“Children are our legacy.”
Summer Day Camps 2011
Explore, Experiment & Discover!
Overlooking the valley of the Battenkill, our camps are located on the grounds of Hildene, The Lincoln Family Home. The estate was built in 1905 by Robert Todd Lincoln as his ancestral home.
Our camps foster children's love of learning in a safe and friendly environment. Each day children experience a wide variety of hands-on activities that are both educational and fun. Children are encouraged to explore, experiment and make their own discoveries.
Hildene's mission is to advance the Lincoln legacy through education, commitment to community and active stewardship of the family's home and land.
All 2011 Camps are Now Full
Bug Bonanza • THIS CAMP IS FULL
June 27 - July 1
For children entering 1st, 2nd or 3rd grade
$165 Hildene member, $185 nonmember
9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Instructor: Diane Newton
Explore the largest group of animals in the world – insects. These six-legged wonders abound in our fields, forests, ponds and rivers. We’ll investigate their amazing adaptations, life cycles and ecology through outdoor explorations, games, stories, art activities and songs. Highlights include a search for aquatic insects in a nearby river, setting up insect motels, creating pattern block insects and exploring the characteristics and habitat of honey bees.
Nets, Buckets and Boots • THIS CAMP IS FULL
July 5 - 8 (4 Day Week)
For children entering 1st, 2nd or 3rd grade
$132 Hildene member, $148 nonmember
9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Instructor: Diane Newton
Calling all nature explorers! How does a water scorpion breathe, a beaver eat under water without drowning or a Great Blue Heron catch fish? Come and learn the answers to these and other questions during our week exploring and comparing river, pond and wetland communities. We’ll catch and identify aquatic insects, build a river food web, investigate a beaver pond, identify common wetland plants and view live hawks. We’ll also play, do crafts, sing songs, read stories, and cool off on our water slide.
Summer Art Camp • THIS CAMP IS FULL
July 11 - 15
For children ages 7 - 8
9:00 am -3:00 pm
$165 Hildene member, $185 nonmember
Instructor: Anharad Edson
Campers celebrate the colors, shapes and textures of the beautiful Hildene property as they enjoy hands-on exploration of various media in the visual arts. From painting as the Impressionists did in the formal garden to visiting the animals on the farm and creating clay sculptures, the campers will be exposed to exciting techniques and fun-filled art adventures! The week culminates with a festive art show displaying each artist's creations.
Cultural Arts • THIS CAMP IS FULL
July 18 - 22
For children ages 9 -10
9:00 am - 3:00 pm
$165 Hildene member, $185 nonmember
Instructor: Anharad Edson
Travel around the world without leaving the pristine beauty of Hildene's estate. Campers will explore the arts from fascinating cultures (past and present) while making a deeper connection to our own extraordinary landscape. Each day will bring a new adventure in both two and three dimensional art exploration.
Watershed Wonders • THIS CAMP IS FULL
July 25 - 29
For children entering 4th, 5th or 6th grade
$165 Hildene member, $185 nonmember
9:00 am – 3:00 pm • Instructor: Rick LaDue
A scientific adventure like no other awaits the curious watershed explorer during this week of camper-directed aquatic discovery. How healthy are the local waters? Using chemical, biological and physical tests and observations, campers collect data from local wetlands and present their results to parents at the end of camp. Along the way we will encounter mud and predaceous diving beetles and learn how to catch the biggest fish in Manchester!
Farm Camp • THIS CAMP IS FULL
August 1 - 5
For children entering grades 2nd, 3rd or 4th grade
$165 Hildene member, $185 nonmember
9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Instructor: Mimi Wright
Join us to discover how our lives are connected to agriculture. Campers become familiar with Hildene’s farm and visit neighboring ones as they are introduced to different types of farming operations. Campers explore agricultural activities from goat-raising and cheese making to vegetable growing and composting. They try their hand at weeding and picking snacks from the garden, turning milk into cheese, felting fleece into fabric and picking berries for baking. Campers enjoy farm stories and create farm-based crafts. So, dress for the barn and outdoor play!
Farm Camp • THIS CAMP IS FULL
August 8 - 12
For children entering grades 2nd, 3rd or 4th grade
$165 Hildene member, $185 nonmember
9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Instructor: Mimi Wright
Join us to discover how our lives are connected to agriculture. Campers become familiar with Hildene’s farm and visit neighboring ones as they are introduced to different types of farming operations. Campers explore agricultural activities from goat-raising and cheese making to vegetable growing and composting. They try their hand at weeding and picking snacks from the garden, turning milk into cheese, felting fleece into fabric and picking berries for baking. Campers enjoy farm stories and create farm-based crafts. So, dress for the barn and outdoor play!
Young at Art • THIS CAMP IS FULL
August 8 - 12
For children ages 5-6
9:00 am. – 12:00 pm
$115 Hildene member, $125 nonmember
Instructor: Lavinia Lowerre
Let your imagination take you away. Young campers explore their creativity through art projects inspired by Hildene's landscape. Each day our projects will be related to things we find at Hildene, from animals on the farm, to flowers, birds, and butterflies in the gardens. The week ends with a show featuring young artists' work.
Wild Survival • THIS CAMP IS FULL
August 15 - 19
For children entering 4th, 5th or 6th grade
$165 Hildene member, $185 nonmember
9:00 am – 3:00 pm • Instructor: Rick LaDue
Can you build a shelter as weather-proof as a gray squirrel, navigate as well as a migrating song bird or move through the forest as quietly as a fox? Put your survival skills to the test as you spend the week learning from the experts: the animals of southern VT. With hands-on exploration, campers discover the ways local animals survive in the wild and have fun along the way.
Camps are open for member registration only until March 8.
Beginning March 9, camps are open for registration to the general public. All camps are limited to 12 campers.
Registration Information
Please register by printing and submitting the attached pdf form. Your registration is assured when we have received full payment and when you have received a confirmation packet from us.
In the event your child is unable to attend camp, regardless of reason, camp fees are non-refundable.
Some scholarships are available. Please contact us at 802 367-7965 or email Diane Newton for more information.
Please make checks payable to “Hildene” and mail to:
Hildene, Education Program
PO Box 377
Manchester, VT 05254
802.367.7965
Our Camp Staff
Diane Newton, Director of Education, Hildene, The Lincoln Family Home, Manchester, VT
Rick LaDue, Forest Steward, Equinox Preservation Trust, Manchester, VT
Anharad Edson, Art Teacher & Illustrator, Manchester, VT
Lavinia Lowerre, Art Educator, Manchester, VT
Mimi Wright, Small-Scale Farmer, Londonderry, VT
The Lincoln Family Home
