the Ambler Field Station spans multiple disciplines, from the natural sciences, to engineering and liberal arts.

Temple University Office of Sustainability

Temple University's commitment to sustainability has a profound impact on the health and quality of life of a large and diverse population within Temple and its surrounding community. The Temple University Office of Sustainability's mission is to lead the integration of sustainability into Temple University's curriculum, research, culture, building design and campus operations. The Office of Sustainability's main objectives are: To be a Climate Change Leader and execute Temple University's Climate Action Plan; to develop policies that promote and support environmental best practices; create, implement and manage programs and events that advance climate action and environmental justice; and establish metrics and track institutional sustainability performance.

Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania

Who are the people of the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania? An easy answer is that they are the indigenous people of this land now called Pennsylvania. All of their members are Lenape people who must submit records of their Lenape genealogy to be considered for membership. Yet there is so much more. Lenape Nation history is unique, and it is the story of families and survival. It is a story of honoring treaties and following certain leaders such as Issac Still, Tatamay, and Teedyuskung. Learn more.

Academy of Natural Sciences

Founded in 1812, the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University is a leading natural history museum dedicated to advancing research, education, and public engagement in biodiversity and environmental science. Visitors to the Academy have the opportunity to get face-to-face with towering dinosaurs, meet live animals, and explore a tropical garden filled with live butterflies. The Academy’s collections contain more than 18 million specimens and archival treasures and rate among the world’s most significant in terms of geographic, biological, and historical depth and breadth.

Delaware Valley Amateur Astronomers

The Delaware Valley Amateur Astronomers has a long and illustrious history dating back to July 1976 when the club was formed by Bill Shuman, Don Parker, Steve Mairoto and Donna Shuman out of the defunct pieces of the club’s progenitor: The Association of General Celestial Observers (AGCO). In the years since the DVAA has had a storied existence; thousands of group and individual observing sessions, more than 200 Astronomical League awards, visits to all sorts of interesting places —observatories, planetariums, dark-sky sites, museums and more; on five different continents— eclipses marveled at on land, sea and air, myriad star parties, countless Messier Meetings and Solar Saturdays, hundreds of top-notch talks given by both professional and amateur speakers, science performed, papers written, professionals worked with, ideas shared, questions asked, education given, a community well served.

Bucks-Mont Astronomical Association

The Bucks-Mont Astronomical Association is a group of amateur astronomers working together to improve astronomical knowledge and appreciation as well as observational and astrophotography skills. BMAA members are a varied group of individuals who share a curiosity about the sky. We make ourselves and our instruments available to promote public interest in astronomy.

Delaware Valley Orienteering Association

Orienteering is an outdoor navigation sport. Participants use a map and compass to find check points along a mapped course. It’s a sport for any age; beginners are always welcome and the Delaware Valley Orienteering Association provides instruction at all of their events.

4 Elements Earth Education

The mission of 4 Elements Earth Education is to offer programs that guide youth, teens and families to a more connected and balanced relationship with Mother Earth through caretaking and Earth Living Skills. 4EEE offers a range of programs from introduction to mastery of Earth Skills such as tracking, wilderness survival and nature awareness through learning of the 4 Elements of Survival: Shelter, Water, Fire and Food.