Slifer House
Slifer House Museum Sponsors History Summer Camp
April 23 , 2008
This summer, the Slifer House Museum will be transformed into a Civil War soldier’s boot camp, a literary salon, a Victorian tea room, and an 1860s home filled with the exuberant voices of young people exploring and enjoying the life of a 19th century child.
The Museum will host its second annual History Summer Camp, Session I, Monday, June 16 through Friday, June 20, 2008 from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm. It is suggested that children in grades 3-8 (approximately 8-14 years of age) would most benefit from this experience. Tuition is $100 per child for the week-long study, however, some scholarships are available. Lunch and snacks are provided. In this camp the children will be studying and performing the music, chores, and games of the 19th century as well as participating in sessions on literature, arts and crafts, etiquette, and the life of a Civil War soldier.
The Summer Camp experience will expand to a second week: Monday, August 4 through Friday, August 8. Session II will include activities that differ from Session I. While still in the planning stages, a mock archaeological dig, an old-fashioned picnic and hayride, the production of a short ‘Victorian’ play, and a watermelon seed spitting contest are on the agenda. Tuition is $100 per child for the week-long study, however, some scholarships are available. Alumni of the last year’s camp will be invited to a “I Remember When…” afternoon.
Applications for both summer camp sessions are available by calling (570) 524-2245 or visiting our website at www.albrightcare.org/slifer-house.
Funding for the summer camps is possible through several grants. The Woodcock Foundation granted the Slifer House $10,000 to implement the History Summer Camp. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, the Woodcock Foundation’s Mission Statement reads, “So long as there are little children to be introduced to the creative arts and harried adults who missed exposure to great art and literature and timeless music to be shared across all age groups, there will be a need for efforts to encourage the appreciation of the arts.”
Grants from the Lindig Foundation and the Degenstein Foundation facilitated the purchase of appropriate costumes and reproduction artifacts utilized during the History Summer Camp, including kepis, muskets, sack coats, and pup tents. The Summer Camp is a direct outgrowth of the Museum’s Virtual Reality program. Inspired by a similar program which he implemented at the White Deer Elementary School, Don Snyder suggested the virtual reality as an extension of the museum’s mission to educate. The half-day virtual reality program has become extremely popular with homeschoolers, parents’ groups, church-related schools, and elementary schools, including those situated in Lairdsville and Montgomery. The Summer History Camp is a further extension of providing ‘living history’ for children.
For further information please call (570) 524-2245 or visit our website at
www.albrightcare.org/slifer-house.
To learn more about the Slifer House, contact us by e-mail or call (570) 524-2245.
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