From a baby animal's first steps to the science of decomposing bodies, Bell Museum's Science Discovery Day Camps engage kids in science with cool subjects and unforgettable experiences. These week-long camps include age-appropriate classroom and laboratory activities, as well as outdoor exploration and playtime. Camps are designed to be age specific and vary in topics covered, activities and complexity. Camps also are designed to keep youngsters of all ages learning all summer with fresh content and activities.

In addition to working with an enthusiastic education staff, campers will meet University scientists and take field trips to indoor and outdoor laboratories, plus other kid-friendly University learning centers like the Raptor Center, Bee Lab, and Small Animal Veterinary Hospital. And don't forget to throw in the towel - campers get their share of playtime with swim trips to the world class University Aquatic Center and bowling at the University's St. Paul Student Center.

Science Camp Registration Form

Camp Grade Limitation and Ranges
Each camp is geared toward students in a specific grade range. This allows our instructors to choose topics and plan activities and lessons that work best for students in those grades. The grade ranges listed are for grades completed.

Camp Hours and Other Details
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday beginning June 14
Drop-off: 8 to 8:30 a.m.
Pick-up: 4:30 to 5 p.m.
Campers should bring their own bag lunches, as well as a morning and afternoon snack.
Extended care also is available for an extra half-hour before and after camp. The cost for extended care is $15 a week for the morning or afternoon or $30 for both. To request disability accommodations, call 612-624-9050.

Allergies, Medications, Dietary Restrictions
If your child has a medical condition for which s/he must carry emergency medication (e.g., asthma inhalers, EpiPen epinephrine injectors), a peanut allergy or other severe allergy, or has dietary restrictions, please inform registration staff as soon as possible so we can make accommodations.

Behavior Policy
In order to make the program experience a positive one for all, we have established a policy to manage behavior incidents that involve chronic disruption and/or safety. We reserve the right to remove students who do not adhere to our behavior policy.

Prices and Registration Information

2010 Science Discovery Day Camp registration begins Monday, February 22 for members by phone. General public registration begins Monday, March 1.

You can call in your registration info at 612-624-9050; fax your registration form to 612-626-7704 or mail it to Bell Museum Science Discovery Day Camps, 10 Church St. S.E., Minneapolis, MN 55455. If you'd prefer, you can deliver your registration in person to the museum's administrative offices in Room 300 Bell Museum, Monday through Friday, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Click here for the Science Camp Registration Form.

Camps may be deductible on your 2010 taxes.

* For as little as $45 you can become a Friend of the Bell Museum and receive discounted Summer Camp pricing. It's one of the many benefits of becoming a Friend.

Cancellation and Refund Policy

If you wish to withdraw from a camp after registering, you must do so at least two weeks prior to the first day of camp in order to receive a partial refund of the registration fee. $40 of the registration fee is considered a non-refundable deposit. No refunds will be given if a cancellation is made within the two-weeks before the first day of camp.

If for any reason the Bell Museum cancels your camp, you will receive a full refund of the registration fee or, if you prefer, the opportunity to transfer to another camp if space is available. Notification will be given three weeks prior to the start date in the event that your camp is cancelled.

Discovery Day Camps (in alphabetical order)
For an at-a-glance chart of summer camps click here.

1001 Bunnies of Steel - The World of Baby Animals
June 14 -18, grades K - 1 completed
July 19 - 23, grades K - 1 completed
Go beyond cute and cuddly to discover amazing things about baby animals. Learn why some baby animals need babysitters for months, while others are ready to run, jump, or fly and be on their own just minutes after being born! Talk to a scientist who studies baby animal behavior, meet a variety of live baby animals and find out how well you'd grow up in the wild. You'll visit Minnesota's Wildlife Rehabilitation Center where you'll hear from experts who care for injured and orphaned baby animals.

1002 Boom Boom POW! Backyard Chemistry for Beginners
June 28 - July 2, grades 4 - 6 completed
July 19 - 23, grades 2 - 3 completed
Every day, we're involved in hundreds of chemical explosions - from turning on the lights to brushing our teeth. Learn what makes the fizz in your soda pop, the crunch in your cereal and the KABOOM in fireworks. Try your hand at safe, fun backyard experiments and meet a real University chemist who started out as an ordinary kid with a chemistry set.

1003 Bootcamp for the Beginning Biologist
August 23 - 27, grades 4 - 6 completed
Do you dream of helping the planet, studying animals or being the next Jeff Corwin or Jane Goodall? In this special camp for older kids, you'll learn what it's like to be a real field biologist - a scientist who studies living things and their relationship to their environment. You'll hike nature preserves and learn to sample insects and plants. You'll learn to use field equipment and track animals using telemetry and sonar devices. You'll count birds and fish, and record your observations and track data. You'll walk the field with University biologists who are researching plants, animals and ecosystems.

1004 Creatures of the Night
June 21 - 25, grades K - 1 completed
July 12 - 16, grades 2 - 3 completed
July 26 - 30, grades K - 1 completed
When the sun goes down an entirely different world of creatures comes alive. Meet the world of nocturnal beings - bats, raccoons, owls, skunks, and opossums - animals that begin their "day" after you're tucked in bed. You'll marvel at the strange and wonderful adaptations that help them survive in a world without sunlight, including keen senses of smell, superhero style hearing and eyes that can detect movement in even the dimmest light. You'll practice tracking bats and other night creatures with sonar detection equipment.

1005 Creepy Crawlies and Incredible Invertebrates
August 2 - 6, grades 4 - 6 completed
August 9 - 13, grades K -1 completed
August 16 - 20, grades 2 - 3 completed
Get ready to get your hands dirty and slimy! This camp is dedicated to worms, grasshoppers, leeches, beetles, fireflies, ants, and other creepy-crawly creatures. You'll learn about each animal's biology and the role they play in keeping our world healthy, green and growing. Even kids who don't like to touch will have plenty to do - this camp is chock-full of activities including building insect traps, creating a worm farm, making beeswax candles, and meeting the Bell Museum's friendly Madagascar hissing cockroaches and giant African millipedes.

1006 Crime Scene Investigation for Kids
July 19 - 23, grades 4 - 6 completed
Crime scene investigators crack cases by using science - from identifying the plants and animals found at a crime scene to processing criminal evidence in the lab. You'll meet University scientists who use their knowledge of plants and animals to help Minnesota's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension track down suspects and close cases. Practice and refine your skills of observation and questioning. Learn the fundamentals of identification and classification, and how forensic labs process the evidence that catch crooks. By the end of the week, you'll solve a mock crime with help from the University of Minnesota Police.

1007 Discovering Nemo and His Friends
June 21 - 25, grades 4 - 6 completed
August 9 - 13, grades 2 -3 completed
Discover the world that lies beneath the surface of the lake. You'll learn about fish biology by dissecting, and about fish behavior by collecting and observing live fish in observation tanks. You'll learn how fish swim, why they form schools, and what they need to survive underwater. You'll get to practice the Japanese art of gyotaku, or fish printing, and learn how other cultures view fish. Learn about threats to native fish from newcomers like the giant Asian carp and the lamprey eel, and hear from fisheries experts about what we can do to help Minnesota's fish thrive.

1008 Giants of the Ice Age
June 14 - 18, grades 2 - 3 completed
July 12 - 16, grades 4 - 6 completed
August 30 - September 3, grades K - 1 completed
Take a trip back in time and meet the superstars that roamed Minnesota 10,000 years ago - the giant sloth, the 300-pound beaver, saber tooth cats and the biggest of them all, the wooly mammoth. Using fossils, bones and ancient skulls from the museum's Touch and See Room, you'll uncover the story of their lives, and explore the mysteries and theories of their disappearance. You also will find out which of their descendants are very much alive and living with us today.

1009 Going Green for Young Inventors
July 26 - 30, grades 2 - 3 completed
Earth's future depends on the brainpower of kids for discoveries in the area of green energy - and this camp is designed to get kids thinking! You'll experiment with wind, water, and solar power, as well as learn about fossil fuels - where they come from and how they're used. You will also meet University scientists who study water and wind power and take a trip to the University's St. Anthony Falls Laboratory on the Mississippi River. You'll use solar cookers, play with hot air balloons and learn about new methods of sustainable energy. You'll gather conservation and energy efficiency tips to take home.

1010 Wild at Home - Nature in the City
June 14 - 18, grades 4 - 6 completed
August 23 - 27, grades 2 - 3 completed
August 30 - September 3, grades 2 - 3 completed
Most people think nature is found far away, out in the wild areas of the world. But nature is all around us - even in the heart of the city. In this camp, you'll learn how to look for the animals, plants and insects that survive along our highways and city streets. You'll be astonished at the range of creatures we live, work, and play side-by-side with in our backyards and green spaces. We'll take a trip to a restored wetland, meet people who study and manage the wildlife in the city, and find out how to create natural habitats that attract more animal friends right in our own backyards.

1011 The Greatest Sideshow on Earth - Oddities and Curiosities of the Natural World
June 28 - July 2, grades 2 - 3 completed
August 16 - 20, grades K - 1 completed
Get up close and personal with a 400-pound giant clam, a "mermaid" skull, a mummified pigeon and a killer pinecone. Handle a horn from a giant narwhal - called the "unicorn of the sea" - and meet a living dinosaur. You'll explore some of the world's oddest creatures and behavior in this camp devoted to the "freaky" side of nature. You'll even replicate slime, make edible animal poop, and create your own animal oddity. Meet a museum curator whose job it is to travel the globe and collect bizarre and one-of-a-kind objects of nature.

1012 Reptiles Rule and Amphibians Are Cool
June 21- 25, grade 2-3 completed
July 12 - 16, grades K-1 completed
July 26 - 30, grades 4 - completed
In this camp, you'll learn about turtles, salamanders, and snakes and the difference between reptiles and amphibians. You'll get a chance to get up close and personal with native salamander, snakes, and turtles from the Bell Museum's Touch and See Room. You'll learn about their ancient natural history and the remarkable adaptations they've made to extreme climates on land and in water.

1013 Rot-O-Rama - A Celebration of Stinky Delights
August 2 - 6, grade 2 - 3 completed
August 16 - 20, grades 4 - 6 completed
Find out how other creatures spring to life when a plant or animal dies. Learn about the amazing world of fungus and other decomposers that live on dead or dying matter. From bat guano to giant mushrooms to blue cheese, this camp looks at the underside of life to find out why things rot, stink, and fall apart - and where they go after they've done their decomposing duty. You'll learn why fungi and molds are useful in food and medicines, meet one of the world's top experts on mushrooms, and marvel at this amazing slice of life on our planet.

1014 The Cosmos and Beyond
August 23 -27, grades 2 - 3 completed
August 30 - Sept. 3, grades 4 - 6 completed
Climb aboard for an exploration of rocket ships, stars and deep space! You'll explore astronomy and meteorology and learn about the stars, planets, and other features of the cosmos. You'll learn about the constellations and how to navigate by the stars from here on Earth. We'll talk about what causes the seasons and how our solar system creates different weather. Then, you'll learn what it takes to explore the cosmos - how astronauts prepare for their trips, and how rockets work. You'll even build a mini-rocket ship and tour the University's observatory with an astronomer.

1015 Velociraptors to Vireos - Birds of the World
August 2 - 6, grades K - 1 completed
August 9 - 13, grades 4 - 6 completed
Did you know that the sweetly singing blue bird in your backyard is a distant cousin of the terrifying Velociraptor? There are more than 10,000 species of birds in the world and they range in size and shape, as well what they eat and how they get around. You'll learn how birds fly, swim and build nests and where they go in the winter. You'll meet a University bird researcher, get up close to beautiful and rare birds - including the extinct passenger pigeon in the museum's collections - and get a chance to study live birds with binoculars. You'll visit the University's Raptor Center, which cares for injured eagles, owls, and other birds of prey before they're released back into the wild.

1016 Weasels, Wolves and Wolverines - Minnesota's Magnificent Mammals
June 28 - July 2, grades K-1 completed
Minnesota is home to more than 70 species of mammals ranging in size from the tiny pigmy shrew to the mighty moose. In this camp you'll learn about weasels, wolves and wolverines, as well as dozens of other mammals. You'll learn to use the Bell Museum's wildlife dioramas as snapshots of animal behavior - offering clues as to how and where mammals live, what they eat, and what they do to survive. You also will get a behind-the-scenes tour of the Bell Museum's mammal collection which includes mountain lions and polar bears.

Science Camp Registration Form

Participant Emergency Data Sheet