Registration now open for summer camps at the State Museum

January 30, 2025

Day Camps, presented by Aflac, include hands-on activities for children featuring a variety of subjects, including art, natural history, astronomy and robotics.  

The South Carolina State Museum is excited to welcome campers back in 2025 with a new lineup of summer camps presented by Aflac for children aged 6 – 12 years old. Each camp is themed with a different topic of learning & exploration. Registration for the camps is now open!

Summer camps will run from June until August. Campers will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of different week-long camps while exploring the museum, experiencing 4D and planetarium shows, and engaging in problem-based educational activities and STEAM projects throughout the day. Whether it’s exploring space in the planetarium and observatory, engineering their own robotic designs, creating art using traditional techniques, or exploring South Carolina’s history, there’s something for every camper to enjoy. Summer Camps are separated by ages, 6-8 and 9-12.

6–8-year-old Camps

Shoot for the Stars

June 2 – 6 | July 14 – 18

In this week-long mission, we’ll go to space by constructing space helmets, building a space habitat, and searching for aliens.

Robots Make it Work

June 9 – 13 | July 21 – 25

Come explore the world of robots and how they move throughout our world doing jobs that impact our everyday lives!

Diagnose the Gross

June 16 – 20 | July 28 – Aug. 1

Join us this summer as we engage in some of the stickiest science experiments around to discover more about our bodies and nature!

Making Movie Magic

June 23 – 27 | August 4 – 8

Cast your science spell this summer as we adventure through the fantastical world of our favorite fairytales to see how movie magic is made! Campers will also have the incredible opportunity to experience the museum’s newest exhibition, Heroes & Villains: The Art of the Disney Costume for inspiration.

Innovation in Motion

July 7 – 11

Discover a world of incredible innovations in this high-flying tinker camp as we are inspired by creative thinkers around us – just like you! Campers will release their potential with elastic powered boats, reach new heights while designing air compressor rockets, and team up to tinker with a Rube Goldberg showdown for the ages.

9–12-year-old Camps

Real World Robotics

June 2 – 6 | July 14 – 18

What is a robot? How do we “talk” to robots? What do robots do? Campers will “get with the program” and learn how we use robots to traverse the deep oceans, explore outer space, as well as their impact on the world of medicine and even the arts.

Astro Adventures

June 9 – 13 | July 21 – 25

Campers will see and experience the Universe in ways they never thought possible!  They will build and hold a comet in their hands and see what happens when one impacts the Earth.

Cinematic Creations

June 16 – 20 | July 28 – Aug. 1

Campers will be piecing together their own storyboards, designing costumes for their own creative characters, and learning about light, color, and effects through the study of set design – all inspired by our blockbuster exhibition, Heroes & Villains: The Art of the Disney Costume.

Curious Carolina

June 23 – 27 | Aug. 4 – 8

This week, campers will explore all the zany things our state has to offer as they execute a swashbuckling getaway in a pirate escape room, become a science-debunking ghost hunter, and offer salutations as they create their very own UFO welcome center. Things are about to get weird!

SC is Workin’ 9- to – 5

July 7 – 11

What do aerospace, tourism, agriculture, and automotive have in common? They are all leading industries in our state! Campers will explore each of these industries while they design air compressor rockets and meet with archaeologists to reconstruct their own pots. They’ll even have the opportunity to hear from one of our museum’s own art curators as we learn about the cultural history of face jugs and what it takes to be a museum professional. It’s a way to make a livin’!

Our South Carolina State Museum Educators take professional development and training classes in the following areas:

  • CPR/First Aid certification with the American Heart Association
  • Accessibility Training with a focus on autism, ADHD, and anxiety with the Behavior Co. ABA Behavior Therapy
  • Security and emergency safety protocols
  • Exhibition Interpretation/Tours
  • DSS/Mandated Reporter Training
  • Maintaining a diverse, equitable, accessible, and inclusive classroom environment
  • Classroom management with a focus on Montessori, Reggio, Maker, and Curiosity Approach learning styles

For questions contact the group visits office at 803.898.4999 or email [email protected].

 

About the South Carolina State Museum 

For nearly four decades, the South Carolina State Museum has been committed to collecting, preserving and showcasing the rich culture, art, and natural history of the Palmetto State. Through a comprehensive collection of over 1.1 million objects and four floors of stimulating exhibitions and displays housed within the historic Columbia Mills Building, the State Museum provides educational environments that entertain, inspire imagination and creativity, and enrich the lives of millions of visitors and generations of students from across South Carolina. For more information about the museum, visit scmuseum.org.