Kids Summer Camp Options
By Marci Lutsky
If you blinked you may not have noticed that we are already in April which means that school will be done in less than three months and your kids will be in need of activities. Have you started planning their schedules? For the past few years my kids have filled their summer calendar with weeklong camps. I love this for them because they get a variety of experiences. Each summer I sign them up for different camps than the previous summer, depending on what they are currently interested in. If you are still looking for ideas of what to do with your kids over the summer, here is some inspiration broken down into different categories.
Sports and outdoor camps are always a hit with my kids. They have done camp at Bright Stars Gymnastics for the past few years which they love. They do a variety of activities which include swimming, gymnastics and crafts. The nice thing about Bright Stars is that you don’t have to commit to a whole week or series, you can just do drop in days. My son is interested in surf camp this summer which I’m most likely going to sign him up for. I have heard good things about Stacey’s Surf Camp in Margate as well as OCNJ Surf School in Ocean City. I also have my eye on lifeguard camp through Margate City Beach Patrol. Dates for that camp should be available in May.
If art is what your children are interested in, take your pick! For the past few summers my kids have taken excellent programs at the Ocean City Arts Center. Two summers ago they enrolled in a session devoted to making art out of recycled household items and last summer they absolutely loved their Star Wars art camp. Sea La Vie in Ventnor offers themed sewing programs that get rave reviews and The Ventnor City Cultural Arts Center also offers a variety of children’s art classes.
Theater camps have become very popular in recent years. The Gateway Playhouse in Somers Point offers program for children as young as three and going up to age eighteen. Many of my friends who had children participate last summer raved about the Gateway summer program. Be-You-Ti-Ful Arts in Oceaview also offers summer theater camp as does Sojourn Productions in Egg Harbor Township.
Science camps are also very popular with kids. Last summer I enrolled my twins in a weeklong STEAM camp with the Amazinators. They loved it so much that I enrolled them in the two-week program this summer for their age group. The EHT Police Athletic League (PAL) offers STEM camp with a focus on robotics.
While I am all in favor of taking it easy in summer and enjoying unscheduled days, my kids need some weeks to be scheduled for camp. They are very much looking forward to having a variety of fun experiences this summer. What kinds of activities will your kids be doing this summer? I would love to hear about them!
