Uncle Carl’s Camp is designed for discovery, exploration & creativity. Come explore new and old worlds with us!

About "Uncle Carl"

Charles Kauffman, fondly known as Uncle Carl, brought his museum from South Dakota to North Newton, KS in 1940. He spent the next eighteen years bringing history and the outdoor world to life for children and adults at the Kauffman Museum. In keeping with Uncle Carl’s tradition, Kauffman Museum offers discovery-oriented, hands-on summer camps for children. 

2023 Uncle Carl’s Camps

Payment
Payment must be included with registration. For information about becoming a Kauffman Museum member or about need-based scholarships, contact the museum. Cancellation policy available upon request.

Questions?
If you have questions about the camps or Kauffman Museum, please contact us at 316-283-1612 or by e-mail at kmcamps@bethelks.edu or kauffman@bethelks.edu

Play the Day Away

June 5-9, 9:00-11:30 each day | Age 9 to 12 (completed grade 3-6)

IN-PERSON

Come and play with us at games camp. We will entertain ourselves with modern and old, American and international, and inside and outside games. Be prepared to win, lose, or draw and have fun doing it.

Application deadline: June 2
Maximum enrollment: 16

$70 per museum member / $85 per non-member 

Instructor:
Monty Graber
USD 373, Newton, KS

Farm Animals at the Museum

June 12-16, 9:00-11:00 each dayAge 4 and 5 (not yet in kindergarten)

IN-PERSON

Jump into farm life with Farm Animals at the Museum!  Students will learn all about goats, chickens, sheep, cows, and pigs through activities that include art, literature, music, and games. Real life farm animals will visit the museum each day, and there will be plenty of time for petting and snuggles. Join us for this hands-on, farm-tastic learning experience!

Application deadline: June 9
Maximum enrollment: 16

$70 per museum member / $85 per non-member

Instructor:
Rhonda Roux
USD 373, Newton, KS

Art in Nature, K-2

June 19-23, 9:00-11:00Age 6 to 8 (completed grade k-2)

IN-PERSON

Take a closer look at the patterns on the shell of an ornate box turtle. Notice the bright color on a barred tiger salamander. Artists get lots of ideas from nature. Kansas state nature symbols will provide a resource for campers to explore the patterns, colors and textures in nature using paper, paint and clay.

Application deadline: June 16
Maximum enrollment: 16

$70 per museum member / $85 per non-member

Instructor:
LaDonna Unruh Voth
USD 373, Newton, KS

Figuratively Speaking, 3-6

June 26-30, 9:00-11:30 | Age 9 to 12 (completed grade 3-6)

IN-PERSON

Understanding how the body moves is part of learning to draw people. Campers will learn to find the fun in drawing the human figure through a variety of activities and experiences. Student drawings will be compiled in a sketchbook and a mixed media painting will be completed during this camp.

Application deadline: June 23
Maximum enrollment: 20

$70 per museum member / $85 per non-member

Instructor:
LaDonna Unruh Voth
USD 373, Newton, KS

Pottery Possibilities

July 10-14, 9:00-12:00Age 13 and up 

IN-PERSON

Get your hands dirty as we create with clay! Investigate how pottery was made in ancient cultures before trying your own pottery skills. Campers will start with handbuilding before throwing on potter’s wheels at Bethel College. No experience required! Campers will wrap up the week with glazing and an outdoor firing (weather permitting). Completed artwork may be picked up at a later date. Add your own modern twist to the age-old tradition of making pottery!

Application deadline: July 7
Maximum enrollment: 14

$75 per museum member / $90 per non-member

Instructors:
Kacie Schmidt
USD 411, Goessel, KS

Survival on the Prairie, K-2

July 17-21, 9:00-11:30Age 6 to 8 (completed grade k-2)

IN-PERSON

Join staff members from Dyck Arboretum for a prairie adventure at Kauffman Museum. Campers will learn about the plants and animals of the Kansas prairie and how they have survived and thrived for thousands of years. Come identify insects, scavenge for seeds, watch the weather, and play in the plants!

Application deadline: July 14
Maximum enrollment: 16

$70 per museum member / $85 per non-member

Instructors:
Dyck Arboretum Staff
Dyck Arboretum, Hesston, KS

VISIT US

27th and North Main St.
North Newton, KS 67117
Across from the main campus of
Bethel College

CONTACT US

(316) 283-1612
kauffman@bethelks.edu
Mailing address:
300 E. 27th Street
North Newton, KS, 67117-1716

HOURS

Tue-Fri  9:30am-4:30pm
Sat-Sun 1:30pm-4:30pm
Closed Mondays and
Major Holidays