
Vacation Destination
Nature-based science fun with Fairbanks educators
Vacation Camps
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
All camps take place at the Fairbanks Museum. Limited extended day options are available until 3:00 PM.
- $175/child: members
- $225/child: non-members
- $10/child sibling discount
- $150/child extended day (until 3:00 PM)
Feb 24 – 28
Winter Wildlife (ages 4-6) FULL
Find out how animals survive icy cold and freezing temperatures! We’ll build snowy structures, weather permitting. We’ll also have fun exploring the museum to discover winter critters. We can’t wait to dive into story time, games, and crafts with your camper and share this wonderful learning experience together!
Winter Civilizations (ages 7-10)
Discover how different civilizations adapted to harsh winter conditions. We will explore how people around the world kept warm, hunted and stored food, and how they entertained themselves in the long winter months. What unique winter inventions can we thank each of these civilizations for? What winter stories did they create that we still tell today?
April 21 – 25
Full STEAM Ahead! (ages 4-5)
Explore science, technology, engineering, arts, and math with Fairbanks Museum friends! This camp will bring out the explorers in all of us through hands-on activities, experiments, crafts, and games!
Monster Mythology (ages 9-12)
We’ve all heard stories of ghouls, demons, and monsters, but where did they all come from? What are some of the oldest monsters and who invented the myths about them? Campers will explore monster myths from around the world and their origins. We’ll look into the science behind why people at the time believed these monsters were real, and the cultural impact of these legends. Each camper will also have the opportunity to create a monster myth of their own.
Crazy Contraptions with Zach Umperovitch
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM (ages 6-8)
1:00 – 4:00 PM (ages 9-12)
Zach Umperovitch, is back by popular demand! Zach is the leading authority on Rube Goldberg machines, working with everyday objects to build contraptions that accomplish a simple task in many steps, adding humor along the way. Campers will get to create their own multi-step machine, using fun and silly ways to rethink how to get things done!
Send a message to Karina Weiss to be placed on a waiting list for camps that are fully enrolled.
Summer Discovery Camps
week-long programs, June – Aug
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
All camps take place at the Fairbanks Museum. Limited extended day options are available until 3:00 PM.
- $175/child: members
- $225/child: non-members
- $10/child sibling discount
- $150/child extended day (until 3:00 PM)
Discovery Camps offer week-long fun for your young naturalists! Each theme is repeated to welcome more campers. Campers should not register for the same theme twice.
Community Dwellers
Masters of Disguise
Aquatic Insects
Ages 4-5
June 16-20: Community Dwellers
June 23-27: Community Dwellers
July 7-11: Aquatic Invertebrates
July 14-18: Aquatic Invertebrates
July 28-August 1: Masters of Disguise
August 4-8: Masters of Disguise
Ages 6-8
June 23-27: Aquatic Invertebrates
July 14-18: Masters of Disguise
July 28-August 1: Community Dwellers
August 4-8: Community Dwellers
Please register one child at a time. Registration is complete and your place is reserved when payment has been received.
Drones and Robots
9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Camps take place in the Fairbanks Museum’s STEM Lab.
- $300/child: members
- $350/child: non-members
- $20/child sibling discount
Drones (ages 9-12)
- July 7-11
- July 14-18
From yesterday’s science fiction to today’s science facts, we live in a world where drones are already a part of people’s everyday lives. During this week of camp, each child will also get to construct and fly their very own drone! You don’t need any experience with coding to join.
Robots (ages 9-12)
- July 28-Aug 1
- Aug 4-8
If you could make your own robot, what would you want it to do? Come find out what you can make with some imagination and the skills you’ll learn with us! You don’t need any experience with coding to join, but we will be learning some of the languages used every day by robots and computers. Each camper will also get to construct a real, re-programmable robot that they will get to take home with them at the end of the week!
Advanced Drones & Robots (ages 11-14, returning campers only)
- June 23-27
In this action-packed week exploring both drones and robots, campers will dive deeper into building and programming their own creations… from scratch. Please note this camp week is only for those who have completed our Drones and Robots camp in previous years.
Franklin’s Guides
June 23 – August 15
Ages 12-16
The Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium is looking for engaged, mature students who are ready for the responsibilities of interacting with the public in a natural history museum setting. This program is designed to give students a chance to learn what it’s like to be a docent. If you enjoy science, history, animals, astronomy, and more, Franklin’s Guides is the right program for you.
Our Guides will spend time in the museum, planetarium, Build It Lab, and native butterfly house. They will greet visitors, interpret exhibits, educate, and assist with programs. June 23rd to 27th will be an orientation week, where all guides will be trained on the different locations where they will be stationed throughout the summer.
Students are expected to commit to a Monday- Friday weekly schedule, with their days starting at 10AM and ending at 4PM. Upon completion of all 7 weeks, Franklin’s guides will receive a stipend of $300. We will conclude our summer fun with an overnight at the museum on August 16.
Please email Karina Weiss to inquire about this program and request an application. Applications must be completed and submitted by Sunday, May 26th at 5:00 PM.