Summer Camp 2026 - Ocean

What an incredible first week of EAPS Summer Camp! Our campers dove deep into the wonders of the ocean through hands-on art projects, creative exploration, and plenty of imagination.

We kicked off the week by learning about different types of whales before painting ceramic whale planters. Campers even got a behind-the-scenes look at our pottery studio process by dipping their own pieces into clear glaze, an exciting glimpse into the studio's backend operations! We also explored the amazing world of coral reefs, discovering favorites like brain coral, finger coral, and lettuce coral, before sculpting our own colorful clay coral reefs.

Next, we ventured into the fascinating world of jellyfish, learning about bioluminescence and how some sea creatures create their own light. Campers then designed glowing jellyfish lanterns using vibrant neon paints and decorated them with flowing tentacles.

Our ocean adventures continued with a lesson on kinetic art, exploring how movement can change the way we experience artwork. Campers created interactive fish portraits that opened to reveal hidden surprises inside their mouths. The creativity was endless: hidden treasures included smaller fish, slices of pizza, and even entire intergalactic planetary systems!

On Day 3, we explored perspective, silhouettes, and backlighting. Inspired by the work of M. C. Escher, campers discovered how changing your point of view can completely transform a scene. After learning about the ocean's Epipelagic (Sunshine) Zone, they created stunning marine life silhouette artworks from the perspective of looking up from beneath the water, using soft pastels to capture dramatic rays of sunlight.

We also explored the art and history of decoupage, transforming real seashells into beautiful layered works of art. To wrap up the day, campers crafted paper sea turtles and raced them across the room using string-powered mechanisms, one of the week's biggest hits!

On our final day, campers decorated personalized portfolio bags to bring home all of their creations. They returned to their coral reefs to paint them and added colorful fish friends sculpted from hand-dyed Model Magic clay.

Our final project took us into the world of cartography, where campers learned about coastlines, waterways, legends, compass roses, and the mythical sea monsters that often appeared on old maps. They painted their treasure maps with watercolor washes to create depth and dimension before aging them with coffee stains, and even carefully burning the edges for an authentic pirate look!

It was an amazing week filled with creativity, learning, laughter, and hands-on exploration. We loved watching our campers discover the incredible world beneath the waves through art, science, and imagination.

We can't wait to see everyone for next week's adventure!