Explorers Summer Day Camp
July 15–August 2, 2013
Huntington Explorers is a summer day camp in July and August with new and exciting classes each year geared
for children ages 5-12. The classes celebrate the wonders of The
Huntington through garden explorations, hands-on activities, gallery
investigations and educational fun.
Participants can register for a
single week or multiple weeks. Morning session run from 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon. Afternoon sessions run from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Full day enrollment (9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.) is also available.
Sign up for Summer Fun!
Huntington Explorers returns July 15–Aug. 2, offering three full weeks of fun and discovery for children ages 5–12. Sign up for one week, two weeks, or all three.
Half days (one class, either morning
or afternoon):
Members: $165/week
Non-Members: $180/week
Full days (two classes, both morning and afternoon, including a supervised lunch):
Members: $300/week
Non-Members: $330/week
April 9: Processing of registration forms begins. Applications will be processed first-come, first-served beginning April 9th until classes are filled. Confirmations will be sent by mail. Sorry, no walk-in or phone registration.
Schedules and Registration
Print registration form • View registration information
Descriptions
WEEK 1: July 15-19
Ages 5 & 6 - Morning Session: Instructor, Pam Lewis
Huntington Treasures
Discover the treasures within the Huntington! We’ll explore the galleries, trek through the gardens, wander past rare books, listen to stories, visit secret places, hang out with the wildlife, and create our own Huntington treasures!
Ages 5 & 6 - Afternoon Session: Instructor, Julie Andolsen
Creepy Crawlies
Six legs, eight legs, or no legs at all, how do you prefer your tiny creatures? We’ll learn to appreciate the hard work our wiggly friends do for the environment as we inspect, draw, paint, and have a buggy time!
Ages 7 & 8 - Morning Session: Instructor, Punam Bhakta
A “Berry” Good Time
It’s the season for berries! While they are great on their own, what happens when you add a pinch of sugar and spice? Using the gardens and Huntington Ranch, explorers will dig deeper into the different types of California-grown berries to create tasty and healthy treats.
Ages 7 & 8 - Afternoon Session: Instructor, Jinsoo Choi
A World of Music
Tap your feet to the beat of this fun-filled class! Young ones will explore different elements of music inspired by The Huntington’s cultural gardens. You don’t need to be just like Mozart, but get ready to move and groove!
Ages 9 & 10 - Morning Session: Instructor, Julie Andolsen
Color My Desert
Explore the Desert Garden as you never have before! Close up encounters with the plants and animals that make this habitat their home will pave the way for discovering a vibrant spectrum of colors. You won’t think a desert is just brown again!
Ages 9 & 10 - Afternoon Session: Instructor, Rachel Farfsing
The Life Aquatic
Explorers will investigate the aquatic habitats found in The Huntington Gardens, the Conservatory, and the Lily Ponds. We will learn about the food chain and life cycles of plants and animals while creating artwork inspired by different cultures.
Ages 11 & 12 - Morning Session: Instructor, Melissa Manfull
Art to Dye For
Campers will explore the science behind art as they’ll use plants in a new way and the natural dyes they give us. Combining art and botany, budding artists will experiment with plant patterns and printing techniques to create wearable art to carry home!
Ages 11 & 12 - Afternoon Session: Instructor, Punam Bhakta
Superb Herbs
Get up close and personal with The Huntington’s Herb Garden! Explorers will learn the wonders of this edible garden and what’s in store for summer. Using fresh herbs back in the kitchen, we’ll pair summer fruits and vegetables to create cool summer treats and eats.
WEEK 2: July 22-26
Ages 5 & 6 - Morning session: Instructor, Pam Lewis
Art Explorers
Join us for an international tour inspired by The Huntington’s many galleries and gardens. Beginning with the Americas, we will journey overseas to Australia and Asia, trekking over mountains towards Europe. Get ready to mix and blend art and nature as we creatively document our travels.
Ages 5 & 6 - Afternoon Session: Instructor, Jinsoo Choi
Art of Liu Fang Yuan
Learn about The Huntington’s beautiful Garden of Flowing Fragrance. Explorers will gain inspiration from the art and symbols that are found in the architecture, rocks, poetry, and art of the Chinese Garden for their own artistic creations.
Ages 7 & 8 - Morning Session: Instructor, Tim Lewis
Nature’s Imprints
Follow in the footsteps of great artists with unique opportunities to capture art directly from nature. No experience needed as young artists explore The Huntington’s gardens and learn new printing and photo techniques using only the sun to soak up the perfect light for their artistic interpretations.
Ages 7 & 8 - Afternoon Session: Instructor, Rachel Farfsing
I Spy!
What can you spy with your two eyes! Maybe a painting of a volcano or a bird in a book! As we tiptoe through the galleries and journey through the gardens, young sleuths will solve the riddles that unfold each day. Using our investigating skills, we will make it our mission to uncover hidden objects at The Huntington!
Ages 9 & 10 - Morning Session: Instructor, Melissa Manfull
20th Century Masters
Robert Rauschenberg’s path to fame as an artist started in his youth with an inspiring visit to The Huntington. Today his work hangs in the gallery alongside the work of Andy Warhol and other 20th-century masters. Art explorers will have fun with all of the blobs, spills, and brush strokes to unleash their inner artist through paint and printmaking.
Ages 9 & 10 - Afternoon Session: Instructor, Punam Bhakta
Mini Chefs at Art
Sometimes we can play with our food! Using our plates as a canvas, we will explore basic culinary arts to create delicious and eye-appealing dishes. Through visits to the gardens, galleries, and the Huntington Ranch, we’ll see our masterpieces go from garden to table!.
Ages 11 & 12 - Morning session: Instructor, Punam Bhakta
Cooking up Roses
Roses are colorful and enjoyable to smell, but very few know that we can use them for sweets, treats, and other things to eat! Explorers will discover blooms in the art galleries and gardens and the many uses for rose petals while creating some delicious art in the kitchen.
Ages 11 & 12 - Afternoon Session: Instructor, Tim Lewis
Focus on Photography
All you need is the sun and light sensitive material to create beautiful artwork. We’ll use some simple techniques such as pinhole cameras and sun prints to learn about photography and composition and use The Huntington’s collections as our inspiration.
WEEK 3: July 29-August 2
Ages 5 & 6 - Morning Session: Instructor, Pam LewisSecrets of the Library
Shhh…! Tiptoe with us through The Huntington’s Library collection - From Beautiful Science to Illuminated Palaces, we’ll find delightful drawings, astounding astronomy, and terrific tales. With new stories every day we’ll create our own arts and crafts inspired by our investigations.
Ages 5 & 6 - Afternoon Session: Instructor, Rachel Farfsing
Cooks with Books Discover how books can help us learn about the many cultures in our world. Each day we will hear a new story that inspires us to explore even further as young ones become chefs in the kitchen. We will travel to a new country each day to learn about their stories and foods for an extraordinary trip around the world!
Ages 7 & 8 - Morning Session: Instructor, Nikki Shifter
The Sky’s the LimitScientists today can see farther into space than ever before. But how did early astronomers explore the universe? Travel with us back through the centuries for a closer look at how early scientists like Galileo and Copernicus explored the sun, moon, and stars, and beyond!
Ages 7 & 8 - Afternoon Session: Instructor, Jinsoo Choi
Tales to Tell
What types of stories does The Huntington hold in its collection? From Mark Twain to Lewis Carroll, even Aesop and his fables, we will hear tales from the bookshelves before creating our very own adventures to bring to life!
Ages 9 & 10 - Morning Session: Instructor, Marion Eisenmann
Exploring Mythical Creatures
Have you ever seen a unicorn, or maybe a giant squid? Using the Dibner Hall of the History of Science, young artists will discover what is lurking in the Library. We will learn to artistically express our ideas on paper as we dive into the world of our imaginations. Are these creatures real? We’ll let you decide!
Ages 9 & 10 - Afternoon Session: Instructor, Tim Lewis
Illuminated Art
WWhat hidden objects and messages are within The Huntington’s Library? Explorers will examine illuminated manuscripts and decorative texts to get a closer look. Using art and art history and some unique printing techniques we’ll turn our discoveries into our own illuminated prints.
Ages 11 & 12 - Morning Session: Instructor, Melissa Manfull
The Printer’s Apprentice
Long ago, before modern technology, books were handmade and handwritten. We’ll experiment with early printing techniques and explore the world of gold leaf, calligraphy, and miniature illustrations along with artistic elements such as lines, textures and perspective for a peek into the past.
Ages 11 & 12 - Afternoon Session: Instructor, Marion Eisenmann
Drawing From Nature
Young artists will “draw” inspiration from The Huntington’s gardens and illustrations from Audubon and Darwin. Visits to the art galleries and the Dibner Hall of the History of Science will offer new ideas as we draw and paint en plein air.