Summer Camps and Programs
Each summer the Museum sponsors several summer camps and summer youth programs for fun and education. Below are descriptions for our summer camps.
Junior Medical Camp®
Thinking about becoming a doctor, nurse or scientist? Find out what it really takes to make it in a medical profession during one (or more!) of our Junior Medical Camp series.
During these weeklong fun and informative programs, participants will:
Explore many career opportunities available in the medical field.
Conduct in-depth experiments in a state-of-the-art laboratory.
Engage in science and thought-provoking discussions.
Scholarships are available for qualified participants.
Pre-Med Camp: The Science of Sports!
Developed for Grades 3 - 5
Monday through Friday, June 11-15 or June 18-22, 2012; 9 am to 4:30 pm
Instructors: Dr. Jeff Day, Lee Gambol and Museum Staff
Slam-dunk the science behind all things sporty in this fun, exciting camp! We will test sports equipment, experiment with the physics of movement, and measure how our bodies work as we try different physical challenges. Students will also learn how to make healthy snacks, do exercises to improve athletic performance, and focus on the importance of sports safety. Exercise both your brains and your bodies this summer!
NEW! Junior Forensics Camp (JFC)
Developed for Grades 9 - 12
Monday through Friday, June 25-29, 2012; 9 am to 4:30 pm
Instructors: Dr. Jeff Day, Dr. Linda Spurlock, Lee Gambol and Museum Staff
Four bodies have been buried at the Squire Valleevue Farm. It’s up to your team to find them, excavate them, and solve the mysteries behind their murders. JFC is a college-style field class offering the unique opportunity to study anatomy, archaeology, and forensics. If you like CSI television shows, see if you can handle the real thing! NOTE: Due to the mature nature of forensic activities, please read the more detailed FAQ online to see if this is the camp for you.
Junior Medical Camp® (JMC)
Developed for Grades 6 - 8
Monday through Friday, July 9-13 or July 16-20, 2012; 9 am to 4:30 pm
Instructors: Dr. Jeff Day, Lee Gambol and Museum Staff
Ready to find out what medical science is REALLY all about? Junior Medical Camp focuses on biotechnology, as students perform real labs to test their real blood type, solve crimes using real DNA and other biomedical techniques, dissect real hearts and brains, create real bacterial slides to examine under real microscopes and learn how to do a real doctor's physical exam, and much, much more!
Junior Veterinary Camp
Developed for Grades 7 - 10
Monday through Friday, July 23-27 or July 30-August 3, 2012; 9 am to 4:30 pm
Instructors: Dr. Jeff Day, Lee Gambol, Nancy Howell and Museum Staff
Love animals? Dig into what vet school is like as we compare the anatomy of different animals with dissections, learn physical exam skills for your pet, examine real parasites, experiment with animal physiology and behavior, observe embryo development, and learn about animal care. Both animal lovers and biology buffs will get a kick out of JVC!
Junior Medical Camp2
Developed for Grades 7 - 10
Monday through Friday, August 6-10, 2012; 9 am to 4:30 pm
Instructors: Dr. Jeff Day, Lee Gambol and Museum Staff
Can't get enough JMC? Get more clinical with JMC2 by learning CPR and first aid, master more medical equipment, dissect a whole rat, learn to suture, examine food energy content with calorimeters, perform a urinalysis and experiment with glowing genes! We'll also roll out to the Cleveland Clinic Courts to learn about sports medicine and see cutting-edge technology used to train the Cleveland Cavaliers!
Junior Medical Camp® Registration and Information
Members: $235
Nonmembers: $260
• All sessions run Monday through Friday from 9 am to 4:30 pm.
• Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. Please register for one session only.
• Grade levels are as of Fall 2012.
• Limit 26 per session.
• A $50 nonrefundable deposit is due with each registration. Full balance is due June 1, 2012.
• There are no refunds within two weeks of any session.
• We reserve the right to cancel sessions with insufficient enrollment.
• Scholarships are available for qualified participants.
For more information, please contact the Education Division at The Cleveland Museum of Natural History at (216) 231-4600, ext. 3214.
Circle Sampler Camp
Dig In! is the theme for this year's Circle Sampler Camp, promising an exciting week exploring the scientific, artistic, musical, theatrical and cultural institutions around University Circle. Hosted by The Cleveland Museum of Natural History, this unique all-day program works with many of the fun and educational resources found in this area to enrich your child's understanding of the world. Campers will interact with, observe, and explore nature and culture while having fun and meeting new friends.
Campers are supervised at all times and are escorted to sites either on foot or via University Circle, Inc. buses. Campers provide their own lunches and will enjoy a recreational activity. Each day, snacks are provided and all sessions run from 9 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday. Drop off and pick up are at The Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
Your children will have lots of fun attending Dig In! this summer at the Circle Sampler Camp!
|
Grades 1-3
Session I: June 11 - 15
Session II: June 18 - 22
Session III: June 25 - 29 |
|
Grades 4-6
Session IV: July 9 - 13
Session V: July 16 - 20 |
Circle Sampler Camp Information
• Grade levels are as of Fall 2012.
• Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. Please register for one session only. Space is limited to 25 campers per session. Early registration is suggested.
• A $50 nonrefundable deposit is due with each registration. Full balance is due June 1, 2012.
• There are no refunds within two weeks of the start of any session.
• The member discount price applies to members of any of the nine participating institutions.
• We reserve the right to cancel sessions with insufficient enrollment.
For full details, please contact the Education Office at (216) 231-4600, ext. 3214. Scholarships are available for qualified participants.
2012: Dig In! – Participating Institutions
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History
Younger campers will explore the exhibit Mythic Creatures and dig into the science behind dragons, unicorns, and mermaids. The special exhibit will not be around for older campers to experience, but we will visit our dinosaurs and Ice Age mammals to see how they have inspired legends of many other strange and fanciful beasts. We will also expose myths surrounding lots of common animals you might find in your own neighborhood.
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History - Health Education
We're serving up a healthy plate of SCIENCE with this series of digestive demonstrations. Get personal with the organs that turn your food into you using real human specimens and museum models to follow the processing of a meal into macronutrient molecules. Find out how to use household items to analyze the sugar in soft drinks, the power of air pressure, and the importance of fire safety when cooking. Keep your apron on, because kitchen chemistry is seldom tidy when we're in charge.
The Cleveland Institute of Art
Dig in, get wet, make felt! Everyone knows the kind of felt you can buy in the craft store, but do you know how fun and easy it is to make your own? Felt is one of the oldest forms of textile fabric dating back hundreds of years. Join us as we learn the traditional process of wet felting to create felted pockets. Campers will design their pockets with colors and shapes then transform them into purses or belts or anything they like!
Western Reserve Historical Society
Circle Campers at the Western Reserve Historical Society will "Dig In!" to our region's past, exploring long ago events. Our younger campers will investigate the Native American Woodland culture that flourished here over four hundred years ago. They will explore the Time and Space Place in our Kidzibits Family Education Center. Older campers will investigate the prehistoric peoples of Ohio. They will role-play immigrant and migrant people who were important in the history and development of Ohio's Western Reserve.
Nature Center at Shaker Lakes
Wetlands or Woods? You will have to come to the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes and Dig In to find out. Soil Science will help us to investigate the wetland and forest habitats. Take a core sample in each habitat, along with a number of physical and chemical tests to compare and learn about what each habitat is made of and why plants grow where they do. Be prepared to get dirty and dig in!
Roots of American Music
Campers will dig in to a wide range of musical sources and styles to discover hidden treasures among the roots of today's popular music. Campers will learn old songs and create new ones. They will build rhythm instruments and learn how to accompany different kinds of music. And they will learn how to play the kazoo (and campers keep their kazoos, too!).
The Cleveland Play House
Dig In! to theatre: Students will engage in the world of theatre using a variety of improvisation and storytelling techniques. With the help of minor costumes and props, attendees will learn how to bring exciting story ideas to life.
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Archeologists could really dig it! Come and see some of the incredible things uncovered in Egypt. Learn about ancient civilizations, how they lived, and what they ate. Each of us will create a very special container to hold our treasures.
Cleveland Botanical Garden
Dig In! is an invitation to roll up one's sleeves and savor the process of growing and cooking one's own food. Campers create fabulous dishes with ingredients right from the garden while exploring the value and importance of local food and growers. Each camper walks away with a garden of their own local food to tend.
Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland
Have you ever moved to a new place? MOCA is moving this year to a new home in University Circle. Campers will help us explore our new neighborhood as we examine ideas about location, community, and neighborhood and how they apply to contemporary art.
Additional Summer Programs
Future Scientists: Northwoods Trek
For students who have just completed grades 9 through 12
Sunday, June 24 through Monday, July 2, 2012
Instructor: Nathan Taxel
Time: To be determined at pre-trip meeting
Meet: At Museum
Wear: Seasonally appropriate clothing
Bring: A packing list will be provided upon registration
Transportation: Museum Van
This summer the Future Scientists are heading to the upper peninsula of Michigan where we will be staying at the Northwoods Field Station run by Hiram College. Activities will include meeting with scientists in the field, hiking, a service project, and an overnight sea kayaking/camping trip on Lake Superior. The price includes all activities, accommodations at the field station, camping gear, and meals from lunch on June 24 to lunch on July 2. Due to the length of the trip, students will be required to fill out a short application explaining their interest and attend a mandatory pre-trip meeting on June 8 at 7 pm at the Museum.
Please Contact Outdoor Education Coordinator Nathan Taxel (ntaxel@cmnh.org) for more information or an application. Members Price: $450, Nonmembers Price: $475. Limit: 12. Need Based Scholarships are available.
Student Naturalists I
For students entering grades 5 and 6.
Tuesday, July 10 through Friday, July 13, 2012, 9 am to 4 pm
Instructor: Nathan Taxel
Meet: At Museum
Wear: Hiking boots and seasonally appropriate clothing
Bring: Lunch
Transportation: Museum Van
Pond life, snakes, carnivorous plants, and more- we will find them all in this outdoor program for youth. This summer the Student Naturalists will explore the remoter parts of north east Ohio looking for critters large and small. Activities will include science experiments, hiking, water quality monitoring for benthic macroinvertebrates, and an overnight camping trip from Thursday-Friday. The fee includes all activities as well as meals from dinner on Thursday to lunch on Friday. Members Price: $180, Nonmembers Price: $195. Limit: 12.
Future Scientists: Habitat Restoration at Geneva Swamp
For students entering grades 9 to 12
Monday, July 16 through Friday, July 20, 2012, 9 am to 5 pm
Instructor: Nathan Taxel
Meet: At Museum
Wear: Long pants and sturdy shoes that can get dirty
Bring: Lunch and water
Transportation: Museum Van
CMNH has just acquired a new natural area at Geneva Swamp which is the last example of lake plain swamp forest, a habitat that used to cover thousands of acres from Sandusky to the PA line, including what is now downtown Cleveland. This summer the Future Scientists will spend a week helping restore and preserve this unique and fragile ecosystem. The primary project will be removing invasive plants and transplanting native ones, but students will also get the chance to learn about conservation biology, try variety of restoration techniques and practices, and work side by side with CMNH land stewards. Members Price: $110, Nonmembers Price: $125. Limit: 12.
Fly Fishing First Cast
For students entering grades 5 through 8
Tuesday, July 24 through Friday, July 27, 2012, 9 am to 4 pm
Instructors: Nathan Taxel and William Grake
Meet: At Museum
Wear: Weather appropriate clothing
Bring: Lunch
Transportation: Museum Van
Students will learn fly tying, casting with a fly rod, water-quality monitoring techniques and benthic macroinvertibrate identification in addition to fishing some of Ohio’s pristine waters. On Tuesday and Wednesday, practice fly tying (keep the flies) and casting with a fly rod. Thursday and Friday are field trips to go fishing in rivers and lakes, the course will use Trout Unlimited’s "First Cast" curriculum, with equipment loaned by the museum's Trout Club. Members Price: $130, Nonmembers Price: $145. Limit: 9.
Student Naturalists II
For students entering grades 7 and 8
Tuesday, July 31 through Friday, August 3, 2012, 9 am to 4 pm
Instructor: Nathan Taxel
Meet: At Museum
Wear: Hiking boots and seasonally appropriate clothing
Bring: Lunch
Transportation: Museum Van
Pond life, snakes, carnivorous plants, and more- we will find them all in this outdoor program for youth. This summer the Student Naturalists will explore the remoter parts of north east Ohio looking for critters large and small. Activities will include science experiments, hiking, water quality monitoring for benthic macroinvertebrates, and an overnight camping trip from Thursday-Friday. The fee includes all activities as well as meals from dinner on Thursday to lunch on Friday. Members Price: $180, Nonmembers Price: $195. Limit: 12.