ESTEVAN - The Souris Valley Museum started its summer camp season on June 28.
Museum director Melanie Memory said while there are many different themes to camps since they are a part of museum’s programming, history is one of the central elements to them. But the approach to history in their camps is always fun and exciting for young participants.
"There are always activities inside, which are related to the museum collections. There might be a scavenger hunt or something like that. And then some crafts. There are always outside activities as well, so they go outside and play some games or do stuff like that just to run off the steam," Memory noted.
"There might be some water activities. It just depends on the day. There are tours in the schoolhouse, they might do something in there. There might be some downtime too, so they have a snack or watch an age-appropriate video or something to go with the camp's theme. There are all kinds of activities."
Sarah Leverton is the museum's summer education programmer and Memory said she has lots of fun ideas. Anna Rose Lawrence, who is the education and outreach co-ordinator, also helps with the camps.
Starting with the first camp, there were new families joining camps.
Camps at the museum run every week until the end of August. Spots are still available for most camps.
"We do have a lot of different kinds of camps depending on what kids are interested in. And there are some other different events happening," Memory said. "You can always check out our website, best resource, or our Facebook, to see what's happening, or give us a call."
The first camp, Community Helpers, attracted a lot of interest from young participants as it saw local police and firefighters coming down to share their work with the kids. They also had a chance to learn about the work done by teachers, lifeguards and many other people that play a role in making communities great.
"We had some community helper organizations come to the museum, which included the fire department and the police department. And then there were activities based around those two organizations that the kids could participate in," Memory said. "It was well received, we had some active kids here. They had fun doing some of those activities. And they were really excited to see the police and the fire department because they both came with their vehicles, of course, and got a few tours."
The three-day camp for kids ages three to five will be repeated on Aug. 2-4.
On July 11-12 the museum is hosting a Pioneer Science camp for kids six to 10 years of age. During those days, kids were having some fun with science experiments and had a chance to learn how science has changed since pioneer times.
On the same days in the afternoon, kids were also invited to join the Ancient Worlds camp, where they learn about many civilizations, from Ancient Rome to Ancient Egypt, that have come and gone, looking at some of the heroes and how those worlds came to end.
Storm Chasers camp will go July 18-22 for five- to eight-year-old. Participants will learn about weather and its many manifestations.
On July 18-22 as well as Aug. 15-19, the museum will offer the Covert Op Training School for kids ages six to 10. The kids would indulge in the art of being a spy, will have a chance to write with disappearing ink and learn how to write codes.
July 25-29 will be Around the World camp for ages six to 10. Kids will learn about the world around them, many cultures, unique myths and history.
Brother Grimm's Once Upon a Time... for ages eight to 12 will run the same dates in the afternoon. Kids will discover the world of fairy tales and the history behind them.
Then there will be The Quest camp for participants ages eight to 12 on Aug. 8-12.
"Love video games and other adventures? Great news, we are going to go on an adventure right here at the museum. We will look at the choice of your adventure stories and go on our own. We will make our maps and other fun adventure-themed crafts," says the camp description.
On Aug. 22-26, the museum will offer a new for them series of Imagination Factory AM day camps for kids from five to eight years of age. Every day will be different, and kids will have a chance to play pioneers' games, explore ideas about the future, build with Lego, dig up a dinosaur and have a beach day at the museum.
The same week in the afternoon there will be also Imagination Factory PM day camps for kids ages eight to 12. Participants will have a chance to capture memories by taking photos and videos, build with Lego and join a mini-version of Once Upon a Time camp.
The registration for all upcoming camps is now open, and at least a 24-hour notice is appreciated.
To register people can either call the museum at 306-634-5543 or do so online at sourisvalleymuseum.ca, where more information about camps and programming can be found as well.
