About
Tinkering Camp includes hands-on projects such as catapults, paper airplane launchers, stomp rockets, marble and ball runs, simple machines with levers and pulleys, cardboard contraptions, and designing and building cars with wheels and tracks for racing. Campers also work on paper airplanes, cardboard boomerangs, DIY kites, DIY string and percussion instruments, sound experiments, DIY bubble wands and bubble solution, and explore new ways to play with bubbles. Additional activities include working with different kinds of clay, slime, and playdough, building three-dimensional structures out of cardboard, wood, and natural materials, and a weekly cycle of tool training, project challenge reveal, planning, project work, exploring museum makerspaces, a walking field trip, project finalization, presentation, and reflection.
• Ages: 4–11 years old
• Schedule: Weekly Monday–Friday sessions from June 2–August 1, 2025, with no camp the week of June 30–July 4; full-day camps run 9am–3pm and half-day camps run 9–11:30am or 12:30–3pm
• Price: Full-Day Tinkering Camp for ages 6–11 is $350 per week for members and $385 per week for non-members; Half-Day Tinkering Camp for ages 4–5 is $195 per week for members and $225 per week for non-members; pricing is per child per week, with a $25 nonrefundable cancellation fee per session and no refunds within 14 days of the first day of camp or for missed days
Tinkering Camp follows a weekly structure in which Mondays focus on tool training, project challenge reveal, and planning; Tuesdays and Thursdays focus on project work and exploring museum makerspaces; Wednesdays combine project work with a walking field trip; and Fridays are dedicated to project finalization, presentation, and reflection. The program describes tinkering as a playful precursor to engineering and states that each week’s challenge offers multiple entry points for the youngest to the most advanced problem solvers, with an emphasis on imagination and ingenuity guiding the outcome. Families can choose to join for one week or up to eight weeks, and lunch and snacks can be ordered through Bean Sprouts Café to simplify the camp week.
DuPage Children’s Museum, which runs Tinkering Camp, states that its mission is to nurture joyful discovery and learning and notes that it offers over 17,000 square feet of interactive exhibits, unique events, memorable parties, innovative programs, fun Learning Labs, and a café for children ages 0–10 years and their families. The Museum was founded in 1987, began as a traveling van in 1987–1988, opened a temporary location in the Elmhurst Park District in 1989, established a full-time pilot location in the Wheaton Park District Community Center in 1992, and later opened a permanent location in Naperville in 2001. After unveiling a new layout in 2005, DuPage Children’s Museum was named one of Chicagoland’s top 10 cultural attractions by Crain’s Chicago Business in 2006, and it celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2007.
The Museum’s leadership team includes Andrea J. Ingram, President and CEO; Rebecca Obrock, Executive Vice President for Institutional Advancement; Kimberly Stull, Executive Vice President of Joyful Learning; Gerilyn Johnson, Chief Financial Officer; Cassie Coffey, Director of Playful Experiences; and Jenny Flowers, Director of Learning Partnerships. One caregiver shared that their family “had such a wonderful time” at the Museum and appreciated the cleaning and low capacity, and another grandparent noted that their grandsons especially enjoyed the workshop and electronic boards and described the workshop staff as patient and respectful with their 6- and 8-year-old grandchildren.
Last updated January 15, 2026.
• Ages: 4–11 years old
• Schedule: Weekly Monday–Friday sessions from June 2–August 1, 2025, with no camp the week of June 30–July 4; full-day camps run 9am–3pm and half-day camps run 9–11:30am or 12:30–3pm
• Price: Full-Day Tinkering Camp for ages 6–11 is $350 per week for members and $385 per week for non-members; Half-Day Tinkering Camp for ages 4–5 is $195 per week for members and $225 per week for non-members; pricing is per child per week, with a $25 nonrefundable cancellation fee per session and no refunds within 14 days of the first day of camp or for missed days
Tinkering Camp follows a weekly structure in which Mondays focus on tool training, project challenge reveal, and planning; Tuesdays and Thursdays focus on project work and exploring museum makerspaces; Wednesdays combine project work with a walking field trip; and Fridays are dedicated to project finalization, presentation, and reflection. The program describes tinkering as a playful precursor to engineering and states that each week’s challenge offers multiple entry points for the youngest to the most advanced problem solvers, with an emphasis on imagination and ingenuity guiding the outcome. Families can choose to join for one week or up to eight weeks, and lunch and snacks can be ordered through Bean Sprouts Café to simplify the camp week.
DuPage Children’s Museum, which runs Tinkering Camp, states that its mission is to nurture joyful discovery and learning and notes that it offers over 17,000 square feet of interactive exhibits, unique events, memorable parties, innovative programs, fun Learning Labs, and a café for children ages 0–10 years and their families. The Museum was founded in 1987, began as a traveling van in 1987–1988, opened a temporary location in the Elmhurst Park District in 1989, established a full-time pilot location in the Wheaton Park District Community Center in 1992, and later opened a permanent location in Naperville in 2001. After unveiling a new layout in 2005, DuPage Children’s Museum was named one of Chicagoland’s top 10 cultural attractions by Crain’s Chicago Business in 2006, and it celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2007.
The Museum’s leadership team includes Andrea J. Ingram, President and CEO; Rebecca Obrock, Executive Vice President for Institutional Advancement; Kimberly Stull, Executive Vice President of Joyful Learning; Gerilyn Johnson, Chief Financial Officer; Cassie Coffey, Director of Playful Experiences; and Jenny Flowers, Director of Learning Partnerships. One caregiver shared that their family “had such a wonderful time” at the Museum and appreciated the cleaning and low capacity, and another grandparent noted that their grandsons especially enjoyed the workshop and electronic boards and described the workshop staff as patient and respectful with their 6- and 8-year-old grandchildren.
Last updated January 15, 2026.
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