Summer Camps
Discover your child’s summer adventure with the Virginia Discovery Museum’s nine camps for children 4 to 8. Whether your child is brand new to the camp experience or already knows the ropes, VDM’s week-long, half-day camps offer great opportunities for kids to gain confidence, make friends, and learn about new things, like cooking, astronomy, world cultures, animals, and more. Campers will meet special guests from our community in art, science, and many other professions and engage in a variety of crafts, games, and activities that will help expand their knowledge through hands-on experience. Plus, campers enjoy a special play time in the galleries each morning before the Museum opens.
A Few Things to Know | 2017 Summer Camps | Emergency Release Form
A Few Things to Know
All VDM Summer Camps meet from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Monday- Friday.
- Age Range: Appropriate for Children 4 to 8
- Camp Size: Low Counselor-to-Camper Ratio (1:5 Maximum)
- Registration: $200/Child per Camp (Member Discounts Apply)
- Supplies & Snacks: All Craft and Activity Supplies and a Mid-Morning Snack Included
- Lunch Bunch: Additional Childcare from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. for $5/Day or $20/Week (Pack a Lunch)
An Emergency Release Form must be completed for all campers by the first day of camp.
2017 Summer Camps
Museum summer camps regularly fill up, so be sure to reserve your child's spot in their favorite camp(s) early. The registration deadline for each camp is the Sunday one week before the camp begins.
Cook with a Book*
Session 1** | June 12-16 | 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Food features prominently in many of our favorite stories – from the Three Bears’ porridge and the cake in In the Night Kitchen to all the snacks that The Hungry Little Caterpillar devours – and we’re whipping up the goodies we read about. Campers will make their own snacks and bring home treats to share!
Registration Has Closed for This Camp
*Cook with a Book has an additional $25 ingredients fee.
**This camp requires a smaller group size, so VDM is offering another session from July 10-14.
Let’s Explore Art!
June 19-23 | 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Calling all mini Michelangelos, pint-sized Picassos, small Seurats, and kid Kahlos! Join the Museum’s guest artisan Irene Jennings as we get our creative juices flowing, explore a variety of art media and techniques, and create masterpieces to share.
Registration Has Closed for This Camp
Space Camp
June 26-30 | 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Not quite old enough for NASA's space camp yet? VDM’s very own interstellar adventure is back by popular demand! Blast off with us as we build our own rockets, practice being astronauts, make a model of our solar system, and view the stars in VDM’s refurbished StarLab planetarium!
Registration Has Closed for This Camp
Cook with a Book*
Session 2** | July 10-14 | 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Miss out on VDM’s first Cook with a Book in June? We’re serving up a second helping for all your little foodies as we explore our favorite stories then head to the kitchen to whip up the foods found in these classic tales. Campers will make their own snacks and even bring home a treat or two to share!
*Cook with a Book has an additional $25 ingredients fee.
**This camp requires a smaller group size, so VDM is offering another session from June 12-16.
European Adventure
July 17-21 | 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
We're off on a European Adventure! Each day, we will travel to a different country to learn about its culture. As we trek across the continent visiting Denmark, France, Italy, Ukraine, and Turkey, we will look at art, taste food, listen to stories, and discover what makes these countries unique.
Mad Scientists
July 24-28 | 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Strap on your goggles as you enter VDM’s Mad Science Lab! Join chemists Jeff and Nicole from UVA Chemistry LEAD, which stands for Learning through Experiments and Demonstrations, for an entire week of hands-on science exploration and fun.
Registration Has Closed for This Camp
Superhero Training
July 31-August 4 | 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Have what it takes to be a superhero? Run, jump, and fly your way over to VDM’s Superhero Training Academy for an action-packed week! Create your own cape, choose a superhero name, meet real community heroes from around Charlottesville, and stop a mysterious baddie from terrorizing the Museum!
The Animal Kingdom
August 7-11 | 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
All aboard as we zoom around the world checking out different environments! Trek through the jungle, visit a desert, dive deep into the ocean, and more as we learn about the animals and habitats that make our planet such a diverse and exciting place.
Best of 2017
August 14-18 | 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Can’t decide which camp to attend? Try a mash-up of five of our favorites! In this summer-camp sampling, campers will experience one day from five of our different themes as we learn about space, animals, Europe, and more in an end-of-summer celebration.