In the museum Education Department, we just wrapped up a fantastic month of Student-Day Camps!
For over 25 years, we’ve looked forward to these special programs each August- each theme inspired by the artwork, artifacts and exhibitions of the OJAC.
Here are a few snapshots from the past few weeks!
At Cultural Connections Camp we explored the art, history, food, music and games of Ancient Greece! Students enjoyed a mini-olympics including astragaloi (a knuckle-bone game similar to jacks), the stick and hoop race of trochos, and bobbing for the Golden apple!
During snack-time, they tasted Greek flavors of feta, olives, grapes and baklava!
Lastly, they created Greek pottery, tile (bean) mosaics, patterned columns, and a golden lyre instrument inscribed with traditional patterns and their own Greek initials!
At OJAC Safari!, students enjoyed a WILD day inspired by animals in the museum's collections.
Campers donned Safari gear and explored the museum galleries on a hunt to “capture” each animal of a scavenger!
Next, they enjoyed Jungle-inspired games including a vine crawl, watering hole match, coconut bowling and a critter track-walk!
At snack-time, they snacked on tiger tangerines and python cookies.
Lastly, they crafted collaged toucan mobiles, marbled tiger tapestries, monkey rain-sticks and tree-frog fly-catchers!
At Things on Strings Camp, students enjoy Kinetic Puppetry inspired by global cultures represented in museum collections! (This amazing day-camp has been led by artists in residence Charlie Rose and Dan Peeler for over 20 years!)
This year, students created shimmering, emoting stick puppets inspired by ancient Greek theater figures of Comedy and Tragedy.
These weeks of camp are always such a special time of fun and creativity before the start of the new school year- and I think our staff feels as inspired as our campers as we look forward to fall programs!
Hannah Rankin
Student Outreach Instructor