Summer Camp

Shake out those seeds and let’s create a container garden. Summer is here and it’s not too late to start the process. We’ll transplant some seedlings and create some fun garden art to take home. It’s all about being outdoors, getting our hands in the dirt, creating new spaces and learning some fundamental concepts about growing our own food. Jami, a MSD After School Instructor, will lead this camp. Half Day Camp (8am-noon) Cost: $245. Register!

This camp will introduce the traditions associated with the Dragon Boat Festival in China. We will become familiar with the history behind the dragon boat festival and make our own miniature dragon boats and sachet necklaces. We will also learn how rice is cultivated and how to use chopsticks. We will introduce some simple Chinese characters and phrases and make conical hats like those worn in rice fields! Denise, a MSD Early Childhood Teacher, will lead this camp. Half Day Camp (8am-noon). Cost: $245. Register!

Express your creativity while refining your artistic skills in this fun morning workshop taught by veteran MSD art teacher, Janine Wolf. We will focus on the fundamentals of line and shape and practice a variety of artistic techniques with a wide range of wet and dry materials including pencil, marker, watercolor, tempera, and ink. Each day a new process will be presented with ample time for creative exploration and personal expression.  Half Day Camp (9am-noon). Cost: $300. Register!

Theater Camp is for anyone who likes to act, imagine, be silly, and have fun!  We will learn several theater and movement games, practice reading short scripts, write our own skits, and experiment with basic sets/props/costumes.  We will talk about the elements of drama and what makes theater so much fun to be a part of as a performer and audience member! Susannah, a MSD Lower Elementary Teacher, will lead this camp. Full Day Camp (8am-3pm). Cost: $360. Register!

We will be creating simple maps of our playground and maps of imaginary places. Then we will use these maps to find hidden objects in a fun way to teach basic map skills and hone spatial skills. These activities will also help your child to develop an understanding of direction (which way?), location (where?), and representation (what a drawing stands for). Come join us for fun and exploration. Jami, a MSD After School Instructor, will lead this camp. Half Day Camp (8am-12noon). Cost $245. Register!

Identify the ways people travel, explore how vehicles move, learn the names of different transportation, and experience types of transportation in this camp. Play games like Red Light/Green Light and Motor Boat, Motor Boat, make crafts like paper plate cars and airplanes, and read stories like “If I Built a Car” and “Boats Float.” Jeannene, a MSD After School Instructor, will lead this camp. Half Day Camp (8am-12noon). Cost $245. Register!

Learn the meaning of leadership and teamwork by playing all kinds of games this summer! Try kickball, balloon tennis, corn hole, soccer, capture the flag, and water olympics with other campers who just want to have fun. Get crafty by decorating your own jersey! This camp is for anyone who loves to move! Keesha, a MSD After School Instructor, will lead this camp. Half Day Camp (8am-12noon). Cost $245. Register!

In guitar camp, we will explore the parts of the instrument, proper playing posture, playing techniques (strumming strings and adding fingers to the fingerboard), and instrument care. By the end of the week, each student will have mastered a few songs that involve playing 3-string chords! In our music theory and literature lessons, we will utilize musical alphabet and rhythm activities, recordings of guitar repertoire, and teacher instrument demonstrations to gain a better appreciation of music in our lives. Supplies and instruments are provided for the week, with no previous experience necessary. Gabby teaches music enrichment course offerings at MSD. Half Day Camp (8am-12noon). Cost $245. Register!

Join veteran MSD art teacher, Janine Wolf, for a week of everyone’s favorite—POTTERY! We will create 2 to 3 finished pieces of pottery using the hand building methods of pinch, coil, and slab. We will learn the process that clay goes through from greenware to bisque ware and finally, finished glassware. Clay is a very satisfying medium. We basically start with a lump of mud and transform it into decorative objects and functional dinnerware. This is a fun, rewarding, and awesome class! Half Day Camp (9am-12noon). Cost $315. Register!

What is real and what is pretend? You decide! We will explore castles, dragons, and fairies. Some of our activities will be: building fairy houses, castles, magic wands, and fairy lights. Join us in our creative imaginary play of the wonderful world of childhood. Jami, a MSD After School Instructor, will lead this camp. Half Day Camp (8am-12noon). Cost $245. Register!

This camp will introduce the traditions associated with the Tanabata Festival (also known as the Star Festival) in Japan. We will make our own wish trees, be introduced to the parts and life cycle of a bamboo plant, and learn about traditional garments of Japan, including kimonos, yukata, wooden shoes, and paper fans. Denise, a MSD Early Childhood Teacher, will lead this camp.  Half Day Camp (8am-12noon). Cost $245. Register!

Systema is a complete training system for the mind, body, and spirit, combining the benefits of martial arts, yoga, and meditation. Our approach to martial arts is non-destructive and free of aggression. We encourage critical thinking and creativity to solve problems. Systema is designed to create, build and strengthen the body, psyche, family and community. Activities include: creative movement, learning to fall safely, rolling, running, jumping, strength and flexibility exercises, breathing exercises, and problem-solving scenarios. Half Day Camp (8am-12noon). Cost $300. Register!

Join veteran MSD art teacher, Janine Wolf, for a week of everyone’s favorite—POTTERY! We will create 2 to 3 finished pieces of pottery using the hand building methods of pinch, coil, and slab. We will learn the process that clay goes through from greenware to bisque ware and finally, finished glassware. Clay is a very satisfying medium. We basically start with a lump of mud and transform it into decorative objects and functional dinnerware. This is a fun, rewarding, and awesome class! Half Day Camp (9am-12noon). Cost $315. Register!

Explore music through movement, experience different genres of music, learn names and symbols of music notation, and identify musical instruments by sound in this camp! We’ll make kazoos, tambourines and guitars, play games, dance and learn about the science of music by experimenting with pitch change and vibration. Jeannene, a MSD After School Instructor, will lead this camp. Half Day Camp (8am-12noon). Cost $245. Register!

Soccer Shots Raleigh-Durham is an engaging children’s soccer program with a focus on youth character development. The Soccer Shots team positively impacts children’s lives on and off the field through best-in-class coaching, communication and curriculum. Soccer Shots camps provide children with an opportunity to develop their soccer skills, character, and creativity.  Children are supplied with fun activities in an effort to celebrate soccer and the summer.  This includes soccer games and a variety of other age-appropriate options such as crafts, team-building exercises, snack time, and even literature. Half Day Camp (8am-12noon). Cost $245. Register!

MSD’s Upper Elementary teacher, Melissa, has fond memories of her childhood summers growing up in North Dakota.  For these two weeks, we will be having fun the old fashioned way…with fort building, paper airplane flying contests, crafts, challenges, and lots of games!  We will start the day playing outside each morning before it gets too hot, then move to the UE classroom for indoor activities.  After lunch, we will have a little time to relax while reading or playing board games before we move to the multipurpose room for active games, then cool down with water play.  We’ll end each day with indoor free-time.  Let's play together this summer! Full Day Camp (8am-3pm). Cost $360. Register!

Does your child love to lie on the ground and watch ants gather food? Do they like to watch ants disappear down the ant hill? What is going on in the rooms down below? Insects are a natural subject for children to learn about science, different kinds of societies, the care of living creatures, and the value of working as a team. The bright brilliant colors and the movements of insects are fascinating and engaging and help the child to focus on the subject matter. Making new discoveries is just around the corner. Some of our projects will be balloon thoraxes, honeycomb bee frames, cardboard lady bug sculptures, and our own silly/serious version of what really goes on inside the rooms below the ant hill. Jami, a MSD After School Instructor, will lead this camp. Half Day Camp (8am-12noon). Cost $245. Register!

In this camp, children will learn about the moon, the first lunar landing, and astronauts. We will discover more about the moon’s landscape and how craters are formed on the moon, as well as create moon art projects using combinations of foil, paint, glue, and glitter. Campers will also “train” to be astronauts in moon-themed games and learn about some famous astronauts. Denise, a MSD Early Childhood teacher, will lead this camp. Half Day Camp (8am-12noon). Cost $245. Register!

Growga is an evidence-based program focused on Social Emotional Learning, Yoga/Movement, and Mindfulness. Evidence shows mindfulness to be effective for children and young people, with school-based interventions having positive outcomes on wellbeing, reducing anxiety, and distress as well as improving behavior. Evidence also suggests that children who used mindfulness practices more frequently reported higher wellbeing and lower stress scores. Join us in a camp designed to connect, move, and breathe together. Each day’s activities will be drawn from Growga’s proprietary, evidence-based curriculum. Half Day Camp (8am-12noon). Cost $245. Register!

MSD’s Upper Elementary teacher, Melissa, has fond memories of her childhood summers growing up in North Dakota.  For these two weeks, we will be having fun the old fashioned way…with fort building, paper airplane flying contests, crafts, challenges, and lots of games!  We will start the day playing outside each morning before it gets too hot, then move to the UE classroom for indoor activities.  After lunch, we will have a little time to relax while reading or playing board games before we move to the multipurpose room for active games, then cool down with water play.  We’ll end each day with indoor free-time.  Let's play together this summer! Full Day Camp (8am-3pm). Cost $360. Register!

Did you know that each of us tosses a car worth of trash every year! While clean drinking water is taken for granted in industrial economies, globally, 1 in 9 people lack access to it. Sustainable engineering deals with designing systems and processes that use our natural resources responsibly. In this program, participants will explore sustainability at home as they design a sweet sustainable home for their client. The clients include the TechMex family, the McMassive family, the ScoutOut family and the Flower family. Clients have their unique lifestyle habits and are assigned at random. Children will get into “trash talk” and experience Garbology, engineering design of a warm home, rain barrels and critical thinking. Which design will win the Certificate of STEM Sustainable Housing? Half Day Camp (8am-12noon). Cost $311. Register!

There are few art materials more available, more economical, or more satisfying to the craftsperson than paper. The projects offered are designed to stimulate explorations that are unique and discoveries that are personal. Some of our projects will be paper mache, paper sculptors, and paper mobiles. We will talk about basic paper materials and shapes which will include cutting, folding, tearing, joining, and decorating. Jami, a MSD After School Instructor, will lead this camp. Half Day Camp (8am-12noon). Cost $245. Register!

This camp, led by MSD Early Childhood teacher, Denise, will introduce children to three of America’s national parks: Saguaro National Park, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, and Grand Canyon National Park. We will become familiar with the cardinal directions and learn how to use a compass. We will also learn the parts of a cactus plant and the characteristics of a desert, learn about bats, their lifestyles and body parts, and the layers of the Grand Canyon. Half Day Camp (8am-12noon). Cost $245. Register!

In violin camp, we will explore the parts of the instrument, proper playing posture, playing techniques (bowing and plucking strings), and instrument care. By the end of the week, each student will have mastered a few songs that involve playing open strings! In our music theory and literature class, we will utilize musical alphabet and rhythm activities, recordings of violin repertoire, and teacher instrument demonstrations to gain a better appreciation of music in our lives. Supplies and instruments are provided for the week, with no previous experience necessary. Gabby teaches music enrichment course offerings at MSD. Half Day Camp (8am-12noon). Cost $245. Register!

Join MSD Early Childhood teacher Betsy in a week full of fantastic fiber crafts. Make your own Ugly Doll, try yarn painting, and learn how to repurpose old T-shirts. Embroider a pillow, paint a wall tapestry, make a dreamcatcher! Have fun creating works of functional art featuring fiber - thread, yarn, and fabric. Full Day Camp (8am-3pm). Cost $360. Register!

Have you heard of Ultimate Frisbee? What about disc golf? During this camp, we’ll learn a variety of sports and games all involving a Frisbee disc. We’ll learn the fundamentals of Ultimate frisbee and other frisbee games, do some practice drills to improve our new skills, and compete in friendly games against our fellow campers. The camp will be led by some of the top leaders in the Triangle's Ultimate Frisbee community! Each camper will receive an Ultimate Frisbee disc with registration! Half Day Camp (8am-12non). Cost $250. Register!

We will explore the chemical reactions, surface tension, and density (how to make a penny shine, milk swirl, and 7 layer density jar). We will follow the scientific process of questions, predictions, observations, and explanations of what we have observed. This is a wonderful opportunity to work together as a group and to design our own experiments. Science Sleuths are on the case. Jami, a MSD After School Instructor, will lead this camp. Half Day Camp (8am-12noon). Cost $245. Register!

Explore different types of ocean animal life, learn about caring for the oceans, identify what makes a beach, experience different types of sand, and learn about beaches found all over the world! Activities will include shell painting, footprints in the sand, playing sharks and minnows, and reading old favorites, like The Rainbow Fish. Jeannene, a MSD After School Instructor, will lead this camp. Half Day Camp (8am-12noon). Cost $245. Register!

Growga is an evidence-based program focused on Social Emotional Learning, Yoga/Movement, and Mindfulness. Evidence shows mindfulness to be effective for children and young people, with school-based interventions having positive outcomes on wellbeing, reducing anxiety and distress as well as improving behavior. Evidence also suggests that children who used mindfulness practices more frequently reported higher wellbeing and lower stress scores. Join us in a camp designed to connect, move and breathe together. Each day’s activities will be drawn from Growga’s proprietary, evidence-based curriculum. Half Day Camp (8am-12noon). Cost $245. Register!

Join MSD Early Childhood teacher Betsy in a week full of fantastic fiber crafts. Make your own Ugly Doll, try yarn painting, and learn how to repurpose old T-shirts. Embroider a pillow, paint a wall tapestry, make a dreamcatcher! Have fun creating works of functional art featuring fiber - thread, yarn, and fabric. Full Day Camp (8am-3pm). Cost $360. Register!

Earth's environment makes life possible. Environmental engineers focus on ways to sustain and improve the natural environment. This program provides a hands-on exploration of our environment by solving mysteries and investigations. Participants take a fresh look at air and water; fight the evil pollution; come face to face with the very special Carbon atom and his favorite friend Ms. Oxygen; work as environmental detectives to investigate the 3 Rs of green living - reduce, reuse, and recycle. Participants conduct experiments to understand the Greenhouse Effect, air and water pollution; witness water's vanishing color act!; make air catchers, a model greenhouse and an environmental souvenir. Half Day Camp (8am-12noon). Cost $311. Register!

Triceratops, Brontosaurus and the ever popular T-Rex! From the egg hatched terrible lizards, herbivores and carnivores. We will explore different kinds of dinosaurs, dinosaur eggs, volcanoes, fossils and the environments in which they lived. It’s all about having fun and going back into prehistoric times when dinosaurs roamed the earth. Jami, a MSD After School Instructor, will lead this camp. Half Day Camp (8am-12noon). Cost $245. Register!

Learn how to set up a campsite, build a lean-to, identify plants, stay safe in the wilderness, use a compass, and minimize environmental impact! Join Lower Elementary Assistant Teacher, Scott, on this adventure into wilderness skills all while on MSD's campus. Why not hone your skills in finding and purifying water, tracking animals, and being aware of nature now before your next adventure? Half Day Camp (8am-12noon). Cost $245. Register!

If you are interested in sewing and creating, this camp is for you! Children will learn how to embroider, use basic hand sewing stitches and other techniques. We will also transfer patterns onto fabric, try embroidery design, and prepare materials for sewing projects. Throughout the camp, we will use a variety of new and repurposed materials to create plush toys, pillows, and tote bags. Sarah, a MSD Elementary Support Staff Member, will lead this camp. Half Day Camp (8am-12noon). Cost $245. Register!

The great inventions and technologies that shape our world today are a result of successful market launches. STEM and innovations need business ethos and acumen to become a desirable product or service. It is never too early to educate young children in the process of designing, launching, and running a new business. In this special series of programs, our goal is to inspire the next generation of STEMpreneurs! The total package includes: STEM + Innovation + Entrepreneurship In Build to Market Challenges, participants will work like innovators in designing a robot to solve an engineering or entertainment problem, build its prototype and then, like an entrepreneur, they will explore ways to market their product. Half Day Camp (8am-12noon). Cost $311. Register!