Are you a kid with a curiosity for science, arts, and the natural world? Kids can join the Rochester Museum and Science Center (RMSC) this summer for its annual “Curiosity Camps.” RMSC’s Curiosity Camps are week-long day camp programs that are divided into sessions based on age group. An RMSC tradition, these camps cultivate an environment of learning, innovation, and community. Curiosity Camp gives kids an experience they’ll never forget!
The programs for each age group are based on different themes, keeping things fresh and interesting every year. “We’ve got a lot of great themes coming up this summer. We’ve got Bugs and Beyond, we’ve got Astronaut Adventures, we’ve got the RMSC talent show—we’ve got a lot of cool stuff,” RMSC camp director Brian Hathaway says. The camp programs are heavily focused on hands-on learning through fun experiments based on the content of its themes. Campers also have plenty of free time to explore the museum exhibits and participate in traditional summer camp recreational activities like nature walks and playing kickball.
Curiosity Camp is also a fantastic place for kids to put their own creative spin on activities and explore what their minds can do. “There was also a fort-building camp last summer where the kids built “Kid-Topia.” They had a police station, a theater, a school, a mayor, and all this other stuff. I love it when kids broaden things out into other directions,” says Hathaway.
The camp’s instructors bring their own creativity to the table in order to make the kids’ experience as awesome and memorable as possible. Hathaway recalls, “I’ve been able to see instructors take things in really interesting directions. We have an art camp called Artist’s Studio, and last summer the instructor decided that they were going to invite all the parents to a little gallery opening at the end of the week. Not only did they do that, but they had the kids acting like museum docents or taking parents’ coats and saying ‘Hey, please don’t touch the artwork!’ It was, it was all very, very cute.”
After working in various summer camps for almost two decades, Hathaway fell in love with the welcoming environment of Curiosity Camps for campers and instructors alike. Whether it be scientific knowledge, a place to express creativity and imagination, or simply a place to make friends, Curiosity Camps have something for everyone. “It’s my hope that the programs that we run here at the museum for youth help make kids curious about science and the natural world, says Hathaway. “Hence the term Curiosity Camps, because there are a lot of things about the world that could be fixed, and I hope that some of the kids that come to my program learn about important stuff like sustainability and want to go out and help and make the world a better place.”
It’s clear that the camp’s biggest focus is creating a safe space for kids to explore new and complex topics and build character and friendship. The museum’s mission statement reads:
“The mission of the RMSC is to create a better world through inspiring curiosity, exploration, and engagement across history, science, culture, and the natural world.” The devoted staff at RMSC’s summer camps truly put this mission into action with both their passions for science and for creating a safe space for youth. Hathaway has seen firsthand what camp can mean to kids in the formative years of their lives. “It does so much for people. It is a place where you can unabashedly be yourself, and that’s the kind of space that I want to provide for people to learn and grow and be the next generation,” he notes.
RMSC offers “Mini-Camps” for age groups 3–4 and 4–5 from 9 a.m.–1 p.m. For ages 5–7, there’s “Almost Camps” which run from 9 a.m.–2:30 p.m. Its full day camps are broken down into age groups 6–8, 9–11, and 12–14 and run from 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Instructors cater to the age groups they are working with and adjust the structure of their days accordingly. There are also some extended care options available for certain camps. To make Curiosity Camp accessible for all, parents can apply for scholarships to help fund camp for their children through the museum’s website. For more information about the RMSC and its camp offerings, visit rmsc.org.
This article originally appeared in the Spring 2025 issue of (585) Kids.
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