Summer Camp

CREATE at the National Building Museum

Two-week sessions for campers entering grades 3-5 in fall 2009

Experience the world we build for ourselves in new ways—through the building, visual and performing arts! Attend one, two, or three unique sessions of two week, full-day summer camp at the NBM.  Enjoy design challenges, crafts, field trips and more!

A camper shares her final project.

Museum Staff

Building Artists

July 13–24, 2009
Discover the Museum’s great architecture through different artistic mediums. Learn about the building arts through creative movement, visual art, pop up architecture, and even puppetry! Special teaching artists include Liz Lerman Dance Exchange—the creators of Pas de Dirt—visual artists such as pop up artist Carol Barton, shadow puppeteer Daniel Barash, and Museum professionals. The session ends with multimedia show for families.

Worldly Builders

July 27-August 7, 2009
Take a trip without ever leaving D.C. to three regions from around the world to explore their structures and cultures. Discover through hands-on activities what makes Russia, Greece, and Alaska “green”, aesthetically pleasing, and exciting. Through the lens of an architect, learn about other cultures and how their structures can inform us about their people and traditions.  Special guest artists and architects, trips to embassies, and design educators will help inform these young designers in recreating and re-imagining the structures and traditions that make these regions great. The session culminates with a camper led “world tour” for families.

Young Designers

August 10-21, 2009
What makes D.C. a great US capital? Using visual art, photography, storytelling, and building arts activities, redesign a new capital that celebrates the ideas and diversity of young people today! Create and curate an exhibition that explores the stories and architecture of D.C.’s historic buildings but also your new ideas about what represents a  young people’s capital city of the future. Celebrate your ideas through your very own “gallery opening”.

All programming subject to change.

Two campers build with Kapla blocks during their elective.

Museum Staff

Each camp session features a variety of electives during the regularly scheduled day. They include:

• Lego® City Building
• Stained glass exploration
• Art Deco Club
• Building-related crafts
• Storytelling
• Engineering Squad
• And much more!

Camp Hours

9:00 am to 3:00 pm. Early drop-off begins at 8:30 am. Extended care is available from 3:00 to 5:30 pm.

Cost

Per session fee: $600 NBM Members (Family & above) / $650 Non-member
Extended Care fee: $100 per two-week session

Registration

Registration requires a $100 deposit per camper, per session.
Register here.

Questions? Call 202.272.2448 or email family@nbm.org.