Looking Ahead to Summer 2024

Image caption: Campers create and shape their own ceramic bowls during a session exploring myths, legends, animals, and ancient beasts. Photo credit: Penn Museum. A high-resolution version of this image is available for download here.

PHILADELPHIA, January 8, 2024—Now entering its 26th year, Penn Museum Anthropology Camp will open early for registration this year, allowing families the flexibility to sign up starting January 17. In addition, the Museum will offer a limited number of need-based, full-tuition scholarships for Philadelphia residents ages 6–13 to learn more about cultures around the world this summer, making archaeology and anthropology accessible to all.

"Many families begin to make arrangements for summer activities shortly after the holiday season. To help them plan ahead, we will open camp registration two weeks earlier this year," says Allison Krisch, Summer Camp Director. "Workshop and activity planning for this year’s eight-week Anthropology Camp is already underway. We are looking forward to an exciting, fun-filled 2024 camp season!"

Popular with families from the Greater Philadelphia region who return year after year, the annual Penn Museum Anthropology Camp features hands-on workshops, educational talks, and immersive gallery exploration.

Designed for children entering first through eighth grade in the 2024–2025 school year, the curriculum cultivates curious minds with diverse weekly themes, such as:

We Are What We Wear: June 24–28 and August 5–9 (Week 1 and Week 7)

Campers will learn about ancient fashion and how it has influenced today’s styles. They will also explore weaving and textile practices of the past and design their own necklaces.

Engineering the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: July 1–5 and August 12–16 (Week 2 and Week 8)

Young learners will study architectural feats from long ago—like Roman arches and Greek temple facades. They will also participate in building challenges and create models of their favorite engineering wonders. *There is no summer camp on Thursday, July 4.

Wordsmiths, Scribes & Storytellers: July 8–12 (Week 3)

Campers will study ancient writing systems and symbols used by different cultures across the globe. As they learn about the importance of written stories, they will create an Egyptian cartouche, participate in a cuneiform workshop, and write and illustrate their own epic tales.

Global Grooves: July 1–19 (Week 4)

Learners will explore how rhythms, beats, and sounds come together to create music, how music impacts their everyday lives, and the ways music is used in celebrations around the world. They will also examine instruments and listen to a live musical performance.

Legends & Lore: July 22–26 (Week 5)

Myths and legends offer fascinating stories about animals, heroes, gods, monsters, and giants. Campers will listen to creation stories, design an incantation bowl, and participate in a classroom puppet show based on ancient myths and legends.

Let’s Roll the Dice: July 29–August 2 (Week 6)

Modern board games have ancient origins. Campers will search for game pieces in the galleries, design their own mancala boards, listen to stories from mythology that inspired today’s popular games, and learn to play various games from Ancient Egypt.

Penn Museum Anthropology Camp begins June 24, 2024. Register here.

Additional information

Scholarships

To apply for a need-based scholarship, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The deadline to submit all full and partial scholarship applications is April 15, 2024.

Costs

The cost for camp tuition is $375 per week. For Penn Museum members, the tuition is $345 per week. Pre-camp and after-camp care services are available for an additional expense.