Skip to content
214 Juan Medina Rd, Chimayo, NM 87522Monday to Friday: 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.Registration opens in January(505) 555-0125
Beads Craft CampChimayo, New Mexico
Register for a session
Register for a session
CallRegister for a session

Craft camp in Chimayo, New Mexico

Make something with your hands

Beads is a summer day camp for children 7 to 12 who like making. Six weeks of clay, textiles and printmaking, thirty campers a week, and a Friday show for families.

Register for a sessionSee the six weeks
  • Ages 7 to 12
  • Thirty campers a week
  • Late June to early August
Campers shaping clay bowls in an art shelter with a counselor

Summer

One material for every week

Clay, textiles and printmaking come around twice each, so a camper can try all three or stay with the one they love.

Summer
  • Last week of JuneOpen

    Clay: Pinch and coil

    Pinched bowls, coiled pots and a clay bead for every camper, shaped by hand and left to dry on the shelf.

    • Ages 7 to 12
    • 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
  • First week of JulyOpen

    Textiles: Loom and thread

    Small frame looms, wool and cotton, and a woven band or a wall hanging to take home.

    • Ages 7 to 12
    • 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
  • Second week of JulyOpen

    Printmaking: Carve and print

    Soft blocks, carved with guarded tools, inked and pressed onto cards and cloth.

    • Ages 7 to 12
    • 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
  • Third week of JulyWaitlist

    Clay: Wheel and glaze

    Turns at the wheel with a counselor beside you, then glaze on cups and small bowls.

    • Ages 7 to 12
    • 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
  • Fourth week of JulyOpen

    Textiles: Beads and braids

    Beads, cords and knots, made into braided bands and keepsakes on a string.

    • Ages 7 to 12
    • 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
  • First week of AugustOpen

    Printmaking: Books and stamps

    Hand-stitched little books with carved stamps on the covers, and a Friday show of the summer's work.

    • Ages 7 to 12
    • 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Sample sessions.

Materials by age

Three materials, a group for each age

Clay, textiles and printmaking each get two weeks across the summer, and every age group has its own table.

  • Ages 7 and 8

    7 to 8 years

    Adults to children: 1 adult to 5 childrenGroup size: 10

    Hand-building first, with a counselor at every table

    • ClayWeeks 1 and 4 · Monday to FridayOffered
    • TextilesWeeks 2 and 5 · Monday to FridayOffered
    • PrintmakingWeeks 3 and 6 · Monday to FridayWaitlist

  • Ages 9 and 10

    9 to 10 years

    Adults to children: 1 adult to 6 childrenGroup size: 10

    Longer projects, and a turn at the wheel

    • ClayWeeks 1 and 4 · Monday to FridayOffered
    • TextilesWeeks 2 and 5 · Monday to FridayFull
    • PrintmakingWeeks 3 and 6 · Monday to FridayOffered

  • Ages 11 and 12

    11 to 12 years

    Adults to children: 1 adult to 7 childrenGroup size: 10

    Their own design for each piece

    • ClayWeeks 1 and 4 · Monday to FridayOffered
    • TextilesWeeks 2 and 5 · Monday to FridayOffered
    • PrintmakingWeeks 3 and 6 · Monday to FridayOffered

Fees and what each is for

Registration
Holds a place and covers each camper's file for the summer.
Materials and kiln firing
Clay, yarn, paper and ink, and the firing of every clay piece.
Late pickup
Extra time after 3:00 p.m., booked ahead by the week.
See how tuition works

Sample programs.

On the tables

Clay, thread and a few bright surprises

Most of a week looks like this: wet hands, a pile of color and something taking shape.

Small hands moulding a clay pot at a pottery wheel, with wet clay on the wheel head
A pot rising on the wheel
Sample
A row of embroidery thread skeins in plain colors on a craft table
Thread, sorted by color
Sample
A camper holding up a tie-dye shirt she made
Tie-dye, fresh from the rinse
Sample
Small hands sewing a felt shape with a large plastic needle
A felt shape, one stitch at a time
Sample
A camper proudly holding up a friendship bracelet
A friendship bracelet, finished
Sample
A camper painting a rock and laughing
A painted rock for the windowsill
Sample

Sample photos.

The studio

A barn with long tables and north light

Beads works out of a converted barn on a quiet road in Chimayo. There are long tables for clay and ink, a corner with two looms and a kiln room that only adults enter. The big doors open to the orchard in the afternoon.

  • Long tables for clay, thread and ink

  • A wheel corner and two frame looms

  • A kiln room for adults only

An arts barn with open doors, long tables, baskets of materials and large windows, empty

Notice, ratios and routines

Who is with your camper, and how the studio runs

How many counselors sit with each group, and the routines we follow around the kiln, cutting tools, clay dust and the sun.

License

Beads is a summer day camp. It is not licensed as child care by the New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department.

Adults to children

  • 1 adult to 5 children

    7 to 8 years

    Group size: 10

  • 1 adult to 6 children

    9 to 10 years

    Group size: 10

  • 1 adult to 7 children

    11 to 12 years

    Group size: 10

  • Capacity

    30

  • Ages 7 years to 12 years

Staff checks and training

  • Background checks
  • CPR and first aid
  • Mandated reporter training
  • Medication training

Safety routines

  • Sign-in at the door

    An adult on your list signs your camper in and out at the door every day, and shows photo ID until we know them.

  • The kiln room

    Only adults go into the kiln room. Campers hand finished pieces to a counselor, and firing happens when the campers are out of the building.

  • Carving tools and needles

    Tools are counted out onto a tray at the start of a block and counted back in at the end. Campers carve away from their hands, and a counselor stays at each table.

  • Clay dust and clean-up

    Clay is wiped up wet and never swept. Everyone washes at the sink before lunch and before pickup, and aprons come off before the doorway.

  • Sun and water at altitude

    Chimayo sits high, where the sun is strong and the air is dry. Campers wear hats outside, sunscreen goes on at home, and water bottles are filled at every break.

  • Allergies, medicine and illness

    Wool, clay and some inks can bother skin or breathing. Tell us what your camper reacts to at registration, and we ask what we need privately. A camper with a fever stays home.

Sample details.

Questions

Questions parents ask first

We are glad to answer more by phone.

All questions

Which children is camp for?

Camp is for children 7 to 12 who like making things with their hands. Campers sit with others of their age.

Does my camper need to have made anything before?

No. Each week starts from the beginning, and counselors show the first step before anyone picks up a tool. Campers who have done it before get their own design to work on.

What is a day at camp like?

Campers arrive at 8:30 a.m. and sign in at the door. There is a morning studio block, lunch and time outside, and an afternoon block that ends with clean-up and a look at what everyone made. Pickup is at 3:00 p.m.

What do campers make, and when do they take it home?

Each week has one material and one project: clay, textiles or printmaking. Weaving and prints go home on Friday. Clay needs time to dry and to be fired in the kiln, so it is ready for pickup a week later.

What should my camper wear and bring?

A lunch, a snack, a filled water bottle, closed-toe shoes and a hat. Clay, wool and ink find their way onto sleeves, so wear what can get dirty. We supply every material and tool.

Save a place for the weeks you want

Registration opens in January. Register on our enrollment page, or call and ask about a week, pickup or the kiln.

Register for a sessionCall the camp