AGES 4–5

Dino Dig
Weeks 1, 4, and 9
Find out for yourself where those big bones come from and who they belong to as you explore Dinosaurs in Their Time. Have a dino-mite time pretending to be a paleontologist as you dig for bones, uncover "fossils" to take home, and make fun crafts while learning all about the "terrible lizards."

Itsy-Bitsy Spider
Week 2
Check out the teensy-weensy world of these web-spinning wonders and other mini-beasts. Make a web, touch a tarantula, and create a hairy caterpillar. Find out whose bark is as bad as its bite and who’s just plain creepy!

Cool It!
Week 3
Join us for an Arctic adventure that comes just in time for the summer heat wave. Explore the world of ice and snow and the Inuit lifestyle. Come play Inuit games and hear Inuit stories. You’ll even get to see a polar bear up close and make snow cones!

Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Week 5
We’re not in Kansas anymore! You might need an umbrella or a jacket for this week of wild weather and climate change. Create clouds, make a rainbow, and get “flaky” exploring the weird weather Mother Nature has to offer us.

Beach Buddies
Week 6
Dive right into learning about the amazing blue planet we live on as we find out who shares its waters and who hangs out around the beach. Examine shells and the creatures of the sea in this ocean exploration.

A House is a House, of Course, of Course
Week 7
Homes are as varied and unique as the creatures that live in them. Buzz through a bee hive, land in a bird nest, and visit an Iroquois longhouse. You’ll even build a nest of your very own.

Africa: From A to Zebra
Week 8
Spend the week tracking many exciting animals of the African savannah, rainforests, and desert and glimpse into the fascinating cultures of the people who call these places home. Compare the stripes of a zebra to the spots of a giraffe, make a rainforest craft, and more!


AGES 6–7

Potlatch Party
Week 1
Celebrate the traditions of different American Indian peoples and learn how the use of natural resources shapes their lives and traditions. Plant corn, craft a drum, shake your whale rattle, and play traditional games as part of this weeklong celebration!

Magic, Myths, and Mayhem
Week 2
Say the magic word and get ready for an adventure of mythical proportions. Is a Cyclops real? How do you look up spell-books in Carnegie Library? Brew a special potion, write with invisible ink, and make a magic box of tricks to take home.

Boneheads and Lizard Lips
Weeks 3 and 6
Explore Mesozoic mysteries from the terrific Triassic through the crazy Cretaceous. Make a dinosaur egg, size up a carnivore, design a dino-adaptation, create a sedimentary dessert, and “bone-up” on everything dinosaurs!

Gee-ology
Week 4
Leave no stone left unturned as you find out what makes geology rock. Join us for this hands-on exploration of rocks and minerals with daily adventures into our new exhibit halls. Make edible crystals, dig for fossils, create a glow in the dark work of art, and more!

Ocean Commotion
Week 5
Imagine singing whales, luminescent fish, house-stealing crabs, and other amazing creatures as you discover the underwater world in which they live. Investigate a variety of animals from those who live in the deep, dark ocean to those who hang out on the seashore.

Animal Facts and Fairy Tales
Week 7
Are elephants afraid of mice? Do mermaids live in the ocean? Uncover the facts and myths about creatures you’ve met in books through a variety of hands-on discoveries, storytelling, and take-home activities.

Get Lost!
Week 8
The world is a big place, and it can be easy to get lost! Experience techniques in survival and orienteering that will help you find your way around. Survey the sky for signs, discover delicacies along a hiking path, build a natural shelter, and learn skills that could help you outwit, outlast, and outplay your fellow campers.

Mudslingers and Muckrakers
Week 9
Mucking around can produce the stickiest creations in one of our sloppiest camps! Learn how to make a mess of fun when you mix, mash, squash, and squish a variety of natural materials from around the world. You’ll even visit Powdermill Nature Reserve for a pond hunt! (Additional transportation fee: $10)

AGES 8–9

Eye Spy
Week 1
Go on a micro-adventure through the museum as you investigate some of the smallest specimens we have on display. Sketch the world beneath a microscope and inspect the beadwork of a native blanket as you transform our tiny treasures into your own major masterpieces of art.

Sticks and Stones
Week 2
One child’s stick is another child’s game! Learn to play Achi from Africa, Frolf from ancient Sparta, Umake from Mozambique, Sota Pani from India, and Bounce Eye from Australia. Come and spend five days exploring a world of fun and games!

Unraveling Mummies and Mysteries
Week 3
Enter the world of kings, tomb raiders, and unknown languages to unlock the secrets of Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Imagine you’re an archaeologist as you unearth, record, and reconstruct your own “artifact” to take home.

Super Sleuths
Week 4
Somebody’s been fooling with the fossils in PaleoLab—but who? Hunt for clues and examine the evidence to help find out “who dunnit.” Dust Stegosaurus’ tail spike for fingerprints, trace muddy shoeprints, and analyze DNA in the Thermo Fisher Scientific Biotechnology Lab to unravel the mystery!

Journey Through Time
Weeks 5 & 8
Learn what the world was like and how it has changed over the past 250 million years. Exploring both geology and paleontology, you’ll uncover what fossilized footprints really represent, investigate dinosaur behavior, and take in-depth tours of the fabulous new Dinosaurs in Their Time!

Monkeying Around
Weeks 6
Two-thirds of the Earth’s animal and plant species call the rainforest home, where giant flowers bloom and the ingredients for our favorite candy grows on trees. Create your own poison dart frog, make a jungle tree, and more.

Design Your Own Discovery Room
Week 7
Imagine the coolest hands-on museum exhibit possible—and then design your very own! Find out from museum professionals how an exhibit is designed, then spend time learning about the history of Carnegie’s exhibits and collections before creating your own Discovery Room.

Romp in the Swamp
Week 9
Take a trip to the swamp and get to know the turtles, frogs, snakes, and other critters that live there. Play wetlands games to learn more, make a frog mask, and stuff a snake. You’ll even visit Powdermill Nature Reserve for your very own romp in the swamp! (Additional transportation fee: $10)

Space Invaders
Week 1
From star stories of ancient cultures and early scientific discoveries to space exploration today, learn more about man’s fascination with space. Investigate geologic structures of planetary bodies, the need for space exploration, and more.

Say You Want an Evolution
Week 2
Travel through time to see how much life has changed on this planet. Learn about the ancestors of modern day plants and animals as you explore and experiment with proton jelly in our Thermo Fisher Scientific Biotechnology Lab.

Indian Summer
Week 4
From deserts to forests, from pueblos to tipis—explore the environments and traditions of American Indians. Learn the techniques they used to create baskets and blankets and create your own weaving to take home.

It’s a Wild Life!
Week 5
Walk on the wild side as you go on safari to discover the “big five” and explore the many diverse cultures of Africa. Investigate everything from mountaintops to jungles in search of adventure as you create native crafts from this continent.

International Polar Year
Week 6
Journey north and investigate what it is like in the Arctic during this International Polar Year exploration. Using satellite data, examine ice sheets, the affects of the changing climate on wildlife, and make connections to other ice systems in the solar system.

Digging Deeper into Dinosaurs
Week 7
Explore the science of paleontology to uncover the Mesozoic Era. Learn what it takes to be a professional in PaleoLab while piecing together your own museum exhibit as you explore the new Dinosaurs in Their Time.

Culture Shock
Week 8
It's the year 2208, and a team of archaeologists have stumbled upon an amazing find—your bedroom! What would your CDs, video games, and other belongings say about you? Piece together clues from ancient cultures as you compare your life today to those of kids from the past.

Wetland Youth Leadership Institute
Week 9
Especially for campers interested in developing leadership skills while learning more and teaching others about the wetlands! You’ll receive a variety of materials and activities to share this program with others in the community after the camp week is over. Visit Powdermill Nature Reserve for a hands-on wetlands exploration! (Additional transportation fee: $10)