Summer Camps at the Village

June 23 - August 22, 2008

Schedule | Fees | Registration Information | Camp Descriptions

For assistance with camp registrations, call (503) 371-3631.
Print a registration form here.

Schedule

* Combo Camps for Voyagers (ages 2-5) include: morning care + 2 camps
** Combo Camps for Scientists (ages 5-7) and Inventors (ages 8+) include: 2 camps + lunchcare + aftercare

Camp Fees

Registration Information

Please read the program descriptions for your child's age, note the programs that interest you, and refer to them when you register. Children must meet age requirements by the first day of the program. Programs fill quickly, so call early and have alternate choices ready.

To register, call (503) 371-3631 or visit A.C. Gilbert's Discovery Village during open hours: Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. or Sunday, noon - 5 p.m. Full payment required at time of registration by check, credit card, or cash. Registration forms can also be printed from our website here.

Registration deadline is 14 days before the first day of the program. You will receive a confirmation letter along with an emergency consent form within a week of registration. The consent form will need to be on file before the first day of the program. All programs run 5 consecutive days. Parents of children ages 2 and 3 must stay and assist children in the programs.

Arrival/Pick Up
Children should arrive no earlier than 10 minutes before the program begins as there is no supervision before that time. Please be prompt in picking up your child after the program. There will be a change of $5 per 5 minutes for each student that remains more than 10 minutes after a program. If additional supervision is needed, please consider purchasing a combo class or lunchcare/aftercare.

Cancellations
Occasionally, unforeseen circumstances or low program registrations require us to cancel a summer program. If this happens, we will notify you by phone at least one week before the first day of the program, and you will receive a full refund.

Refunds
If you withdraw 30-15 days prior to the start of a camp, you will receive a full refund, less a $20 non-refundable registration fee; 14-8 days, 50% refund; less than 7 days, no refund.

What to Bring
Please pack a snack or lunch for your child if he/she is enrolled in programs that run 2 hours or more.

Scholarships
Limited financial scholarships are available. Contact the Director of Education for more information.

Camp Descriptions

Voyagers (Ages 2 - 5) | Scientists (Ages 5 - 7) | Inventors (Ages 8+)

Voyagers (Ages 2 - 5)

Insectmania
Go on crawly critter hunts with traps and nets. Investigate the fascinating world of insects. Learn about life cycles, habits, and habitats. Build a bug and see some amazing adaptations.
June 23 - 27 10:00 - 10:45 a.m.

You & Me
Working with art materials is a wonderful activity for preschoolers, engaging their imaginations and facilitating developmental learning, and it's just plain fun! In this hands-on camp, children and their caregivers experience a hodge-podge of developmentally appropriate activities that benefit not only the child, but also the caregiver-child relationship.
June 23 - 27 11:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
August 18 - 22 11:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Storybook Theater
Creative drama, songs, puppetry, and art projects bring storybooks to life. Each day children will take home a hand-made creation based on the day's featured storybook.
July 7 - 11 10:00 - 10:45 a.m.

Storybook Science
Try a Humpty Dumpty egg experiment, and test straw, stick, and brick houses. Can Rapunzel really use hair for a rope? How did Jack climb up a beanstalk? Explore these questions and ideas in this humorous camp.
July 7 - 11 11:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Preschool Cooks
Stir up some fun in the kitchen this summer! Paint with pudding, create edible bugs, and learn about the food pyramid. Make yummy treats everyday. *Children with severe or numerous food allergies are encouraged to choose a different camp
July 14 - 18 10:00 - 10:45 a.m.
July 28 - August 1 10:00 - 10:45 a.m.

Science Sampler
Try out some ooey gooey science, build toys from everyday items, create concoctions, and learn about space and frogs in this smorgasbord of a camp.
July 14 - 18 11:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Science in a Bag
Grow a mold garden, remove an eggshell without breaking it, watch water change color, and make ice cream in this messy and fun camp.
July 21 - 25 10:00- 10:45 a.m.

It's a Small World
Every day brings a new adventure as we read familiar stories from other countries, study a far-off land, make a flag, and re-create traditional foods or crafts.
July 21 - 25 11:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Little Hands Art Studio
Your child will learn how to pound, pinch, roll, and just have a good time with clay, play dough, and other art mediums. Finished clay projects will be glazed and kiln-fired to last a lifetime.
July 28 - August 1 11:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
August 11 - 15 10:00 - 10:45 a.m.

5 Senses
Pique curiosity as your child explores and experiments with a different sense each day. They will create a take-home book of their Sense-Abilities.
August 4 - 8 10:00 - 10:45 a.m.

PEEP
Peep and the Big Wide World celebrates children's curiosity and encourages behaviors that come to them naturally: asking questions, exploring the world around them, and testing ideas through play. Based on the science series for preschoolers funded in part by the National Science Foundation.
August 4 - 8 11:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
August 18 - 22 10:00- 10:45 a.m.

Paint a Rainbow
Painters will enjoy different techniques of putting paint on paper such as rolling, printing, stamping, and squirting.
August 11 - 15 11:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Scientists (Ages 5 - 7)

Into the Spotlight
Jump into the spotlight in this exciting introduction to the wonders of the stage. Theater games, set painting, and a culminating performance make this a must-do drama camp.
June 23 - 27 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

What's the Dirt?
Dig into awesome experiments as we discover what lives in the dirt beneath our feet. We'll learn gardening secrets, spy on underground societies, and share some surprising finds in the Village gardens.
June 23 - 27 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Beginner's Chess (combined age group camp)
Playing chess is athletics for the mind. Students learn to play this ancient game that develops mental skills and strategic thinking. Recommended book for this class: Chess Tactics for a Scholastic Player by Dean Ippolito.
July 7 - 11 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Toy Workshop
What makes toys fun? Science! Use physics to build some cool toys! Campers will construct flying toys, balloon rockets, lever critters, wheel and axle cars, and pneumatic gizmos.
July 7 - 11 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Chess II (combined age group camp)
Students continue to learn and practice at this ancient game while fine-tuning their strategies and mental stamina. Recommended book for this class: Chess Tactics for a Scholastic Player by Dean Ippolito.
July 14 - 18 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Clay Studio
Young sculptors will roll, pound, shape, and glaze clay. Learn the basics of hand-building. Create shoe buttons, garden tiles, clay creatures, and various types of pots. All finished projects will be glazed and kiln-fired to last a lifetime.
July 14 - 18 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Sports Science
Eat a rainbow, lose the reruns, and defeat the blahs. Become a super fit kid! Get physical with sport challenges, obstacle courses, and games. Then work out your brain while learning the science behind your favorite sports.
July 21 - 25 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Lewis and Clark
Follow the footsteps of explorers in a role-playing expedition. Portage a canoe, run from fierce grizzly bears, play native games, and go on an elk hunt. Learn about life as it was for the great explorers Lewis & Clark.
July 21 - 25 1:00- 4:00 p.m.

Spy Science
Secret sleuthing, code cracking, and spy catching for kids: do you have what it takes to be a super sleuth? Here's a caper that will test your skills.
July 28 - August 1 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Breads Around the World
From India to Mexico, France to Italy, bakers of all ages will experience the culture and use of a common staple along with art, music, and other amazing activities. * Children with severe or numerous food allergies are encouraged to choose a different camp.
July 28 - August 1 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Construction and Contraptions
Grab your hardhat and learn the science behind everyday structures. This camp will challenge kids to build bridges, towers, and other amazing contraptions.
August 4 - 8 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Village Builder
Be the architect of your own Discovery Village. Design, plan, and build it! Students will enhance math skills while examining the architecture and culture that surround us. Participate in a walking field trip.
August 4 - 8 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Last Frontier
Take a trip to the last frontier! In this camp children will participate in Alaskan Native games, experience native foods, and create traditional arts. A visiting teacher from the Aleutian Islands will share the wonders of the 50th state.
August 11 - 15 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Mini Museum
Your art will be featured at the Louvre on Monday, the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) on Tuesday, and a new "museum" each day of the week. This art-based hands-on camp looks into the art and lives of the masters from Picasso to Renoir.
August 11 - 15 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Energy at Play
Put some light on the subject! Through play and stories, campers will be illuminated and sound off in their experiments with light and sound.
August 18 - 22 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Marvelous Magic
Beginning Magicians will learn to make and perform the Great Escape, Magic Location of a Selected Card, Indestructible Rope, and additional magic effects. They will also develop poise and public speaking skills while expanding their interest in the art of magic.
August 18 - 22 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Inventors (Ages 8+)

Comics and Cartooning
Campers learn the basics of illustration and storyboarding as they create the story line and characters for their very own comic book.
June 23 - 27 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Beginner's Chess (combined age group camp)
Playing chess is athletics for the mind. Students learn to play this ancient game that develops mental skills and strategic thinking. Recommended book for this class: Chess Tactics for a Scholastic Player by Dean Ippolito.
July 7 - 11 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Survival Science
Find your way by learning map and compass skills in addition to basic survivor skills like shelter building, fire building, choosing gear, and finding food.
July 7 - 11 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Chess II (combined age group camp)
Students continue to learn and practice at this ancient game while fine-tuning their strategies and mental stamina. Recommended book for this class: Chess Tactics for a Scholastic Player by Dean Ippolito.
July 14 - 18 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Roving Reporters
Join a team of reporters and become a cracker-jack journalist with the chance to really get your work published. Your beat: find the scoop on what kids can do to have fun in and around Salem. July 14 - 18 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

This Is Rocket Science
Build and launch an ESTES rocket! Make your own gliders, airplanes, and parachutes. Find out what it takes to keep something in the air and above the clouds.
July 21 - 25 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Lego Lab
Think outside the blocks with this unique inquiry-based Lego camp. Students will learn the basics of simple machines in this hands-on interactive camp featuring concepts like effort, loads, and gearing.
July 28 - August 1 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

CSI: Crime Science
Get to the bottom of the mystery! Investigate evidence collection, tools, and techniques that forensic scientist use to solve mysteries. All clues point to a spine-tingling, crime-solving camp!
July 28 - August 1 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Art and Textile Tech
The elements of art are the building blocks for a work of art: line, form, color, space, and texture. Children will discover and engage in one of these five elements every day of camp to produce a personal art portfolio.
August 11 - 15 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Tundra, the Bering Sea, and Beyond
Travel with the trickster Raven. Story, dance, and music will be featured in this camp as children participate in Alaskan Native games, experience native foods, and create traditional arts. A visiting teacher from the Aleutian Islands will share the wonders of the 50th state.
August 11 - 15 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Magical Mystery
Young Magicians will make and learn to perform tricks including Coins Through Glass, the Magic Wuffle Tube, and Linking Clips. Expanding their technical execution of magic's basic principles, they will learn elements of theater, stage presence, comedy, elocution, and timing. This workshop will enable them to continue to gain valuable life-long public speaking and communication skills.
August 18 - 22 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.