Children ages 6-17 can have fun with history at Strawbery Banke Museum’s Summer Camps!
Strawbery Banke Museum offers programs for school-aged children with a wide array of interests and abilities. Participants learn about all aspects of life in the past and how it connects to our world today. Each camp is structured to be hands-on, providing one-of-a-kind interactive experiences, and minds-on, allowing kids to investigate and explore the world around them. Integrating science, sports, art, theater, cooking and history; Strawbery Banke camps are designed to get kids excited about the past and eager to be an active participant in the world around them.
See below for a full list of 2022 Summer Camp Programs at Strawbery Banke. Space is limited and programs always fill fast. For more information and to register, visit the website today!
Summer 2022 Camp Programs
July 11 – 15, 2022
History in Play: Growing Up Victorian (ages 9 – 11) (SOLD OUT)
Try living in the time of Tom Sawyer or Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. Dress in period costume, play early baseball and graces, make crafts, and cook a period recipe and roleplay for museum visitors.
Ages: 9 – 11 (Rising 4th – 6th graders)
Dates: July 11 – July 15
Time: 9:00am – 3:00pm
Cost: $325 Non-Members / SBM & Gundalow Members $275
Register Now! (SOLD OUT)
*Waiting list available. Contact bcoppola@sbmuseum.org*
July 11 – 22, 2022
2 Week Roleplaying Camp: The New Republic, 1777 – 1818 (ages 12 – 17) (SOLD OUT)
Take on the roles of adolescents growing up from the 1770s, a time of turmoil during the American Revolution, through 1818, when the new nation enjoyed wealth from adventures at sea.
Ages: 12 –17 (Rising 7th – 12th graders)
Weekdays: July 11 – July 22 (2-week camp)
Time: 9:00am – 3:00pm
Cost: $650 / SBM Members $550
Discounts: 10% off if paid in full by March 1 OR 10% off when registering one child for multiple camps or more than one child for any camps
Register Now!(SOLD OUT)
*Waiting list available. Contact bcoppola@sbmuseum.org*
July 18 – 22, 2022
History Alive (ages 6 – 8)
This introductory roleplaying camp is perfect for youngsters who enjoy using their imaginations and participating in dress-up and pretend play. History Alive encourages kids to compare and contrast life in different eras of the past. Kids receive a new character and costume from a different time period each day. After a brief, interactive lesson about that era, they engage in games and activities particular to each century in period gardens and buildings.
Ages: 6 – 8 years (Rising 1st – 3rd grade)
Weekdays: July 18 – July 22
Time: 9:00am – 3:00pm
Cost: $325 / SBM Members $275
Discounts: 10% off if paid in full by March 1 OR 10% off when registering one child for multiple camps or more than one child for any camps
Register Now!
July 25 – 29, 2022
Survivor Strawbery Banke (ages 10 – 12)
Were the good old days really that good? How did people manage without the technological and medical advances of today? During the week, campers will examine some of the struggles that people faced at different eras in history from death and disease to slavery, fires and natural disasters. Activities include experimentation and problem solving, scavenger hunts, historical simulations and walking excursions around Portsmouth. Find out if you have what it takes to survive the past!
Ages: 10 – 12 years (Rising 5th graders – Rising 7th graders)
Dates: July 25 – July 29
Time: 9:00am – 3:00pm
Cost: $325 / SBM Members $275
Discounts: 10% off if paid in full by March 1 OR 10% off when registering one child for multiple camps or more than one child for any camps
Register Now!
August 1 – 5, 2022
Victorian DIY (ages 6 – 8)
Life was changing at lightning speed during the 19th-century and many people had more time to spend creating new-fangled games and entertainments. During this camp, participants will design shadow puppets and put on a show, develop soda fountain flavors, explore photography, try out a cookstove and make many more projects to share with friends and family!
Ages: 6 – 8 years (Rising 1st – 3rd graders)
Weekdays: August 1 – August 5
Time: 9:00am – 3:00pm
Cost: $325 / SBM Members $275
Discounts: 10% off if paid in full by March 1 OR 10% off when registering one child for multiple camps or more than one child for any camps
Register Now!
August 1 – 12, 2022
2 Week Roleplaying Camp: The Industrial Era, 1820 – 1908 (ages 12 – 17) (SOLD OUT)
Become teenagers growing up in the Industrial Age. Experience the exciting innovations in recreation and chores, clothing, health and hygiene, education and family life through the eyes of a 19th-century adolescent. Offered August 1 – 12, 2022
Ages: 12 –17 (Rising 7th – 12th graders)
Weekdays: August 1 – August 12 (2-week camp)
Time: 9:00am – 3:00pm
Cost: $650 / SBM Members $550
Discounts: 10% off if paid in full by March 1 OR 10% off when registering one child for multiple camps or more than one child for any camps
Register Now! (SOLD OUT)
*Waiting list available. Contact bcoppola@sbmuseum.org*
August 8 – 12, 2022
Hands-On History: Crafty Kids
Develop a variety of skills as you learn to re-create the handmade crafts, inventions and pastimes of days gone by. Campers are introduced to different historical eras through hands-on activities and authentic experiences. At the end of the week, campers take home a bounty of their own projects, entertaining family and friends with newfound skills and one-of-a-kind playthings.
Victorian Ventures (ages 9 – 11) (SOLD OUT)
Weave a Victorian flower basket and work on a loom, discover 19th-century entertainments while making stereoscope slides and creating a soda fountain, explore medicinal crafts of the Civil War era and experiment with photography, telegraphs and other scientific inventions of the 1800s.
Ages: 9 – 11 years (Rising 4th – 6th graders)
Weekdays: August 8 – 12
Time: 9:00am – 3:00pm
Cost: $325 / SBM Members $275
Discounts: 10% off if paid in full by March 1 OR 10% off when registering one child for multiple camps or more than one child for any camps
Register Now! (SOLD OUT)
August 15 – 19, 2022
History Alive (ages 6 – 8) (SOLD OUT)
This introductory roleplaying camp is perfect for youngsters who enjoy using their imaginations and participating in dress-up and pretend play. History Alive encourages kids to compare and contrast life in different eras of the past. Kids receive a new character and costume from a different time period each day. After a brief, interactive lesson about that era, they engage in games and activities particular to each century in period gardens and buildings.
Ages: 6 – 8 years (Rising 1st – 3rd grade)
Dates: August 15 – 19
Time: 9:00am – 3:00pm
Cost: $325 / SBM Members $275
Discounts: 10% off if paid in full by March 1 OR 10% off when registering one child for multiple camps or more than one child for any camps
Register Now! (SOLD OUT)
*Waiting list available. Contact bcoppola@sbmuseum.org*
History in Play: Growing Up Between the Wars (ages 9 – 11) (SOLD OUT)
Become the child of immigrants or a kid learning to “make do” during World War II. Dress in early-20th-century costumes, make a treat on a cast iron cookstove, learn about silent films and the first TV programs and roleplay for museum visitors.
Ages: 9 – 11 years (Rising 4th – 6th graders)
Weekdays: August 8 – 12
Time: 9:00am – 3:00pm
Cost: $325 / SBM Members $275
Discounts: 10% off if paid in full by March 1 OR 10% off when registering one child for multiple camps or more than one child for any camps
Register Now! SOLD OUT
*Waiting list available. Contact bcoppola@sbmuseum.org*
The Boatshop at Strawbery Banke – 2022 Summer Camps
Offered in partnership with the Gundalow Company
Each of these fun, hands-on, experiential and skills-focused camps offer the unique opportunity to explore the joys and fundamentals of boatbuilding and seamanship with The Boatshop at Strawbery Banke and the Gundalow Company. We have limited the capacity of each camp to 12 participants and will be following up-to-date COVID-19 safety guidelines for all of our programs.
Time/Days: Each camp runs 9am-3pm, Monday-Friday
Cost: $500/camp. 10% discount for siblings, members & friends.
Bosuns and Boatbuilders (SOLD OUT)
Cast off on a new adventure with the professional boatbuilders at The Boatshop at Strawbery Banke and the crew at the Gundalow Company for a fun-filled week of making new boats while making new friends. Budding boatbuilders ages 7-10 will join the crew at the Boatshop to discover the wonders of transforming raw materials into a simple cat rigged model sailboat. In this hands-on camp, participants will work to produce their very own boat that we’ll launch and sail on the final day. Along the way we’ll introduce some basic tool usage, measuring, knots, and examine concepts such as buoyancy and displacement. When we’re not in the shop, we’ll keep the energy high and the learning flowing through cooperative team building games.
After a morning of boat building, campers will head out for some time on the water. We’ll sail the Gundalow, row our Piscataqua Wherries, paddle small kayaks and explore the rivers and waterfront of the Portsmouth region. Campers will help the crew set the sail, steer the boat, tie knots, and learn to navigate from the deck of the only Gundalow in the world. REGISTER
Ages: 7 – 10
Dates: July 11 – July 15
Register Now!
Sailors and Shipwrights (SOLD OUT)
Campers will join the professional boatbuilders at The Boatshop at Strawbery Banke for an exciting week of building their own wooden model sailboats from scratch. Each camper will discover the fundamentals of boatbuilding and learn how to use basic woodworking skills to experience the magic of transforming a drawing and raw materials into a 3-dimensional model sailing boat. The week will culminate with campers launching and sailing their finished boats before taking them home for future adventures.
Campers will join the crew aboard the Gundalow and learn to navigate and sail this traditional vessel. In addition, campers will have the chance to venture out in wooden wherries and learn to row and explore the hidden spots on our rivers. REGISTER
Ages: 10-13
Dates: July 25 – 29
Register Now!
Captains and Carpenters (SOLD OUT)
In this hands on program, we’ll explore the fundamentals of boatbuilding by learning proper tool usage and then dive right into building a 12’ Bevin’s skiff. By week’s end, we’ll launch the skiff and each student will have the opportunity to take her for a row. Campers will also take their newly acquired boatbuilding skills out on the water and learn about sailing and our waters from the deck of the gundalow, and will also spend time learning to sail MerryMacs and row Piscataqua River Wherries.
Each afternoon, campers will head out on the water and learn about sailing and our waters from the deck of the only Gundalow in the world. Campers will explore the fundamentals of seamanship including sail theory, plotting, navigating, and knot work. Captains and Carpentry campers will also spend time in small boats learning to sail Merrymacs and row Piscataqua Wherries. REGISTER
Ages: 12 – 15
Dates: August 1 – 5
Register Now!
Maritime Camps with the Gundalow Company – 2022 Summer Camps
The Gundalow Co. and Strawbery Banke partner for two exciting maritime adventure camps (Anchors Aweigh & All Hands on Deck.) Participants will spend time on land and sea exploring and experiencing the lives of sailors for over 200 years. Each day campers split their time spending half the day at SBM with SBM staff and half the day either in Prescott Park, onboard the gundalow or at Creek Farm with the Gundalow Company staff.
Anchors Aweigh (ages 6 – 8) (SOLD OUT)
Spend time onboard the gundalow, Piscataqua, and try out all the positions that people had on a ship. From cook to navigator, captain to cabin boy; engage in crafts, games and hands-on activities to discover what it was like to be a sailor (or a pirate) long ago. We are looking for new recruits. Join us for fun on land and sea!
Ages: 6 – 8
Dates: June 27 – July 1
Time: 9:00am – 3:00pm
Cost: $375 Non-Members / 10% off for SBM & Gundalow Members
Register Now!
All Hands On Deck (ages 9 – 12) (SOLD OUT)
Set sail on board the gundalow, Piscataqua, and try manning the sails, navigating, steering and much more! Then become immersed in an historical seaport neighborhood. Cook a ship’s meal, develop a cure for scurvy, join a maritime trade simulation, visit a sea captain’s house, and engage in a variety of antique arts and nautical games. Don’t miss the boat!
Ages: 9 – 12
Dates: June 27 – July
Time: 9:00am – 3:00pm
Cost: $375 Non-Members / SBM & Gundalow Members $290
Register Now!
Take advantage of these 3 types of camp discounts!
- Early Bird: Register and pay in full before March 1 to receive 10% off. SBM family members or higher levels receive 10% off the member price
- Sibling/Multiple Camp Discount: Register one child for multiple camps or multiple children for the same camp and receive 10% off each registration. (cannot be combined with Early Bird discount.)
- Membership Discount: Family members and higher always receive $50.00 off the price of each camp. This discount applies to camps run exclusively by the Education Department (Roleplaying & Hands-On History Camps.) SBM members receive 10% off the price of Maritime Camps offered in conjunction with the Gundalow Company.
COVID-19 PRECAUTIONS
The protocols for summer camp will be finalized in June. Click below to read Strawbery Banke Museum’s current COVID-19 Precautions.
Looking for More Camp Information?
-For more info and registration links for Strawbery Banke summer camps please visit the website.
-Too many camps to choose from and not sure what Strawbery Banke Camp to sign up for? Take this online quiz to help figure it out!
-To request more information, please contact us at camps@strawberybanke.org or (603) 422-7541.
Strawbery Banke Museum
14 Hancock Street, Portsmouth
(603) 433.1100
info@sbmuseum.org
