Summer Camps

Spend your summer exploring, creating, and discovering at the Canmore Museum!

Our Summer Day Camps invite kids to dive into local history, nature, and creativity through hands-on activities, gallery exploration, outdoor adventures, and playful learning. Each week features a different theme, giving campers the chance to experience something new while connecting to the stories and landscapes of the Bow Valley and meeting local experts and special guests.

Camps take place at the Canmore Museum and historic NWMP Barracks, with activities designed to encourage curiosity, movement, teamwork, and imagination.

Weeks are bookable individually, ages 6-10.

Week 1: Junior Curators

Step behind the scenes of the past! Campers explore what it means to work in a museum, discover local history, and become storytellers through interactive activities and creative projects.

Activities include:

• Behind-the-scenes exploration of the Canmore Museum
• Hands-on artifact discovery and object handling
• Learning how exhibits are created, from idea to display
• Interactive gallery challenges and scavenger hunts
• Storytelling, drawing, and building inspired by local history
• Outdoor play and exploration at the historic NWMP Barracks
• Collaborative games and problem-solving activities

Details:
Dates: July 6-10
Times: 9am-4pm
Cost: $300 (5-day week) – 10% discount with Canmore Museum family membership
Location: Canmore Museum & NWMP Barracks

Week 2: Bow Valley Nature Explorers

Discover the wild side of the mountains! Campers head outdoors to explore local plants, animals, and ecosystems, connecting nature with science and local history.

Activities include:

• Guided nature walks and wildlife spotting
• Learning about local plants, animals, and ecosystems
• Water and weather experiments
• Art and crafts inspired by flora and fauna
• Outdoor games and exploration
• Connecting natural discoveries to stories of Canmore’s past

Details:
Dates: July 13–17
Times: 9am–4pm
Cost: $300 (5-day week) – 10% discount with Canmore Museum family membership
Location: Canmore Museum & NWMP Barracks

Week 3: Young Inventors

Design, tinker, and build! Campers become inventors, engineers, and problem-solvers, using creativity to design solutions inspired by history, nature, and science.

Activities include:

• Building simple machines and structures
• Creative problem-solving challenges
• Hands-on experiments with materials
• Designing inventions inspired by local stories
• Teamwork and collaborative building
• Outdoor movement and play-based engineering activities

Details:
Dates: July 20–24
Times: 9am–4pm
Cost: $300 (5-day week) – 10% discount with Canmore Museum family membership
Location: Canmore Museum & NWMP Barracks

Week 4: Artists of the Mountains

Explore creativity through local landscapes! Campers immerse themselves in art and craft activities inspired by the mountains, local wildlife, and historical stories.

Activities include:

• Drawing, painting, and printmaking
• Sculpture and mixed-media projects
• Nature-inspired crafts
• Museum-based art challenges
• Special viewing of the museum’s art collection
• Outdoor sketching and creative play
• Sharing and presenting their artistic creations

Details:
Dates: July 27–31
Times: 9am–4pm
Cost: $300 (5-day week) – 10% discount with Canmore Museum family membership
Location: Canmore Museum & NWMP Barracks

Week 5: Archeology Adventures

Dig into the past! Campers become archaeologists, learning how to uncover, examine, and interpret objects from history.

Activities include:

• Excavation simulations
• Artifact handling and analysis
• Mapping and documenting “dig sites”
• Storytelling based on discoveries
• Exploring local Indigenous history and heritage (age-appropriate focus)
• Outdoor exploration and hands-on challenges

Details:
Dates: August 3–7
Times: 9am–4pm
Cost: $300 (5-day week) – 10% discount with Canmore Museum family membership
Location: Canmore Museum & NWMP Barracks

Week 6: Wild Scientists

Experiment, investigate, and explore! Campers engage in hands-on science experiments and outdoor exploration to understand the natural world.

Activities include:

• Snow, water, and rock experiments
• Investigating local wildlife and habitats
• Weather and ecosystem studies
• Creative data collection and journaling
• Outdoor games and teamwork activities
• Connecting science to local stories

Details:
Dates: August 10–14
Times: 9am–4pm
Cost: $300 (5-day week) – 10% discount with Canmore Museum family membership
Location: Canmore Museum & NWMP Barracks

Week 7: Storytellers & Performers

Bring history and imagination to life! Campers explore storytelling, drama, and creative expression, inspired by local history and the Bow Valley environment.

Activities include:

• Scriptwriting and story creation
• Theatre games and role-playing
• Puppetry and performance challenges
• Outdoor storytelling adventures
• Exploring museum objects to inspire stories
• Sharing performances with peers

Details:
Dates: August 17–21
Times: 9am–4pm
Cost: $300 (5-day week) – 10% discount with Canmore Museum family membership
Location: Canmore Museum & NWMP Barracks

Week 8: Mountain Adventures

Follow in the footsteps of Bow Valley’s early mountaineers! Campers step back in time to discover how early explorers, settlers, and mountaineers traveled, mapped, and survived in the mountains. Through hands-on activities and outdoor adventure, they learn trail-building, navigation, and basic survival skills while connecting to the history of the Bow Valley.

Activities include:

• Exploring local trails and practicing map-reading and navigation skills
• Learning how early mountaineers built and maintained trails
• Outdoor survival skills: shelter-building, fire safety, and observing natural resources
• Team-building challenges inspired by pioneer explorers
• Creative journaling and mapping of adventures
• Games and activities connecting movement to historical stories

Details:
Dates: August 24–28
Times: 9am–4pm
Cost: $300 (5-day week) – 10% discount with Canmore Museum family membership
Location: Canmore Museum & NWMP Barracks

HOW TO REGISTER

1. Head over to our Eventbrite page and register/process payment
2. You will then receive a confirmation email with an information form and waiver to fill out
3. Keep an eye on your emails for important updates and reminders about the camps

QUESTIONS?

Reach out to our Programs Manager, Sarah.

programs@canmoremuseum.com | (403) 917-1757

Refund/Cancellation policy: Cancellations made 30 days before the camp start date may be eligible for a full refund. Cancellations made less than 30 days before the start date are non-refundable, and refunds are not provided for individual missed days. If the Canmore Museum cancels a camp, families will receive a full refund or credit.

Museum Cancellation / Changes

The Canmore Museum reserves the right to cancel or reschedule camp weeks due to unforeseen circumstances, including low enrollment, staff availability, or safety concerns. Full refunds will be issued in these cases.