The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology’s day camp program, Anthropologists in the Making, celebrates over ten years of engaging children with summer fun and learning through Penn Museum’s world-renowned collections.

Children ages 7 through 13 can participate in a day camp that takes them through time and across continents at Penn Museum. A different theme highlights each week, offering campers the opportunity to enjoy one week or all eight.

Each week, campers delight in such topics as mythology, clothing, dance, music, cooking, art and customs from both long ago civilizations and modern cultures. Through gallery tours, arts and crafts, games and theatrics, scavenger hunts, and special guest performances, children will uncover the secrets of the past.

Penn Museum thanks Vendlink for generously donating snacks and refreshments for our campers throughout the 2010 summer season.

Contacts

Erin Jensen Summer Camp Director (215) 898-4066		Jennifer Reifsteck Assistant Summer Camp Director (215) 898-4016
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Daily Schedule

9:00 am – 9:30 am	Meet and Greet Campers break into age appropriate groups, participate in an icebreaker activity and review camp rules and the day’s activities
9:30 am – 10:30 am	Cultural Connections Campers explore the weekly theme through interactive talks or gallery tours. On Fridays, campers participate in a museum-wide scavenger hunt
10:30 am – 10:45 am	Snack Time (snack provided)
10:45 am – 12:00 pm	Creative Connections Campers engage in hands-on activities, which may include art-making, theatrics, cooking and more.
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm	Lunch and Free-Play Most children bring a lunch from home or food may be purchased from the Museum Café. After lunch, children can play with board games or cards (provided).
1:00 pm – 2:45 pm	Outdoor Excursions Campers enjoy free-play or organized recreational games at a Penn campus field that relate to the week’s theme.
3:00 pm	Camp Conclusion

Additional Activities

Wednesdays: Campers delight in the Summer Wonder performing arts series.

Fridays: Family and friends are invited to attend the Camp’s showcase of learning.

Campers have the opportunity for “behind-the-scenes” fun when they meet professionals in the fields of archaeology, anthropology and tour “VIP areas” of the museum such as Archives and Conservation.

Optional: Pre-camp supervision (8:00 am–9:00 am) and after-camp care (3:00 pm–5:00 pm) are available for an additional fee.

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2010 Weekly Themes

WEEK ONE: June 21 - 25
Sail the High Seas
The conquest of new lands and goods have led humans throughout time to set sail across oceans and seas. Discover the fabled Spice Route which transported cinnamon and cloves, at the time as valuable as gold, from Asia to the Greco-Roman world. Learn how the Vikings raided and traded in places as far away as Constantinople. Design a sailing vessel and create a navigational compass. Play a trade game with your fellow campers to learn of the dangers that seafarers faced and how ideas were transported in addition to wares.

WEEK TWO: June 28 – July 2
Mesopotamian Mysteries
In 1922, archaeologist Leonard Woolley and his team uncovered the royal tombs of Ur, located in modern-day Iraq. The tomb contained Lady Pu-abi, a Sumerian queen of Ur, and her many attendants and treasures which were miraculously untouched by tomb raiders. Visit the exhibit Iraq’s Ancient Past: Rediscovering Ur’s Royal Cemetery to discover the forensic evidence that solved the death mystery of Lady Pu-abi’s attendants. Write your name in cuneiform, don a bull mask, and construct your own ziggurat. Work with new friends to recreate Lady Puabi’s death pit.

WEEK THREE: July 6 – July 9 *no camp July 5*
It’s a Celebration!
Join-in the party! Celebrate seasonal, religious, and historic festivals and ceremonies, such as Turkey’s Independence Day, the Tibetan Buddhist Opera Festival, and more. Get into the festive spirit as you make traditional crafts, like a koi fish kite created during Japan’s Kodomono-hi or Children’s Day. Learn how to samba while you enjoy the infectious music of Brazil. Work with fellow campers to build floats and costumes for a Carnivale parade.

**WEEK FOUR: July 12 – July 16
In the Field
Journey to the Middle Mekong Basin of Southeast Asia and learn about the prehistoric settlement of Ban Chiang, a Penn Museum excavation site since the 1970s. With a trowel in hand, participate in a simulated excavation based on this site. Unearth features and artifacts made of clay, stone, metal, and bone similar to what have been found at Ban Chiang. Then clean, catalog, and sketch your finds. At the end of the week, mount a museum exhibit to share your discoveries and interpretations with family and friends. ** Week Four is Sold Out: To be added to the Waiting List, contact Jenn Reifsteck: (215) 898 - 4016.

** WEEK FIVE: July 19 - 23
A Day in the Life of an Egyptologist
Do you have what it takes to be an Egyptologist? Go behind-the-scenes to see firsthand the journals and field notes of Penn archaeologists who excavated in Egypt in the 1920s. Then, discover the very objects they unearthed as you walk through the ruins of a palace and come face-to-faced with a 12-ton sphinx. Meet a Penn Museum Egyptologist in person and learn how the profession differs today. Work with a team of campers to design and construct your own table-top Egyptian excavation site for another team to unearth.  **  Week Five is Sold Out:  To be added to the Waiting List, contact Jenn Reifsteck:  (215) 898 - 4016.

WEEK SIX: July 26 – July 30
Bring Out Your Dead
Learn about the funerary practices of cultures past and present. Discover how the mummification process works as you come face to face with Penn Museum’s mummies. Learn about various diseases that plagued ancient civilizations and how they become epidemics. Create your own diorama based on ancient Canaan burial sites. Interpret what you learned during the week for friends and family when you recreate the Greek Underworld or an afterlife obstacle from the Egyptian Book of the Dead.

**WEEK SEVEN: August 2 – August 6
It’s Written in the Sky
Do you love to stare up at the night sky? In the past, people navigated the seas, created calendars, and planted their crops by observing the movement of the sun, moon and stars. Learn about the contributions of ancient Greek, Egyptian, Babylonian, and American civilizations to the field of astronomy. Explore monuments, such as Stonehenge, created to mark important events like the solstice and build a model of your favorite with friends. Listen to myths based on the stars and then draw your own constellation in the sky and create a story about its origin. ** Week Seven is Sold Out: To be added to the Waiting List, contact Jenn Reifsteck: (215) 898 - 4016.

WEEK EIGHT: August 9 – August 13
Signs and Superstitions
If you have ever crossed your fingers, knocked on wood, or avoided stepping on a sidewalk crack, this camp session is for you! Discover the origins of these customs and why we still practice them today.

Learn what methods people from around the world use to ward off harm and bring good fortune. Create your own superstition and then make a protective amulet. On Friday the 13th, participate in a special celebration for family and friends featuring activities to bring good luck to all.