CINCINNATI – After a year of virtual learning on the couch or at the dinner table, it’s time to break away from the screens and get into the museum, the lab and the dirt. Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC) is bringing campers back for in-person Museum Camps this summer. Slots for campers is limited, but with a range of options for grades K-4, there’s sure to be a camp for every interest. Museum Camps go on sale April 5.
From paleontologists to mad scientists, astronauts to muggles, there’s a camp for every kid. Let your imagination run wild and put your engineering skills to the test in one of our LEGO Camps. Or dig in the dirt for bones and ancient artifacts during Dino Dig or Paleontology Camps. Put on a pair of goggles and get your hands dirty as you dive into icky, sticky experiments to find which chemicals react to create flashes and bangs in Messy Science and Crazy Chemistry Camps. Plus, you can peer through telescopes and look to the sky as you learn about our solar system and test your skills in a series of challenges to see if you have the right stuff to be an astronaut in Spectacular Solar System and Space Explorers Camps. And no summer is complete without Harry Potter Camp, where you can hop on your broomstick to participate in the TriWizard Tournament and learn to defend yourself against the Dark Arts.
Museum Camps are even more important this year. Studies have shown that math and science proficiency has suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic due to disruptions in schooling and instruction. With hands-on application of STEM-based themes, Museum Camps are a way to push back on the brain drain and reenergize students. And, it’s a great way for kids to make new friends or reconnect with old ones after a difficult school year.
To keep campers safe, CMC is limiting the number campers for each Museum Camp to allow plenty of space and ensuring enough equipment like beakers and microscopes for each camper. Other shared materials, like LEGOs, are removed from Museum Camps completely and campers are required to bring their own.
CMC is hosting Museum camps at Union Terminal, the Cincinnati Observatory and the Blue Ash Recreation Center. Museum Camps begin the week of June 1 with the last week of camps running through August 6.
Museum Camps make it easy to work with the schedules of caregivers, too. Each camp beings at 9 a.m. and runs through 4 p.m. with before and after care available from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Camps are available for kids from kindergarten to 4th grade.
CMC’s Museum Camps are the perfect way to keep your children’s wheels turning and minds active during the brain drain of summer. To view a complete listing of Museum Camps with more information and to register, visit cincymuseum.org/museum-camps. You can also register by phone at (513) 287-7001.