Fourth and Fifth Grade Summer Camp Sessions

Great Salt Lake Discoveries

Partner Camp with FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake

The Great Salt Lake is ours to discover! From birding in Farmington Bay to swimming with brine shrimp at Antelope Island, each day we will go on an outdoor field trip to explore Great Salt Lake’s unique ecosystem. Along the way, we will practice science and art to learn about migratory birds, water quality, geology, and environmental stewardship. We are curious, adventurous, and love being outside. Drop off and pick up takes place at NHMU. Transportation to field trip locations is provided. No camp on Friday.

Week 1 | June 10 – 13 | 8:30am – 4:30pm | $356 | Session is Full

Explorers Camp 

Partner Camp with the Red Butte Garden

Join us for a week of nature explorations! In the morning at Red Butte Garden, campers will be exploring food chains and trophic levels as they create photosynthesis art, plant their own pots, identify scat, and more. While at NHMU in the afternoon, campers will be investigating the fauna and arthropods that call Utah home through outdoor excursions in the foothills. While outside, campers will also spend time learning to use the iNaturalist app as we become Citizen Scientists! To make things easy on parents, drop off and pick up will take place at Red Butte Garden and they will be walked by staff to and from NHMU. There is no camp on Friday. 

NOTE: Registration through Red Butte Garden website only. Session is Full.

Week 1 | June 10 – 13 | 9am – 4pm | $345.50 | Register through Red Butte Garden

Scales to Feathers

Partner Camp with Tracy Aviary

Dinosaurs are still among us! On Monday and Tuesday, while at Tracy Aviary, campers will explore the dinosaurs that live among us today – birds! They’ll find out what makes a bird a bird and discover the adaptations that allow them to live in diverse environments across the globe. On Wednesday and Thursday campers will delve into the science of paleontology—from the field to the lab—while at NHMU. They’ll discover how fossils are formed, where we find them, and meet some of the people who prepare and study fossils at the Museum. Drop off and pick up takes place at Tracy Aviary on Monday and Tuesday and at NHMU on Wednesday and Thursday. No camp on Friday.

Week 2 | June 24 – 27 | 8:30am – 4:30pm | $345.50 | Session is Full

Engineering Marvels

Join us as we journey through time, discovering ancient and modern engineering marvels. Campers will spend 3 full days at NHMU investigating, designing, and building models of structures that have wowed architects and engineers for years. We’ll travel to ancient civilizations like Egypt, Mesopotamia, China, Panama, and Rome to understand writing and record keeping as well as aqueducts, canals, and bridges. Lasting structures like the pyramids, the Parthenon and Stone Hedge as well as baskets and textiles will also be on the docket. This camp takes place entirely at NHMU, Monday-Wednesday. No camp on Thursday or Friday.

Week 3* | July 1 – 3 (*M-W) | 8:30am – 4:30pm | $260 | Session is Full

Week 9* | August 12 – 14 (*M-W) | 8:30am – 4:30pm | $260 | Check Availability & Register

Science Adventures

Partner Camp with Camp Kostopulos

Let’s explore! Monday and Tuesday will be at Camp K, exploring exciting science topics while conducting experiments to learn about the outside world. Students will also participate in additional outdoor experiences like rock climbing, fishing, swimming, and spending time with the horses. Wednesday and Thursday will be spent at the Museum, investigating forensic science—from analyzing handwriting and finger-, lip- and footprints to extracting DNA, examining microbes, and identifying unknown chemicals. Drop off and pick up takes place at NHMU on Monday and Tuesday and at Camp K on Wednesday and Thursday. No camp on Friday.

Week 4 | July 8 – 11 | 8:30am – 4:30pm | $345.50 | Session is Full

Pokémon & Engineering Challenges with LEGO® 

Partner Camp with Play-Well TEKnologies

Power up your Pokémon and engineering skills! Monday and Tuesday will be spent with Play-Well Pokémon Masters, as they learn how to level up into powerful players and go face to face with the current champion in an epic battle for the title. Wednesday and Thursday will be spent with Museum staff exploring robotics and machines. Campers will participate in building projects like Draw Bots and Mechanical Claws as well as become familiar with VEX IQ robotic components. Please note that students will take apart all LEGO® creations at the end of the session and will not keep any of the LEGO® bricks. This camp takes place entirely at NHMU, Monday-Thursday. No camp on Friday.

Week 5 | July 15 – 18 | 8:30am – 4:30pm | $345.50 | Check Availability & Register

Night at the Museum, Camp-Style! Session A

For girls.

Join us for an unforgettable summer camp experience! Our day will begin with opportunities for campers to experience a wide variety of hands-on exploration throughout the Museum and in our collections. We’ll have some down time as we eat a pizza dinner and get ready for the second half of our program. Our evening will find us going on outdoor excursions as we search for night flying insects, arachnids, and small mammals while also taking time to observe and learn about our night sky. A late-night snack will be next before heading off for a Museum-wide scavenger hunt. Then, unroll your sleeping bag as we watch a movie. The next morning, we’ll clean up our sleeping areas, enjoy a continental breakfast, and partake in a few more exciting activities before you leave at lunchtime, full of memories of your sleepover adventure! This camp takes place entirely at NHMU, Monday-Tuesday. No camp Wednesday-Friday. This session is for kids who identify as female.

Week 6* | July 22-23 (*M-T only) | 8:30am on 7/22-Noon on 7/23 | $275 | Check Availability & Register

Night at the Museum, Camp-Style! Session B

For boys.

Join us for an unforgettable summer camp experience! Our day will begin with opportunities for campers to experience a wide variety of hands-on exploration throughout the Museum and in our collections. We’ll have some down time as we eat a pizza dinner and get ready for the second half of our program. Our evening will find us going on outdoor excursions as we search for night flying insects, arachnids, and small mammals while also taking time to observe and learn about our night sky. A late-night snack will be next before heading off for a Museum-wide scavenger hunt. Then, unroll your sleeping bag as we watch a movie. The next morning, we’ll clean up our sleeping areas, enjoy a continental breakfast, and partake in a few more exciting activities before you leave at lunchtime, full of memories of your sleepover adventure! This camp takes place entirely at NHMU, Monday-Tuesday. No camp Wednesday-Friday. This session is for kids who identify as male.

Week 6* | July 22-23 (*M-T only) | 8:30am on 7/22-Noon on 7/23 | $275 | Check Availability & Register

Dynamic Universe

Partner Camp with the Clark Planetarium

Journey through the galaxy and explore the mysteries of Earth and space. At the Clark Planetarium on Monday and Tuesday campers will learn about the planets, stars and constellations while enjoying other spaced-out projects and activities. Wednesday and Thursday at NHMU will find campers investigating the powerful processes that sculpt our Earth. We’ll also explore rocks, minerals, volcanoes, and earthquakes. Drop off and pick up on Monday and Tuesday takes place at Clark Planetarium. Wednesday and Thursday will be at NHMU. No camp on Friday.

Week 7 | July 29 – August 1 | 8:30am – 4:30pm | $345.50 | Session if Full

Camp ‘Ology’

‘Ology’ means ‘the study of’ and we will be doing just that at the Natural History Museum of Utah. Join us for 4 days of discovery as we discover what it means to be a biologist, anthropologist, geologist, and climatologist while also breaking down those fields into more specified titles like paleontologist. We’ll unpack the science with hands-on experiments and projects, Museum investigations and tours, chats with scientists and student guided inquiry. This camp takes place entirely at NHMU, Monday-Thursday. No camp on Friday.

Week 7 | July 29 – August 1 | 8:30am – 4:30pm | $345.50 | Check Availability & Register

Art and Science of Color

Partner Camp with Visual Art Institute

Join us as we explore the intersection of art and science. Monday and Tuesday will have campers at the Visual Arts Institute engaging in diverse art forms like sculpture, printmaking, drawing, and painting. Campers will make their own modeling clay, understand sculpting tools, experiment with cyanotype photography, discover color combinations in printmaking, and even create creatures by studying animal skeletal structures. Wednesday and Thursday will be spent at NHMU exploring color through the lens of biology, chemistry, and physics. From learning about eyesight and understanding camouflage to finding out what colors absorb more heat, why Mars has a red-hued atmosphere, and why the sky turns red at sunset and sunrise—these are just a few of the questions we’ll investigate. Drop off and pick up takes place at VIA on Monday and Tuesday and at the NHMU on Wednesday and Thursday. No camp on Friday.

Week 8 | August 5 – 8 | 8:30am – 4:30pm | $345.50 | Session is Full