This week M has a week of our town playground camp. Many kids are not huge fans of this camp, but the unstructured playtime and sports are just what M loves. She fully intends to continue doing playground camp this summer and next, after which she’ll be a CIT. Whoo, hoo! J, meanwhile, is attending an art program. It’s just two hours a day, but it’s literally around the corner from my house, and she really enjoyed her first day. She loves art. Between the programs and some playing, both girls were exhausted tonight.
I’ve been meaning to share some fun-looking, cool, or otherwise interesting camps. These are just a few, of course. . . .
Farm, Food, & Photography Camp
The Agricultural Stewardship Association and the Arts Center of the Capital Region have organized a two-week Farms, Food, and Photography camp for teens that brings together farms, food and photography. They’ll make farm visits to a dairy, a vegetable CSA,  a sheep farm, and an urban wheat farm, they’ll cook with food the kids harvest, and they’ll learn about photography.  It starts July 8th.
My Place to Play in Rotterdam has several camps for which kids do not need to be potty-trained, including
Performance School of Music and the Arts in Clifton Park has a Sleeping Beauty Dance Camp for ages 3 to 6. What I especially love about this is that the focus is on Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty instead of Disney’s. It starts July 15th.
Different Drummer’s Kitchen has a few different cooking camps for kids. I was recently chatting with a friend who’s son went last year and is planning to return. They thought it was excellent.
I always hear great things about camps with The Heldeberg Workshop.
Cornell Cooperative Extension is doing a (cheap!) Roots, Shoots, Flowers, & Fruits Children’s Gardening Program in Schenectady’s Central Park.
Albany County Historical Association is doing an Archeology Field School at Ten Broeck Mansion for ages 9 and up.
Siena College has a WeDo Robotics camp for ages 7 to 10 along with a bunch of other high-tech camps.
Flying Deer Nature Center has a bunch of cool-sounding nature-centered, good-for-the-soul programs this summer.
The Ciccotti Center has a Circus Theatricks camp at the end of August. Actually, J is registered for this one. She’s super-excited.
All of these summer camps are listed via the KidsOutAndAbout Summer Camps page. Personally, I think it’s easiest to browse by week.
What about all of you? Signed up for anything interesting this year? Or are there summer camps that you think people should know about?
Kate Cohen
For the musically inclined, I recommend The Music Studio (518-459-7799; they’ll send you a brochure). They have all kinds of stuff going on in the summer (my son is doing a rock camp; my daughter is doing Orff ensemble–which is like a xylophone orchestra, very cool). And if you’re thinking about whether to enroll your kids there in the fall, their summer programs for little kids are a great taste.
Katie
@Kate, I know some people who really LOVE The Music Studio. . . sad that it’s a bit of a schlep for me. And Abby Todd, who works there, is my much-beloved Zumba instructor!