Youth Programs 2022

MASY is back!

This year marks the return of our youth programming with Geology Camp and Mountain Arts and Science for Youth (MASY). Many thanks to our partner and funder for MASY – the Blackburn Heritage Foundation.

 
 


Mountain Arts and science for Youth: open

The pandemic has been hard on kids. This summer’s Mountain Arts & Science for Youth (MASY) is helping to stitch together the social fabric for our local young people.

The MASY program’s mission is to provide a fun and educational way for kids to learn and connect with their peers

We have had three MASY programs so far: the kids have been combing McCarthy Creek for rocks that became a collage; they have spent time picking pink petals and making Fireweed jam; and they spread out for an epic outdoor game of “Predator versus Prey” where they learned about the local food chain (and exhausted their adult chaperones)!

Special thanks to WMC staff Katina Leier and Caroline Diamond for their most excellent efforts in organizing this year’s MASY programming

WMC Mountain Arts & Science (MASY) is for kids ages 5 and up!

*Fees for this summer’s MASY program have been covered by a generous grant from the Blackburn Heritage Foundation, and the programs are offered free of charge to local youth. Donations are welcome to help keep this program strong.

No pre-registration necessary. Just show up at the Old Hardware Store!

1-4pm

DATES: July 12th
July 14th
July 19th
July 21st
August 2nd
August 9th

The first program is Tuesday, July 12, 2022. This day will feature the game "Predator versus Prey" where kids learn about the food chain while playing an exciting new game!

The final program on August 9, 2022 will be presented by Artist In Residence, Kassandra Mirosh: "Folded Feathers," a children's/multi-generational workshop called where we create cardboard and paper sculptures of birds that inhabit Wrangell St. Elias. Kassandra is an art educator of young people in Healy, AK.

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Our Mountain Arts for Youth programs invite school aged youth to join artists and naturalists for a series of summer arts workshops for kids designed to connect them with the natural world around them. All programs meet from 1-4 pm at Porphyry Place in McCarthy, unless otherwise specified.

Each summer features a mix of new offerings and familiar faces. The following is a sample of past programs:

  • Ecosystem Expedition - Science Illustrator Kristin Link shares her experience working with marine biologists and oceanographers studying zooplankton off the coast of Oregon and Northern California. Explore our local watershed and make artwork about the organisms that are so important to our ecosystem.

  • Kids Making History - For this popular session, the WMC partners with the McCarthy-Kennicott Historical Museum. Join a museum volunteer at the McCarthy-Kennicott Historical Museum to look at what kids did back when McCarthy was an active mining town. Back at the WMC, the group documents their own stories. This information will be archived at the museum--helping to create a living document of today’s Kennecott Kids. All ages of children are welcome to join us in learning about McCarthy while also documenting their own moments in history!

  • Nature’s Blueprints - Art Educator Robin Child utilizes one the earliest photographic processes, the cyanotype. Using both natural and manmade found objects, participants explore the physics of light and use negative space and shadow to create compositions to develop a field journal.

  • Archeological Intrigue - NPS archeologist Lee Reininghaus and Allyson Pease introduce fundamental concepts of archeology. Explore scientific field techniques used to identify and document past human culture.

  • Nature Mosaics - Join outdoor enthusiasts in the creation of natural mosaics. Use collected stones and twigs to paint and design your personal creation inspired by the Wrangell Mountains on a piece of weathered wood.

  • Geology - Have fun learning about geology with a geologist. Enjoy a range of interactive activities that will help bring to life the physical structure of the earth and its history.

  • Arctic Acrylics - Copper Basin artist Naomi Young shares techniques for painting with acrylics on canvas. Painting composition will include a polar bear in fireweed.

  • How do Animals use Electricity? - Join educator Cynthia Shidner to learn how different animals (including humans) naturally utilize electricity. Participants will conduct their own electrical experiments!

Youth Geology Camp: July 5-8

Photos by Dave Sabell

Robin Mayo and WISE (The Wrangell Institute for Science and Environment) teamed up with the WMC this summer to restart Geology Camp!

There was high demand for this program — and it’s easy to see why. Some of the Copper River Valley’s sharpest (and silliest) youth (ages 12 and up) come together to learn from geology experts and observe first-hand the dynamic geology of the area.

From taking a tour of the Kennecott Mill to sleeping next to a glacier, it’s four days packed with learning and fun. (And once again, the adult chaperones were exhausted!)

Just about all the WMC Staff headed out for the day on the glacier. Again, big thank you’s to Katina Leier and Caroline Diamond for all of their work in organizing Geology Camp, and to our partner WISE.

Contact info@wrangells.org to learn more.

 

Family Music Camp: POSTPONED

We also offer our Family Music Camp. Summer camp is not just for kids. At the McCarthy Family Music Camp, all family members get to enjoy learning and playing music with others, accompanied by the melodies of some of Alaska’s biggest glaciers and most inspiring mountain scenery. Visit our Family Music Camp page to register or to learn more.

Banner Photo: Nathaniel Wilder