Smithsonian Associates Presents 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 48th year. A wide variety of camps for children in kindergarten through eighth grade will be held Monday, June 19, through Friday, Aug. 18, 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.

New this year are two-week intensive camps designed for campers who have an interest in science, history, 3-D technologies and digital arts. “Science at the Smithsonian” is a two-week camp that takes campers behind-the-scenes of several current scientific studies in progress at the Smithsonian. In the two-week camp, “Tracing Teen History: A Documentary Project,” campers use the Smithsonian’s collections to discover the history behind their age group and create a documentary telling the story of the American teen. Campers can also spend two full weeks immersed in 3-D technologies in “Constructing the Smithsonian in 3D” or exploring the digital art world during “Digital Arts Mash-Up.”

New one-week camps include: “Exploration Earth to Space,” where campers (grades 4–5) dig into the mysteries of Earth at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and investigate the wonders of space at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum; “The Original Selfie” where campers (grades 1–2) learn various methods of self-portraiture; and “Discovering Folklife: Circus Arts” where kindergarteners go behind the scenes at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, explore the culture and artistry of one of America’s historic performance-art traditions and then create their own performances. More camps are available for younger students this year. Each week now offers at least two camps designed for grades K–3. 

Prices for weeklong summer camps are $460 for non-members and $395 for Smithsonian Associates members. There will be no camp Monday, July 3, or Tuesday, July 4. Prices for summer camp Wednesday, July 5, through Friday, July 7, are $276 for non-members and $237 for Smithsonian Associates members. Two-week intensive camps are $736 for non-members and $632 for Smithsonian Associates members. Online and phone registration begins Thursday, Feb. 16, 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. 16. Donors to Smithsonian Associates at the Contributor level ($300 or higher) are eligible for priority registration Tuesday, Feb. 14. 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-55-2017