L.A. Museum Kids Summer Camps 2012

Summer vacation is quickly approaching, and you know what that means – time to start making summer camp plans for the kids. Our Museum Stories list of L.A. museum kids summer camps was so popular last year that we’ve decided to do it again. This summer’s list includes readers’ favorite museum camps from last year, and a few new ones that we just discovered.

A + D Architecture and Design Museum children’s summer camp (see Museum Row “Making & Museums Summer Camp” listing below).

California Science Center’s Hands-on Science  offers over 25 imaginative science classes for children. Classes are taught in modern classroom and lab environments by trained educators and working professionals in science fields. And they compliment California State Science Standards. Now, how great is that!  See schedule for specific class hours, extended day program available. Pre-school to 8th grade level classes.

Craft and Folk Art Museum (see Museum Row “Making & Museums Summer Camp” listing below).

Fowler Museum at UCLA Kids Muse Summer Camp: This year’s camp Letter-Mania focuses on the exhibition Order and Disorder about Italian artist Alighiero Boetti’s collaboration with Afghan women to create large-scale embroidered pieces. Children engage in art-making activities and interactive games inspired by Boetti’s use of numbers and letters in his collage designs. Two week-long sessions offered: Session 1 (July 16-20) for ages 6-8, and Session 2 (July 23-27) for ages 9-12. Camp hours 9 am-12 pm.

Huntington Gardens: Explorers Summer Day Camp promises a wide variety of engaging educational activities for kids, from garden and gallery explorations, to hands-on activities. Three weeks of camp offered from July 16 – August 3.  Half and full day sessions available. Ages 5-12.

Kidspace Children’s Museum – Pasadena’s Kidspace Summer Camp features four weeks of fun-filled camp adventures from July 23- August 17. Themes include Arroyo Ecology, Gross! Anatomy, Physics, and Outer Space Explorations. Half and full day sessions available. Ages 6-10 and 7-11.

LACMA Summer Art Camp: Children explore the museum’s galleries and their creativity in summer sessions taught by artists. Camp sessions for children ages 6-9 and ages 10-13. LACMA also offers Summer Art Classes for kids, teens, and families. LACMA’s summer programs are very popular and sell-out quickly, so register as soon as possible if you’re interested.

Museum Row Making & Museums Summer Camp: Three museums in the Museum Row district, A + D Architecture and Design Museum, the Craft and Folk Art Museum, and the Peterson Automotive Museum, team up for a week-long summer camp experience called Making and Museums not to be missed (June 23 – July 27). Campers spend an entire day exploring each of the museums and participate in art and design projects led by experienced staff. Register for the week or by the day. Camp hours 9 am – 3:30 pm. Ages 7-12.

Museum of Latin American Art: In Molaa’s bilingual Summer Art Camp children learn about Latin American art and culture through a wide range of activities – from visual arts workshops to martial arts classes.  Plus, a culinary workshop every Thursday teaches campers how to prepare Latin American snacks.  Four week-long sessions offered from July 9 – August 3. Camp hours 9 am-5 pm, extended childcare available.

Natural History Museum and the Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits: Adventures in Nature summer camp gives children the opportunity to explore the Earth’s features, creatures, and cultures from around the world. Weekly sessions offered at both museums from July 9- August 10. Camp hours are 9 am-3 pm, extended childcare available. Grades K-8.

Norton Simon Museum Thursday Summer Fun: Join the museum staff on Thursdays for artful tours and workshops for children and their adult companions.

Peterson Automotive Museum (see Museum Row “Making & Museums Summer Camp” listing above).

Zimmer Children’s Museum: For the younger set (Pre-K to Kindergarten), you can’t beat Zimmer Summer Camp.  This summer’s camp introduces children to the “Big Ideas” of community responsibilty, an essential part of early childhood development. Through play and hands-on activities, campers learn about responsibility to themselves, each other, and to our Planet Earth.  Three week-long camps offered from June 25 – July 23. Camp hours 9am – 12pm.  Ages 4-5.

In addition to these day camps, our L.A. museums are busy planning many more exciting summer kids activities and special events. I’ll keep you updated on these upcoming programs in my monthly events calendar so be sure to subscribe, and follow me on Twitter.  And if you like this post, leave a comment or share it with your friends.

See you in the galleries!

Ro