We understand that many families likely have concerns about Summer Day Camps and how they are effected by COVID-19. While the Coronavirus poses no immediate concern for summer programs, we have communicable-disease control plans in place that can be revised in cooperation with public health authorities as additional guidance is provided. We will continue to make new updates as new information becomes available.
Some of our current strategies for preventing the spread of communicable disease and illness including COVID-19 include:
There are many fun and engaging ways to teach children about preventing the spread of germs. We will implement games, songs, and hands-on (or hands-off) activities that will reinforce behavior which can minimize the spread of contagious disease.
We will continue to make updates as the time continues. Check here for the most up to date information about Summer Day Camps.
*Screening requirements are subject to change based on CDC recommendations. Participants who fail to meet requirements will receive a refund.
Summer at Thanksgiving Point means there is no chance for the summertime blues! This year we have more summer camp classes and variety than ever before. Let your child explore space, try their hand at paleontology, program a Lego robot, explore insects, learn the science behind the food we eat, go on a dinosaur discovery, and so much more!
During our summer camps there really is something for every child in your household. Preschoolers can come and join in the fun with classes on everything from dinosaurs to music while elementary-aged kids can participate in day or weeklong camps. There are even classes geared toward middle school and high school kids to surely stimulate and engage their minds during the summer.
Thanksgiving Point Members get exclusive Summer Day Camp registration during our Members-only pre-sale from March 1st-7th, as well as a 10% discount all season long.
Remember, class sizes are limited and popular classes fill up quickly, so don't delay. See our FAQs below for more questions and answers!
Thanksgiving Point is committed to creating a positive experience for all children. New this year, we have a professional inclusion support team who can provide varying levels of assistance to children, based on the camper's need and the inclusion team's availability. Please call Max Whitson, Summer Camp Coordinator (801.768.4994) to learn more or to request support.
After Camp Connections
For children and youth of all ages who attend Thanksgiving Point Summer Camps. Offered daily, from 3:00-5:30pm. Professional staff in our Learning and Engagement department make connections from the camp day to the experiences in the Museum of Natural Curiosity. They will facilitate child-led play and exploration, games and activities, and learning through child-led inquiry. Each session is $22 per child per day.
Preschool Single Day Camps are offered on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. Morning camps are geared toward ages 3-4 and run 9:30 am - 12 noon. Afternoon camps are geared for ages 4-5 and run 1:30 pm - 4 pm. Each session is $35. Participants must be able to use the bathroom independently.
Space Paint
Get excited about the wonders of outer space through arts, crafts, games, and play! Participate together in Nebula art, solar stories, and imaginary astronautics!
June 8: 9:30 am
June 8: 1:30 pm
June 9: 9:30 am - SOLD OUT
June 9: 1:30 pm
June 10: 9:30 am
June 10: 1:30 pm
Pirates Ahoy!
Arghhh Matey! Do you have what it takes to be a pirate? Learn to navigate the salty seas as we hunt for hidden treasure.
June 15: 9:30 am
June 15: 1:30 pm
June 16: 9:30 am
June 16: 1:30 pm
June 17: 9:30 am
June 17: 1:30 pm
Winged Wonders
How does flight work? Stretch your wings and soar with birds, bugs, and planes as we embark on a journey to learn the science of flying.
June 22: 9:30 am
June 22: 1:30 pm
June 23: 9:30 am
June 23: 1:30 pm
June 24: 9:30 am
June 24: 1:30 pm
Super Bugs
Our small bug friends have some amazing abilities: super strength, incredible sense of smell and more. Come celebrate these crazy cool critters through all kinds of crafts and activities.
June 29: 9:30 am
June 29: 1:30 pm
June 30: 9:30 am
June 30: 1:30 pm
July 1: 9:30 am
July 1: 1:30 pm
Growing with Nature
Plants and trees, bugs and bees, you and me: we all change and grow as we get older! Explore the magic of metamorphosis and a love of nature through songs, stories, crafts and play.
July 6: 9:30 am
July 6: 1:30 pm
July 7: 9:30 am
July 7: 1:30 pm
July 8: 9:30 am
July 8: 1:30 pm
Day at the Dinosaur Stomp
Come learn all about paleontology and the fascinating world of dinosaur fossils! Dig up fossils, learn about making casts, and even assemble your own dinosaur skeleton.
July 13: 9:30 am
July 13: 1:30 pm
July 14: 9:30 am
July 14: 1:30 pm
July 15: 9:30 am
July 15: 1:30 pm
Budding Artists
Let's make art! We will find out how we can use nature to make art and find our own creative flair. We will gain experience using mediums other than traditional pencils and paints to represent the natural world around us.
July 20: 9:30 am
July 20: 1:30 pm
July 21: 9:30 am
July 21: 1:30 pm
July 22: 9:30 am
July 22: 1:30 pm
Count the Beat
Listen to the sounds of math. Get the whole body involved while learning important math concepts such as patterns, shapes, counting, numbers, and measurement through the joys of music and movement.
July 27: 9:30 am
July 27: 1:30 pm
July 28: 9:30 am
July 28: 1:30 pm
July 29: 9:30 am
July 29: 1:30 pm
Farm Friends
Moo! Baa! Neigh! Spend a day at the farm getting to know some farm animal friends. Get up close and personal with cows, goats, chickens and more as we learn all about life on the farm.
August 3: 9:30 am
August 3: 1:30 pm
August 4: 9:30 am
August 4: 1:30 pm
August 5: 9:30 am
August 5: 1:30 pm
Castles & Catapults
Venture back to the Middle Ages in a quest for knighthood. Step into the role of a knight as we fight dragons, defend castles, construct catapults and go on a daring adventure.
August 10: 9:30 am
August 10: 1:30 pm
August 11: 9:30 am
August 11: 1:30 pm
August 12: 9:30 am
August 12: 1:30 pm
Class Details and Policies:
Turkey Tots (Farm Country)
May 21, 28, June 4, 11, 18, 25
Come enjoy summer at the farm during our six-week session of Turkey Tots! Children will not only enjoy the company of Banjo the Donkey and our other farm friends, but they will get their hands dirty in the Tot Garden while we plant and learn about the summer harvest.
Outdoor Adventures (Museum of Natural Curiosity)
July 9, 16, 23, 30, Aug 6, 13
Discover the natural world using all your senses as you dissect plants, identify animal tracks, and build your own campsite. This new six-week summer session gives children the opportunity to leap into nature as they explore the insects, plants, animals, and landscapes of our own backyard
For children entering kindergarten or first grade in the fall of 2020. Camps are offered in the mornings (9 am-12 noon) and the afternoons (12:30-3:30 pm). Participants may enroll in both AM and PM camps of the same day/week, staying from 9:00 to 3:30, with complimentary in-between care by our professional staff. Each Session is $35.
Pirates of the Sea
Arghhh, Matey! Journey across the seven seas as we search, discover and imagine all things pirate!
June 11: 9 am
June 12: 9 am
July 9: 12:30 pm
July 10: 12:30 pm
Say Cheese
Campers will learn about colors, shapes, patterns, and reflections while learning how to use a camera. Campers will explore creativity in multiple ways and have the chance to take photos. They will practice many kinds of photography from portraits to nature.
June 11: 12:30 pm
June 12: 12:30 pm
July 16: 9 am
July 17: 9 am
Digging Up Dinos
Do you dream of digging up your own dinosaur? Learn about the amazing creatures that used to walk on Earth and how Paleontologists determine what they were like when they were alive.
June 25: 9 am
June 26: 9 am
August 6: 12:30 pm
August 7: 12:30 pm
Pony Party
Gallop over to Farm Country to discover more about how we care for our ponies as we brush, saddle, ride and learn all about our favorite four-legged friends.
June 25: 12:30 pm - SOLD OUT
Jun 26: 12:30 pm - SOLD OUT
July 29: 9 am
July 30: 9 am
Mini Makers
Campers will work individually and in teams to create exciting projects including a community string- art piece, a 3-D pen creation, and more. Creatively solve real world problems using real tools.
July 9: 9 am
July 10: 9 am
July 16: 12:30 pm
July 17: 12:30 pm
Farmer for a Day
Horses, goats, chickens, and sheep are excited to meet you! Explore Farm Country with up close encounters as we observe the different ways our animals live and grow.
July 29: 12:30 pm
July 30: 12:30 pm
August 12: 9 am
August 13: 9 am
Amazing Ants
Dive into the giant world of tiny ants. Farmers, soldiers, scouts, and the queen work together to support their community. Learn the roles each ant plays in its complex colony.
August 6: 9 am
August 7: 9 am
August 12: 12:30 pm
August 13: 12:30 pm
For children entering kindergarten or first grade in the fall of 2020. Camps are offered in the mornings (9 am-12 noon) and the afternoons (12:30-3:30 pm), Monday - Thursday. Participants may enroll in AM and PM camps of the same day/week, staying from 9:00 to 3:30, with complimentary in-between care by our professional staff. Each session is $125.
Lego Blocks & Robots
Beep. Boop. Combine a new knowledge of basic robotics and Lego-building to create crazy, programmable gadgets from your imagination.
June 8-11: 9 am
July 6-9: 12:30 pm
July 27-30: 9 am
August 10-13: 12:30 pm
Dinosaur Daze
Have a little paleontologist who is eager for ancient knowledge? Satisfy their appetite through a series of activities conducted in the largest dinosaur museum in this hemisphere.
June 8-11: 12:30 pm
July 6-9: 9 am
Critters and Crawlers
Do you dream of digging up your own dinosaur? Learn about the amazing creatures that used to walk on Earth and how Paleontologists determine what they were like when they were alive.
June 15-18: 9 am
July 27-30: 12:30 pm
Space Adventure
Join us on a spacewalk through the galaxy as we learn about the solar system, astronauts and space exploration machines
June 15-18: 12:30 pm
August 10-13: 9 am
A is for Ant
How creative can YOU be? Test your powerful imagination as we discover art mediums and techniques to let loose your inner artist. A is for Art will have campers will exploring, experimenting, observing, and learning with hands-on arts and crafts.
June 22-25: 12:30 pm
June 29 - July 2: 9 am
July 13-16: 9 am
August 3-6: 12:30 pm
Super Science
Calling all Superhero Scientists! This week we need a superhero team to test different science experiments, interact with bugs, and discover how cool science really is! Can you come help save the day?
June 22-25: 9 am
July 13-16: 12:30 pm
Tinker Time
Time to take apart and tinker with toys and tools to tell what makes them tick! Campers use their own hands and eyes to experiment with simple machines, measurements, light, programming.
June 29-July 2: 12:30 pm
July 20-23: 9 am
Rangers of the Rainforest
How long is an anaconda? How slow is a sloth? Come imagine and play on a journey through the rainforest to find out more about these amazing animals.
July 20-23: 12:30 pm
August 3-6: 9 am
For children entering 2nd or 3rd grade in the fall of 2020. 2nd-3rd Grade Single Day Camps are offered Fridays from 9:00am-3:00pm. Each session is $55.
Switches & Circuits
Why does the lightbulb turn on when we flip a switch? Come experiment with batteries, snap circuits, LED lights, and more as we learn the basics of electrical circuitry.
doTerra Plant Science
Join us for a science filled adventure exploring how plants grow and are used to create products we use including essential oil, fuel, food and more. Through hands-on experiments and interactive discussions, campers will discover how scientists use nature to create a finished product that becomes an experience for the senses you can see firsthand!
Butterfly Bonanza
There are more than 20,000 species of butterflies in the world and they come in all colors and designs. Join us we discover the many wonders of butterflies.
June 19: 9 am
June 26: 9 am
August 7: 9 am
Click-it Photography
See the world through a new lens. Learn to appreciate and capture the beauty in the nature, people, and objects that surround you every day.
Plants & Gardens
Let’s explore the wonderful world of plants! We'll dive into the what and why of plants and biology. become a scientist who makes discoveries and create some nature art along the way!
Naturally Artistic
Art is everywhere! Connect with nature through this creative arts-centered class. See how nature can be a powerful inspiration for our art.
Horsing Around
Get your horseshoes on! Come down to Farm Country to learn about everything equestrian, featuring first-hand interactions with horses.
July 17: 9 am - SOLD OUT
For children entering 2nd or 3rd grade in the fall of 2020. 2nd-3rd Grade Week Long Camps are four-day camps that run Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, from 9:00am-3:00pm. Each session is $175.
Boom Pop Fizz
Campers become super scientists this week as they conduct dozens of experiments! They will learn about the scientific process, cause and effect, weather, observations, and more!
June 8-11
June 22-25
August 10-13
Exploring Wasatch
Let’s learn about nature all around us. Campers will learn about habitats, birds, bugs and mammals in the Wasatch area while doing fun activities. The campers will also get the opportunity to make field guides to show what they observe in their fun adventures.
Cardboard Arcade
Practice the design process as we explore the world of games! We will learn practical skills such as engineering, measuring, tool use, game design & strategy as you design your arcade. Family is invited to visit and play in our arcade on final day of camp.
Thanksgiving Point Jr. Explorer
Thanksgiving Point houses several different venues - have you been to them all? We’ll be exploring all 5 of our venues with hands-on activities in plant science at the Ashton Gardens, engineering at the Museum of Natural Curiosity, animal adaptations at Farm Country, entomology at the Butterfly Biosphere, & paleontology at the Museum of Ancient Life
Jr. Entomologist
Do you love bugs? We do too! Explore the life of an entomologist as we observe, learn and protect the fascinating critter world!
Robots Reimagined (with Lego)
Do you love robots and Legos? Learn what makes robots tick and play with some of the amazing robots that are available now. The only limit is your imagination as you design and program a robot out of Lego WeDo kits.
June 15-18
June 29-July2
July 13-16
July 20-23
August 3-6
Music Builders
Learn about the science of sound as we create our own musical instruments! This camp will end with a performance on our home-made instruments.
NASA Space Camp: Spanish Immersion!
Explore outer space! From aircraft engineering to nebula art, this camp will have you building, designing, and imagining the possibilities of space exploration. Our giant solar system map and star lab will transport you through the stratosphere. Facilitated in English and Spanish!
Meet the Makerspace
Calling all makers! Ready for some tinkering around? Come join in the Makerspace as we create & construct with fun tools ranging from sandpaper and scissors to a laser cutter and a 3D printer!
Discovering Dinosaurs
Have you ever wondered what it is like to be a paleontologist? Learn day by day the process that paleontologists go through when they study dinosaurs. Find out what makes dinosaurs special, learn how scientists dig up dinosaurs and put them together, and try to interpret the results for yourself!
Designers & Engineers
Campers will learn problem solving, team building, and critical thinking skills as they design and create an invention from the bottom up. Exploring the different types of engineering, they will learn how they can make the world a better place. We will work as a team using different learning styles so every child can see their place in the engineering world!
Outdoor Skills
Be ready to take the lead on your next outdoor trip. Gain the skills to be successful in your adventures; try your hand at knots, shelter building, water purification, outdoor cooking and more.
For children entering 4th or 5th grade in the fall of 2020. 4th-5th Grade Single Day Camps are offered Fridays from 9:00am-3:00pm. Each session is $55.
Eco-Explorers
Campers will explore and learn about the natural world through a series of fun hands-on activities including collecting plant material and bugs to study with microscopes! Campers will learn research skills to connect animals and their habitats and even build their own terrarium to take home.
Paleontology Palooza
The dinosaur party is on with Paleontology Palooza! Come on down to learn every step of the discovery of a fossil. Learn what to look for in your field sight, how to uncover the bones. Take it to the finishing steps by molding and casting your own recreation of shells, claws, and footprints of these ancient beasts.
Picture Perfect
Focus in on photography basics and beyond. Learn parts of a camera and camera care. Prepare for a challenge to be creative and courageous in photography, equipped with the skills every photographer needs.
Crime Busters
Delve into the world of crime solving in this day camp. Learn real life chemistry skills that forensic scientists use to crack the case wide open!
Insect Investigations
Insects make up more than half of all described organisms, they’re all around us, and many are extremely important to our lives. In Insect Investigations, campers will learn what makes a bug a bug, and how real entomologists catch and study them. We will observe, handle, catch, research invertebrates, and discuss how to study and conserve them in our own backyards.
Stop Motion Animation
Use clay, Legos, or whatever materials and props you choose in a stop motion video creating that you write, design, produce and record.
Play, Write, and Act Out
Have a born star in the family? A writer perhaps? Or simply a social butterfly? Then have them sign up for Play, Write, Act Out, a unique experience in which your child will learn the creative process of play and screenwriting from paper to performance.
World Music
Travel the world with us as we explore the instruments, rhythms, and music of different cultures.
For children entering 4th or 5th grade in the fall of 2020. 4th-5th Grade Week Long Camps are four-day camps that run Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, from 9:00am-3:00pm. Each session is $200.
NASA Space Camp: Spanish Immersion
Explore outer space! From aircraft engineering to nebula art, this camp will have you building, designing, and imagining the possibilities of space exploration. Our giant solar system map and star lab will transport you through the stratosphere. Facilitated in English and Spanish!
Amazing Utah
Arches and canyons, high mountains and low deserts, and the grand staircase; these are some of Utah’s geological wonders. How did it all get here? What amazing creatures are hidden in these places? How can we learn, explore and protect these unique and amazing ecosystems?
Jr. Naturalist
Be a junior naturalist in this partner camp between Thanksgiving Point and The Monte L. Bean Life Sciences Museum. Join us as we explore nature around us and participate in collecting, recording, preparing, identifying, and sharing what we find.
Mindstorms and More
Do you dream of commanding a daring rescue or exploring faraway lands? Learn about how robots allow us to do that and more as you get the chance to use some of the advanced robots now available. Combine everything you have learned to design and program a robot using our Lego EV3 kits.
Entomologist Experience
Bring bugs to life! Thanksgiving Point is teaming with amazing insects and materials for studying them. Campers will become a practicing keeper, entomologist, and invertebrate paleontologist all-in-one!
Farm to Table
Do you know where your food comes from? How does it get to the grocery store? Learn what it takes to go from dirt and seed to packaged food on the shelves and finally to the dinner plate.
Making of Video Games
Do you love video games? Ever wonder how video games are made? Explore the history of the video game industry and design games using simple programming tools.
Design Challenge
Get your gears turning as you collaborate to create solutions to a series of engineering design challenges! Design and build tools to solve real world problems like a bridge, an earthquake-proof structure, or maybe a brand-new invention.
Pixelated
Come look closer at the little things that make up a whole. This camp will focus on pixel arts in different mediums from mosaics to photography. We can't wait to see the fun things you will create.
For children entering 6th or 7th grade in the fall of 2020. 6th-7th Grade Single Day camps are offered Fridays from 9:00am-3:00pm. Each session is $65.
Biofuels of the Future
Corn powered cars, poop power plants, and French fry fueled homes: these are technologies of today. Come explore and create the biofuel technologies of tomorrow!
Stop Motion
Write, plan, produce, create, record, and edit a stop motion masterpiece. Learn the ins and outs of animation to create professional final projects with a small team and see your name scroll down the credits!
Dying to Tie Dye
Are you curious about what makes a dye actually dye things? In t his class you'll learn what makes dye a dye, how to make your own dyes with plants, and come away with some truly unique pieces of art!
Urban Masterpieces
Public art is all around us, provoking thoughts, emotions and imagination. Come express yourself by making art with some usual and not-so-usual materials!
Plant Partners
Join us at Ashton Garden’s Learning Garden for a day of STEM based learning in Plant and Agricultural Science. Conduct experiments to see how plants respirate and absorb water. Use real tools to explore soil composition and health. Learn garden techniques and knowledge from a Master Gardener.
Ant Adventures
Besides humans, leafcutter ants have the most complex societies of any animal on earth Using hands-on activities, campers will learn about some of the strategies that leafcutter ants use to maintain their massive colonies. We will play co-operative games to demonstrate ant innovations like agriculture, task-partitioning, and communication - and how humans and ants are more alike than you may think.
For children entering 6th or 7th grade in the fall of 2020. 6th-7th Grade Multi-Day camps run Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9:00am-3:00pm. Each session is $225.
Cardboard Contraptions
Use the tools in our makerspace to build up-cycled art, structures, toys, and gadgets out of commonly discarded materials!
Green Careers
Scientists don’t all wear white coats in a lab. Get outdoors and do science in the field! Learn how environmental scientists study nature and why that research is crucial for protecting it.
Media Creators
Become media creators, equipped with the fundamentals of photography and the essentials of videography. Create a portfolio showcasing your new skills and personal style. Learn concepts ranging from the science behind the lenses of a camera to lighting, framing, and editing to create a finished product.
Chem Careers
From plants to plastics, from farms to pharmacies, experiment with chemistry as the foundation of most of our modern technologies and many future sustainability solutions.
For youth entering 8th or up to 12th grade in the fall of 2020. Camps are offered week-long, half-day Monday through Friday, 9 am - 12 noon. Each session costs $150.
Through the Lens
This is a camp for budding and advanced photographers alike. Campers will try their hand at three different types of photography and explore some of the many things Photoshop has to offer.
ECO Challenge
Explore, Create, Observe: ECO Challenge is an opportunity to look at some real-world environmental struggles and explore solutions. Air pollution, non-renewable energy, and urban food deserts are just a few examples of problems we need our next generation to solve.
AR/VR
Visit a whale underwater, ride roller coasters, and view worlds you've created in 3D space without leaving your seat. Virtual and Augmented Reality are two technologies that are expanding the possibilities of entertainment, gaming, experiences, and therapies. Come learn how to take 360ᵒ video, create virtual scenes and add Augmented Reality to the real world.
Print Making
Discover the craft of printmaking as we explore a variety of techniques. You'll create your own masterpieces using screen printing, block printing and more.
NEW THIS YEAR. For youth with autism, ages 13 to 18. Camps are offered week-long, half day (Monday through Friday, 9am - 12 noon). Each session costs $150.
Autism Adventure
The adventure education process has a unique ability to develop increased social awareness and connection in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The seven stages of adventure are name games, deinhibitizers, communication, problem solving, trust, low ropes, and high ropes elements. Children with ASD along with their peers will be taken through these seven stages and be guided to expand their current social understanding and aptitude. Participants must be verbal, and must be able to use the restroom independently.
Join us for a great week of golf for kids of all skill levels, ages 6-15. Camps run Monday-Thursday, 10:00am-Noon. Each session costs $150.
Campers will be able to learn and sharpen their skills with a strong emphasis on the fundamentals of iron play, driving, chipping, putting, rules & etiquette. We will also be focusing on fitness, STEM of Golf, and core values learned through playing the game. Each camp will be hosted by Class A PGA Director Tele Wightman and his trained team. Don't hesitate, get them registered today because spots fill up fast!
June 15-18
July 13-16
August 10-13
You will receive a confirmation email a week before your camp is scheduled to begin specifying which of the locations to drop-off/pick-up your child
Preschool campers are dropped off and picked up directly at their designated venue as specified in confirmation emails.
For any questions please email reservations@thanksgivingpoint.org or call 801-768-4971
Transfers are permitted up to 1 business day or 24 hours in advance with a $10.00 fee based on availability and any cost difference between camps.
Substitutions – a neighbor, cousin, sibling, etc. - are accepted up to first day of camp.
If a camp is cancelled by Thanksgiving Point Institute due to low enrollment, all fees will be refunded.
Camp curriculum and lesson plans are geared toward the grade your child will be entering into in the Fall of 2020. If you have an older and a younger child you would like to be in the same camp we do allow older children to attend camps one grade lower.
Registration closes one week prior to the beginning of camp.
If the class you want is sold out, please call (801) 768-4971 to be added to a waitlist.
Camp sessions vary in price depending on grade, length of day, and days per week. Please check individual camp listings for price information.
Our camps promote independent learning and socialization opportunities for your child. If you feel your child is unable to remain in camp without you, it may be best to wait a year before you send them to camp.
Depending on which camp you choose your child could be making and programming a Lego EV3 robot, painting with watercolors in the gardens, catching polliwogs and toads to make observations, collecting insects and plants to research, using software to design and 3D print jewelry, or feeding goats and sheep to learn about adaptations.
All of our campers come home with parent letters with additional resources – websites, books, experiments, and activities – to continue the fun all summer long!
Stay updated and subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
* Indicates required field
