Children’s Museum offers scaled-down summer camps

 

The Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge will offer a scaled-down version of Imagination Station Summer Camp beginning June 29, with new safety precautions in place because of COVID 19.

Art, nature, clay, and Star Wars-themed camps—as well as STEM themes, backyard games, Japanese culture, and Oak Ridge history—will be among the camps.

“Our staff has been busy redesigning our exciting Summer Camp program in light of COVID-19 and the need for social distancing and other precautions, as advised by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” said Beth Shea, Children’s Museum executive director.

The program will be smaller this summer, with class size limited to eight campers. Sessions for children rising into kindergarten to second grade and grades three to five will be offered, but the camp won’t have a pre-kindergarten program this year. Shea explained that campers will have their temperature checked upon arrival, with a digital, non-touch thermometer, and campers and staff will be expected to wear masks.

Activities such as gym and lunch will be staggered, and classes will not mix.

Weekly camps will be offered from June 29-July 24, with options of morning, afternoon, or all day camps. Fees for a single morning or afternoon camp are $115 for members and $135 for non-members. Combo camps, for a single child registering for all-day camp or for two siblings registering for a half-day camp in the same week, are $190 for members and $220 for non-members.

Register and pay for camps online at http://bit.ly/cmorsummer20, or by mail or in person at 461 West Outer Dr., Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Camp fees are fully refundable up until 14 days before the start date. For more information, call the museum at (865)482-1074 and leave a message, or email [email protected].

Camps for children rising into grades K-2 are:

• Jedi Academy, 9 a.m.-noon, June 29-July 3. Campers will learn the Jedi code, pay Boba Fett hunt-and-seek, make a baby Yoda, and catapult Ewoks. This camp is full, but those interested may sign up on a waiting list.
• Nature Theater, 1-4 p.m. June 29-July 3. Campers will write and rehearse a nature-themed play, creating costumes and scenery for the garden performance.
• Just a Pinch, 9 a.m.-noon, July 6-10. This clay camp will have campers pinching clay to make bowls, mugs, planters, and more.
• Art on the Wild Side, 1-4 p.m., July 6-10. Young artists will use a use a variety of media, nature encounters, and games as they paint, create sculptures, and make a nature journal.
• Backyard Games, 9 a.m.-noon, July 13-17. Campers will enjoy Frisbee challenges, hula hoop fishing, and giant versions of board games.
• To STEMfinity and Beyond, 1-4 p.m., July 13-17. Campers will learn about the solar system, flight, space travel, and launch a rocket.
• Under the Sea, 9 a.m.-noon, July 20-24. Campers will decorate tiles and bowls with sea-themed motifs, creating ceramic coral, fish, sharks, and sea creatures.
• Capes Optional, 1-4 p.m., July 20-24. Campers will explore superheroes, creating a unique superhero identity, take on an obstacle course, and perform experiments.

Camps for children rising into grades 3-5 are:

• Out of This World, 9 a.m.-noon, June 29-July 3. Campers will use hand-building and wheel techniques to create space-themed ceramic art, including planets, stars, and aliens.
• Join Us, You Will, 1-4 p.m., June 29-July 3. Campers at this Star Wars camp will defeat the Death Star, train with lightsabers, and more.
• Destination: Mars, 9 a.m.-noon, July 6-10. Campers will explore Mars, design a Mars rover, and construct and launch a rocket.
• Secrets of the Secret City, 1-4 p.m., July 6-10. Campers will look at 1940s Oak Ridge, learning Secret City history, playing games of the times, and exploring science behind the secret.
• Rainforest Safari, 9 a.m.-noon, July 13-17. With the Rainforest Exhibit for inspiration, campers will roll out snakes, hand-build a sloth, construct a butterfly wind chime, and more.
• Journey to Japan, 1-4 p.m., July 13-17. Campers will make sushi, practice origami, learn Kanji characters, play Japanese children’s games, and experience a tea ceremony.
• Kids in Action Garden Club, 9 a.m.-noon, July 20-24. Campers will prepare and plant a garden bed while learning about the wonders of nature in gardening.
• Wild & Wacky Games, 1-4 p.m., July 20-24. Campers will have fun with water balloons, Nerf games, foot-pool, and giant board games.

The Children’s Museum, at 461 West Outer Drive, opened June 2 with a new schedule, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday until further notice. Museum admission, at discounted ticket prices because some exhibits are temporarily closed, is $7 for adults, $6 for seniors ages 62 and older, and $5 for children ages 3 and older. Admission is free for children under 3 and Museum members. For more information, see the Children’s Museum website at
http://childrensmuseumofoakridge.org.

This press release and photos were submitted by Kay Brookshire.