Smithsonian Associates Hosts Summer Camp at the Smithsonian

Smithsonian Associates offers one-of-a-kind learning experiences that spark the imagination—and offer plenty of great fun—during Smithsonian Summer Camp, now in its 49th year. A wide variety of camps for children in kindergarten through ninth grade will be held Monday, June 18, through Friday, Aug. 17, at the Smithsonian’s S. Dillon Ripley Center at 1100 Jefferson Dr. S.W.

During summer camp, kids explore, discover, create and go behind the scenes at the Smithsonian. Campers can blast into space, take center stage, create a masterpiece, invent a fantasy world, relive history or learn to shape the future of the planet. The rich and exciting world of the Smithsonian is theirs to discover. More than 90 camps are offered this year; camps are held Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Before-camp (8 a.m. to 9 a.m.) and after-camp (4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.) activities are also available.

Back by popular demand are two-week intensive camps designed for students (grades 4–9), who have an interest in history, art and drama, 3-D technologies and digital arts. “Espionage, Infiltration and Subterfuge” is a two-week camp exploring how technology has changed the spy game, what happens when spies get caught and why cyber-spying is now the norm. The two-week camp “Couch-Potato History” allows campers to discover American cultural history through the lens of classic television programs with visits to the National Museum of American History and National Museum of African American History and Culture. In the two-week camp, “The Power of the Mask,” campers visit Smithsonian museums to see examples of historic masks and then create masks reflecting their personal style and inner strengths. Campers can also spend two full weeks immersed in 3-D technologies in “Constructing the Smithsonian in 3D,” exploring the digital art world during “Digital Arts Mash-Up” or learning to paint with watercolors and acrylics in “Painting Explorations.”

New one-week camps include: “Eco-Heroes” (grades K–1) where campers dig into gardening, discover what life in the sea is like, conduct their own science experiments and create eco-themed art; “Gross Me Out” where campers (grades 2–3) spend the week uncovering the science behind snot, the bacteria that live in belly buttons and gross creatures inside and outside the human body. In “Pirates of the Smithsonian” campers (grades 4–6) delve into the history of pirates, piracy and the high seas and uncover Washington D.C.’s connections to pirate history, and in the weeklong camp “TV Smithsonian,” campers (grades 5–7) research a topic in Smithsonian collections then produce, write, direct and star in their own television-style documentary. Other camp themes include video game design, anime, the solar system, Smithsonian “Shark Tank,” papermaking, junior paleontologists, improv comedy, digital photography and more.

Prices for weeklong summer camps are $460 for non-members and $395 for Smithsonian Associates members. There will be no camp Wednesday, July 4. Prices for summer camp Monday, July 2 through Friday, July 6, are $368 for non-members and $316 for Smithsonian Associates members. Two-week intensive camps range from $460 to $920 for non-members and $395 to $790 for Smithsonian Associates members; campers can customize their experience, registering for a single week of select two-week camps. Online and phone registration begins Thursday, Feb. 15, at 9 a.m. In-person registration at the Smithsonian Associates box office located in Suite 3077 of the Ripley Center begins at 10 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 15. Donors to Smithsonian Associates at the Contributor level ($300 or higher) are eligible for priority registration Tuesday, Feb. 13. All participants are encouraged to pre-register online. For more information, the public may visit http://smithsonianassociates.org/camp or call (202) 633-3030.

Smithsonian Associates—the largest museum-based education program in the world—produces vibrant educational and cultural programming inspired by the Smithsonian’s research, collections and exhibitions. Each year more than 750 individual programs are presented to spark creativity and excite learning in people of all ages in the Washington, D.C., area and across the country. Smithsonian Associates brings the Smithsonian to life through seminars, performances, lectures, studio arts classes and local and regional study tours, as well as many engaging programs for children, including performances and museum sleepovers.

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SI-49-2018