Summer Camps
Discover Your Child’s Summer Adventure
Camps at the Virginia Discovery Museum embody all that summer should be: exploration and fun! Whether your child is brand new to the camp experience or already knows the ropes, our week-long, half-day summer camps for children 4 to 8 provide opportunities for kids to gain confidence, make friends, and explore a range of STEAM-focused topics through creative and engaging hands-on experiences. Plus, campers enjoy a special play time in the galleries each morning before the Museum opens.
Camp Details | 2019 Camps | Emergency Release Form
Camp Schedule
Monday-Friday
9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
(Child Packs a Lunch)
Museum Provides a Mid-Morning Snack for Campers
Ages
Children 4-8
Low Staff-to-Child Ratio
(1:5 Maximum)
Space is Limited to 15 Children in Each Camp
Emergency Release Form
An Emergency Release Form must be completed for all campers prior to participating in their first camp. If you have already filled out an emergency release form for a previous Museum camp or program, please call (434) 977-1025 x104 or check-in at the Front Desk during drop-off to review and update your information as needed.
Questions? Visit Camps FAQs, call (434) 977-1025 x104, or email programs@vadm.org.
2019 Summer Camps
Summer Camps and waitlists have filled for 2019. For more information about our Camp programs, including school-year Day-Off Camps and Spring Break Camp, please visit Camps FAQs.
Animal Trackers - CAMP FULL
June 10-14 | 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. | Deadline: June 2
Where do deer sleep? What happens to chipmunks in the winter? What do squirrels do in blizzards? How do birds build nests? Discover the amazing wildlife living right here in our own community with guest camp instructor and wildlife expert Carlene Hudgens, from Wildrock! Campers will identify tracks, dissect owl pellets, match snake skins, and more as they learn about a new animal each day, the signs of activity these creatures leave behind in nature, and the special adaptations to the environment these animals have developed.
Pre-Registration Required. Space Limited to 15 Campers.
Young Coders - CAMP FULL
June 17-21 | 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. | Deadline: June 9
Reach “Junior Coder” status by the end of this fun, immersive coding camp! Campers will engage in screen-free coding games, make binary bracelets, explore and code robots, complete challenges in ScratchJr, and develop their own art bots to create a collaborative masterpiece.
Pre-Registration Required. Space Limited to 15 Campers.
Engineer It - CAMP FULL
June 24-28 | 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. | Deadline: June 16
Towers! Bridges! Rafts! Campers will team up in small groups to complete hands-on building challenges, meet special guests from the community who will introduce them to the world of engineering, and use the design thinking process to create a prototype that aims to solve a real-world problem.
Pre-Registration Required. Space Limited to 15 Campers.
Chemistry Craze - CAMP FULL
July 8-12 | 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. | Deadline: June 30
Strap on your lab goggles and join the Chemistry Craze! Campers will team up with guest instructors from UVa's Chemistry LEAD Program for a week of hands-on science exploration, experiments, and fun.
Pre-Registration Required. Space Limited to 15 Campers.
Designer DIY* - CAMP FULL
July 15-19 | 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. | Deadline: July 7
Calling all future Chips and Joannas! Using provided wooden houses, campers will paint, wallpaper, and build furniture out of repurposed materials as they design and outfit their tiny homes. At the end of camp, the houses will be displayed on a simulated street for parents to take a stroll through the “neighborhood.”
*This Camp Has an Addtional $25 Materials Fee per Camper
Pre-Registration Required. Space Limited to 15 Campers.
The Great Discovery Bake-Off* - CAMP FULL
July 22-26 | 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. | Deadline: July 14
Grab your whisks as we whip up a fun-filled week of baking! Campers will explore kitchen chemistry, complete different baking challenges each day, and take a field trip to learn about the science of baking from local experts. We’ll top the week off with a special taste test for the parents.
*This Camp Has an Addtional $25 Materials Fee per Camper
Pre-Registration Required. Space Limited to 15 Campers.
Music & Arts Camp - CAMP FULL
July 29-Aug. 2 | 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. | Deadline: July 21
Let’s get moving and grooving! Campers will team up with guest instructors from Foster Art and My Music Starts Here for an exciting week of art and music integration.
Pre-Registration Required. Space Limited to 15 Campers.
Future Animal Rescuers - CAMP FULL
Aug. 5-9 | 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. | Deadline: July 28
Join guest camp instructor and wildlife rehabilitator Kat Werner, from Wildrock, as we learn about the needs of animals rescued from the wild and the skills certified rescuers are required to learn to nurture them back to health. Campers will create their own pretend animal care center, use play animals to explore the medical care rescued animals need, and make the enclosures, food, and care schedules for commonly rescued animals like opossums, turtles, snakes, hawks, owls, and more. Plus, a real rescue turtle and rescue dog will make a special visit to the Museum!
Pre-Registration Required. Space Limited to 15 Campers.
Space Camp - CAMP FULL
Aug. 12-16 | 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. | Deadline: Aug. 4
3 ... 2 … 1 … blast off on a week that will be out of this world! Campers will learn about space, rockets, and astronauts from local experts and perform hands-on experiments and activities that test the limits of gravity. At the end of the week, campers will take a special journey into the cosmos through our StarLab planetarium.
Pre-Registration Required. Space Limited to 15 Campers.