Preschoolers will be detectives, pirates, and international artists in Imagination Station Summer Camps at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge. Children of all ages will learn to create with clay, making nature-themed items, gifts for the holidays, and more during Clay Camps.
The Preschool Camps, from early June through August 2, offer activities for children ages 3-5 in morning sessions from 9 a.m. to noon. Clay Camps with professional clay artist Sherrie Carris will be offered throughout the summer for children ranging in age from 3-16.
Carris, the museum’s resident clay artist, owns and operates Carris Pottery with her husband Tom. She received her bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the University of Texas and her master’s and master’s in fine arts from the University of Iowa. She has more than 35 years’ experience as a clay artist.
The week-long camps are offered Monday through Friday, with no camps during the July 4 holiday week and no Clay Camps July 22-26. Morning camps are from 9 a.m.-noon and afternoon camps from 1-4 p.m. Each camp is specifically created with age-appropriate activities that are aligned with a child’s developmental stages. A free sack lunch and active play time are provided for campers staying all day.
Fees for a single camp are $115 plus a $10 materials fee, for a total of $125, for members, and $125 plus a $10 materials fee, totaling $135, for non-members. For combo camps, morning and afternoon, fees are $175 plus a $20 materials fee for members, totaling $195, and $185 plus a $20 materials fee for non-members, totaling $205.
Registration and fees are due 10 business days before the camp. Payment may be made by phone with Visa, MasterCard or Discover, by check, or online through PayPal. A limited number of need-based scholarships are available. See the website www.childrensmuseumofoakridge.org for more information.
The camps are funded under an agreement with the State of Tennessee, the Tennessee Arts Commission, and the National Endowment for the Arts. For more information, call the Children’s Museum at (865) 482-1074. See the web site for a listing of all summer camps.
Preschool Camps are:
Sense-sational Detectives—June 17-21. Children will put their senses to the test as they trick their eyes, fool their taste buds, explore sound waves, follow a scent trail, paint with eyes closed, and create art with found objects. Then, using super senses, they will solve the mysterious disappearance of Big Bird.
Candyland—June 24-28. Preschoolers will take a deliciously magical journey through the kingdom of Candyland as they build a gumdrop tower, go on a lollipop scavenger hunt, take a gummy bear challenge, make a Candyland piñata, and create candy art.
Holidaze—July 8-12. Children will celebrate holiday traditions, looking at what hatches from that Easter egg, who gets your heart to on Valentine’s Day, whether Santa really lives at the North Pole, and what’s inside that sassy jack-o-lantern.
Under Construction—July 15-19. Preschoolers will find out why the first two houses of the “Three Little Pigs” weren’t strong enough to keep out the big, bad wolf. They will join Bob the Builder to explore position, shape, size, and gravity while building buildings, animal homes, and sculptures.
It’s a Pirate’s Life—July 22-26. Youngsters will search for pirate’s treasure, get temporary tattoos, make pirate art and a shell necklace, paint sea creatures, create a treasure chest, and draw a map, dressed in their best pirate attire.
Kids Go Global with the Arts—July 29-August 2. Kids will have an international adventure as they create yummy dishes, marvelous music, and fabulous art. They will create a Guatemalan bird puppet, make a mola from Mexico, and fashion a fiesta headdress from Ecuador, then dance and dine on international snacks.
A special Preschool Camp for ages 4 ½ to 5 will be held from 1-4 p.m. July 22-26.
In Kindergarten Boot Camp, campers entering kindergarten in the fall will have a great time in a classroom reviewing the alphabet, numbers, colors, and shapes. All will practice writing their name, and they will learn classroom etiquette, sing songs, play games and create art.
Clay Camps are:
Naturally Inquisitive—ages 4-8, 9 a.m.-noon, June 17-21. Build with clay and grow a happy garden. Decorate a handmade stepping stone, build a bird feeder, create a wind chime, form clay into dragonflies, ladybugs, turtles, frogs, worms, and more.
Holiday Clay—ages 6-12, 1-4 p.m., June 17-21. Make a jack o’ lantern, ghost, or black cat for Halloween; hand-build ornaments for the Christmas tree; construct a turkey for Thanksgiving; form an Easter egg; build a heart-shaped box for Valentine’s Day; and make an American flag pin or sculpture for July 4.
Preschool Potters—ages 3-5, 9 a.m.-noon, June 24-28. Limited to 6. Children discover the fun properties of clay as they use pinch, slab, and coil methods. Pinch a rattle ball, use slabs of clay to create a handprint bowl, decorate a tile, hand-build a small animal sculpture, and construct a wind-chime.
From Garden to Table—ages 7-12, 1-4 p.m., June 24-28. Let the garden inspire you to create a blooming sculpture, ceramic fruit and veggies, garden animals, and growing containers. Make functional forms to carry your delicious bounty to the table. Make seed balls to get your container garden started.
Mad Potters—ages 9-12, 9 a.m.-noon, July 8-12. Limited to 6. Learn to throw on the potter’s wheel and to wedge and trim clay. Make bowls, cups, and plates on the wheel and finish them with handles and spouts. No experience necessary.
Reinventing the Wheel—ages 9-12, 1-4 p.m., July 8-12. Limited to 6. Review basic wheel throwing and explore how to make shapes other than the typical round forms. Create ovals, squares, and fun shapes. Experiment with stacking, stretching, and cutting wheel-thrown forms. Previous wheel experience preferred.
Room Magic—ages 9-12, 9 a.m.-noon, July 15-19. Decorate your bedroom with clay objects. Build a clock, hand-build a wall hanging and mirror, decorate a personalized tile, construct a sculpture, form a coil pot for pencils and pens, shape a self-portrait, create a picture frame, shape clay into a light switch, and more.
Wild Things—ages 6-12, 1-4 p.m., July 15-19. Hand-build all kinds of animals: four-legged, winged, and scaled. Form an animal mask, form clay into bird bowls and animal pitchers, construct a sculpture. Create an imaginary animal to symbolize an aspect of yourself.
Preschool Potters—ages 3-5, 9 a.m.-noon, July 29-Aug. 2. Children discover the wonderfully fun properties of clay. Pinch, slab, and coil methods are introduced. Pinch a rattle ball, use slabs of clay to create a handprint bowl, decorate a tile, hand-build a small animal sculpture, construct a wind-chime, and more.
Kids Go Global with the Arts—ages 7-12, 1-4 p.m., July 29-Aug. 2. Make pottery and sculpture inspired by cultures around the world. Use different hand-building techniques. Explore ancient Egyptian pottery, African masks, Native American totems, Japanese tea bowls, and more.
For more information, contact Kay Brookshire at (865) 483-4644 or by e-mail at [email protected] or you may contact Mary Ann Damos of the Children’s Museum at (865) 482-1074 or by e-mail at [email protected].
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