Camps and Clay for Youth & Families
Registration for Summer Clay Camps is open now!
Northern Clay Center offers a myriad ways to keep the kids in your life engaged in ceramics. We offer summer camps, weekly Teen Boot Camp, and one-day workshops for families.
Clay Camps
Registration for 2026 Summer Clay Camps opens on Tuesday, February 10 at 10 am CT! Check back soon for more details!
We’ve got the perfect camp for you, with 49 weeklong camps designed for safety, fun, and all ability levels ages 6 & up.
Campers will have the opportunity to create cups, figures, plates, and anything else they can imagine during our 2026 camp offerings. We offer a wide variety of themes—such as potions, woodland creatures, gifts, and more—in small, individualized class settings. Our NCC instructors and teaching assistants provide plenty of guidance and ideas while letting personal flair shine!
Each camp is led by a teaching artist; on average one additional teaching assistant is present for each camp. New camps begin each Monday throughout the summer months.
Preview 2026 Camps
Scholarships
NCC has a small number of partial scholarships for children, awarded on a need basis. Scholarship funds will be allocated on a first-come first-serve basis, based on need, until the funds are depleted. A maximum of 50% the tuition for any particular class or camp may be approved. Because our scholarship funds are limited, no more than one scholarship per child will be approved in a calendar year.
We have reached capacity for our 2026 clay camp scholarships.
Registration Policies & Logistical Information
Age and Ability Restrictions
We work closely with instructors to develop optimal age ranges and ability levels for each class. At the time their camp begins, children must have reached the minimum age and ability level indicated. In order to ensure the success of our classes, we ask that you observe these restrictions when registering your children for camps. Northern Clay Center makes NO exceptions to the ages or ability levels indicated in the descriptions.
If you register your child for an age group they have not met, the registration will be canceled, and we will contact you via email or phone to find an appropriate option. If you have questions regarding the age ranges for a camp, please call NCC at 612.339.8007.
Logistical Information
Drop-off / Pick-up
Check-in will take place in the Teaching Studios on the first day of camp. Please enter through the Teaching Studios door located on the west side of the building. Drop-offs and pick-ups will also take place through this entrance each day. Please be punctual with all drop-offs and pick-ups; do not drop off campers more than 5 minutes before the start of their camp. NCC does not provide daycare or supervision before or after camps. There is free parking on the west side of our building. A parent, guardian, or pre-approved adult must be present to pick up a camper at the end of each day. At no time will any camper be permitted to leave NCC without supervision.
Lunch
Caregivers must provide supervision from noon to 1 pm for children registered in separate morning and afternoon camps or pay a $25.00 fee for NCC to provide supervision during the lunch hour. This option is available only to children registered for both morning and afternoon camps during the same week. Caregivers must provide campers with their lunch. NCC will provide supervision during lunch for full-day classes at no additional cost.
Snack Break
Campers take a short break every day, so please pack a snack for your child and label the bag with their name. Caregivers need to supply lunches and snacks for children in full-day classes. Please note: NCC’s facility is NOT peanut-free. Please notify us three weeks in advance if your child has special dietary issues that would affect the other campers, and we will do our best to notify other parents of the issue. Campers may visit Merwyn Triangle Park on their snack breaks as a class with adult supervision.
What to Wear and Bring
Kids may get messy, so make sure your child wears appropriate clothing and footwear (sneakers are best; no open-toed shoes.) For all camps, kids must bring a reusable bag to hold finished projects.
We recommend canvas or nylon, roughly the size of a grocery bag. For wheel classes, we suggest (but do not require) a one-quart bucket and an old towel.
Camper Projects
Students can expect to make new work Monday through Thursday, and spend Friday glazing. By the very nature of the material, and the short duration of these camps, some projects will not be glaze-fired but “once-fired” instead, rendering them decorative in nature and not for use to consume food or beverages. Class periods will include time for cleanup, an integral part of the process. Class descriptions are subject to change depending on the ability levels of participating students.
Please note: due to the nature of clay and the firing process, NCC cannot be responsible for any damage to work caused by construction technique or the firing or glazing processes.
Product Output Expectations
Your children will be encouraged to create several pieces of clay art during class. You can anticipate your child having at least four completed works. Please make note: not all camps result in the same number of objects for campers to take home. Several camps are focused on ideas of production, while others are more experiential in nature, or require a longer investment of time and energy into more complicated wares and objects. Regardless of output, ALL of our camps aim to create a positive and memorable experience for your camper.
Completed Projects
Completed projects may be picked up one week after your camp ends; we will NOT call you when they are ready. We strongly recommend that you bring your child with you to help identify what they made. Projects left more than four weeks after the camp ends will be discarded. If you cannot pick up your child’s projects by this date, please make arrangements for someone else to pick them up.
Registration Information
Tuition must be paid in full to hold your reservation. NCC will make absolutely no exceptions to age ranges indicated in camp descriptions.
To Register
Register for your child’s class online; or call or visit NCC during business hours, Monday through Friday, 10 am – 5 pm, at 612.339.8007. Payment may be made by cash, check, or any major credit card.
NCC will send confirmation of registration two weeks prior to the start of camp. If there is insufficient enrollment, we will cancel the camp, notify registered students, and refund all payments. This cancellation may occur at the last minute.
Refunds
100% of tuition (less a $25 processing fee) will be refunded if a parent/guardian elects to drop or transfer a camp for any reason no later than two weeks (14 days) prior to the first camp meeting. A $25 processing fee will be charged if a student transfers from one camp to another. No refunds or transfers will be given with less than two week’s (14 days) notice. Tuition is not prorated. There are no make-up sessions.
Shop Pay Installments
Any purchases made through NCC (including classes, workshops, camps, gallery items, and more) using Shop Pay Installments are non-refundable. There are no exceptions to this policy.
Special Needs
Signed interpretation is available for any camp. Please call NCC to request an interpreter at least three weeks in advance. Our building is wheelchair accessible and is equipped with a wheelchair accessible potter’s wheel. The information in this brochure is available in large-print format upon request. To contact us via the Minnesota Relay Service, please call 1.800.627.3529.
You must be logged in to post a comment.