By: Guadalupe Monarrez
With the school year ending and summer quickly approaching, the Boca Raton Children’s Museum is offering a six week “Adventure in the Arts Summer Camp” for children in the months of July and August. Campers, ages 6 to 10, will engage in interactive adventures in the visual and performing arts.
Each week campers will learn how to work with clay and paint, create multicultural crafts, and construct 3-dimensional art. Campers will enjoy performances by special entertainers and participate in dance and theater workshops. Parents are encouraged to attend the camp on Fridays, where campers will participate in a small performance for them. The Children’s Museum will also incorporate a culinary program, where campers will learn different recipes and create snacks every Friday.
Parents have the option of enrolling their students in the camp for only a certain amount of weeks or for the whole 6 week camp.
Week 1 and 5 will consist of creating a miniature construction with artist Katie Hahner, clay sculpting, cooking with Chef Christopher Fread, and drumming with Buckley Griffis.
Weeks 2 and 4 will feature Italy’s Adriani Teatro to demonstrate their acclaimed mask-making and drama workshops, camper’s performances, and dancing with DJ Big Smile.
Weeks 3 and 6 will include a festival of dance and music, performance by violinst Amber Leigh, and Bob the Balloon Guy will join the festival.
“We try to embrace every culture, including all the cultures that make up the city of Boca Raton,” said Debbi Lahr Lawlor, Operations Director of the Children’s Museum.
The camp will be held in Jason’s Music Hall inside a newly built replica of the 1897 Rickards House, which was the first home built in Boca Raton for Captain T.M Rickards.
“Our space is very functional and we try to make use of all the space we have,” said Lawlor.
Children will also have the opportunity to play in Singing Pines, opening in 1976 as a historical museum.
“This museum is very hands on, interactive, it is operated very differently in comparison to other museums,” acknowledged Lawlor.
The museum features several activity centers for campers and visitors, including Ricketts Corner Store, KidCents Bank, FACES Multicultural Room, Dr. Big’s Back Porch, and a Children of the Wilderness exhibit.
“Each of the activity centers located within the museum also embrace the history of Boca Raton,” added Lawlor.
The museum is also open throughout the year for visitors. Currently, there are other programs that children and parents can enjoy. Those programs include Art Infusion and Baby Steps classes. Parents can also celebrate their child’s birthday in Rickards House, where children will enjoy games, activities, and the opportunity to play in the museum and outdoors.
Boca Raton Children’s Museum is located at 498 Crawford Boulevard. For more information on the Adventure in the Arts Summer Camp, please contact Jayne Morrison at (561)368-6875. Volunteers for the Children’s Museum are greatly needed, includes volunteering for 4 hour shifts. If interested, contact Debbi L. Lawlor at Debbi@cmboca.org or (561)368-6875.