The Community Academy is a nonprofit day camp in Ames, Iowa focused on nature, the environment, and hands-on learning. The TCA Summer Experience runs weekly across nine weeks of summer (attend one, some, or all), with gardening and prairie restoration, wildlife monitoring, cooking, woodworking, electronics, water activities, and field trips. Registration is offered on income-based sliding-scale tiers and open to all children.
The practical details
We list only what the camp itself publishes, and programs change — dates, prices, ages and availability can all move after we check. Confirm the details on the camp’s own website and contact The Community Academy directly before you register or pay. Last checked August 2026.
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★★★★★Veronica Bresnahan
★★★★★Lindsey Harris
★★★★★Cody RogersOur daughter loved this summer camp! From the Teachers to the hands-on educational experience. She's always filled with stories to tell when she comes home. This year we've signed her up for the whole summer.
★★★★★Lisa ErslandMy grandaughter went there last year and loved it! Wish it was year round!
★★★★★Erica RogersMy daughter had THE BEST time last summer and requested that we sign her up for as many sessions as we can this summer- so we did all of them. This camp is so educational and they go on field trips all over the area. They hiked and explored creeks at Ledges, swam at Big Creek, canoed and swam at Petersen's pit, went to a farm and made their own pickles, made art out of found objects, planted native plants and the list goes on. On the last day of camp my daughter had made so many connections that she cried and said goodbye to everyone several times. I cant say enough about how great The Community Academy is.