Summer Camp
Two-week sessions for campers entering grades 3-5 in fall 2013. 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 National Building Museum. Enjoy design challenges, crafts, field trips, and more!
Camp Sessions
Hours
Fees
Registration
More information
Help us send a deserving child to our Summer Camp program. Support our "Send a Kid to Summer Camp" fund.
Camp Sessions
Building Artists
July 8–19, 2013
Draw, move, and engineer! Combine your artistic talents and interests in one multi-arts Museum experience. Discover the Museum’s great architecture through visual art, dance, and storytelling. Learn about what makes structures work while interpreting the Museum’s historic building through things like creative movement, making your own perspective drawing, and collaborating on a group mural. Meet dancers, visual artists, and Museum professionals. The session culminates in a special program for families with performance, design, and art.
Worldly Builders SOLD OUT
July 22–August 2, 2013
Take a trip without ever leaving D.C. Through hands-on challenges, discover the materials, structures, and cultural landscapes of New Mexico, China, and Italy. Design a Chinese pagoda, palace, or temple; re-imagine the Palazzo Farnese; make an adobe block; and go on field trips to the local museums. Through the lens of an architect, learn about other cultures and how their structures can inform us about their people and traditions. Under the guidance of special guest artists, architects, and educators, share your new creations at the session’s culminating event, a camper-led “world tour” for families.
Young Designers SOLD OUT
August 5–16, 2013
Have you ever thought D.C. could be more kid-friendly? Using visual art, photography, storytelling, and building arts activities, redesign a capital city that celebrates the ideas and diversity of young people. Become a city planner and architect as you work in a team to create your new city's land-use, height restrictions, maps, and governing structure. Build models and use your visual arts skills to illustrate your ideas while learning one of D.C.'s historic buildings. Discover the city's architecture as you re-imagine a city just for kids! Use charcoal, terra cotta, mosaic tiles, collage, paint, LEGO® Bricks, and more. At the end of camp, families are invited to view the campers' visions.
All programming subject to change.
Electives
Each camp session features a variety of electives during the regularly scheduled day.
They include:
- LEGO® City Building
- Stained glass exploration
- Art Deco Club
- Terra Cotta Tile Making
- Designing with Food
- Engineering Squad
- Much more!
Camp Hours
Camp runs daily from 9 am—3 pm. Early drop-off begins at 8:30 am. Extended care is available from 3—5:30 pm and includes a variety of crafts, games, and snacks.
Fees
Per session fee: $650 Museum members (Family & above) / $700 Non-members
Extended care fee: $150 per two-week session
$100 non-refundable deposit per camper, per session.
Full payment due by June 15, 2013. For pre-registered campers only: click here to pay your camp balance.
Registration
Registration HERE Registration requires a $100 deposit per camper, per session.
More information
Have more questions? Call 202.272.2448 or email family@nbm.org
Learn More!
Read our Camper Interviews to learn what alumni from previous summer sessions have to say about their experiences at the National Building Museum.
Meet our instructors and staff.
View a sample daily schedule.
