Summer Camps
Every summer, we host a series of day camps for local students. In 2025, we're debuting a new summer camp experience, Vagabond Time Killers: Welcome to the Universe.
All weekly sessions are organized around a story based in Wassaic’s mythical past. While each camp stands alone, we ask that you please share the story below with your child ahead of time — every camp and every camper has a role in the universe, and will contribute to a final end-of-summer extravaganza on August 23!
Registration
Opens December 18 at 11 AM
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Scholarships
We have a no-questions-asked scholarship policy to ensure our education programming is accessible to everyone who wants to participate. If the cost of camp presents a significant financial barrier, please reach out to jill@wassaicproject.org for a partial or full scholarship.
Summer 2025 Schedule
July 7–11
Art Scouts (Grades 2–5) ($375)
+ Adventure Architects (Grades 6-10) ($475)
July 14–18
Art Scouts (Grades 2–5) ($375)
+ Quilt Camp (Grades 6–10) ($475)
July 21–25
Art Scouts (Grades 2–5) ($375)
+ Lens Craft: Filmmaking Camp (Grades 6–12) ($475)
August 4–8
Art Scouts (Grades 2–5) ($375)
+ The Piano Wreckers’ Ball (Grades 6–10) ($475)
August 11–15
2D, 3D, 4D, Oh My! (Grades 6–10) ($475)
August 18–23
The Unruly Band of Renegade Music Makers (Grades 6–12) ($475)
August 11–23
The Wayward Theatre Troupe (Two weeks!) (Grades 6–12) ($950)
August 23, 4 PM
End-of-summer extravaganza — all campers and families are encouraged to attend!
Every week
After-camp camp (All ages) (Monday to Thursday, 3:30 to 5 PM) ($100)
All camps held Monday–Thursday, 9:30 AM–3:30 PM
+ Friday 9:30 AM–4:30 PM
We ask that campers be present for all days of camp, including the show-and-tell each Friday from 3:30–4:30 PM. This is important for the group dynamic and the creative journeys we embark on together!
Summer 2025 Camp Details
Art Scouts
4 weeks · Rising grades 2–5 · 14 kids · $375/week
July 7–11: Ice Age Glacier
July 14–18: Dinosaur Era Volcano
July 21–25: Way Future Outer Space
August 4–8: Wild West Desert Quicksand
Art Scouts camps are for our younger creative explorers. Scouts will embark on creative projects indoors and outdoors, inspired by the Vagabond Time Killers universe, our 2025 Summer Exhibition, and their own imaginations. Activities may include map making, paper marbling, kite crafting, clay sculpting, natural tie-dying, flower pressing, rock gathering, and much more! We’ll play games, explore the creek, see and make art, and have lots of fun!
Each session of Art Scouts will take on a different era visited by the Vagabond Time Killers, contributing to a group mural or backdrop as per the camp theme. Art Scouts will also collect and create the currency used by the town of Whatthewhat — slag!
Adventure Architects
July 7-11 · Rising grades 6–10 · 14 kids · $475
Calling all young adventurers! Join educator and builder Matt Dilley for a unique blend of learning and hands-on fun as we delve into the fascinating world of shelter-building. We'll learn about common shelters — from cozy lean-tos to sturdy debris huts — through engaging discussions and interactive lessons. Then, it's time to roll up our sleeves and put our newfound knowledge to the test as we venture into the wilds of Whatthewhat to construct our very own shelters using natural materials. From weaving branches to stacking stones, every moment promises excitement and discovery. Students will be invited to work solo or with a buddy as they build and spend the day in a shelter they made on a final day camp out. The group will also collaborate on a built element for the final performance. It may be a massive, Andy Goldsworthy-style tunnel crafted of sticks or the bridge across the creek of the troll Inan Doubt. So grab your gear and join us for an adventure-packed journey into the wild!
* Campers will use tools such as drills and hand saws during the course of this camp — always under adult supervision, wearing personal protective equipment, and after receiving safety training. Please consider this when signing up for camp!
Quilt Camp
July 14–18 · Rising grades 6–12 · 14 kids · $475
Join artist Natalie Baxter for a week of sewing, quilting, and soft sculpture making. Campers will learn all aspects of quilt making; piecing with a sewing machine, hand stitching, and binding to create their own quilt to take home. Throughout the week we will learn about artists who use fabric, quilting, and soft sculpture in their practices. Together, we will come up with soft sculpture works to construct for the end-of-summer extravaganza on August 23.
Lens Craft: Filmmaking Camp
July 21–25 · Rising grades 6–12 · 14 kids · $475
Join filmmaker Chris May in the creation of an original short film telling the origin story of the Vagabond Time Killers universe. Campers will perform in and produce all aspects of the film, learning camera, lighting, sound, and editing basics plus the ins and outs of filmmaking collaboration along the way.
This camp requires no prior experience and not all campers need to act or perform in front of the camera, but we do ask for flexibility: you may be asked to hold a light, wrap a cord, or provide a sound effect. Every role is essential on set! The film will premiere as part of the final performance on August 23.
2D, 3D, 4D, Oh My!
August 11–15 - Rising grades 6–10 · 14 kids · $475
Welcome drawers, painters, sculptors, cardboard crafters! In this camp we will draw, paint, sculpt with clay, and craft with cardboard, wire, paper mache, and found materials. This camp will be responsible for the design and creation of the wizard Azorazad's top-secret time machine, and we will also learn a variety of 2D and 3D techniques, including hand-built fired ceramics, drawing fundamentals, and basic building. We will explore and gather inspiration from our 2025 Summer Exhibition, visit artist studios, and learn about relevant contemporary art.
The Piano Wreckers’ Ball
August 4-8 · Rising grades 6–10 · 14 kids · $475
Do you like to break stuff? Do you like to figure out how it worked before you broke it? Do you like building things that nobody’s ever imagined before? Do you like music?
If you answered yes to any of these questions then The Piano Wreckers’ Ball is for you! Alongside DJ and musician Tim “Love” Lee, we will carefully, but with great vigor, demolish old, donated pianos and other pieces of musical junk and reassemble them into brand new instruments, or maybe even one giant mobile musical laboratory. After we’ve invented our new instruments, we’ll learn to play them and compose music for the end-of-summer extravaganza on August 23. No previous experience is necessary, but kids should be prepared to wield tools and get dirty!
* Campers will use tools such as drills and hand saws during the course of this camp — always under adult supervision, wearing personal protective equipment, and after receiving safety training. Please consider this when signing up for camp!
The Unruly Band of Renegade Music Makers
August 18–23 · Rising grades 6–12 · 14 kids · $475
Rock Band Camp has now evolved to become The Unruly Band of Renegade Music Makers!
Do you have what it takes to join? Come find out! Do you like to hum a tune? Play drums on the dining room table? Sing along with the vacuum cleaner? Maybe you have a favorite song you’d like to see performed exactly the way you hear it in your head, or maybe there’s a sonic soundtrack like nobody’s ever dreamed of hiding in that pile of junk in the back of our barn, or perhaps you just need to rock out. Music-minded kids of all capabilities are invited to bring their craziest ideas and a desire to have fun with songs and sound.
The Unruly Band will develop and perform the soundtrack for the Wayward Theatre Troupe's show at the end-of-summer extravaganza: Book 1: The Tooth of the Sabertooth Tiger.
The Wayward Theatre Troupe
August 11–23 · Rising grades 6–12 · 20 kids · $950
Calling actors, prop handlers, costume designers, set-builders, comedians, stunt doubles, and all lovers of the stage: there is a place for you here in the Wassaic Project theater!
Members of the Wayward Theatre Troupe will produce and perform an original play telling the tale of how the Vagabond Time Killers travel through time to claim the tooth of the sabertooth tiger and bring it back as an offering to the rattlesnakes. It will be wild, weird, funny, heartfelt, and one-of-a-kind (think Monty Python and The Princess Bride in spirit). Roles will include the Vagabond Time Killers themselves, the wizard Azorazad, the troll Inan Doubt, the mad emu Mother, the Rattlesnake Chorus, and more. Everyone will participate in the hands-on elements of the production, such as the making of props, costumes, and special effects, but we may ask kids to specialize in one area (for example, maybe you are really into hair and makeup and want a smaller acting part). We will audition and cast roles once our group is assembled. No prior experience is necessary, and if a camper isn’t interested in acting but is interested in backstage activities, they are still very encouraged to sign up!
The camp will culminate in the performance of Book 1: The Tooth of the Sabertooth Tiger, in collaboration with the Unruly Band of Renegade Music Makers.
After-Camp Camp
Monday–Thursday every week, 3:30–5 PM · 20 kids/week · $100
This is un-programmed free time for any families who need to pick their campers up later than 3:30 PM, Monday through Thursday. Campers might read, free draw, play games, work on camp projects, explore the creek, and just hang out — but we'll do it all as a group. Snack provided!
About Vagabond Time Killers: Welcome to the Universe
Welcome to the town of Whatthewhat, a magical place in a steep valley where fairies build villages in tree roots, apples ripen to the color of indigo, and when you dig a hole in the ground, you never know where it will come out. The moon is always visible in the sky and the water flows uphill (except on Mondays). To enter and leave, you must tell a joke to the bridge troll Inan Doubt, and everyone trades in the blue rocks called slag strewn through the riverbeds. Pantyhose the Billy Goat roams the hills and the horses three, Charlemagne, Antoinette, and Bob, graze happily on the grassy slopes of Rattlesnake Mountain. Here dwell the Vagabond Time Killers, a group of kids expert at killin’ time, the wizard Azorazad who guards the top-secret time machine, and the Unruly Band of Renegade Music Makers, who perform never-before-heard works of music on never-before-seen instruments.
One afternoon, the Vagabond Time Killers are hard at work killing time. They are launching homemade rockets high into the sky, but when they run out of rocket fuel they decide instead to use chunks of slag. The blast goes wrong and causes the entire town of Whatthewhat to shake and quake and the hundreds of slumbering snakes on Rattlesnake Mountain to awaken. The snakes have been asleep for 203 years! They do not appreciate being disturbed. Old Gray Beard, the Keeper of the Rattlesnakes, interprets the snakes’ hissing and delivers a message to the Vagabonds:
In order to appease the snakes, you, the Vagabond Time Killers, must bring an offering of the snakes’ choosing — this year and every year after — from far away in time and space. The first offering they require is the tooth of a live sabertooth tiger, so fresh from the tiger’s mouth it is still dripping with saliva. Without this offering, they will take over Whatthewhat and claim it as their own. Beware, they say, for the sabertooth has particularly stinky breath.
Join the Vagabond Time Killers in restoring balance to the town of Whatthewhat! With the help (or sometimes hindrance) of Azorazad the Wizard, Pantyhose the Billy Goat, the troll Inan Doubt, the inventor Eddie, the mad emu Mother, the Unruly Band of Renegade Music Makers, the Keeper of the Rattlesnakes himself, Old Gray Beard, and many more friends, the Vagabond Time Killers will travel into the beyond. Will they succeed in their mission of claiming the tooth of the sabertooth? Only time will tell.
We need you to join on this adventure!
✦ ✦ ✦
Each summer the rattlesnakes will request something new, so each year of camps will be a new installment in the Vagabond Time Killers’ quest! Keep your eyes peeled for future productions like The Spare Power Plug of the Space Station, The Tea Cup of the Arctic Explorer, The Left Sock Lost in the Desert Quicksand, The Love Note from the Robot to the Tree, and onward!
FAQ
What is your refund/cancellation policy?
We will issue a refund minus 20% for cancellations received two weeks in advance of the camp start date. There will be no refunds of cancellation notices received within two weeks, as it is difficult for us to fill the spots on such close notice, and we operate within a narrow budget. We will waive this policy in the event of an emergency or hardship — please email jill@wassaicproject.org should you need to request this.
What is an average camp day like?
Camp is different every day, but we do follow a similar structure. Usually camps begin with a quiet making time to ease into the day, followed by an activity block, then an hour of lunch and free time around noon (we usually go to a different spot every day based on what the campers want to do). Right after lunch is usually another activity block, followed by creek swimming, group games, or something like roasting marshmallows or visiting the horses. And then it’s the end of the day!
Who will be teaching camp?
We are so proud to welcome back some instructors we have worked with in the past, as well as some new faces this year. All camp leaders are seasoned educators and they are each well-vetted and undergo a background check. Our camp counselors come either through our Varsity Arts Club (our afterschool program for high school students) or through referral, and always bring camp spirit.
What if I can't pick my child up at 3:30 PM?
We are offering after-camp camp Monday–Thursday every week from 3:30–5 PM. This is un-programmed free time for any families who need to pick their campers up later than 3:30 PM. Campers might read, free draw, play games, work on camp projects, explore the creek, and just hang out — but we'll do it all as a group. Snack provided!
After-Camp Camp is not a standalone camp with its own signup page. Instead, After-Camp Camp is available as an optional $100 add-on to your order when signing up for each camp.
What are your safety measures?
We will always have someone on-site who is certified in CPR and first aid (and aim to have all of our camp leaders certified). We will always have a lifeguard on duty during creek swims. We have first aid kits on site for all camp activities. We also ask you to share any health information that helps us keep your camper safe and cared for!
How did the Vagabond Time Killers theme come to be?
In considering how to create a more holistic, unifying, and magical experience for campers, we thought, hey, what if all of the camps were connected by a single story, and contributed to bringing that story to life? What if each summer was connected to the summer before, and younger kids could look forward to taking on recurring roles when they are old enough to be part of the Wayward Theatre Troupe? We were inspired by a photo found by Wassaic Project Co-Director Jeff Barnett-Winsby which shows a group of young people in the woods in 1901. On the back of the photo is scrawled, “Vagabond Time Killers, Wassaic, NY.” We know nothing more about these players, but they seem like mischievous, fun-seeking creatives, and apt as a jumping off point for our own tale. We took inspiration as well from local legends, characters, and landmarks, such as the very real Pantyhose the Billy Goat who used to roam the Luther Barn, and the blue rocks called slag found everywhere in the dirt of our valley which are a byproduct of the iron mining that used to take place here. We drew from the imaginations of our campers and afterschool programs, the artists who come to live and work here, and the locals who are the foundation of this town.
What will happen next year, and the year after?
We plan to continue building our summers around new installments in the Vagabond Time Killers saga, and will bring in campers to come up with new parts of the story.
How do the camps fit into the Wassaic Project as a whole?
Our residency and exhibition programs are active year round, and camp happens right alongside all the other happenings of the Wassaic Project. This means that campers will visit and learn about the artwork in the Wassaic Project summer exhibition, interact with and meet the professional artists who come to live and work as residents in Wassaic, and learn about how and why this arts nonprofit works!
What does my camper need to bring to camp?
Campers should come prepared to spend time outdoors! Please send them in shoes they can run and explore in, clothes they don’t mind getting dirty or painty, and with a hat, sunscreen, bug spray–whatever they need to be comfortable outside. Campers should also come with swim stuff everyday, including a bathing suit, towel, and creek shoes. Please no Crocs or flip-flops! We lost quite a few shoes downstream last year and would like to avoid that happening this year. Old sneakers, Keens, jellies–all of these are great. Campers should also come each day with a full water bottle, a snack, and a packed lunch.
Question not answered above? Contact our Education Coordinator, jill@wassaicproject.org.
