Thinkery Camp Mueller
For Rising Kindergarten – 3rd Grade
Hands-on Learning Fun in Mueller
Camp Details
Camp Location: Thinkery – Meredith Learning Lab
Grade Level: Rising Kindergarten – Rising 3rd Grade
(based on the grade the child is entering for the 2025 – 2026 school year)
Camp Hours: Monday – Friday, 9 AM – 3 PM
Aftercare: Available from 3 – 5 PM ($80/per camper per week)
Pricing: Standard Price – $425; Member Price – $385
Weekly Themes
Ready to pick a uniquely Austin theme for a camper’s week of learning? These playful weekly themes will serve as the spark for your campers’ creative exploration. Check out what themes look like in action!
June 2-6: Mission Possible
Create spy gadgets, crack secret codes, and take on thrilling missions.
June 9-13: Quantum Quest
Explore different eras with themed tech activities, maker projects, and science experiments to take adventures across the ages.
June 16-20: Earth Wind Inspire
Invent and prototype solutions to ecological challenges using natural materials, technology, and tools.
June 23-27: Keep Camp Weird
Discover nature’s oddities—from glowing anglerfish to venomous platypuses—and dive into mysteries like cryptids and ancient preservation.
June 30-July 3: Into the Ocean
Dive deep into the wonders of the deep blue, from ocean physics to marine biology.
July 7-11: Destroy Build Destroy
Dismantle old tech to uncover its inner workings and repurpose the parts to invent fresh creations.
July 14-18: Mission to the Moon
Investigate galaxies, planets, and the solar system to create rockets, design space inventions, and tackle engineering challenges inspired by the science of space travel.
July 21-25: Designing for Tomorrow
Invent gadgets, design futuristic cities, and use technology and tools to tackle tomorrow’s challenges.
July 28 – August 1: Puppet Palooza
Design and construct puppets, exploring movement, mechanics, and storytelling to bring them to life.
August 4-8: Let’s Play (Rising kindergarten-1st grade only)
Study game design while diving into coding and hands-on technology to invent your own fantastic games.
August 11-15: Messy Makers (Rising kindergarten-1st grade only)
Bring messy science to life. No cleanup is required!
A Day in the Life of a Thinkery Camper
What does Thinkery’s Camp Experience look like in action?
At Thinkery, we like to story tell about our experiences. Here is an example of what our Camp experience might look like in action with a space theme.
On the first day of Camp, educators will lead campers in games, activities, and conversations to learn about what excites them most about space. After learning that they are the most interested in space travel the rest of the week will be led by a prompt with corresponding activities like:
Educators present campers with an “email” from NASA asking them to complete tasks for an upcoming mission to Mars. This prompt would serve as the spark that will launch kids’ creative expression!
Real Tools: Campers might use felting machines or embroidery to create a patch for their space mission, inspired by NASA’s patches from the Apollo missions.
Hand-on Technology: Campers might code using Ozobots to plot the course through the solar system, avoiding asteroids and other obstacles.
Messing Making: Campers might make and study the slime of the extraterrestrials.
In addition to these playful activities, campers will explore Thinkery galleries throughout the day! There will also be intentional time for indoor and outdoor free play and friendship-making!
How does the camp experience differ by grade level?
Thinkery Camp at Meredith Learning Lab is for campers entering Kindergarten through 3rd grade. The beauty of Thinkery Camp is that the experience is adjustable and scalable by age range. The themes and framework may be the same, but younger campers may spend more of their time tinkering with how things work or developing the skills to use certain tools. Whereas older campers, might dive straight in and spend more focus time making or building a project.
What skills will my camper gain at Thinkery Camp?
The skills nurtured in Thinkery Camp are the durable skills children need to thrive today and in the future such as compassion, collaboration, communication, creative problem-solving, critical thinking, tool fluency, leadership, self-expression, creativity, and resiliency.
FAQs
Pricing and Registration Information
What is the price of Thinkery Camp?
Thinkery Member Price – $385
General Public Price – $425
(Learn more about how to become a Member)
Full payment is required at the time of registration to secure your child’s spot in camp.
What is included in the price of my child’s Thinkery Camp?
Your camp registration includes 30 hours of Thinkery Camp fun and learning, including hands-on activities and access to the museum exhibits.
Can I transfer my Thinkery Camp session to a different week?
If you are registered for camp and need to change weeks or sessions, there will be a $50 administrative fee once the change is approved.
If you are interested in booking additional camp weeks, please call (512) 469-6201 or register online.
Can I transfer my Thinkery Camp session to a different camper?
No. The camp you sign up for is uniquely yours. Sessions are not transferable to other campers.
What happens if the Thinkery Camp I want is full?
You will know a Thinkery Camp session is at capacity when there is no option to select a paid reservation on the website. You will have the option to select to be notified when camp spots become available.
Once camps are filled, a weekly email will be sent to those who select to be notified of any camp openings.
Registration from that email notification will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. We cannot guarantee that spots will remain open.
Do you offer aftercare options?
Yes! Aftercare will be offered this year for camps at our Thinkery – Meredith Learning Lab location. Aftercare has a limited weekly capacity and requires an additional payment of $75 per week per camper. Aftercare will operate until 5 PM when camps are closed.
Cancellation Policy
Camp fees include a $80 non-refundable fee. Refunds (minus the $80 non-refundable fee) are given for cancellations made at least two weeks prior to your camp start date.
No refunds will be given for cancellations made less than two weeks in advance of the start date of your camp. If your child is unable to attend, the cost of your camp will be converted into a tax-deductible donation to the museum.
If you are registered for camp and need to change weeks or sessions, there will be a $50 administrative fee once the change is approved. This request must be made at least two weeks prior to the date of the camp.
No refunds will be given for cancellations made less than two weeks in advance of the start date of your camp. If your child is unable to attend, the cost of your camp and/or Aftercare will be converted into a tax-deductible donation to the museum.
If the camp you are registered for is canceled due to low enrollment or health and safety-mandated closure, you will be refunded your full tuition payment.
The Thinkery Camp Experience
How do you handle the grade distinction in the summer?
The grades posted for each camp indicate the grade level your child will enter in the 2025–26 school year.
What does child-led mean?
Thinkery Camp starts with a spark – a central idea that launches child-led creative exploration. We know where campers will start and what skills they will end up learning, but everything that happens in the middle is driven by their wonderings and interests. Giving children power in their own learning journey makes the process more engaging, meaningful, joyful, and cultivates confidence.
What camper accommodations do you offer?
To the extent reasonably possible, Thinkery Camps will make every reasonable effort to serve campers who require special attention or consideration.
If you are interested in enrolling a child with a disability and may need reasonable accommodations to participate, please contact the Camp Management team (contact information below). Thinkery requests sufficient notice, when possible, to give time to arrange the accommodation. This will allow us to set up a meeting to discuss our program, any restrictions or specific needs the camper may have, and determine what reasonable accommodations can be put in place to best support your child. Reasonable accommodations are available to campers with disabilities so long as the accommodation does not create an undue hardship for Thinkery and can be provided without posing a substantial or imminent safety risk. We also welcome camper aides but require all aides who attend camp to complete a background check before camp begins.
Additionally, if your child has any other care needs (behavioral, medical, etc.), allergies, or any other needs you would like to discuss, please contact the Camp Management Team to discuss their needs as soon as possible. We want to prepare Thinkery Camp staff and educators in advance so we can make your child’s camp experience as safe as possible.
Camps Team Contact Information: thinkerycamps@thinkeryaustin.org
Health & Safety Guidelines
If your child is sick, please keep them at home.
Any camper showing signs of illness will be sent home. To save yourself an extra trip, it’s best to keep sick campers at home.
Work with your camper ahead of time to practice good hygiene.
Help your camper get familiar with important concepts like:
- Frequent washing of hands with soap and water for at least 15-20 seconds each time
- Avoid touching your eyes and face as much as possible
- Maintain physical distance from other campers as much as possible
- Cover your mouth and nose if you have to sneeze or cough. If you’re not wearing a mask, remember to cough and sneeze into your elbow (the “vampire sneeze”) or into a tissue, not into your hand.
Read all of the caregiver information in your pre-camp packet, which will be sent out two weeks before the start date of your camp.
Observe all written instructions and directions for curbside drop-off and pickup.
What safety procedures are in place during mealtimes?
Don’t forget to pack two snacks per day, as we have morning and afternoon snack time as well! Staff will supervise meal and snack times to ensure that campers only ever eat the food they brought with them from home.
Explore Thinkery Camps
Thinkery Camp is where learning happens through play, and kids have a whole lot of fun doing it! Whether it’s by using REAL TOOLS, engaging in HANDS-ON TECHNOLOGY, or getting our hands dirty with MESSY MAKING, we’re on a mission to Keep Austin Playful.