Children's Museum of the Highlands

Programs and Special Events

• Discovery Camp 2010
• Amazing Race
• Additional Events

The Children’s Museum offers a wonderful way to fight summer boredom, have hands on fun and maybe even … learn! For 12 years, Discovery Camp has provided a fantastic way to pass the summer days with a variety of arts and crafts, and games, all centered around one weekly theme. The daily visit to the Children’s Museum to play with all of the wonderful exhibits is just an added bonus! Each camp is taught by a Highlands County teacher and is open to children that have finished kindergarten up through children that have finished fifth grade. The camp runs from 9 am to 5 pm each day for a full week. Early drop off and late pick up is available for an extra fee. As a reminder, access to the camp classroom will be from the alley behind the museum. Please understand – because of the large response, no phone reservations will be allowed.

NEW THIS YEAR - To help with your budget, the museum is changing the structure of payment for camp. If you want to sign up for multiple weeks, you can pay a $20 deposit per week to put your child’s name on the class list. Then when that week comes you only owe $55 due on the first day of class.

“Head, shoulders, knees and toes.” Discover the different parts of the human body. Using games, crafts and songs we will find out how these different parts come together to help us function every day.

Investigate inventions that make our lives easier. We will see how things are made, learn about inventors from Da Vinci to Steve Jobs, and even try our hand at designing a brand new invention.

Ever wonder what else is out there besides Earth?  If your scientific instincts are "itching" then join us this week as we travel out of Mother Earth and investigate what other planets are there...get ready to board and soar into space as we find out more about our universe!

Let's celebrate Mardi Gras in the Highlands...come and get ready to recreate Mardi Gras with us as we learn about how it began and why it's celebrated...get your masks and beads ready as we travel to New Orleans and have a party!

Uncover clues and solve mysteries using science. Read letters written with invisible ink, guess what’s in a box without opening it and piece together puzzles.

Horton Hears a What? Roast marshmallow with the Sneetches. Plant a Truffula tree. Cook up some green eggs and ham. Experiment with Dr. Seuss and become your own writer of rhyming adventures.

Discover how musical instruments are played and where they come from. You’ll have the chance to make instruments like a pan flute and lap harp and learn the basics of guitar, recorder and nose flute. Guest musicians will make you want to dance all week long!

Explore the rain forest ecosystem. The creepiest crawlies and the wildest beasts live under the canopy of jungle. We’ll take a look at the plants and animals of the rain forest, including monkeys, chimps and gorillas.

Return to a time when princesses danced and princes were frogs. Build castles, discover the myth of dragons and have heroic adventures while creating your own fairytales.

Have you ever heard of Georges Seurat, Vincent Van Gogh or Leonardo Da Vinci? This week we will have learn about different famous artists and find out fun facts about them. We will create our own masterpieces and display them in our own camp art show.

Let the games begin! Play different games from around the world like the German game, Topfschlagen (Hit The Pot). Explore how kids around the world play different games that seem just like ours.

Please note!

• Camp is from 9 am to 5 pm daily
• Campers should bring a bag lunch that does not need refrigeration or heating
• Campers may not be left off more than 15 minutes before the start of camp or picked up later than 15 minutes after the end of camp unless registered for camp care.
• Cost for each week is $75 per child, cash or local check, no credit cards.
• Non members of the museum pay a $10 registration fee
• Camp care is an extra $20 per week per family, arranged ahead of time.
• Payment must accompany registration to hold spot in class.
• A 50% refund will be given if requested more than one week prior to camp.
• No refunds will be given if requested less than a week before camp begins
• No registrations will be taken over the phone.

To pay by credit card - Download the registration form above, fill out both pages and return them through the mail or in person at the museum.  Once your spot in camp is confirmed by museum staff, you will have 24 hours to use the "Pay Now" button below to pay the camp fee online via PayPal.  Please be aware that the system will accept payments even if your camp choice is full, so you need to wait for confirmation before paying.  If you pay online before turning in the camp forms, you may not be able to be placed in the camp of your choice.  Please note that the Museum accepts credit cards online only. Camp payments made at the Museum must be either cash or check.

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Discovery Camp 2010 Payments

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This program is funded in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and The Florida Arts Council.

Additional Events

ToT TIME

The Children's Museum has a wonderful weekly program for preschool age children and their caregivers!

ToT Time begins at10:30 each Tuesday morning and is free with the price of admission to the museum. If you have a membership, this is a totally free program for you and your child.

The class is held in our camp classroom and we ask parents to stay with their children to help us as we provide a wonderful learning experience for the preschoolers.

Please note: This program will only run while school is in session. When the schools are on break, ToT Time will take a break.

For more information - call the museum at 385-5437 and ask for Donika.

WACHOVIA FAMILY FRIDAYS

The second Friday evening of each month is Wachovia Family Friday. From 6 to 9 pm the museum is open free to families wishing to play and learn in the museum exhibits. Through a grant from Wachovia Foundation, the museum is able to offer free, fun play once a month. Parents must accompany their children; this is not a drop off program.

KIDS NIGHT OUT

Kids Night Out is a members only event open to children ages 3 - 11.  It is a program designed to let kids have a special time in the museum without their parents. They have the opportunity to play as much as they want with the different exhibits, interact with other children in the various areas and learn as they play. We also try to provide one "extra" activity each month such as crafts, games, or new types of exhibits. The children that participate must be potty trained.

The program runs ONE Friday night per month from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm. Reservations are required, the cost is $15 per child, siblings are $10 per child. During the evening of play, we do serve a late snack, but not a full meal. Children should have dinner before they come. All children are expected to use party manners and obey the museum staff. When dropping off your child, you will be asked to fill out a form acknowledging the rules and filling in a number where you or a designated adult can be reached in case of emergency.

We ask that you not come back to pick up the children before 9:15. Arriving early causes other children to wonder where their parents are and they sometimes become anxious about being picked up.

Children's Museum Fund Raising Events

Museum Mystery Dinner - Each February, the museum hosts an unforgettable fundraising event. The evening includes a fantastic dinner with a hilarious show from Sleuths Mystery Troupe from Orlando. Capped off with a silent auction, this evening is the main fundraiser of the year. Call the museum to find out the next scheduled date for this exciting event.

Walkabout Golf Tournament - The museum hosts a golf tournament in October of each year, sponsored by Outback Steakhouse. As you drive around the course in your golf cart you can take a minute to hop out at different holes to play in a two-man scramble. While you are out of your cart, you can snack on delicious food like steak bites, wings and chicken bites. If you miss your shot, no worries, mate, use a boomerang to try again.

The fun, food and golf provide a wonderful way to raise funds for the Children's Museum of the Highlands.

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