And that’s a wrap on another terrific season of summer day-camps!
For over 25 years, we’ve looked forward to these fun student programs- each theme inspired by museum collections and exhibitions.
Here are some snapshots from the past few weeks!
At Frontier Kids: Fun and Games we learned about life on the West Texas frontier! Campers created a collaborative quilt wall, decorated Jacob’s Ladder toys, played with Lincoln Logs, and raced their own stick horses through an (inflatable) cactus obstacle course!
Students tried ‘old-timey’ treats like popcorn balls, oatmeal raisin cookies, and molasses candy!
This year at Cultural Connections Camp, we explored Thai culture through art, history, food, music, and games! Students created shining lotus lanterns, Guiro instruments inspired by Thai tree frogs, and 3D painted elephants (with a polaroid portrait of themselves riding on top!)
During snack time, we tried some of Thailand’s most iconic flavors including mango, sweet chili, and pad thai!
Lastly, campers tested their balance with a Painted Elephant Foot-race, learned the game of Suakinkon, and used water squirters to have a lotus blossom race!
At Things on Strings Camp, students enjoy kinetic puppetry inspired by global cultures represented in OJAC collections! (This amazing day camp has been led by artists in residence Charlie Rose and Dan Peeler for over three decades!)
Inspired by the ancient Thai puppetry tradition of Nang Yai (Follow link to learn more!) students created intricate shadow- puppets of the legendary figure Mae Phosop- Protector or Rice- riding a posable dragon!
At OJAC Galaxy!, students enjoyed a day of out-of-this-world crafts, games, and activities inspired by the starry views found in the museum’s collections!
Campers donned astronaut gear and crafted flying comets to race through space in an intergalactic obstacle course!
We learned the order of the planets by threading solar system necklaces, had a “blast” assembling rubber-band-powered rocket ships, and used balloons to print planets on a starry poster!
At STEAM OJAC, campers explored the intersection of science and art through crafts, activities, and hands-on experiments!
We learned about the science of color through a secret message scavenger hunt, built 3D bubble wands that made fun geometric bubbles, and made hypotheses about how quickly dyed water would change the color of a white flower!
Students also mixed ingredients to create wiggly jelly soaps, constructed and tested mechanical robot claws, and made sweet replicas of double helixes out of candy!
We always enjoy sharing our passion for creativity with the students in our community, and these summer day camps are such a special time of fun and creativity before the start of the new school year! I think our staff feels just as excited as our campers when looking forward to upcoming fall programs!
Dylan Calixto Wells
Student & Teacher Programs