9-11

Established as a Colony in 1638, New Haven is older than the United States by 138 years. From nine squares that were planned and laid out as the initial plan of the community, New Haven and its surrounding communities have grown and changed along with the United States. In this camp we will look at the growth and development of New Haven over the 250 years since the founding of the United States. From dirt roads to paved streets. Trolley lines to buses. Small buildings to skyscrapers. Lets celebrate this momentous year by looking at how our community has changed over the span of 250 years. 

Marbles have been tools for learning, experimentation, and fun for centuries. From humble beginnings as polished pebbles, nuts, and clay in Ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, they are even mentioned in Shakespeare's “Twelfth Night.” Mass production in the 1890s made marbles truly global toys that are collected and played with to this day. Join us as we play, experiment, and build fun mechanisms to help launch, climb, and roll our marbles through the week.

A summer favorite returns with new projects and a return to some of our favorites. This week we are building a Design Engineer’s toolbox. How do you know which material to use? Delve into the intricacies of 5 types of materials: 

• Metal
• Wood
• Glass
• Fiber
• Ceramic

In this week-long workshop, campers will learn about material properties and apply them in constructive ways.

Heat metal to its melting point and exciting things happen. Join us in the metal shop to cast a unique pendant. 

Wood is a material that presents many challenges and opportunities. Learn to use a wood-turning lathe. Can you make durable bent-wood structures? Laminate thin sheets of wood to make intricate, complex bent-wood structures.

Glass is a hard and often sharp material. Heat it to the right temperature, and it becomes soft, pliable, or even fluid. Use glass shards to make fused glass panels. The glass shop requires a steady hand and a designer's eye. Create glass beads and fused glass tiles. We will have fun experimenting, too. 

One thread helps us mend, join, or embroider. Bring many fibers together and create uniquely designed woven networks.

Enter the ceramics studio and create a cup for use at your dinner table. Campers will utilize our recently expanded ceramics studio to make high-fire stoneware dishes.
 

Explore fire in its many forms and its many uses throughout history. From its creative uses in glasswork and ceramics to its more practical uses as a source of heat and food (marshmallows hunted from the wilds of the grocery store aisles). This week offers glimpses into disciplines all joined by their universal use of this earliest of human inventions. These disciplines will be taught by apprentices and staff members, many of whom practice these forms independently and have jumped at the chance to share them with the campers.
 

Welcome to summer camp 2026! Delve into invention, creation, experimentation, and design through the lens of Leonardo Da Vinci. So much of what we do is inspired by Da Vinci, so paying close attention to our world and the works of da Vinci will be an exciting way to kick off the summer! Join us on a journey across land, sea, and sky, and peer into the cosmos for an opportunity to ask questions and seek answers.

Fantasy Game Night

This is a vacation program for children ages 9-11.

This is a vacation program for children ages 6-11.

Circuit. The word has multiple meanings. For starters, the base definition of circuit is: “a roughly circular line, route, or movement that starts and finishes at the same place.” If you are referring to an electrical circuit, it is the same concept: “a complete and closed path around which a circulating electric current can flow.” In this project, we will create a circuit with multiple outcomes to solve a riddle: what connections need to be made to connect here and there? Join us as we build a fun circuit puzzle that will help strengthen our understanding of these complex pathways. 

For Engineers Week 2026, we are taking a closer look at the movements of the face! We take these movements and muscle memory for granted. Let’s pause, reflect, and discover just how intricate and involved our naturally adaptive faces are. Just like everything is connected in the human body, so are the mechanics of movement in manmade inventions. Create a mechanical face with impressive automation that will raise an eyebrow.