Summer Camp 2021

For two weeks in July, the halls of The Bryan Museum were filled with sounds of children who attended one of the two sessions of summer camp. Twenty-two children from as far away as California and as close as the next block learned all about the stories of Texas. Eight of the campers received full or partial scholarships from the Museum’s generous donors, and all the children enjoyed gallery tours, art projects inspired by the collection, creative writing activities, and a myriad of special visitors who told stories of Galveston and Texas history.

Some of the highlights of the week included visits from Calypso the friendly pirate from locally run Pirates and Ghosts, 5^th Circuit Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod explaining how Texas law came to be, Old 300-member Justice Ken Wise telling tales from the Texas Revolution, and real-life cowboy Jim Hodges teaching campers how to rope. Each day campers interacted with the Museum’s collection through touchable artifacts and story prompts to ignite their imaginations.

Campers were encouraged to enter their stories and poems in the Guinness World Record contest for the largest published book in the world. The fun weeks ended with a showcase for family and friends where each camper got to perform original skits they had written and dance to songs about Texas.