Hands-on History Summer Camp
Stay tuned for 2022 summer camp dates and details
Member prices require a current Household membership or higher.
Please direct camp-specific questions to our education team.
Download the updated 2021 Parent Packet
ACTIVE registration system for summer day camp
Hands-on History summer camp is a fun-filled weeklong day camp for kids aged 6 to 12 in the beautiful Golden History Park, featuring five different themes. Campers will use their hands as much as their brains, whether in Dirty Jobs, Pioneer Kids, History Mystery, or Art Explorers. In our revamped and ever popular Silent Stars, exclusively for older campers aged 9 to 12, kids will write, direct, and star in their own silent movie. Additional camps have been added or modified for each age group so there’s something new to discover, year after year.
Registration is in full swing with our new system, ACTIVE Network. Based on feedback from camp families, ACTIVE offers a streamlined registration form, autofill for siblings, family profiles, and a secure, mobile check in/out experience.
Read details about the five different themes and see the schedule of classes below.
Location and structure
Golden History Park, home of Hands-on History camp.
There are two different themes each week, one each in the morning and afternoon. Kids are divided into two age groups: 6–8 and 9–11. The exception is Silent Stars which includes 12-year-olds and is the same theme throughout the day. There will be an average ratio of one teacher for every ten students or less.
HOH’s “home base” will be the Golden History Park along 11th Street between Arapahoe and Illinois Streets in downtown Golden. For activities, campers and instructors may also travel throughout downtown Golden and to Golden History Museum.
Summer day camp themes
Read the complete theme descriptions here.
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| Dirty Jobs | Pioneer Kids | History Mystery | Art Explorers | Silent Stars |
2022 schedule: coming soon
Please note: we are offering full-day sessions only for all age groups.
Drop-off and pick-up times
Morning drop-off at GHP (1020 11th St.): between 8:30 and 9:00 am
Evening pick-up at GHP (1020 11th St.): between 4:00 and 4:30 pm
Supervised lunch breaks
The lunch hour will be supervised by camp staff. Lunch, snacks, and water must be brought from home.
Prices
coming soon
Cancellation
Regular cancellation:
If cancellation occurs within 1 month (4 weeks) prior to the start of the registered session, a $50 fee will be withheld from the remaining refund.
Late cancellation:
If cancellation occurs within the two weeks prior to the start of the registered session, there will be no refund.
GHM cancellation:
If for any reason Golden History Museum & Park cancels a camp session, campers will receive a full refund or the opportunity to transfer to another session, if space is available.
Discounts
To receive the member price you must have a current Household level (or higher) membership. If you’re not sure about your membership status please call 303-278-3557.
Scholarships
Merit-based scholarships are awarded to children with a demonstrated interest in history. Download the application here. This is for both the Gregory Family Scholarship and Friends of Golden History Museum Scholarship.
Registration was easy – I like the new system! (Especially the auto-populate feature for the second child I was enrolling – really nice not to have to type all that info in again.)
Tricia H.The online registration process was GREAT this year. I also really like the check-in process on the iPads and having the kids check-in and out at the history museum. Really well-organized and super easy for parents! Thank you!
I’m so impressed with the amount of activities the kids do while at camp. All of it is relevant and teaches them about history. This is such a great camp. They love it, I love it, they’ll definitely be back 🙂
So much insight about the past and what life was like back then. She absolutely loved camp and said it was her favorite she’s ever done.
He loved all the activities and overall said this was his favorite camp of the summer.
They had a blast and enjoyed working with their hands. They got a better sense of how we lived before electricity. Also, they made friends – such a friendly staff and they promoted kids being kind to each other, too.
They benefited from social interactions with new friends and learned about various trades and life in other times. They also benefited from excellent, caring support of volunteers/staff.
My child especially loved silent Stars and felt so proud of their finished product and how involved they got to be.
