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Spark Your Imagination Summer Camp

Session 1 June 24-28
Session 2 July 8-12
Session 3 July 22-26

Camp 2.0 August 12-16 (open to returning campers - See below)

What’s more fun than hands-on activities for children in an exciting and stimulating environment? Trick question… Nothing!

Hearthstone Historic House Museum in Appleton is once again hosting three sessions of its educational summer day camp in Summer, 2024 to get young students excited about science and humanities, learn important skills, be creative, and have fun with their peers!

For information about Camp 2.0 for returning campers, please see below.

Spark Your Imagination Summer Camp is intended for children entering grades 4, 5, 6, or 7 (ages 9-12) in the fall. Each session will cover the same topics, so students are encouraged to sign up for only one week-long session.

  • Session 1 runs from June 24-28

  • Session 2 runs from July 8-12

  • Session 3 runs from July 22-26

Each session meets daily at Hearthstone from 9am-3:30pm, Monday to Friday. There are 10 student openings per session. The total cost per session is $200/student which covers the cost of all materials.

Spark Your Imagination Summer Camps teach children about historic inventors and inventions related to Hearthstone Historic House Museum and the Fox Valley using museum resources and a field trip to nearby Vulcan Heritage Park. Once children learn about Appleton’s innovative history, they begin thinking about the invention process using Invention Convention curriculum provided by the Henry Ford Museum’s Invention Convention Worldwide program. Through educational programming, interactive activities, and experiments, children then identify a problem they wish to solve and leave the camp with a new invention that they came up with all on their own. This camp is an excellent opportunity for students to exercise their imaginations and creativity as they think of problems and solutions, design models and logos, and build a prototype out of duct tape and cardboard.

This camp is open to students of all backgrounds, especially girls and children from historically under-represented segments of society. While invention education is largely considered a STEMIE (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Invention, Entrepreneurship) field, the curriculum also teaches children about humanities, creative problem solving and identification, marketing, public speaking, and researching. Hearthstone believes that every student benefits from thinking creatively like an inventor, regardless of their future career. Importantly, no prior invention education or STEM/STEAM experience is expected.

Spark Your Imagination Summer Camps are led by Lauren Kelly, Hearthstone’s Museum Educator. Lauren graduated from Lawrence University in 2022, where she studied English and Linguistics; after graduation, she moved into the museum field and joined Hearthstone in February 2023. Lauren looks forward to creating an inclusive, open, and encouraging environment for students to learn.

Check here for more information on the Henry Ford Museum’s Invention Convention program.

For additional information on the Spark Your Imagination Summer Camps, please contact:
Lauren Kelly
information@hearthstonemuseum.org.

Camp 2.0 August 12-16 (open to returning campers)

Returning campers are invited to join Lauren once again for Spark Your Imagination Summer Camp 2.0 between August 12-16.

Camp 2.0 meets daily at Hearthstone from 9am-3:30pm, Monday to Friday. It will be taught in English. There are 15 student openings (enough for every student to come back), but the session will be cancelled if fewer than 3 students register. The total cost per session is $200/student which covers the cost of all materials. A limited number of scholarships may be available to reduce the registration cost.

Camp 2.0 will build on what we learned about inventing last year. Students can expect to learn basic coding and engineering skills, work with an Arduino microcontroller, and potentially visit a local Makerspace and/or meet real-life engineers. While some students may have experience with coding or Arduino, we will approach this at a beginner-friendly level, just like what we did with inventing last year. By the end of camp, students will once again invent, but this time do so using more advanced technology or engineering practices, possibly even in teams.

It will be another fun, educational experience with plenty of time to reunite with camp friends and play tag!

For additional information on Spark Your Imagination Summer Camp 2.0, please contact:
Lauren Kelly
information@hearthstonemuseum.org