Summer Explorers
- For rising 5th and 6th graders
- Summer Explorers camp is held on the Guilford Campus at 1128 New Garden Road.
Summer Explorers is a level of summer camp that allows rising 5th and 6th graders to explore new activities and themes in an age-appropriate group. Themes for this program were created using a blend of ideas from both our Adventures and Middle School Electives’ sessions, giving the participants a bridge between the two camps. In addition to activities on campus, we offer several field trip opportunities. The smaller group size in this program provides the opportunity to do more in-depth and developmentally appropriate activities and projects.
2020 Summer Explorers Sessions
June 15-19 - Tabletop Games ($205)
Design, create, and make your own board game to take home, including dice, board pieces, and cards. There will be lots of board and card games around to play for inspiration. We will play classic European games like Settlers of Catan and Carcassonne; cooperative games like Codenames and Hanabi; dexterity games like TocToc Woodman and Jenga; bluffing and party games like A Fake Artist Goes to New York and Bring your Own Book; dice games; tile games; and word games. We will also head outside to run around playing Camouflage, Beckon, and lawn games.
June 22-26 - Duct Tape ($205)
What can’t you do with duct tape? Really?! Come find out as we explore the wondrous world of duct tape and other adhesive marvels. Participants will make duct tape wallets and other accessories and develop their construction skills, which will be used to complete daily challenges that will be judged by a panel of tape experts. Bags, hats, ties, flower pens, piggy banks, and world landmarks are just a few of the projects we will create. Participants showcase their creations on Friday for everyone to enjoy!
June 29-July 2* - CSI Detectives ($165)
Learn all about forensic sciences when we dust for fingerprints, create plaster casts of shoe prints, and try out a variety of ways to collect evidence and figure out “who done it?” We will decipher secret codes, make cipher wheels, and write in invisible ink. Solve “5-minute mysteries” and pay attention to detail as we play plenty of games that require keen observations and deduction! We will put our skills to the ultimate test in our escape room and track down the culprits who have committed "crimes" at camp this week!
*This is a 4-day week, as we are closed Friday for the 4th of July national holiday.
July 6-10 - Farm to Table Fun ($205)
Ever wonder where your food comes from? Or how all those items get to the aisles of the grocery store? This week we’ll go farm to table, literally! With visits to an orchard, a farm, a grocery store, and a restaurant, we will go behind the scenes to learn all about how our food is raised, grown, shipped, delivered, and prepared. And of course, we’ll don our chef hats for some kitchen creations of our own, including tasty appetizers and delicious desserts.
July 13-17 - Carpentry ($225)
Building on our Carpentry week from Summer Adventures, this session will give participants the opportunity to hone basic skills using hand tools and do more finish work on their wood creations, including sanding and staining with eco-friendly stains. Each builder will choose a project from many options and plans, including the classic treasure chest, bookshelves, toolboxes, and more. We will complete other wood craft projects and expand on the exploding Popsicle stick project!
July 20-24 - Outdoor Adventure ($205)
Strap on your hiking boots and backpack. Don’t forget your compass and paddle, and definitely bring a bathing suit! Learn all about “roughing it” as we learn how to pitch a tent, use a compass and GPS, and cook s’mores over an open fire. We will make sun prints and paracord and creations go geocaching at Hagan Stone Park. We will be visiting area parks, playgrounds, and lakes, including Hanging Rock State Park. We will hike, swim, and canoe our way through the week while we learn about the great outdoors!
July 27-31 - Marco Polo ($205)
Welcome brave travelers to a week of trade and exploration around the globe! Together we will follow Marco Polo and other traders from Venice to join the caravan along the silk road. We will make fine goods to trade along the way like soap carvings, tassels, and candles. We will make and learn to use an abacus, make and eat noodles, and drink our own spiced tea and harvest coconut milk. So that we don't get bored on our travels, we will learn to play Liar’s Dice and make and play Tafl board games. By the end of our adventures, all traders will be skilled in creating trade goods and navigating the high seas and have a healthy appetite for trying new and unknown things!
August 3-7 - Legends and Lore ($205)
This camp builds on our Summer Adventures’ "Strange Sightings" session to further expand our exploration of unexplained phenomena, such as Sasquatch, Chupacabra, the Bermuda Triangle, and UFOs. Campers will make monster spotter field kits and go in search of cryptids. We’ll watch creature footage to decide if it’s real or a hoax and create our own “sighting” footage as well as our own Strange Sightings comic book.
August 10-14 - Goofballs ($205)
This session gives participants the chance to have fun playing crazy, weird games and sports, and venturing out to discover fun around town. We will play games like secret documents, croquet, and lots of different tag, card, and minute-to-win-it games. We will go out to eat one day, go swimming, watch a movie, and make some tasty treats to enjoy. Come hang out and have a goofy, fun week!