Think like a scientist. Create like an artist. Play like a kid!
Summer day camps held on the 200-acre museum campus immerse children in the arts, sciences, cultures, and environment of the region. Taught by knowledgeable and enthusiastic educators, the inquiry-based camps appeal to varied learning styles and engage children with authentic experiences.
From their base in a cluster of historic buildings beside the Colton Community Garden, campers are led on explorations of museum exhibitions and collections, as well as forests, fields, rocky canyons, springs and ponds. Campers become at home within the museum, providing a basis for return visits as a family and a foundation for continued learning.
2023 Discovery Camps
The 2023 camps will be held for four weeks, July 10-14, July 17-21, July 24-28, and July 31-August 4. The camp topics will be announced in March and registration links will be sent first to museum members, before opening to the public.
This year we will require all campers show proof of Covid vaccination.
We limit the number of participants to assure a safe and quality learning environment. All registration is online and places are reserved on a first paid, first admitted policy. Send questions to discovery@musnaz.org. You can also call Education Manager Sacha Siskonen at 928-774-5211 x217.
2023 Camps
Age 4-6, July 10-14, Sensational Science,
Lights! Colors! Sound! Science begins with our observations of the world through our five senses. In this camp we discover how sound and light travel, the relativity of touch, the relationship between smell and taste, and how the brain brings all the information together to inform us about the world we live in. Through our experiments we’ll also discover why scientists often rely on tools, such as magnifying glasses and thermometers, to enhance their sensory perceptions and gather more precise data.
Educator: Mari Soliday
Camp hours: 9 am – 1 pm
Camp price: $180 for MNA members/$220 for non-members
This camp is full. Email discovery@musnaz.org to be added to the waitlist.
Age 7-8, July 10-14, Wonders of Water,
Explore surprising aspects of the most common, essential and extraordinary chemical in the world – water. Break water molecules apart with electricity and touch sand that can’t get wet. Discover why soap works and invent a better bubble recipe. This camp will wet an interest in science while presenting basic scientific concepts. Expect students to come home damp and delighted.
Educator: Sara Henderson
Camp hours: 9 am – 3:30 pm
Camp price: $315 for MNA members/$360 for non-members
Age 9-11, July 10-14, Perceptive Perceptions
Breakthroughs in science, art, and society often come from being able to see something differently. Changing how we look at a thing, changes how we understand it. In this camp, explore the world from many angles – from a distance and up close, through a microscope and through binoculars, through measuring data and experiencing it with our senses.
Educator: Noah Chesterman
Camp hours: 9 am – 3:30 pm
Camp price: $315 for MNA members/$360 for non-members
Register for Perceptive Perceptions
Age 4-6, July 17-21, Dino-mite Friends
Are you ready to dig into the long-ago world of dinosaurs? Have a blast while learning about the past with games, songs, storytelling, and dino-mite activities. Families are invited to a Friday dino fiesta.
Educator: Mari Soliday
Camp hours: 9 am – 1 pm
Camp price: $180 for MNA members/$220 for non-members
This camp is full. Email discovery@musnaz.org to be added to the waitlist.
Age 7-8, July 17-21, Forest Investigators
Playing the role of detective, campers will investigate clues and gather evidence to identify healthy and unhealthy forest ecosystems. Campers will come away with a backpack full of treasures, an appreciation for the biodiversity of the Colorado Plateau, a file full of evidence, and an understanding of their role, responsibility and sense of place in the local forest ecosystem.
Educator: Sara Henderson
Camp hours: 9 am – 3:30 pm
Camp price: $315 for MNA members/$360 for non-members
This camp is full. Email discovery@musnaz.org to be added to the waitlist.
Age 9-11, July 17-21, Sculpting in Nature
Come mess around with mud, sticks, and stones in an art studio that encompasses the entire outdoors. Students will scour the museum’s forests and fields searching for the right natural elements to make a sculpture in the round. They will make small maquettes during the first part of the week and find a space to build their work. The week culminates with an art show Friday afternoon.
Educator: Chas Frisco
Camp hours: 9 am – 3:30 pm
Camp price: $315 for MNA members/$360 for non-members
This camp is full. Email discovery@musnaz.org to be added to the waitlist.
Age 4-6, July 24-28, It's a Bug's Life,
Squirm and wiggle into the amazing worlds of butterflies, spiders, beetles, scorpions, and worms. Look at life from a bug’s perspective, as you join in outdoor activities, crafts, games, and songs. Families are invited to a Friday bug fiesta.
Educator: Mari Soliday
Camp hours: 9 am – 1 pm
Camp price: $180 for MNA members/$220 for non-members
This camp is full. Email discovery@musnaz.org to be added to the waitlist.
Age 7-8, July 24-28, Rockin' Geology
Discover the dynamic world of northern Arizona geology through experiments, creating a geologic time scale, investigating plate tectonics and sand dune formations, and searching for fossils.
Educator: Summer Richardson
Camp hours: 9 am – 3:30 pm
Camp price: $315 for MNA members/$360 for non-members
This camp is full. Email discovery@musnaz.org to be added to the waitlist.
Age 9-11, July 24-28, Rock, Paper, Paint
As artists have for millennia, we’ll gather inspiration and materials from nature to make our own paper and pigments, then use them along with watercolor and acrylic paints to create two-dimensional art. The week culminates with an art show Friday afternoon.
Educator: Chas Frisco
Camp hours: 9 am – 3:30 pm
Camp price: $315 for MNA members/$360 for non-members
Register for Rock, Paper, Paint
Age 4-6 July 31-Aug. 4 Designed to Move: Seeds, animals, & us!
Can’t stay still? Nothing can! Some things crawl slowly while others fly fast, but all living things have a way of moving. Through games, activities, crafts, and outdoor explorations, we’ll learn how and why plants, animals, and people all move.
Educator: Mari Soliday
Camp hours: 9 am – 1 pm
Camp price: $180 for MNA members/$220 for non-members
Register for Designed to Move: Seeds, Animals, and Us
Age 7-8 July 31-Aug. 4 Designed to Move: Making Things Go
Learn about the forces and mechanisms that allow legs to run, birds to fly, and wheels to turn. With fun experiments and design challenges, campers will explore what makes things go, and also what makes them stop.
Educator: Abbie Tait
Camp hours: 9 am – 3:30 pm
Camp price: $315 for MNA members/$360 for non-members
Register for Designed to Move: Making Things Go
Age 9-11 July 31-Aug. 4 Designed to Move: Forces of Life
From the vibrations of molecules to the orbits of planets, everything is always in motion. Starting with tiny seeds, we’ll explore how living things rely on basic forces that move air, water, and energy through our world.
Educator: Noah Chesterman
Camp hours: 9 am – 3:30 pm
Camp price: $315 for MNA members/$360 for non-members
Register for Designed to Move: Forces of Life
Junior Counselors, age 12-18
High school students enjoy summer camp while developing important skills as they assist in leading a camp group in their daily adventures. Working under the direction of the Lead Teacher and Assistant Teacher, Junior Counselors learn problem-solving, communication, creativity, teamwork, and group facilitation. Junior Counselors must go through a formal application and interview process. Email discovery@musnaz.org for more information.
All Jr. Counselor slots are filled.
Extended Care
Extended care is offered before and after the MNA Discovery Camps for families who need to drop off early (8-9 am) or pickup late (up to 5 pm). Games and activities are provided. Sign up for extended care when you register for the camps.
MNA does not offer extended care for camps run by other organizations on our campus.
Flagstaff Youth Riders
Spend the week riding the trails, improving confidence, skills, and endurance, playing cycle-themed games, riding with friends, and participating in trail stewardship.
Dates: June 5 – June 9
Note: This camp is held at MNA, but run by the Flagstaff Youth Riders. Find out more at their website www.flyrsaz.com
Jr. Entomology Academy, ages 6-10
Learn about insects, entomological collecting techniques, proper curation, insect anatomy, life cycles, insect husbandry, and interesting facts about arthropods. The week concludes with a bug feast.
Dates: June 26-30
Note: This camp is held at MNA, but run by the Biodiversity Outreach Network. Register at their website and direct questions to Paige Cheshire (prc43@nau.edu) or Neil Cobb at 928-607-4075 (or Neil.Cobb@nau.edu)
Learn More
Forms
Health and Liability form
This form must be filled out before your child participates in Discovery Camps. It provides necessary medical information such as allergies and medications, as well as parental consents. Submit prior to camp via email to discovery@musnaz.org.
View PublicationHome Symptom Screening
We all need to continue to take precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 virus, and other illnesses. This document is based on guidelines from the Center for Disease Control, which strongly encourages parents and caregivers to monitor their children for symptoms of infectious illness every day through home-based symptom screening.
View PublicationNon-parent Pickup Form
Bring this form in the morning if someone other than the parent/guardian on file will be picking up your child.
View PublicationEpi-Pen Consent Form
Fill out this form if your child has an epi-pen, then make sure to also provide the teacher for your child’s camp with the epi-pen, labeled with your child’s name.
View PublicationSelf-administration of medications
If your child has medications that must be taken during camp, fill out this form.
View PublicationScholarship application
We want all children to have access to the Discovery Camps. Scholarship funds are available for youth who demonstrate financial need or have extenuating circumstance. Fill out the form and email to discovery@musnaz.org.
View PublicationPrintable Discovery Village Map
The Discovery Village is at the end of N. Winding Brook Rd. Morning drop off and afternoon pickup are at the Discovery Village, unless otherwise specified by your camp teacher.
View Publication