Please note that you need to purchase tickets AND submit a Camper Information Form to complete your camper’s registration.
Questions about registration and logistics? Email registration@lhf.org.
Questions about camp content and curriculum? Email education@lhf.org.
Why do we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, Decoration/Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Halloween, or even Thanksgiving? When immigrants came to the United States, it was important to find communities where they could fit in, and their traditions became part of our tapestry. Explore ways that early immigrant communities in Iowa celebrated milestones and holidays, and compare how holidays are celebrated in Iowa and in other places.
The Heritage Celebration showcasing campers’ projects takes place Friday at 3:15pm at the Exhibit Center. Come to the camper drop-off/pick-up area, and you will be directed to the show.
SHORT WEEK: JULY 1–3 |
Theme | Activity Highlights | |
Monday | Native Americans | Make pinch pot, cook fry bread, visit 1700 Ioway Farm, Creek Walk |
Tuesday | Germans | Visit General Store, shop in Museum Store, design mask for Fasching, make paper lantern |
Wednesday | Norwegians | Bake lefse, visit Tangen Home, weave a julehjerte |
Thursday | Irish | Visit Flynn Mansion, make jack-o-lantern plate and shamrock pin |
Friday | Americans | Visit 1850 Pioneer Farm, make ice cream, 3:15 Heritage Celebration |
Activities subject to change. Short weeks will vary but will include creek walk. On creek day your camper will get wet and muddy. Bring a towel or plastic bag for the car.
Get creative with our natural resources to make food, art, and tools, just as generations of people have done throughout Iowa’s history. Bake bread like a pioneer, make a medicine bag like a 1700-era Native American, go fishing, and learn to appreciate Earth’s resources! Explore plants, animals, soil, wind, water, and the people who settled here to find out how they contributed to the growth of Iowa.
PURCHASE |
SHORT WEEK: JULY 1–3 |
Theme | Activity Highlights | |
Monday | Pioneer Iowa | Bake bread, prepare shaker butter, make soap |
Tuesday | Walnut Hill | Make pinch pots, create recipe books, visit Drug Store |
Wednesday | Architecture | Create mosaic tile art, visit Flynn and Tangen homes, shop at Museum Store |
Thursday | 1900 to Today | Make solar oven, go fishing, learn basket weaving |
Friday | Native Americans | Tree of Life craft, visit 1700 Ioway Farm, Creek Walk |
Activities subject to change. Short weeks will vary but will include creek walk. On creek day your camper will get wet and muddy. Bring a towel or plastic bag for the car.
Have you ever wondered who puts museum exhibits together? A curator, that’s who! If you love history or museums, this is the camp for you. You will see items from the museum’s collections that are rarely on exhibit. Discover how the museum cares for these objects and what we can learn from them. Along the way, you will find out what it takes to create a museum exhibit and design your own tabletop exhibit. At the end of the week, show off your exhibit to your family in a Grand Exhibit Unveiling.
The Grand Exhibit Unveiling takes place Friday at 3:15pm at the Visitor Center off Hickman.
Note: This camp does not include a creek walk.
PURCHASE |
Theme | Activity Highlights | |
Monday | History Through People | What different museum workers do, visit 1700 Ioway Farm, oral history, brainstorm your own exhibit |
Tuesday | History Through Objects | Learn to “read” objects, collections behind the scenes, start building exhibit |
Wednesday | History Through Reading & Writing | Visit Print Shop, Flynn Mansion, Schoolhouse; continue building exhibit |
Thursday | History Through Living Things | Visit 1900 Farm, nature walk; continue building exhibit |
Friday | Putting It All Together | Design activities to make exhibit interactive, finish constructing exhibit, 3:15pm Grand Exhibit Unveiling |
Activities subject to change.
When we have multiple camps of the same grade level, we cannot guarantee your child will be placed with friends. However, we will make every effort to accommodate up to two requests. Please keep the following in mind: