Camp Info
| Ages: | 6–12 |
| Type: | Day |
| Month: | Summer |
| Gender: | Co-Ed |
| Setting: | City |
| Arts: | Arts, Fine Arts, Arts & Crafts |
Contact details
| Address: | Venice - 12958 W Washington Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90066 |
| San Diego | |
| USA |
[email protected]
San Diego, CA, USA
Rediscover Camp is designed for children who enjoy building, experimenting, designing, and making things with their hands. The main Tinkering Camp is intended for ages 8–12, while Rediscover also offers Cardboard Camp for ages 6–9 and leadership opportunities for teens. The programs take place in a makerspace rather than a traditional sports or arts camp, giving campers access to real tools and a wide selection of creative-reuse materials.
The camp's central idea is simple: children start with an idea and figure out how to turn it into something tangible. During the week, campers learn tool techniques and safety procedures, take part in rapid design challenges, brainstorm solutions, and then spend substantial time building. Projects can be individual or collaborative, and larger group creations can become impressive "Big Builds." The organization works with reclaimed materials, including wood, plastic, metal, fabric, cardboard, and other items that might otherwise be discarded.
The atmosphere is creative and exploratory. Campers are encouraged to experiment rather than worry about getting every project "right." They can develop practical skills while also practicing planning, problem-solving, collaboration, and persistence.
For children ages 8–12 who are naturally curious and enjoy constructing things, Tinkering Camp offers a particularly strong match. Younger makers can start with Cardboard Camp, where they can build costumes, puppets, games, models, toys, and large cardboard structures.
| Ages: | 6–12 |
| Type: | Day |
| Month: | Summer |
| Gender: | Co-Ed |
| Setting: | City |
| Arts: | Arts, Fine Arts, Arts & Crafts |
| Address: | Venice - 12958 W Washington Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90066 |
| San Diego | |
| USA |
You won’t be charged yet. The camp will contact you to confirm all terms first.
You can still submit a quick request to let the camp know you’re interested.
Rediscover Camp is a day camp, so campers do not stay overnight.
The main Tinkering Camp operates during the daytime, with campers spending most of their scheduled hours in the makerspace learning skills, brainstorming, building, and working on projects. The official camp information describes a regular day beginning with arrival and a warm-up activity, followed by a morning meeting and tool training or a design challenge.
The program also includes outdoor time. Campers generally leave the workshop for lunch and active play in a nearby outdoor space before returning for the afternoon build period.
Aftercare is available for an additional charge during the stated camp hours. Children staying for aftercare remain part of the supervised camp environment.
Campers should bring their own food. Rediscover states that snacks and lunch are not provided as part of the camp program. A daily snack break is built into the schedule, followed by an outdoor lunch period on most days.
For Tinkering Camp, the usual routine includes a morning snack break and a lunch break around midday. On most days, campers walk with staff to a nearby outdoor location for lunch and active play before returning to the makerspace.
Children are not permitted to leave the camp site independently to purchase food at a nearby restaurant. Families therefore need to send enough food and drinks for the child's scheduled day.
Safety is a major part of Rediscover's approach because campers work with both hand tools and power tools. The camp begins with tool technique and safety training, and all participants must follow Rediscover's specific workshop safety protocols.
The camp maintains a 5:1 camper-to-facilitator ratio, allowing staff to provide close guidance while children work with tools and materials. Some power tools require direct supervision, and the organization emphasizes situational awareness through its "Culture of Safety."
Clothing requirements are part of the safety rules. Campers must wear closed-toe shoes, while loose hair and loose clothing must be secured before entering the workshop.
Rediscover's signature camp tradition is the Big Build: campers work together to turn ideas into large-scale creations. The projects can be inspired by a daily theme or by campers' own interests, and the collaborative process gives participants a chance to contribute different ideas and skills.
The camp also follows a consistent creative routine. Campers begin with a welcome activity and morning meeting, learn or review tool techniques, take part in design challenges, and then move into longer building periods. The day ends with cleanup and a closing circle.
Tinkering Camp is built around a mix of tool training, design challenges, brainstorming, and open-ended construction. Campers first learn how to use workshop tools safely, then practice creative problem-solving through quick design challenges before moving into longer individual or collaborative projects. The afternoon is generally dedicated to building, experimenting, adjusting designs, and bringing ideas to life.
Projects can use wood, plastic, metal, fabric, cardboard, and other reclaimed materials. Campers may create functional objects, artworks, inventions, costumes, toys, models, or components of a larger group build. The camp does not require every participant to produce the same finished project, so children have room to follow their own interests within the broader camp theme.
The program also develops skills beyond construction. Planning a project, deciding which materials to use, solving unexpected problems, working with others, and revising an idea all become part of the process. Children learn that a first attempt does not have to be perfect—and that a failed design can be useful information for the next version.
