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Kids Create! 2026

 

 

Kids Create! Summer Art Day Camp

 

Building Blocks

For first-time kindergartners–offered all three weeks

Join our construction crew as we learn about the Elements of Art and discover how these elements are used in different art careers like Interior Design, Graphic Design, Studio Art, and Production Design! K5 campers will learn about the building blocks of art (line, color, shape, etc.) and use them to create fun artworks related to artistic career fields.

Note: K5 campers must turn 5 years old by September 1, 2026

Fee (includes daily instruction, art supplies, and snack): Museum Members: $95 | Non-Members: $99

 

Creative Pathways

For rising 1st—6th grade (ages 6-12)–offered all three weeks 

What do you want to do when you grow up? Come along with us as we explore Graphic Design, Studio Art, Interior Design, and Production Design. Together we’ll learn about the essentials of these artistic careers and combine those tools with our own creativity to craft unique artworks. The week will be filled with interactive lessons, art activities, games, snacks, and even a backstage pass to Rodeheaver Stage, BJU’s center for dramatic productions, to learn more about art jobs behind the curtain!

Fee (includes daily instruction, art supplies, and snack): Museum Members: $95 | Non-Members: $99

 

From Concept to Curtain Up

For 6th-8th grade (ages 12-14)–offered weeks of June 8 and 15

Lights, Camera, Action! Have you ever wondered who gets to design the visual effects for theatrical plays and film? Summer campers will explore that question and discover how the elements of art and principles of design are integrated into the creation of sets, costumes, lighting, and even the movement of actors on a stage or film set. Through engaging lessons, guest speakers, games, art projects, and collaborative design opportunities, we’ll exercise your child’s creative muscles throughout the week while building up to our immersive backstage tour of BJU’s Rodeheaver Stage!

Fee: $125 (includes daily instruction, art supplies, and snack)

 

Registration will open January 2026.

Find answers to parents’ and grandparents’ Frequently Asked Questions.

 

Location: Bob Jones Academy (on the campus of Bob Jones University)

Time: 9:30AM — Noon, daily

Camp Weeks for 2026:

  • June 1-5
  • June 8-12
  • June 15-19

On Fridays:

Each week of camp culminates on Friday with a special speaker and an art exhibition showcasing the campers’ creative, beautiful works of art. Students, parents, and families are invited to attend the Friday Art Exhibition and Reception at the end of Kids Create! each week.

Time: Fridays at 11 AM (June 5, 12, and 19)

Location: Lobby of Rodeheaver Auditorium, campus of Bob Jones University

 

Kids Create! summer art day camp is part of Arts Encounter, M&G’s K-12 arts programming.

Kids Create! FAQs

What if my child has a food allergy?
 

If your child has a food allergy, please let us know on the online registration form. We would encourage you to send a suitable snack daily with your child.

 
What if my child has special needs or a medical condition?
 

Please contact us in advance of registering. An M&G educator will listen to your child’s needs and determine how we can best serve your child with the teaching and projects.

 
Should I choose the K5 class or the elementary class for my child?
 

The K5 class is primarily for those students going into kindergarten. But it’s up to the parent to choose. If your child has finished K5, more than likely he is ready for the elementary camp. But if you feel your child needs more time with the younger ages (due to maturity level, concentration, etc.), then register for the K5 camp.

 
Why is the camp fee non-refundable?
 

M&G orders project materials for the entire camp based on registrations. Your fee covers the materials costs, which are ordered in advance of the camp.

 
What if my child gets sick during Kids Create!?
 

Should illness prevent your camper from attending during his/her registered week of camp, we would be happy to coordinate a way for you (or a designated representative) to pick-up projects/materials for your child to complete at home. Please contact us at contact@museumandgallery.org or 864.770.1331.

 
What happens after I register?
 

Once your registration is received, M&G will send an email confirmation. Two weeks prior to your child’s camp week, M&G will send an informational email with a map and specific helps for the first day of camp and the daily carline for drop-off in the morning and pickup at noon.

 
Where is M&G’s camp hosted?
 

M&G’s Kids Create! will be held in the facilities of a partner organization: Bob Jones Academy (on the campus of Bob Jones University). Each day, campers enter and leave the camp on the parking lot side of the Academy Auditorium (AAUD) in the Collins Building. Parents will receive a location map with directions in your informational email two weeks prior to your child’s camp week.

 
Will my child be in class with all age ranges or be separated according to age group?
 

Campers are divided into five separate groups specifically designed with age-appropriate lessons and art activities.

 
Do you accept friend requests?
 

Campers are divided into five groups specifically planned with age-appropriate activities. M&G makes an effort to honor requests for a child to be placed in the same group as a friend; however, based on classroom size and age ranges, we cannot guarantee that all requests will be granted.

 
How does camp work?
 

Kids Create! is a 5-day, morning camp. We run the same themed camp for all of the weeks in June. Each day, camp begins promptly at 9:30 AM, and sessions end at noon.

 
What if I’m a grandparent, may I register my grandkids?
 

Absolutely! Every summer we serve children (often siblings and cousins) that have come to spend a week with their grandparents or whose grandparents have given the week to their grands.

 
May I gift the camp to a child I know?
 

Yes! You can either register the child yourself or make a donation to M&G in the amount of the camp fee and specify in the gift details that your donation is for a Kids Create! camper. Let us know on the giving form whom M&G should contact (the child’s guardian) and how to reach them (phone or email). You can make the gift here: www.museumandgallery.org/give-online/

 
I don’t have children, but I want to give to help cover costs for the campers’ safety and pleasure.
 

We would be most grateful for your support of Kids Create! camp. Your gift will help us provide engaging and affordable arts-integrated instruction that inspires young people to think creatively.

 

Arts Encounter

M&G’s Arts Encounter program represents our best efforts to combat South Carolina’s academic challenges. Our certified education staff utilizes the power of arts-integrated curriculum to increase student interest and improve student academic performance. Arts-integration is the well-researched, rapidly-growing methodology of education that promotes student learning in both the arts and across all core subjects, including STEAM topics, social studies, and literature.  By using the arts in every lesson plan for all classroom subjects, M&G’s educational team is able to visualize for students the difficult concepts they need to succeed in school and in life.

The four distinct elements of the Arts Encounter program are:

Museum on the Move (MOM)
 

M&G’s museum educator partners with South Carolina public and private schools to bring in-school , arts-integrated lessons, that meet state standards, to thousands of K–12 students every academic year. Last academic year (2024-2025), 99 MOM lessons were taught, reaching 2,100 K–12 students–87% were in public schools. This academic year, we’d like for our 30-hour educator to increase our scheduled lessons by coming to YOUR classroom. M&G offers both in-person lessons and digital lessons for classrooms.

 
Cultural Discovery Tours (CDT)
 

While M&G is closed, it’s more difficult for us to provide as many cultural interactions that lead to discoveries; however, we’re still offering tours to some special collections on the campus of Bob Jones University. View the Specialized Tours to see if your students might enjoy coming!

 
Homeschool Days
 

M&G partners with families and co-ops to bring arts-integrated education to K-8 homeschool audiences. Just like all of M&G’s educational programming, the focus includes learning about art techniques and styles while broadening understanding about history, culture, science, literature, math, and more. The topics and projects change each year. Home educators can use a digital lessons series focused on seven ancient civilizations, The Age of Antiquity.  OR M&G offers an in-person lesson series about the golden age of English portraiture for the 2025-2026 academic year, Victorian England: Through the Looking Glass.

 
Kids Create!
 

Carefully designed by M&G educators to combat summer learning loss among the Upstate’s K–8 students, Kids Create! features a compelling mixture of learning sessions and hands-on art projects, all designed to integrate art into every day experiences. Special guest lecturers are featured, allowing students to make the connection between the abstract nature of art creation and everyday life and work. Attendance continues to grow each year!

 

 

The response to the Arts Encounter outreach has been tremendous, with parents, educators, and administrators alike praising the effective, innovative methods the programs collectively employs.

Here are what a few of Arts Encounter’s satisfied patrons are saying: 

  • “The program you have developed is truly amazing, and clearly the Museum and Gallery is an underutilized resource for our schools.”– the Assistant Superintendent for Principal Supervision and School Accountability for the Greenville County Schools
  • “Excellent speaker! Your instructor used examples the students could identify with. I loved her hand motions. The children had a firm grasp of the use of propaganda by the time she left. And, I must admit, she cleared up a few misunderstandings I had. I will use what she taught us in future lectures.” – 7th-grade teacher
  • “Your educator is engaging as well as creative. My children enjoy the classes and find them very interesting. I have to say I find them interesting and learn new things too. The teacher is very good at keeping the interest of variable ages, and using different teaching techniques to reach all the children.”–Local home school mom, after her children attended a Homeschool Days.
  • “I loved learning how to read pictures. I never knew they were actually telling me something. Now I can look at a picture and understand what’s going on in it.”–Riverside High School English student, on learning how to read symbolism in a painting.
  • “Thank you for a wonderful and helpful presentation. My students often struggle to make real life connections, and I feel more able to connect math to art in meaningful ways… Thank you for such a compelling educational odyssey and for the chance to explore a fabulous art gallery that had been unknown to me.”—Middle School Math Teacher
  • “I have scheduled another Ancient Rome lesson for second semester. I will schedule the first lesson on Ancient Greece again next year. This is an excellent program that greatly enhanced our Ancient Greek studies. I appreciate the professionalism and organization of the instructor.”—3rd grade teacher
  • “It was a wonderful experience! My students were so excited about this project and thoroughly enjoyed it! M&G representatives were very professional and available to answer any questions throughout the planning of the lesson.”—5th grade teacher

Support Arts Encounter:

  • School’s $60 price per lesson: M&G’s $60 average classroom fee is primarily a registration fee to hold the appointment and help with gas/travel expenses, and is well below the actual value of the arts-integrated programming the museum delivers.
  • M&G’s $400 cost per lesson: The real cost of M&G’s arts-integrated program delivery, 85% of which is carried by M&G’s budget, (made by gifts from you, foundations, and sponsorships). As a result of these efforts by M&G to carry the majority of AE’s cost, in the past academic years, nearly 99% of educators reported M&G’s AE outreach was either the “right price” or “underpriced.”
  • Would you support us? Every year, M&G’s Arts Encounter outreach touches the lives, minds, and hearts of thousands of underserved Upstate youth, educators, and families.   Donate_Button
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M&G at BOB JONES UNIVERSITY; 1700 Wade Hampton Blvd - Greenville, SC 29614