Summer is here and our campers have arrived! As the museum buzzes with activity and excitement this week, we have for your viewing pleasure another installment of our “My Favorite Part About Camp…” series. Some of the Education staff started their careers at HMNS as campers in Xplorations Summer Camps; some of us started as part-time camp teachers in the summer; others started as Summer camp interns. A few of us have been here long enough that our own children, nieces and nephews are now too old for camp. Summer camp is such a huge part of all of our lives and it almost has a life and a personality all its own.  The only way I can describe it is to say that it is like a favorite relative that comes to spend the summer.

I asked the Education crew to tell me what their very favorite part of camp is and I wasn’t sure what everyone would say. The answers ranged from sweet to funny to inspiring. For the next few weeks we will present these responses, and hopefully give all you readers just a little sample of how much fun summers can be here at HMNS. This week we will see what Kelsey Friedemann, our special events program manager, had to say:

My favorite part of camp was being a camper! When I went to camp I took a bug class that is very similar to the Creepy Crawlies camp that we have now. We learned about characteristics that make insects unique like having 2 antennae, 3 body segments and 6 legs, and we also met some bugs with a few extra legs like spiders and millipedes. With the Cockrell Butterfly Center in the building, we got to visit the tropical rainforest and see some of those insects in their natural environment. We were able to see the butterfly use its straw-like proboscis to eat a variety of foods from nectar to applesauce, while we roamed around and identified some of the many butterfly species. Of course I always hoped that a butterfly would land on me even if it was just for a little bit! After we traveled through the rainforest, we were able to visit the insect zoo to see more insects along with arachnids and myriapods. Some of these bugs were a little harder to spot because they were very good at disguising themselves as leaves or sticks with their impressive camouflage. Before we left, we stopped by the beehive to learn how insects can help us by making honey and pollinating plants. I learned a lot through that camp that has stuck with me for years. Camp is a great way to get hands on experiences and lasting memories while learning something new. And now, I get to share that experience with new campers every week!

Think our camps sound fun? Well you can read more about them HERE! If you like what you see you can enroll! Camps start June 5th so sign up while spots are still open.

And For those of you who are interested in learning more about the Cockrell Butterfly Center, here is a video!