(For information on the Missouri Park Passport program, see below.)

Babler State Park has three free "junior naturalist" camps coming up to help kids understand how Nature works. All the camps feature lots of hands-on activities.

The Junior Naturalist WET Week camp comes first, July 9-13. It's for kids entering third and fourth grades and the subject is water's effect on all life.

The Junior Naturalist WILD Week camp is next, July 23-27. It's for kids entering first and second grades. It focuses on animals of Missouri.

The Junior Naturalist Woodlands Week is Aug, 6-10. This camp looks at how trees influence our lives. It's for kids entering fifth and sixth grade in the fall.

All the camps are free but you have to phone in your reservations before the camps start. To make reservations, be sure to call (636) 458-3813. Reservations close on the Friday before each camp starts.

The hours for all three camps are 9 a.m. to noon, Monday through Friday. Babler State Park is located in western St. Louis County.

Jennifer Woods is the naturalist at Babler State Park. She said all camps feature "lots of hands-on activities every day."

Here's a brief description of each of the camps:

Junior Naturalist WILD Week, July 23-27, for first and second graders.

Jennifer said, "Our objective is to help children appreciate and understand native Missouri wildlife."

Two of the animals that kids like--and mothers usually don't--are bats and snakes.

Jennifer said, "I think kids like them because they are mysterious and also nocturnal." That means kids don't see them much because they usually hide from humans. Also, they operate at night when most of us are asleep.

One thing young kids will do is learn how animals use their surroundings hide from their enemies. In one game, kids invent new types of animals that can hide is a specific type of outdoor area.

Junior Naturalist WET Week, July 9-13, for third and fourth graders.

Jennifer said, "This camp will be a little more technical because the kids are older." The main object is to show how water is important to all animals and plants.

"We'll study how the water cycle works," she said. The water cycle starts with falling rain. The water is then absorbed by plants or used by animals. Some rain runs into creeks and rivers. Then, the sun turns it into vapor and it rises into the air. The vapor condenses and turns again into rain.

Some of the camp will be held in the park woods near a creek, Jennifer said.

Junior Naturalist Woodlands Week, Aug. 6-10, for fifth and sixth graders.

Jennifer said, "Again, subjects at this camp will be a little more complex because the kids are still older."

We'll look at how plants and animals need each other," she said. Trees provide a variety of food for humans and animals, she said. On the other hand, lots of animals help spread pollen and plant seeds.

For instance, bees make honey by taking nectar from flowers. But, at the same time, pollen from the flowers sticks to the bees and is taken to the next plant. That pollen then helps make new flowers.

Also, sometimes, plant seeds have burrs that catch in the fur of animals and then fall to the ground away from the original plant.

One of the hands-on activities at this camp will involve kids making their own sheet of recycled paper.