The Mini-Time Machine Museum of Miniatures, on East Camp Lowell, has been a getaway for dozens of Tucson kids as they try to find something to defeat their summer boredom.
The museum put together its first summer camp, which has been running since June 7.
The camp has seven different sessions, each with its own encompassing theme for the week. The last open session, A Week in Wee World, will run next Monday through Friday.
The Mini-Time Machine Museum has been open since September 2009. The nonprofit is run by Pat Arnell, who collected miniatures for 30 years before starting the museum.
"We feature miniatures from around the world dating back to the mid-18th century to contemporary time," said Director of Education Lisa Hastreiter-Lamb.
"The collection includes miniatures from the U.S., Asia and Europe. We also have a gallery, which is called the enchanted realm, which features fantasy-themed miniatures as well as collectibles, which is really engaging for children."
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Hastreiter-Lamb started the camp because she feared the art of miniatures was dying out.
Museum education specialist Kimberly Roach, the camp instructor, has worked at other camps in Tucson and says the museum runs a higher-quality camp. For one thing, it's limited to 20 kids so each gets plenty of one-on-one interaction with Roach.
"I think it is one of the better ones," she said. "It not only promotes museum education and also the creativity of the art of miniatures, we have guest speakers each week as well as a thought-out theme, and we have wonderful volunteers that know a lot about the collection."
The campers do several activities in the five days, including playing games and learning how to work in groups to get things accomplished.
"We go out and do a gallery game, we go throughout the museum and have a scavenger hunt or something," said volunteer Vicky Arnell, Pat Arnell's daughter. "We usually work on one or two crafts before lunch. Then we work on things they didn't finish the day before."
Campers learn about the various time periods the miniatures represent. Most recently, they learned about mummification and how it was done.
"They take time making individual miniatures and they make doll houses that they work on for the course of the week," Hastreiter-Lamb said.
"They are having a really good time. They love the museum and they love being out in the gallery as much as working on miniatures themselves."
If You Go
• What: A Week in Wee World camp.
• Topic: Campers will learn about mythical creatures as they create their own miniatures.
• When: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
• Cost: $180 for museum members; $200 for nonmembers.
• To enroll: Go to theminitime machine.org or call 881-0606.
Kevin Nadakal is a University of Arizona student who's apprenticing at the Star. Contact him at 807-7776 or at starapprentice@azstarnet.com
