I Am A...... !
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So much of life is defined for our young learners —who they are, what they should learn, how they should see the world. But at ITAV, we believe in planting seeds—seeds of curiosity, imagination, and endless possibility.
Each summer, our learners are invited to step into roles of their own choosing, to see themselves as adventurers, scientists, and storytellers. Through hands-on exploration, creative problem-solving, and immersive storytelling, we give them the space to become, to dream, and to define themselves on their own terms. Each new identity is an opportunity to wonder, explore, and grow—to try, fail, try again, and ultimately discover something new.
Because learning isn't just about facts and figures—it's about discovery, wonder, and the joy of saying "I am..." and seeing where that journey takes you. This summer, we’ll nurture those seeds, step into new roles, and most of all—have FUN doing it!
I am a Local Historian (June 24, 25 and 26):
I Am a Local Historian invites learners to slow down, notice, and connect with the place they call home. History doesn’t live in textbooks alone. In the Slate Belt, it lives under our feet, in our buildings, and in our hands.
At It Takes a Village, we believe children learn best when their learning is rooted in place, purpose, and story. In this three-day summer camp, learners step into the role of historians not by memorizing dates, but by touching, creating, playing, and preserving the story of Bangor and the surrounding Slate Belt.
Throughout the week, learners will explore how slate shaped our town, our homes, our schools, our industries, and the daily lives of the people who came before us. They’ll work directly with slate by examining it, carving into it, painting on it with a local slate artist, and create their own slate chalkboards, We’ll step outside to play traditional games like quoits, cook a traditional pastie, work on a textile project, explore historic maps and photographs, and compare life “then and now” through thoughtful conversation and storytelling.
In addition to our ITAV teaching team, two local historians will be on site throughout the camp. These are individuals who grew up in this region and lived the history our learners are exploring working in garment mills, growing up in immigrant families who helped shape the Slate Belt, and now dedicating their lives to preserving that history through writing, research, and hands-on preservation projects. There is no substitute for learning from those who lived it, and their presence brings an authenticity that cannot be replicated.
While this camp is rich and meaningful, it is also very much a summer experience. Our days will include time for water play in a pool, with a certified lifeguard on site, along with popsicles, ice cream, outdoor movement, and moments of rest and connection. These lighter moments are intentionally woven into the week, honoring both the depth of the work and the joy of summer.
Camp will take place across ITAV and The Ruzanski Barn House, located just three minutes from ITAV. Families will receive clear communication each day letting them know which location to drop off at each morning, based on the projects planned for the day.
This camp is deeply local. It honors working-class heritage and tells stories that are rarely taught. Most importantly, it leaves learners rooted and proud.
Your place matters. Your story matters.
I Am a Local Historian is more than a camp. It is an invitation to belong, to notice, and to care for the story we are part of.
I am a Myth Buster (July 22, 23 and 24)
This is intellectual courage, not just STEM.
In I Am a Myth Buster, learners step into the role of scientists, investigators, and critical thinkers questioning assumptions, testing claims, and learning how we know what we know. From the moment camp begins, learners are introduced to the heart of scientific thinking: curiosity paired with evidence.
At It Takes a Village, we believe learning begins with curiosity and grows when children are trusted to think deeply, ask meaningful questions, and explore the world with intention. This camp invites learners to slow down and look more closely at the world around them, questioning ideas that are often accepted at face value and discovering how evidence, observation, and reflection work together to shape understanding.
Throughout the week, learners will explore common myths, ideas that sound true, feel true, or have simply been repeated so often they’re rarely questioned. Rather than debating or guessing, they will do what real scientists do: design experiments, test their thinking, gather evidence, and draw conclusions. Along the way, they’ll encounter moments of surprise, rethink assumptions, and experience firsthand that learning is often found in the space between “I thought” and “I discovered.”
Learners will investigate questions like what really makes something strong, whether clean-looking water is actually safe, and how invisible forces such as air, pressure, heat, and energy, quietly shape our everyday lives. These aren’t quick demonstrations or flashy tricks, but thoughtful investigations where learners learn to slow down, observe carefully, and revise their thinking when the evidence demands it.
As their work unfolds, learners will document their findings, collaborate with peers, and practice explaining their thinking. They will learn not just how to test ideas, but how to communicate scientific thinking with clarity and confidence, ultimately creating Myth Buster demonstrations that reflect their process, discoveries, and growth as thinkers.
By the end of camp, learners won’t just leave with answers; they’ll leave with a mindset. They’ll understand that science isn’t about being right the first time, but about being curious enough to test, brave enough to change your mind, and thoughtful enough to look beyond first impressions. They’ll develop trust in their own ability to question, investigate, reflect and the understanding that changing your mind in light of new evidence is a strength, not a weakness.
Most importantly, they’ll walk away knowing this:
they don’t have to accept the world as it appears. They can question it, investigate it, and understand it.
That is the heart of being a Myth Buster.
In I Am a Myth Buster, science experiments aren’t about flashy results. They are purpose-driven investigations designed to test beliefs, challenge assumptions, and build real thinking skills. The experiment isn’t the activity; it’s the evidence.
At ITAV, learning is about head, heart, and hands: thinking deeply, approaching ideas with humility and curiosity, and doing meaningful, hands-on work.
While this camp is rich and meaningful, it is also very much a summer experience. Our days will include time for water play in a pool, with a certified lifeguard on site, along with popsicles, ice cream, outdoor movement, and moments of rest and connection. These lighter moments are intentionally woven into the week, honoring both the depth of the work and the joy of summer.
Camp will take place across ITAV and The Ruzanski Barn House, located just three minutes from ITAV. Families will receive clear communication each day letting them know which location to drop off at each morning, based on the projects planned for the day.
I Am a Myth Buster is an invitation to wonder, to think carefully, and to engage with the world in a way that is curious, respectful, and rooted in truth.
It’s science with purposeand learning that lasts well beyond the camp week.
Join us for one or both!
$150 per child/ camp - Additional supply fee of $15 charged per child per camp
15% Sibling Discount Available
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
9:00am - 2:00pm
Each summer, our learners are invited to step into roles of their own choosing, to see themselves as adventurers, scientists, and storytellers. Through hands-on exploration, creative problem-solving, and immersive storytelling, we give them the space to become, to dream, and to define themselves on their own terms. Each new identity is an opportunity to wonder, explore, and grow—to try, fail, try again, and ultimately discover something new.
Because learning isn't just about facts and figures—it's about discovery, wonder, and the joy of saying "I am..." and seeing where that journey takes you. This summer, we’ll nurture those seeds, step into new roles, and most of all—have FUN doing it!
I am a Local Historian (June 24, 25 and 26):
I Am a Local Historian invites learners to slow down, notice, and connect with the place they call home. History doesn’t live in textbooks alone. In the Slate Belt, it lives under our feet, in our buildings, and in our hands.
At It Takes a Village, we believe children learn best when their learning is rooted in place, purpose, and story. In this three-day summer camp, learners step into the role of historians not by memorizing dates, but by touching, creating, playing, and preserving the story of Bangor and the surrounding Slate Belt.
Throughout the week, learners will explore how slate shaped our town, our homes, our schools, our industries, and the daily lives of the people who came before us. They’ll work directly with slate by examining it, carving into it, painting on it with a local slate artist, and create their own slate chalkboards, We’ll step outside to play traditional games like quoits, cook a traditional pastie, work on a textile project, explore historic maps and photographs, and compare life “then and now” through thoughtful conversation and storytelling.
In addition to our ITAV teaching team, two local historians will be on site throughout the camp. These are individuals who grew up in this region and lived the history our learners are exploring working in garment mills, growing up in immigrant families who helped shape the Slate Belt, and now dedicating their lives to preserving that history through writing, research, and hands-on preservation projects. There is no substitute for learning from those who lived it, and their presence brings an authenticity that cannot be replicated.
While this camp is rich and meaningful, it is also very much a summer experience. Our days will include time for water play in a pool, with a certified lifeguard on site, along with popsicles, ice cream, outdoor movement, and moments of rest and connection. These lighter moments are intentionally woven into the week, honoring both the depth of the work and the joy of summer.
Camp will take place across ITAV and The Ruzanski Barn House, located just three minutes from ITAV. Families will receive clear communication each day letting them know which location to drop off at each morning, based on the projects planned for the day.
This camp is deeply local. It honors working-class heritage and tells stories that are rarely taught. Most importantly, it leaves learners rooted and proud.
Your place matters. Your story matters.
I Am a Local Historian is more than a camp. It is an invitation to belong, to notice, and to care for the story we are part of.
I am a Myth Buster (July 22, 23 and 24)
This is intellectual courage, not just STEM.
In I Am a Myth Buster, learners step into the role of scientists, investigators, and critical thinkers questioning assumptions, testing claims, and learning how we know what we know. From the moment camp begins, learners are introduced to the heart of scientific thinking: curiosity paired with evidence.
At It Takes a Village, we believe learning begins with curiosity and grows when children are trusted to think deeply, ask meaningful questions, and explore the world with intention. This camp invites learners to slow down and look more closely at the world around them, questioning ideas that are often accepted at face value and discovering how evidence, observation, and reflection work together to shape understanding.
Throughout the week, learners will explore common myths, ideas that sound true, feel true, or have simply been repeated so often they’re rarely questioned. Rather than debating or guessing, they will do what real scientists do: design experiments, test their thinking, gather evidence, and draw conclusions. Along the way, they’ll encounter moments of surprise, rethink assumptions, and experience firsthand that learning is often found in the space between “I thought” and “I discovered.”
Learners will investigate questions like what really makes something strong, whether clean-looking water is actually safe, and how invisible forces such as air, pressure, heat, and energy, quietly shape our everyday lives. These aren’t quick demonstrations or flashy tricks, but thoughtful investigations where learners learn to slow down, observe carefully, and revise their thinking when the evidence demands it.
As their work unfolds, learners will document their findings, collaborate with peers, and practice explaining their thinking. They will learn not just how to test ideas, but how to communicate scientific thinking with clarity and confidence, ultimately creating Myth Buster demonstrations that reflect their process, discoveries, and growth as thinkers.
By the end of camp, learners won’t just leave with answers; they’ll leave with a mindset. They’ll understand that science isn’t about being right the first time, but about being curious enough to test, brave enough to change your mind, and thoughtful enough to look beyond first impressions. They’ll develop trust in their own ability to question, investigate, reflect and the understanding that changing your mind in light of new evidence is a strength, not a weakness.
Most importantly, they’ll walk away knowing this:
they don’t have to accept the world as it appears. They can question it, investigate it, and understand it.
That is the heart of being a Myth Buster.
In I Am a Myth Buster, science experiments aren’t about flashy results. They are purpose-driven investigations designed to test beliefs, challenge assumptions, and build real thinking skills. The experiment isn’t the activity; it’s the evidence.
At ITAV, learning is about head, heart, and hands: thinking deeply, approaching ideas with humility and curiosity, and doing meaningful, hands-on work.
While this camp is rich and meaningful, it is also very much a summer experience. Our days will include time for water play in a pool, with a certified lifeguard on site, along with popsicles, ice cream, outdoor movement, and moments of rest and connection. These lighter moments are intentionally woven into the week, honoring both the depth of the work and the joy of summer.
Camp will take place across ITAV and The Ruzanski Barn House, located just three minutes from ITAV. Families will receive clear communication each day letting them know which location to drop off at each morning, based on the projects planned for the day.
I Am a Myth Buster is an invitation to wonder, to think carefully, and to engage with the world in a way that is curious, respectful, and rooted in truth.
It’s science with purposeand learning that lasts well beyond the camp week.
Join us for one or both!
$150 per child/ camp - Additional supply fee of $15 charged per child per camp
15% Sibling Discount Available
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
9:00am - 2:00pm