Fairfield Museum and History Center Offers Summer Camps

Editor's note: The following news release about summer camps at the Fairfield Museum and History Center, 370 Beach Road in Fairfield, was received from the museum.

There are a few spaces available for Fairfield Museum and History Center’s (www.fairfieldhs.org) first summer camp from June 27 through July 1 for students in grades 3-5 at the historic Ogden House in Fairfield.

Campers will learn about the early settlers and how children lived in the past as they experience historic house tours, the garden, cooking, games, arts and crafts and a wealth of other historical activities. They’ll  explore the secret nooks and crannies of the Ogden House and learn its mysteries.

Students will spend their final day of camp at the Fairfield Museum and History Center where they will experience a day in the life of a student in the 1804 Academy School House, learn to use antique tools in the Victorian Barn and make a surprise, historic treat.

Please contact the Museum’s Visitor’s Service Department at 203-259-1598 or check the web site www.fairfieldhs.org for details.

Other summer camp adventures in July and August will include:

Folktale Fun

July 5 to 8 (4 days); 9 a.m. to noon

Grades 1 – 3

$140 Members /$190 with a Family Membership

Let the beat of a drum and words of a tale whisk you away on a literary journey around the world. Listen to music and read folktales from Native American stories to the myth of John Henry. Campers will create art, masks and costumes to assist them in retelling many classic folk stories inspired by the diversity of the American experience.

Photography

July 11 to 15 (5 days); 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Grades 5 – 7

$270 Members /$320 with a Family Membership

View the exceptional works in the IMAGES 2011 photography exhibit and learn about the history and techniques to create your own photographs. Construct your own pinhole camera with a box and discover how cameras manipulate light to create an image. Bring your digital camera and learn some fun digital imaging techniques on the computer. At the end of the week we’ll have an art show and your parents will be invited to see your work on display at the Fairfield Museum!

History Myths

July 18 – 22 (5 days); 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Grades 4 - 6

$240 Members/$290 with a Family Membership

Can you separate fact from fiction? Uncover myths in folklore and history through class explorations, discussions and games. Use these discoveries as inspiration to create skits and art projects. Family and friends will be invited to a revealing showcase on July 22 as campers bring historical mysteries to life and introduce their own theories.

American Girls

July 25 – 29 (5 days); 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Grades 3 – 5

$240 Members/$290 with a Family Membership

Explore different cultures and traditions from early Native Americans through the 1970s in San Francisco with the American Girl historical dolls. Each day will bring new adventures with readings, cooking, art projects and role playing using each doll’s story. We’ll travel right through the present with fun activities that celebrate the 2011 Girl of the Year, Kanani.

The World Around Me

Aug. 29 (1 day workshop); 9 a.m. to noon

Grades 2–5

$35

Document the sights, sounds and colors of the Burr Mansion gardens by creating mixed media paintings and collages with objects found in the natural environment.

A Portrait of Me

Aug. 30 (1 day workshop); 9 a.m. to noon

Grades 2–5

$35

Throughout history, portrait painting has played an important part in documenting the past. Explore the art of portraits and create your own paintings to best express “the real me.” Different materials, backgrounds, colors and textures tell the story about who you are!

Other History Camps at the Ogden House

Aug. 15 to 19 (5 days) for Grades 1-2; and Aug. 22 to 26 (5 days) for Grades 3-5

9 a.m. to noon for each session

$175 for each session

Students will learn about the early settlers and how children lived in the past as they experience historic house tours, the garden, cooking, games, arts and crafts and a wealth of other historical activities.

Campers will explore secret nooks and crannies of Ogden House and learn its mysteries.

Campers will spend the final day of camp at the Fairfield Museum and History Center where they will experience a day in the life of a student in the 1804 Academy School House and learn to use antique tools in the Victorian Barn and make a surprise, historic treat.

Submitted by the Fairfield Museum and History Center