Grades 1-5 Summer Camp Details:
- Grade 1 camps are half-day, either in the morning or afternoon
- 8:30 a.m.-12 p.m. for morning camps
- 1-4 p.m. for afternoon camps
- Grades 2-5 camps are full-day from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
- Grade 1 camps price: $175/week
- Grades 2-5 camps price: $350/week
- Members save $15 on Grade 1 camps with code HDCAMP26
- Members save $30 on Grades 2-5 camps with code FDCAMP26
- Snacks provided for half-day and full-day camps and lunch provided for full-day camps; lunch provided for grade 1 campers who attend both AM and PM camps in the same week.
- Camp t-shirt included
- Registration closes one week before each camp begins
- Grade levels refer to grades that campers are going into in fall 2026
Registration opens Monday, Feb. 16
Grade 1 Camps
June 22-26
Morning
Backyard Buddies
Learn about the animals—both the ones that you see and the ones that you don’t– that share your neighborhood!
Afternoon
Track Stories
Animal footprints can tell us a lot about the creatures passing through the area…a lot more than just who they are! We’ll learn to read the stories animal tracks can tell us.
June 29-July 3
Morning
Camp o Saurus
Raptors, t-rexes, triceratops…oh my! If you’re a dinosaur stan, this is the place for you.
Afternoon
Cave Explorers
Mysterious and full of secrets, caves and caverns formed over time. How are they made? What can we find inside? Grab your lantern and let’s explore!
July 6-10
Morning
Rainbow Magic
In this camp, we’re making rainbow connections! Color mixing, colored shadows, color illusions…if it’s full of color, we’re doing it.
Afternoon
Drawing Animals
Learn how to draw animals better, both by hand and by using technology, from simple cartoon style to more lifelike. We’ll spend some time with our live animals to better understand how they’re built!
July 13-17
Morning
Tide Pools
Tides come in and go back out…and sometimes leave little worlds behind on the beach! Let’s take a look at what—and whom!– we might find beneath the surface.
Afternoon
Making Waves
Surf’s up! How are ocean waves formed? We’ll investigate lunar tides, underwater landscapes, and storms…and then have fun making waves of our own.
July 20-24
Morning
Scribble Bots
What’s more fun than scribbling? Building scribbling machines! We’ll design and build basic art bots and learn how to make changes to control the designs they make. Bring home artworks created by your bot—and by you!
Afternoon
Color Coded
Meet our robots! These cool little machines are commanded by color. Learn their codes and help them through mazes, obstacle courses, and more. We’ll even challenge them to a soccer match!
July 27-31
Morning
Forts and Hideouts
Improve your pillow fort skills! We’ll play with the science of making structures out of unusual materials, then climb inside them and hang out.
Afternoon
Sky High
How high? Let’s build up, up and away by making the tallest buildings and towers we can. We’ll even make it possible for you to (safely!) build taller than you ever have before.
Aug. 3-7
Morning
Superhero Science
From superpowers to super gadgets, we’ll power through the science behind your favorite heroes and villains.
Afternoon
Snack Bar
What makes popcorn pop? How is candy made? Let’s find out the secrets behind concession stand treats!
Aug. 10-14
Morning
Climbing Trees
How do trees spread their seeds? How tall can trees get? Let’s pull ourselves up into the canopy to see how branches grow, where animals might live, and how the leaves feed the tree with water and light.
Afternoon
Crawly Critters
We’ll come down to the ground and investigate what lives in the soil and underground. Worms, beetles, ants…let’s explore their tunnels and trails and see how they keep our world green and growing.
Grades 2-3 Camps
June 22-26
Animal Detectives
How do we study animals in the wild? It’s a job that requires patience, persistence, and a little technology. We’ll do some actual wildlife surveying and data collection in this fieldwork camp.
June 29-July 3
Our Dynamic Planet
Earth changes over time…but sometimes, it changes a lot in mere moments. We’ll look at the phenomena that shake our planet: earthquakes, volcanoes, wildfires and floods.
July 6-10
Media Matters
Pastels, watercolors, oils—it matters what your art is made of! We’ll experiment with the chemistry of different media to create the perfect paints and colors. Prepare to make many masterpieces this week!
July 13-17
Solar Flair
We’re taking fun in the sun to another level! From flares to dazzling sunsets, the sun is full of surprises. We’ll make our own sunscreen, eclipse viewers, and learn all about Earth’s star.
July 20-24
Getting Around
You’re in the driver’s seat (well, behind the tablet, anyway) for Spheros– fun orb robots. Mazes and obstacle courses await to be conquered… plus some additional special challenges that will push these bots to the limit. Decide if your robot is going to play soccer of be the soccer ball!
July 27-31
Thrill Ride
Thrill Ride at the Science Center means roller coasters…but this week, we’re also looking at log flumes, river rapids, spinners, and all the different ways amusement parks can thrill us. Prepare to build and test a tabletop theme park by week’s end!
Aug. 3-7
Movie Maker
Let’s make an Oscar winner! There’s so much science and technology in the making of modern films. We’ll explore greenscreen technology and digital effects, sound design, lighting, practical effects and more to produce our own short movie. (Are you not entertained?!)
Aug. 10-14
Space Invaders
People love to travel…unfortunately, so do plants and animals. Whether good or bad, these invasive newcomers affect our local systems in different ways. We’ll learn how to protect our homegrown environment …and how our environment adapts to protect itself.
Grades 4-5 Camps
June 22-26
Animal Allies
Wild animals are equipped to survive outdoors…but sometimes they need a little help from us. We can support our wildlife friends through rescue (when appropriate!), rehabilitation and resource protection. Learn about the important work animal advocates are doing in our communities, and how kids can advocate for wildlife too.
June 29-July 3
Dino-Bots
One of our more popular exhibits is our robotic T-Rex in Science in the Making. Let’s build our own animatronic dinosaurs that look and move like our long-extinct inspirations.
July 6-10
Digital Impressions
We’ll harness the power of coding to create art. Surround your senses in this camp inspired by our summer traveling exhibit, Impressionists Immersive Exhibition. End the week by creating a room-sized projection display for the camp to experience!
July 13-17
A Shore Thing
We’ll do a little of everything this week—tide pools, waves, the sun—and throw in some erosion, coastal plants, wetlands, and more! This is Beach Week at its peak.
July 20-24
Kinetic Sculptures
Code and create with Hummingbird microcontrollers. Use your creativity to design moving creatures, artworks and even theatrical scenes! Creations will be captured on video so you can share your work with friends and family.
July 27-31
Building Through Time
Humans have been building really cool things for thousands of years: pyramids, aqueducts, Great Walls and mountainside cities. How did they do it? Try your hand at ancient technologies and techniques.
Aug. 3-7
Absolute Cinema
Modern theatres are marvels of engineering, designed to completely transform the movie-going experience to make it as immersive and sensorial as possible. How does the room shake with sound? How do films expand to fill giant screens? We’ll look at the theatre space itself and see what technological surprises lie ahead for audiences.
Aug. 10-14
Nature’s Networks
We’re going back to our roots! Let’s see how the natural world connects together and works as a system. Where do we as humans fit in? How do we support our ecosystem? How do ecosystems work around the world? We’re going to find out!
