Have you wondered what happens at the Merry Barn? Perhaps you think our Summer Adventures are only for kids who love writing and reading. While we do have many campers who are passionate about those things, our campers also love exploring the outdoors, creating art, performing, playing cooperative games, and moving their bodies. 

At the Merry Barn, we believe that everyone is creative. It’s our goal to let kids be kids, explore a multitude of creative endeavors, and discover their own unique gifts. We nurture a safe and supportive community where children are invited to try new things, dive deeper into old favorites, and share with one another. We have a dedicated team of experienced educators who get to know children as individuals, and tailor activities and feedback.

This summer we have three offerings for younger campers. Exploring Our World & Imaginations, gives kids ages 6-8 time to think about their favorite places (real and imaginary) and draw pictures, create maps, and write stories about inhabitants and adventures in these lands. Kids will build fairy houses and design the backdrop of a favorite place, whether it be their own backyard or a secret door to a magical kingdom. There are no limits to where we can travel!

Due to overwhelming demand, Storytree Theatre is now offering two sessions for kids ages 6-10. Campers work together to write their very own play, design the set, and explore theatre technique. Myths, Magic, and Legends runs June 26-30; and Pirates and Mermaids Beware runs Aug. 7-11. No theatre experience required. 

Telling My Story is a new three-day offering for tweens and teens, ages 11-15, to read, write, and create artistic representations in the genre of memoir. We’ll free write, and create timelines, soundtracks of our lives, and maps to get the creative juices flowing. We’ll make self-portraits in a variety of mediums, compile personal poetry anthologies, and tell our own life stories.

Our remaining camps are geared toward kids ages 8-14. This age span allows children to make new friends, work collaboratively, and learn from each other. Our Sense of Place week begins with an exploration of the woods and fields around the Merry Barn, as we learn basic orienteering, map making, and animal tracking skills. We’ll celebrate our glorious Pine Tree State, from sea to mountaintop, and create itineraries for our dream journeys. We’ll read, write, collage, sketch, paint, perform, and make mobiles from found objects. 

Playing with Palettes is a week-long opportunity to experiment with the intersection of multiple art forms. Write poetry or stories in response to art; paint your reaction to a piece of writing; bring your instrument and play to inspire others. 

Award-winning author and illustrator Anne Sibley O’Brien will be our resident artist as campers spend a week developing a storyline for their own Graphic Novels. We’ll use Anne’s graphic novel, “The Legend of Hong Kil Dong: The Robin Hood of Korea,” as a mentor text for planning scenes, storyboarding, and designing a single spread for our graphic novels. In Adventures in Art: Fabric, Paper, and Picture Books, campers will explore printing techniques on paper and fabric, creating their own collections of paper to use in collage and other art. Under the Big Top returns this summer. Launch your body and brain into balancing, juggling scarves and balls, spinning flower sticks, plates, and diabolos, and creating your own circus performance. Campers will learn circus lore, create circus art, and write their own circus stories.

Each camp culminates with an Authors’ Tea, performance, or gallery walk for family members and friends. Register at https://www.merrybarn.com/kids or merrybarnwritersretreat@gmail.com. Financial assistance is available.