Imagination Station Spring Camp

Imagination Station Summer Camp 2024

Our 50th Year of Excellence in Summer Programming!

June 3-July 19
For children rising into grades K-5

9 am-noon & 1-4 pm

An exciting learning experience awaits your child or grandchild at CMOR’s Summer Camp. Full-day campers must bring lunch and a drink. A snack break is provided at approximately 10 am and 3 pm every day. Your child will need to bring their own snacks and drink. Water will be provided.

For questions please call (865) 482-1074 and leave a message or email jordonez@childrensmuseumofoakridge.org.

Weekly Rates:

Half Day
Members – $125
Non-Members – $145

Full Day*
Members – $210
Non-Members – $240

*Save money when you register your child for two half-day camps in the same week. Discount rate applies to a single child registered for morning and afternoon camp, or 2 siblings registered for camp during the same week.

**Because of the holiday, a four-day camp will be offered the week of July 4. Camp will be July 1-3 and 5. Camp fees that week will be discounted by 20%.

Our scholarship application can be found here.

Rising into Grades K-2

Junior Detective June 3-7, 9 am-noon
Become a crime scene detective! Learn how to collect and analyze fingerprints, extract DNA from strawberries, study footprints, read a DNA fingerprint, and try other crime scene tools. Enter the clues into your detective’s notebook and solve the crime!

Garden Sprouts June 3-7, 1-4 pm
Have fun learning about the parts of a plant, what they need to grow, and how to take care of them. We will spend time exploring and looking for plants such as wildflowers, trees, and even vegetable plants in the Kids Go Green! Environmental Center and Gardens. You will get your very own plant to take home and care for, too!

Messy Science June 10-14, 9 am-noon
Explore the messy side of science. Each day campers will use everyday objects to make sticky, fluffy, slimy, and fizzy creations like elephant toothpaste, color changing slime, and Oobleck. Come get messy with us! 

Rainforest Explorers June 10-14, 1-4 pm
Campers will explore the Museum’s Rainforest exhibit and learn about the plants, animals, and people of the South American rainforest. We will go on an animal trek, create rainforest-inspired art, examine rainforest artifacts, and listen to stories under our giant Kapok tree.   

May the Force Be with You June 17-21, 9 am-noon
Do you feel the Force calling you? Let it in while you bake up some Star Wars-themed food, use the Force to perform science experiments, create art, and go on a bounty hunt with Mando. To this camp, invited, you are.

Cardboard Constructors June 17-21, 1-4 pm
Using child safe Makedo tools, campers will create a different object each day using cardboard and other recyclable materials. Working together, the campers will plan and create their original cardboard creations which will be displayed at the Museum.

Color Splash June 24-28, 9 am-noon
Do you love mixing and blending paint to create new colors? Each day you will experiment with different painting methods and create unique art as you splatter, spray, daub, and drip the colors of the rainbow.  

Kids Can Cook June 24-28, 1 pm-4 pm
Create delicious versions of kid-favorite foods using fresh garden produce. Campers will visit the Kids Go Green! Environmental Center and Gardens each day to pick seasonal vegetables and then go to the Museum’s teaching kitchen to make a healthy dish.

Catch ‘Em All July 1-3 and 5**, 9 am-noon
Find out if you have what it takes to be a Pokémon Master as we catch our starter Pokémon, make our own trading cards, mix up some Jigglypuff punch, whip up Pikachu pancakes, launch Pokéballs with catapults, hatch icy eggs, and create Pokémon-themed works of art.

All Aboard! July 1-3 and 5**, 1-4 pm
Train travel comes to life as you become a conductor calling out “All Aboard!” Construct a train track, build your own train from found objects, paint with trains, and experience life on the rails. All aboard for some railroad fun!

Fairy Tale STEAM July 8-12, 9 am-noon
Go on an exciting adventure through the world of fairy tales. Engineer a better bed for the princess, help Robin Hood and his Merry Men protect the forest, create a castle for Aladdin, design better boots for Puss, and help Thumbelina fly away. Along the way, we will create fairy tale inspired art and tell stories of our own.

Science Studio July 8-12, 1-4 pm
Spend the week using science to create art! We will make refraction drawings, explore gravity pouring paint, make art with our fingerprints, discover tessellations, use the power of the sun to make evaporation art, and create art using electricity and magnetism as we explore the science behind art.  

Go for the Gold! July 15-19, 9 am-noon
Are you ready to go for the gold? Athletes from around the world will compete this summer in Paris. Explore French culture, try French food, create sports-themed art, and compete in some special CMOR sporting events.

Art Explorers July 15-19, 1-4 pm
Discover new artists and art techniques while putting the fun back into art. Collage with Klimt, create a self-portrait with Kahlo, explore shapes with Delaunay, get your paint flowing with Frankenthaler, and daydream with Chagall as you explore the lives and works of great artists.

Rising into Grades 3-5

Ink It! June 3-7, 9 am-noon
Explore a variety of mixed media art methods and printmaking tools to create monotypes, block prints, and multiple editions of your artwork. We will use paints, inks, stamps, carvings, found objects, and items from nature to create colorful prints.

Crime Scene Investigators: Museum Edition June 3-7, 1-4 pm
In this forensics camp, you will learn how to analyze fingerprints, blood splatter data, DNA evidence, hair, fiber, and other pieces of crime scene evidence to create a composite sketch of the criminal. You will be the investigator and collect the evidence, record the data, conduct the tests, and solve the case!

Kids in Action Garden Club June 10-14, 9 am-noon
Get your hands dirty! Prepare and plant a garden bed while learning about the wonders of nature. This camp will be full of exploratory ecology activities and gardening experiences in the Kids Go Green! Environmental Center and Gardens.

I Dream of Dalí June 10-14, 1-4 pm
Unlock the power of your imagination as we explore the works of artist Salvador Dalí. Campers will learn about the Surrealism movement and create drawings, collages, paintings, and sculptures inspired by Dalí’s works.

Amusement Park STEAM June 17-21, 9 am-noon
Carnivals and amusement parks are summer favorites for many families. In this camp we will discover the physics behind favorite rides and midway attractions while performing experiments, building our own mini rides, and creating carnival themed art.

This is the Way June 17-21, 1-4 pm
Join Mando on a quest to safely deliver Grogu. Along the way you will train with Lightsabers, create your own Mandalorian armor, learn about Rebel planets, cook up BB-8 quesadillas, create out of this world art, and master the Way of the Jedi.

Incredible Indonesia June 24-June 28, 9 am-noon
Explore Indonesia as you taste the food, listen to the music, and meet the people of this amazing country. Campers will take a journey across the Indonesian islands and learn about the animals, stories, art, music, clothing, and customs of this diverse country. 

Recycle Your World June 24-June 28, 1-4 pm
Using cardboard and found objects campers will construct a model city using child safe Makedo tools. Along the way, campers will make smaller projects including games, toys, and artwork. What can you upcycle? 

Pokémon Masters July 1-3 and 5**, 9 am-noonWant to be the very best, that no one ever was? Become the ultimate Pokémon Trainer! Draw, paint, and sculpt your favorites with origami, clay, and more. Invent new Pokémon, hatch Poke eggs, bring your cards to play and trade, and enjoy Pokémon inspired snacks each day.

Destination: Mars July 1-3 and 5**, 9 am-noon
Join our flight crew as we blast off to Mars. Explore the surface of Mars, use the design process to construct a Mars rover, build and launch a rocket, and learn what is needed to establish a colony on the Red Planet.  Do you have the right stuff?

Wetlands Around the World July 8-12, 9 am-noon
Go on an adventure around the world and explore different wetlands as we discover how plants and animals have adapted to this unique ecosystem. Create wetlands themed art, take and analyze water samples in the Kids Go Green! Environmental Center and Gardens, and learn how to become a citizen-scientist that protects wetlands.

All About Birds July 8-12, 1-4 pm
What makes birds so special?  Find out while you construct a bird nest, explore bird adaptations, build a bird feeder to take home, observe birds in the Kids Go Green! Environmental Center and Gardens, and create bird art. Spread your wings as we explore our feathered friends.

Mythical Creatures July 15-19, 9 am-noon
Every culture around the world has mythical creatures. Examine these creatures in songs, stories, poems, and works of art then use your new knowledge to make your own mythical creature. Along the way we will sculpt a Moth Man, make plaster casts of Bigfoot prints, create our own Loch creature, and paint unicorns.

Wild & Wacky Games July 15-19, 1-4 pm
Summer camp is ending, but the fun is not over! Enjoy the last week of camp with wild and wacky games.  Campers will enjoy water balloons, Nerf games, foot-pool, and giant versions of popular board games.

Guidelines For a Great Camp Experience

Camp drop-off and pick-up are at the Museum’s Gym Door entrance (on the opposite end of the building from the main entrance). A photo ID is required to sign out your camper.

If your child is attending all day (morning and afternoon camps), they will need to bring lunch. There is a refrigerator and microwave available for camper use. After lunch, we have supervised playtime in the gym, so there is no need to pick up your camper until the end of the afternoon session.

A snack break is provided at approximately 10 am and 3 pm every day.  Your child will need to bring their own snacks and drink. Water will be provided.

VERY IMPORTANT:
Please notify the Education Director of any food allergies, food sensitivities, or health issues so we can properly care for your child.

If your child has any special learning or behavioral needs, please contact us BEFORE registering so the Education Director can determine if the camp staff can meet your child’s needs.

Please let us know if your child uses an epi-pen or inhaler.

At CMOR, bullying is inexcusable, and we have a zero-tolerance policy against all types of bullying. Each camper is expected to treat all other campers with respect, and to help each other achieve the best possible experience. If a camper has difficulty meeting this expectation, parents will be called.

To keep campers safe, we require they wear closed-toed shoes: no flip-flops, sandals, crocs, or other shoes that do not stay on.

Campers should wear comfortable clothing and dress for the mess! Wear clothing that is appropriate for painting, dirt, clay, and other messy fun.

Apply sunscreen and bug spray before your camper arrives; they will be outside, weather permitting.

If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions, please email Education Director Jessica Ordóñez at jordonez@childrensmuseumofoakridge.org, or call the Museum at (865) 482-1074.