Discovery Day Camp

Blast off into a fun whirlwind of space exploration. Campers will get a behind-the-scenes understanding of what it takes for astronauts to take a journey to the moon, examine the differences between other planets in the solar system and our own, and get to experience our state-of-the-art Mueller Planetarium. This camp is only offered during the morning and is best suited for ages 6 - 8.

Did you know Elephants used to live in Nebraska? Rhinos too? Nebraska and the organisms that used to call it home have changed a lot in the last 14 million years. With the help of our resident paleontologists, Campers will get to explore ancient life throughout the Museum and will complete their own fossil dig. This camp is best suited for ages 9 - 11.

Water makes up about 60% of our body and covers over 70% of Earth’s surface. It is kind of a big deal! Campers will get to explore the many properties of water through fun and engaging hands-on activities such as performing water testing on local streams and wetlands. Campers will also get to explore the various macroinvertebrates and larger creatures that live in Nebraska’s wetlands. This camp is only offered during the morning and is best suited for ages 6 - 8.

Did you know that opossums are the only marsupials in North America? Or that there are 8 different species of turtle in Nebraska and only one is terrestrial? For this day camp, campers will learn about some unusual, sometimes misunderstood, and simply extraordinary creatures that call Nebraska home. They will also learn about the important components of a natural habitat and explore some local ecosystems. This camp is only offered during the morning and is best suited for ages 6 - 8.

Art forms and different science fields go hand in hand. Discover the science of shapes, form, and structure in the world around us. Campers will get an introduction to these forms of artistic expression ranging from science illustration, nature journaling, and wildlife photography. Campers will also get to experience several hands-on crafts to share the things they learned from the week. This camp is only offered during the morning and is best suited for ages 6 - 8.

Comets and Planets and Stars, oh my! Campers will get to explore the many celestial bodies that make up our universe while exploring our temporary Sun, Earth, Universe exhibit. Campers will also learn how to assemble a telescope and will get a chance to visit UNL’s student observatory. Furthermore, Thursday evening (weather permitting) campers will be invited to return to the museum at Dusk to try to find stars, planets, and other celestial bodies in the sky outside near Archie. This camp is best suited for ages 9 - 11.

Insects, spiders, and parasites, oh my! Big or small, these arthropods, arachnids, and protozoa play important roles within our local ecosystem. Campers will get to explore the special adaptations of these creepy crawlies that are all around (and sometimes even inside us, eeekkk!). Campers will also get to meet some resident parasitologists and will have some hands-on interactions with various insects. This camp is only offered during the morning and is best suited for ages 6 - 8.

Join us for a hands-on exploration of Native American cultures of the past and present, specifically in the Great Plains territories. Campers will get an introduction to cultural anthropology then learn how the First Peoples of the Plains used natural products of the local environment and fashioned them into tools, food, clothing, and shelter. Campers will also learn about continued traditions and Native American leaders of today. Furthermore, campers will get to learn about flint napping an atl atl. This camp is only offered in the morning and is best suited for ages 12 - 14.

Have you ever wondered what it takes to put a museum exhibit together behind the scenes? Campers will explore several unique aspects of our museum from invertebrate fossils, the solar system, natural landscapes, and art in science, all while exploring how these exhibits were created. Curators and staff in our exhibit team and collections will get to meet with campers and show them the exiting things they work on at the museum. Campers will also get to imagine and create their own exhibit idea. This camp is best suited for ages 9 - 11.

As our camp coordinator likes to say, “Naturalists know a little about a lot of different things” (Ann). Campers will get to explore Nebraska’s wildlife and landscapes through exploration and hands-on experiences. Campers will get experience using tools real naturalists use in citizen science projects. Some topics include plants, wetlands, mammals, birds, geology, insects, reptiles, astronomy, and much more! This camp is best suited for ages 9 - 11.

Have you ever stopped to think; what was the environment like in Nebraska millions of years ago? Campers will learn about paleobotany, the study of ancient plants and environments. During our time together we will travel back in time and explore clues from plant fossils to discover how much our world has changed. Our invertebrate paleontologist will share the intricacies of plant fossils. We will also examine the diversity of flowers, shrubs, and trees that exist today. This camp is best suited for ages 9 - 11.

End the summer season with a fun-filled week of exploration and discovery! Campers will learn about a different topic every day including paleontology, astronomy, water ecology, zoology, entomology, art in science, and much more! This camp is best suited for ages 9 - 11. Another version of this camp is offered for three days over the 4th of July week and is best suited for ages 6 - 8.

EarthForce is a tool created by the North American Association for Environmental Education that gives young adults the tools and experiences of participating in environmental civic projects in their local communities. Campers get to select the local project on environmental conservation for the week. All participation and decision making on the project is youth-led with educator facilitation. Campers will also meet leaders from local environmental organizations and get to go on a field trip at our state capital on Thursday July 17. This camp is best suited for ages 12 - 14.

End the summer season with a fun-filled week of exploration and discovery! Campers will be introduced to a variety of women who have made science their career through informational media and hands-on activities. Some topics include urban ecology, pollen detectives, veterinarian science, and space geologist. Campers will also get to meet some experts in the field that work on our museum collections and throughout the Lincoln community. This camp is best suited for ages 12 - 14.