By Ann C.
I’m a mom who has spent many years signing my child up for summer day camps in the Triad. Among the many camp offerings, Old Salem Museums & Gardens’ are unique and are a great alternative to sports and Lego camps.
Believe it or not, Old Salem has been offering summer camp programs for more than 30 years! I was amazed to learn that some families have been taking part for generations. These unique and interactive camps are one-of-a-kind learning experiences that tickle young minds and chase away boredom.
As one grandmother of Old Salem camp goers said to me, “My children loved summer camps at Old Salem, and they are thrilled that now their own children can attend. They love learning what life was like for children back in the late 1700s and early 1800s. We live in a world of high technology, and it has been so wonderful for my grandchildren to spend some time experiencing a lifestyle without all that. They learn so much about history all while having fun. I can’t tell you how excited they are each day after camp to tell me all that they experienced.”
So, if you’re looking for a unique and fun summer day camp for your kids, Old Salem Museums & Gardens has camps for kids from rising 1st graders through rising 8th graders.
Yes, they’ll learn, but they’ll have tons of fun in the process!
For younger kids (rising first and second graders) The “3 Yesterdays Camp” runs for three days (June 24, 25, 26) from 9 a.m. until noon. Young campers join Sister Maus and discover what it was like to be a kid who lived in Salem long ago, including how the children worked, learned, and played. Activities include making and
playing with 18th century toys, hearth cooking, gardening, and learning what school was like. They’ll also get to enjoy a puppet show.
Older kids can attend “5 Yesterdays Camp,” which is a week long, hands-on camp that focuses on crafts, trades and the lifestyles of the Moravians who lived in Salem in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Activities include working with textiles, pottery, hearth cooking, and other early American skills and trades. It meets from 9 a.m. until noon Monday through Friday. On the last day of each camp week, campers attend a traditional Moravian Love Feast dressed in Moravian costumes. Grades 6-8: July 7-11. Grades 3-5: July 14-18 or July 21-25.
In addition, Old Salem offers a special summer tour for group outings for elementary and middle schoolers called Salem Sleuth. This program is designed for groups such as day camps, day cares, youth groups, scouting groups, homeschool groups, etc. Children will receive a sleuth mission to complete while touring the historic town of Salem. Once the mysteries are solved they can collect a prize at our Visitor Center. Tours are approximately three hours in length. The minimum size for the group is 7 children with 1 complimentary adult. The program is offered Tuesday through Friday from June 17 – August 1.
For more info visit www.oldsalem.org/summer-camps.
Sponsored by Old Salem Museums & Gardens
