National Geographic Explorer's Camp
The National Geographic Explorer’s Camp At Our Scottsdale Family Resort
What kid doesn't want to lead the life of a National Geographic Explorer? At the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, they can do just that! This fascinating Scottsdale family vacation program will feature entertaining and educational programs, with half-day and full-day sessions offered daily for children ages 5-12. Games and activities will rotate daily, so campers may attend more than once and still discover something new each day! Available exclusively to children of overnight guests at our Scottsdale family resort, the National Geographic Explorers Camp is a fun and challenging way for any kid to spend a few days in the desert.
- Desert Discovery, This treasure hunt equips kids with GPS devices to uncover clues hidden around the 80-acre Fairmont Scottsdale Princess resort. Campers collaborate while collecting clues, applying logic and using "sluething" tools, disappearing ink, magnifying glasses, measuring tape, mirrors and pedometers, to find hidden animal replicas camouflaged into the resort landscape. Along the way, they learn about the fascinating creatures that make the Sonoran Desert their home.
- Photo Safari, National Geographic, known for its captivating photography, will inspire youngsters to tell their stories through the lens. After campers are introduced to the basics of point-and-shoot digital photography, they will be sent on guided "assignments" around the diverse and visually stunning resort property. Each camper will be given a CD of their photographs to take home and share with their friends.
- Giant Traveling Maps, Each month, one gigantic map will be on loan and on display at Fairmont Scottsdale Princess. These colorful and highly-detailed maps of Africa, Asia or North/Central America are the largest ever produced by National Geographic, measuring up to 31 feet wide and 41 feet long. Kids walk, run and roll around on the maps as they "travel" to far off places.
Find more fun things to do during your Scottsdale vacation.
The Fairmont Princess, For Unforgettable Scottsdale Family Vacations
Live the life of an explorer at our Scottsdale National Geographic Explorers Camp. Our Scottsdale National Geographic Explorers Camp pricing is a la carte and is available exclusively for kids of overnight resort guests. The National Geographic Explorers Camp is for kids ages 5-12. The camp is based per child and starts at:
- $20 for a half-day
- $35 for a half-day with lunch
- $50 for a full-day with lunch
Discounts are available for families with multiple children in the same, immediate family:
- $15 for a half-day
- $30 for a half-day with lunch
- $40 for a full-day with lunch
To sign up your camper, fill out the activity sign-up form below and fax it to (480) 419-3059.
2010 National Geographic Explorers Camp
Speaker Saturdays at Fairmont Scottsdale Princess
This summer, the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess is hosting three fascinating National Geographic Explorers, who will share real-life stories of their global adventures. These visiting explorers are part of Fairmont Scottsdale’s new, year-round National Geographic Explorers Camp, offering fun, discovery-based activities for kids of overnight guests, starting May 28, 2010.
These experts in wildlife, documentary filmmaking and photography will interact with campers in specially designed activities during two Saturday sessions (morning and afternoon), then will give an afternoon presentation at an ice cream social for the whole family. (Media: Images of the explorers are available upon request.)
CASEY ANDERSON – Memorial Day Weekend (Saturday, May 29)
Wildlife Naturalist & Nat Geo WILD TV Host
That’s some friend. Brutus, an 800-pound grizzly bear, is best friend to wildlife naturalist Casey Anderson -- and in fact -- even served as best man at his wedding to actress Missi Pyle in 2008. Anderson, TV host of Nat Geo WILD’s “Expedition Grizzly” and other shows, has been called an “animal magnet” ever since he was a kid growing up in Montana surrounded by wilderness. After college, he became an animal keeper and trainer at wildlife parks; traveled to elephant orphanages in Kenya; hung out with crocodiles and even got thrashed by a mountain lion. Then, baby Brutus came into his life. Anderson rescued him from being euthanized, bottle-fed him and built the Montana Grizzly Encounter sanctuary, which today is a bear refuge and education facility. To further his understanding of bears, Anderson spent a year with 600 grizzlies in Yellowstone National Park, observing their lives, survival strategies and behavior. At Fairmont Scottsdale National Geographic Explorers Camp, Anderson will educate kids about grizzlies: their intelligence, emotional range, strength and speed. Campers will also learn about hibernation through a game of “Fur, Fat & Feathers,” and will be introduced to different animals brought in by a local zoo.
MICHAEL DAVIE – Fourth of July Weekend (Saturday, July 3)
Filmmaker & Journalist
An Emmy-Award-winning filmmaker and journalist, Zimbabwe-born Michael Davie is one of today’s most fascinating voices in documentary filmmaking. At just 22, Davie hitchhiked 8,000 miles from Cape Town to Cairo, toting only a video camera, a backpack, and a pledge from ABC Australia to produce any compelling footage he captured. The results of this journey were made into a television series that aired across Australia – where his family had emigrated as refugees from civil war in his native country. Through the years, working as a journalist and filmmaker, Davie has immersed himself in the beauty and unpredictability of Africa to raise awareness and compassion for the people who live there - and the last place on Earth many wild animals call home - including the endangered mountain gorillas who live in Virunga National Park in Congo.
Having climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro and rafted the Blue Nile in Ethiopia, Davie will combine his tales of adventure and extraordinary encounters to encourage campers to honor their passions and their power to make a difference. During camp, Davie will also take the kids “on assignment” around the resort, teaching them how to identify and capture stories, using interview techniques and Flip Video camcorders.
ANNIE GRIFFITHS – Labor Day Weekend (Saturday, September 4)
Photographer
She’s circled the globe, connecting with her subjects to photograph remarkable images. For more than 25 years shooting for National Geographic, Griffiths has lived one adventure after the next, from traveling with Bedouins in the Middle East to swimming with sea turtles in the Galápagos Islands. Perhaps the only National Geographic photographer to pack her camera gear in diapers, Griffiths has blazed a trail for photographers and working parents, with her book, “A Camera, Two Kids and a Camel.” A native of Minneapolis, Griffiths has photographed dozens of magazine and book projects for National Geographic including stories about Lawrence of Arabia, Baja California, Israel’s Galilee, Petra and Sydney. Her work has also appeared in Life, GEO, Smithsonian, Fortune and Time magazines, as well as in numerous books. She has received awards from the National Press Photographers Association, the Associated Press, and the White House News Photographers Association. Griffiths also gives photography workshops, most recently in Tuscany. While at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, she will share her award-winning tips and tricks with the campers as they use digital cameras on a Photo Safari through the 65-acre resort.
National Geographic Explorers Camp is exclusively for overnight guests of the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess. The price for National Geographic Explorers Camp speaker series can be priced a la carte at $20 for a half-day session and $50 for a full-day session (includes lunch), for children ages 5-12, including other camp activities. Each Explorer also gives a presentation at an ice cream social open to all guests, priced at $15 per person. For complete details and reservations, please call (800) 908-9370.
To reach a camp counselor, send an email to the link below.
SCP.NGExplorerscamp@fairmont.com
More Fun for Families
LV Bistro Restaurant & Kids Playroom - Overlooking the South Pool, LV Bistro serves farm-fresh breakfast, lunch and dinner, which is perfect for families. Along with a new Nat Geo-themed children’s menu -- which kids see by clicking through a Fisher-Price View-Master -- LV Bistro has a children’s playroom complete with comfortable kid couches, games, books, movies, wall chalkboard and even a foosball table. Parents can relax and enjoy their meal, while their children play nearby.
Kids Resort Dining Pass – Easy and affordable, kid’s will enjoy breakfast, lunch and dinner, all for $25 per child, per day. Children, ages 5-12, dine off the kids’ menus in these locations: breakfast, lunch and dinner in LV Bistro (perfect for families with its game room), lunch at the pool, and dinner at La Hacienda by Richard Sandoval or The Grill at TPC Scottsdale. Plus, the Kids Resort Dining Pass includes a ticket for free movie candy or popcorn and a kids Freeze beverage during the weekend “dive-in” movie. Parents, who are overnight resort guests, may purchase the dining pass upon check-in.
Adult Date-Night – Childcare when you dine at resort Friday and Saturday nights - Parents can dine in resort restaurants or book a body experience in Willow Stream spa may check the kids (ages 5-12) in National Geographic Explorers Camp movie nights and charges will be waived when they present their dining or spa check. Imagine go for dinner, know the kid’s are having a great time nearby at resort’s Explorer’s Camp and save the cost of the babysitter.
Splish, Splash and Socialize at Five Resort Pools
Sonoran Splash -At Sonoran Splash, families can spend all day at this 6,000 square-foot oasis, featuring two, 200-foot twisting water slides. For tots, there is a zero-entry deck area as well as a large sandbox complete with Tonka trucks and beach toys sure to keep little ones entertained for hours. Sonoran Splash is one of two pool areas that also offer luxurious cabanas for rental, as well as poolside butlers to anticipate every need.
FREEZE! - Perfect for those sunny summer days, the resort is introducing Freeze, an a frozen drink and ice cream bar on Memorial Day weekend, serving frothy frozen concoctions for kids and adults. Freeze will be located at the entrance of the family fun zone, the East Pool.
Summer Dive-In Movies - Families can dive in, stay cool and see a variety of family movies shown complimentary at the East Pool, Friday and Saturday nights, all summer long. Making it extra-fun, movie-watchers can enjoy concessions from FREEZE … sip drinks from their glow-in-the-dark hurricane glasses and adorn themselves with glow-in-the-dark necklaces … then float on inner tubes as the family flick begins
Escape to the ultimate desert magic experience at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess. Overlooking breathtaking vistas of the McDowell Mountains, we offer a refreshing blend of Southwestern luxury, art, and design. Book your reservations at our Scottsdale family resort online now for exceptional rates.
