Roll up your sleeves and prepare to get messy! Make mystery solutions that fizz, pop, and explode. Discover why objects glow in the dark and make fluorescent crystals. Explore the science behind the perfect chocolate chip cookie. Dive into mysteries of the mind and dissect a sheep’s brain. Learn forensic science techniques and use them to solve a museum mystery.
Learn more about Super Scientist.
Become curator, artist, and exhibition designer of your own museum experience. Explore the diverse displays and subjects on view at Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History for inspiration and use artistry, engineering, and your unique interests to create small scale maquettes, installations, and architectural plans of a gallery concept all your own. Follow in the footsteps of the Carnegie International curatorial team and collaborate with classmates to combine your efforts into one new neighborhood museum.
Learn more about My Museum.
Discover the weird world of scientific phenomena that boggles the mind! Delve into the strange science of slithery snakes and oozy snail trails. Observe different ways scientists preserve insects from tiny fleas to giant beetles, and pick apart an owl pellet to uncover what’s inside. Search the museum for extreme objects of all shapes and sizes, from gigantic to microscopic. Investigate features that make the most bizarre creatures unique.
Learn more about Outrageous Oddities.
Push, pull, squish, and turn clay into anything you can imagine—from a bowl you can use to three dimensional sculpted figures of your of your own design. Learn to use the potter’s wheel to shape vessels and hand-building techniques to construct figurative sculptures that stand, sit, or dance suspended in motion. Add texture and design to the surface of your clay works and investigate glazing techniques to include color and luster. Kiln-fired projects will be fired and available for pick-up at the museum 3 to 4 weeks after camp.
Learn more about Ceramics Studio.
A summer camp adventure 66 million years in the making! Piece together prehistoric evidence as you investigate how dinosaurs lived and why they died. Extract DNA from modern-day relatives of dinosaurs. Trek through the Kamin Hall of Dinosaurs and nearby Schenley Park to compare today’s world to that of the dinosaurs. Build a habitat, complete with life-size dinosaur murals, to transform your classroom into Jurassic Planet.
Learn more about Jurassic Planet.
Get ready for a wickedly fun week exploring all things Oz! Try your hand at “magic” as you mix potions, make bubble art, and investigate dry ice. Journey through the museum in search of emeralds, rubies, and other colorful jewels. Uncover the science behind melting and defy gravity by designing a flying broomstick. Learn about lions, tigers, bears, and other animals of Oz, plus craft a wand for a good witch or a bad witch.
Learn more about Bubbles and Broomsticks.
Apply left-brained thinking to a right-brained activity for unexpected results. Observe works of art in the galleries for ideas, hypothesize some "what-ifs,” then head to the lab for experimentation. Ink, graphite, rubber bands, straws, paint brushes, paper, wood, plastic—let materials take you on a scientific drawing journey. Record your process and results in your sketchbook and make a series of works based on your findings.
Learn more about Drawing Laboratory.
Explore the world of Super Mario and find out how it compares to our natural world. Adventure into the museum and meet the inspirations for your favorite turtle and dinosaur characters. Create STEM-based “power-up” projects, and dive into the natural biomes that match up to favorite game worlds. Design and race your own model go-kart and complete a Mario-inspired obstacle course in this week of next-level fun!
Learn more about Mario's Natural World.
Level up your knowledge of rocks as you examine gems, minerals, rocks, and fossils in the lab and throughout the museum. Learn the tools of the geologists’ trade on a rock walk in Schenley Park. Discover surprising ways we use rocks and minerals in everyday life. Experiment with the rock cycle and observe everyday items made from rocks and minerals, plus start your own collection to take home.
Learn more about Geology Rocks.
Develop your own modular worlds inspired by popular toys and games like Legos and Minecraft. Bring digital creations to life by constructing pixelated structures in three dimensions. Use Lego figures to create stop-motion animation and pull distinctive prints from the surface of each brick. Explore spaces around Oakland and work with your team to recreate their materials and silhouettes in Minecraft.
Learn more about Building with Blocks.
Calling all druids, wizards, and rogues! Immerse yourself in this game-based camp full of quests and unforgettable challenges. Create unique characters and go on adventures in a prehistoric world of giant dragonflies and the real-life “dragons” we know as dinosaurs. Explore hidden spaces in the museum and learn how caves form. Uncover the science of biomimicry, plus investigate interesting insects and nocturnal creatures. Roll the dice and see what missions lie ahead!
Learn more about Dungeons and Dragonflies.
Explore the world of massive plant eaters, vicious carnivores, ancient insects, and prehistoric plants! Discover dinosaurs and the world they lived in with hands-on activities including digging for fossils and making a fossil cast. Work in teams to piece together evidence from the past to identify fossils of plants, animals, and more. Use real tools like a paleontologist to mold mystery fossil pieces together. Investigate how modern animals compare to dinosaurs and other animals from millions of years ago.
Learn more about Fossil Investigators.
Plunge into experiments about the physics and chemistry of water as you develop your own mega-bubble solution. Test solutions for acids and bases, and compare ice crystals to minerals in the museum. Challenge yourself with boat building, buoyancy tests, and water balloon drops. Hike through Schenley Park to investigate aquatic habitats in the Panther Hollow Watershed and take a dip in nearby Schenley Swimming Pool.
Learn more about Aquatic Adventures.
Invent your very own creature and bring it to life through comics, paintings, and wearable sculptures of monster proportions. Insert kaiju into unexpected places, construct mixed-up beasts, and take inspiration from the creatures inhabiting the galleries at Carnegie Museum of Art and lurking in the dioramas and Hall of Dinosaurs at Carnegie Museum of Natural History.
Learn more about Cryptids and Other Made-up Things.
Search for salamanders, set up insect traps, and “fish” for microplankton on biology expeditions. Soar to new heights as you study seed dispersal, and find animals in different ecosystems on hikes through nearby Schenley Park. Learn how invasive plant species spread and make native plant kits for your garden. Discover the intricate art of making nests, plus build a nest and test its strength.
Learn more about Eco Adventures.