summer camp 2022
Thank you for your interest in attending summer camp at National Children’s Museum. Registration for 2022 is now closed.
STEAM Island: A Pirate’s Adventure
august 8-12, 2022
Ahoy Dreamers! This summer, join National Children’s Museum for a week-long adventure on STEAM Island, where kids rule the high seas. Campers ages 8 to 10 will design a pirate ship to set sail, create a shelter on a deserted island, build a contraption to dig up buried treasure, and much more!
The STEAM Island summer camp is designed and led by full-time Museum Educators. Activities will challenge campers to innovate, problem solve, and work as a team. Each day, campers will have the opportunity to explore the Museum—and on Tuesday, when the Museum is closed to the public, they’ll have the run of the space.
key information
- date: august 8-12, 2022
- time: 9 am to 3 pm
- ages: 8-10 years old
- cost: $400 for members, $450 for non-members
camp faqs
Please take a moment to read through our FAQs. If you have any additional questions, you can email us at [email protected].
Children must be between the ages of 8 and 10 on the first day of camp to attend.
Campers may be dropped off at the curb of 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW between 8:45 and 9:00 am. A Museum manager will be present to check children in, and Museum staff will escort children from the drop-off area to the Museum. You will not be able to leave your child unattended before the designated drop-off time. If arriving by Metro or bus, please escort your child to the Museum’s main entrance located off Woodrow Wilson Plaza (look for our blue awnings). Please wait until Museum staff can check in your child and escort them into the Museum. Please do not leave your child unattended.
Campers may be picked up at the curb of 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW between 3 and 3:15 pm. Only adults designated on the National Children’s Museum Camp Form may pick up your child. A Museum manager will be present to check children out and Museum staff will escort children from the Museum to the designated pick-up area. If traveling by Metro or bus, please come to the Museum’s main entrance located off Woodrow Wilson Plaza (look for our blue awnings) and notify Museum staff when you’ve arrived. Your child will be checked out and escorted to the main entrance.
No. Campers must be picked up promptly between 3 and 3:15 pm. Please note that we cannot accommodate late pickups. If you are more than 15 minutes late, we will need to charge $20 per 15 minutes to cover the cost of our staff’s overtime. Curbside pickup is not available for late pickups after 3:20 pm.
Please notify the Camp Director if your child will not attend camp due to illness, emergency, or other contingencies. Refunds will not be provided for any missed sessions.
Campers are responsible for bringing their own snack and lunch each day. Lunches will not be refrigerated, so please include an ice-pack. Campers will not have the option to heat up their lunch. Please consider peanut and tree nut alternatives when packing food for camp.
The Museum is a nut-aware space. We encourage campers to consider peanut and tree nut alternatives when packing food for camp. Because we cannot guarantee a nut-free space, we ask that you alert staff if your child has a nut allergy.
- Comfortable clothes for activities inside and outside of the Museum
- Closed-toe shoes
- Pirate costuming (Campers are welcome to wear pirate costume elements. Weapons, including pretend weapons, are not allowed.)
- A pair of socks to wear while climbing the Dream Machine, the Museum’s climber and slide
- A packed lunch and snack each day (Please consider peanut and tree nut alternatives.)
- Labeled water bottle
- Optional: Face mask (Learn more about our camp’s COVID-19 policies here.)
Campers should leave all portable electronic devices at home. If your child requires a cell phone, please contact the Camp Director prior to the start of camp. Please leave all valuables at home. National Children’s Museum is not responsible for any lost or damaged items.
Camp is designed and run by our full-time Museum Education team, assisted by trained interns. Campers will always be supervised by an adult staff member.
Museum staff cannot dispense any medications without a completed consent form. If your child has a medical condition that may require self-medication, please inform camp staff so that we can safely monitor your child throughout the week.
All Museum staff are vaccinated against COVID-19. The Museum follows best practice cleaning procedures and protocols in line with the most up-to-date guidelines, and an air purifier will be used in the main camp learning space. The Museum follows a mask optional policy for staff and visitors in accordance with the latest guidelines issued by the CDC and DC Government and in alignment with our local schools. We respect campers’ choice to wear a mask or not.
You can learn more about the safety measures we’ve established on our healthy visit page. Yes! Each day of camp will include time for exploring the Museum’s STEAM exhibits. Campers will also have the unique opportunity to more deeply explore the Museum on Tuesday, when we are closed to the public. Exhibit time will be supervised by camp staff. Children and parents are welcome to stay after camp ends each day and play in the Museum until it closes at 4:30 pm.
camp policies
Please note, you must agree to these terms in the Summer Camp Form in order for your child to attend.
We do not offer full or partial refunds due to a child’s inability to attend. If National Children’s Museum must cancel camp for any reason, we will provide a refund.
Drop off: 8:45 - 9 am
Pick up: 3 - 3:15 pm Please note that we cannot accommodate late pickups. If you are more than 15 minutes late, we will need to charge $20 per 15 minutes to cover the cost of our staff’s overtime. Curbside pickup is not available for late pickups after 3:20 pm. If you anticipate a late pickup, please text the Camp Director and enter the Museum to pick up your child.
If a minimum enrollment threshold is not met, National Children's Museum reserves the right to cancel camp. Registered campers will be immediately notified of this decision by email. If camp is cancelled by National Children's Museum, registered campers will receive a full refund.
Campers should leave all portable electronic devices at home. If your child requires a cell phone, please contact the Camp Director prior to the start of camp. Please leave all valuables at home. National Children’s Museum is not responsible for any lost or damaged items.
National Children’s Museum’s goal is to provide all campers with a safe, supportive, and enriching learning experience. Campers are expected to follow the Code of Conduct below and interact appropriately while attending camp programming. Please review the Code of Conduct with your camper/s prior to the start of camp to ensure their understanding and agreement. National Children’s Museum has the following expectations for camp participants:
- Treat one another with respect.
- Act and behave in a way that does not endanger, intimidate, or interfere with the participation of others.
- Treat equipment, tools, and materials with care.
- Weapons of any kind will not be tolerated, including bringing weapons to camp, making weapons, or using objects as weapons.
When a camp participant does not follow the Code of Conduct, we may take the following steps:
- Museum staff will redirect the child to more appropriate behavior.
- If the behavior persists, Museum staff will reach out to the participant’s guardian to discuss the situation.
If a problem persists and the child continues to disobey behavior guidelines and camp rules, National Children’s Museum reserves the right to remove the child from camp. No refunds or credits will be issued for campers who are removed from camp. Children who are removed from camp must be picked up by an authorized adult within 60 minutes of notification.
All Museum staff are vaccinated against COVID-19. The Museum follows best practice cleaning procedures and protocols in line with the most up-to-date guidelines, and an air purifier will be used in the main camp learning space. The Museum follows a mask optional policy for staff and visitors in accordance with the latest guidelines issued by the CDC and DC Government and in alignment with our local schools. We respect campers’ choice to wear a mask or not.
You can learn more about the safety measures we’ve established on our healthy visit page.