For the camper that doesn’t want to choose, they just want to CREATE, the Smorgasbord is for you! Maybe you’ll make a magnificent marble run, or a series of props for you and your friends to play with, a set of full cardboard armour, a throne, or a geodesic dome to hide out in. We’ll have projects to explore and places where you can use the skills we’re learning to build something out of your own imagination. Wether you want to wear it, crawl inside of it, make it move or spin, you’ll get the skills and space to bring your imagination to life. And then you can show off all your mad inventions and wild works to your family and peers at our Smorgasbord Soiree the last day of camp!

This cohort is focused on making things that MOVE. We’ll use cardboard, found objects, and everyday items to make helicopters fly, “robot” arms that can pick things up, windmills or racing games, vacuum operated drink dispensers or even our own crank operated tv show. Students will learn basic design and engineering principles as they explore projects or design their own. The end of the week will culminate with a “science fair” themed party for campers and their families to explore all the magical moving machines we’ve made. 

Imagine you could be anything. Now, create it! In this cohort students will engage in imaginative play, asking themselves, “what kind of a creature do I want to become?” We’ll spend the week making a backstory for our creature, designing it, then building it- a mask for the face, a body, even its limbs- into something each camper can inhabit. We will paint and decorate our creatures, learning to pay attention to detail as we build basic skills in storytelling, planning, design, construction, and finishing our incredible creatures. We’ll cap off our week by inviting family to come meet our new menagerie and hear their incredible stories! 

Being an artist is a life of curiosity, exploration, and discovery. In this cohort students will learn about a small sampling of artists, art movements, and methods for creating.. We’ll make beauty from “trash” as we use cardboard bound for recycling and found materials to create mobiles, sculptures, landscapes, and 3d portraits. We’ll play with different mediums and methods for creating and bringing our visions to life. We’ll practice the skill of artistic critique- giving critical feedback to one another and discerning when to incorporate it or reject it.  Our week will culminate in a celebration and gallery show of the artists’ work for family to come enjoy with us. 

Create characters and tell their stories as a member of the Puppeteer Posse. We’ll delve deep into character development, story telling, and of course, puppet making! From simple stick puppets to hand operated puppet faces, we may even build some fully articulated moving puppets! Campers will get a chance to learn principles of design and construction as they complete a cast of their own characters. They can build their own puppet shows and work with other campers to tell bigger stories. We’ll share a showcase of our work with campers and their families on our last day and then hang out and get to know all the new faces! 

Design, construct, and decorate your own tabletop and carnival games! Campers in this cohort will learn elements of design and construction, building smaller tabletop games first. They will then choose a larger carnival style game to build and decorate, either on their own or with a partner. While there are many games we can build from schematics, students will also have the freedom to make their own visions come to life! The week will culminate in an hour of games and fun for the whole family!