Summer Camps

CMM Summer Camp Scholarship Program



The Calvert Marine Museum has camp scholarships available for eligible students at all grade levels. The Patuxent Small Craft Guild, a group affiliated with the museum, is offering a full scholarship through the Conant Fund to attend the Build Your Own Canoe Camp and the Environmental Institute Camp for students entering grades 6 - 8. The museum also offers partial scholarships (50% of the cost at the membership level) for all other camps to students who qualify. The scholarship is need-based and requires a letter of recommendation.

To qualify for a scholarship, the applicant must write a letter on why they want to attend the camp. A written teacher recommendation is required for the full scholarship. Either a teacher or parent may write a letter in support of a request for a partial scholarship, indicating that there is a financial need. Letters should be submitted by to be announced, to:
Melissa McCormick
CMM Camp Scholarship Fund
P.O. Box 97
Solomons, MD 20688

Examples of summer camps offered in the past

Critter Camp 


Entering Grades 1-3; Dates: Monday-Friday; Times:  9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Come discover the critters that we have right in our back yard. We’ll make bug kites, spy on fiddler crabs, and create a small a garden for our critter friends.  We will spend a day at Cypress Swamp walking on the wetland boardwalk and learning to ‘see’ nature. Get a special behind-the-scenes look at our River to Bay exhibit where our animals are cared for and watch an aquarist do a feeding. The final day, board the Wm. B. Tennison with your parents for a lunch time cruise on the Patuxent River followed by an ice cream sundae. 

Guardians of the Estuary


Entering Grades 4-6; Dates: Monday-Friday; Times: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Paddle, wade, hike and sail local waterways! What’s living out there, how do they interact, how do we impact the estuary, and how can we help? We’ll get muddy and creative as we canoe, collect and explore our estuary ecosystem, then brainstorm ways to protect it. On the final day, board the Dee of St. Mary’s to trawl for fish and enjoy a sail.  

The Exhilaration of Otters


Entering Grades 4-6; Dates: Monday - Friday; Times: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
You might love otters, but how well do you really know them? Join us to get up close and personal with our resident river otters. Explore otter adaptations to the local habitat and find out how river otters compare to otters around the world. Investigate how otters communicate; enjoy a canoe ride in their habitat; use your knowledge to design an addition to our museum habitat for our otters to enjoy!  This camp includes two offsite field trips to local nature preserves, hiking, and canoeing to see a wetland habitat from an otter point of view. The last day of camp includes a river cruise for the whole family on the Wm. B. Tennison. 

Junior Paleontologist


Entering Grades 6-8; Dates: Monday - Friday; Times: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Become a junior paleontologist, and hunt local beaches for fossil shark teeth, whale bones, and the shells of ancient snails and clams. Work with our professional paleontologists to uncover the mysteries of these ancient animals and the environments in which they lived. Learn collecting techniques and how to properly preserve your specimens. Keep a field journal, complete with your own drawings and observations. Get a special behind-the-scenes look at the amazing fossil collection at Calvert Marine Museum. The final day of camp, invite your family along for a river cruise on the Wm. B. Tennison, and show off your specimens in a fossil exhibition! 

Build Your Own Canoe  (Members Only)


Entering Grades 6-8; Times: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Monday - Friday) and Saturday regatta
Build a real boat you can take home! We will teach you to make your own 12-foot plywood canoe. During the week, you will master basic woodworking and finishing skills to make a boat that you can enjoy for years to come. Learn sailing skills when commanding radio-control model sailboats in the boat basin and practice some of the maritime skills needed to catch crabs during a cruise on the drake tail work boat. We’ll take a break from boat building with a lunch cruise with your family members on the Wm. B. Tennison. At the Grand Finale on Saturday, you and the other campers will race your new canoes on the Patuxent River. Your family and friends are encouraged to join us at our own regatta and celebrate with awards. Open to members only. 
As part of the Build Your Own Canoe Camp, spaces have been reserved with the Spirit of America boating camp.  This camp focuses on boating safety and they may register on the website at sailingcenterchesapeake.org.  The spots will be held until April 15, 2017 at which time those spots will be released to other students if not all spots are filled.  Please note that new for 2017 is a classroom requirement that involves 2 Saturdays prior to the actual camp week.  The parents should ensure that their students can attend both Saturdays and that the campers meet the age requirement prior to registration. Please note on the application form that you are a CMM camper. 
Registration forms from the Spirit of America website must be downloaded, filled out, mailed and received by Sailing Center Chesapeake to secure the registration.  Confirmation will be emailed to the parent upon receipt. 

Coroplast Boat 3 Day Mini Camp


Entering Grades 7-9; Dates: Wednesday – Friday; Times: 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. 
Exercise your STEM skills during this three day camp. Each participant will build a canoe out of the same corrugated plastic used by the museum to make road signs. Lessons on boating safety and canoe maneuvering prepare the campers for further adventures when they take their canoes home. 

Junior Docent Boot Camp


Entering Grades 8-9; Dates: Monday - Friday; Times: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Ever wanted to work in a museum – this is a great way to learn what’s involved. Becoming a museum Junior Docent involves a two year commitment from middle school students to learn how to be museum docents. The program kicks off with a week long summer “boot camp” where each cohort gets initiated into the workings of a museum. To apply for the Junior Docent Program an application, a parent consent form and two teacher recommendation forms need to be submitted.