Summer may seem far away, but if Kids Camp is in your plans, now is the time to see what’s around.
Some summer camps have “Open Houses” to visit with your child, a good idea since there is such variety. Some camps focus on indoor activities such as computers, photography, drama; others go outdoors with tennis, surfing, horseback riding, and camping.
Be sure your child wants to go to camp. Most kids start sleep-away camp at Ages 7-8, while day camps caters to kids as young as three years old. A child should have a baseline of skills to cope without Mom or Dad but once he or she is ready, narrow your choices based on his or her needs, interest and personality. Trust your instincts and see whether you feel comfortable entrusting your child to a particular camp. Some questions you may want to ask:
- What is your and the staff’s educational background?
- Is the Camp accredited?
- What is the Camps guiding philosophy?
- What is the rate of return by campers and counselors each year?
- What’s the counselor training program like?
- What are your safety and medical arrangements?
- Could I speak to some parents that have attended the camp?
The right summer camp can change your child’s life and fill it with exciting adventures, new skills and happy take-away memories! The Messenger Mountain News has come up with some suggestions for kids and adults to get you started.
CALABASAS SWIM & TENNIS CENTER (CSTC)—Kids Tennis Camp includes all tennis levels, swimming, arts, camp and crafts for ages 5 and older. Sessions are June 12– August 18. CSTC is located at 23400 Park Sorrento, Calabasas, CA 91302. For more information: (818) 222-2782; calabasasatsc.com.
CALI CAMP—Nestled in the heart of Topanga Canyon, this is a day camp for ages 3 to 15 that offers something for everyone, from outdoor sports and games to creative arts, an equestrian “Wrangler” camp, to Aerial Arts camp and action-adventure activities. All activities connect campers to nature. Campers can sign up for a single, five-day, Monday-Friday session and check out all fifty activities or sign up for any daily combination for two, three or four days per week. Specialty camps are mandatory Monday-Friday sessions. CaliCamp is located at 1717 Old Topanga Canyon Road, Topanga, CA 90290. For more information: (310) 455-0404; calicamp.com.
FITNESS BY THE SEA—Founded in 2000, this camp has three beachside locations in Santa Monica at Will Rogers State Beach. Open House: May 21, 12-2 p.m. Pacific Palisades location is Tower #14 at Will Rogers Beach has the largest variety of activities is considered the BIG camp for Ages 5-14. Sessions are June 12 –Sept 1.
- Pacific Palisades location is Tower #5 at Will Rogers Beach is “LITTLE” Camp for the younger campers who prefer a quieter, less stimulating environment. This Camp offers the Starfish program which is specifically designed for 4-year-olds with positive energy, activities and fun. Ages (4-11) Little ones must be fully potty trained and able to use the restroom unassisted. Sessions are June 19-August 25.
- Santa Monica location is Tower #10, north of the pier is a perfect combo of the Large Camp and Small Camp with a wide variety of activities in a nurturing environment. Ages (5-14) Sessions are June 12-Sept 1.
Fitness by the Sea offers kids freedom to choose their own activities that gives them more opportunity to practice leadership and decision-making. Kids decide what they want to do and, therefore, develop more self -confidence and leadership ability.
Water activities include Boogie boarding, swimming, paddling, surfing, skim boarding, knee boarding. Team sports include: Soccer, Capture the Flag, dodge ball, basketball, volleyball, In & Out, Prisoner and kickball. Individual sports include: One-on-one training in Gymnastics, bars, rings, fencing, cheerleading, boxing, obstacle course, martial arts, tetherball, yoga, parachute games. All activities build courage, confidence, resilience, compassion and self-control.
For tickets, information, and rates: fitnessbythesea.com.
CAMP KEYSTONE—Set on 30 acres of park-like land in the Santa Monica Mountains, this is one-stop camping with non-stop fun. It is camping the old-fashioned way and includes a giant water slide, horseback riding, Go-Karts, boating, swimming lessons, rock climbing, classic art & crafts, and much more! ! Ages (3-14). Sessions are Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Camp Keystone is located at 2884 Triunfo Cyn Rd., Agoura Hills, CA 91301. For more information and to view session dates and rates: (818) 889-2224; www.campkeystone.com.
CAMP KINNERET SUMMER DAY CAMP—Founded in 1954, Camp Kinneret is an experience that focuses on relationships and provides opportunities for kids to learn, grow and discover themselves in a welcoming and supportive atmosphere where campers develop skills and values to last a lifetime. Activities such as creative play, grass and field games including volleyball, handball and field hockey gives them a chance to experience teamwork, sportsmanship and skill-building in a group setting. Gymnastics teach basic movement and tumbling techniques for all ages and miniature golf has campers designing their own course and an opportunity to work together. Additional activities include: Archery, Ropes, Paddle Boats and a Petting zoo! Sessions are June 19-July 21 and July 24-August 18.
Camp Kinneret is located at 29646 Agoura Road, Agoura Hills, CA 91301; (818) 706-8255 (M-F) 9 a.m.-4 p.m. For enrollment and rates: campkinneret.com.
MILL CREEK EQUESTRIAN CENTER— Established in 1973, Mill Creek Equestrian Center offers English riding lessons for all levels of equestrians, from pleasure riders to advanced competitors, both children and adults.The summer Children’s Horse Program teaches fundamental riding skills, safe handling procedures, proper grooming techniques and correct use and care of riding equipment. The program fosters a sense of responsibility and love for horses by emphasizing the importance of respect and appropriate care for them. Half-day classes are recommended for children 6-8 years old. First level classes are for children 9 and older. Second and fourth level classes are available for students who advance through the program. Sessions run from June 20 through mid-August.
Mill Creek is located at 1881 Old Topanga Canyon Road, Topanga, CA 90290. For more information: (310) 455-1116; millcreekequestriancenter.com
PERFECT DAY SURF CAMP—Sponsored by Quiksilver and Roxy, has four surf and beach camp locations in Redondo, Santa Monica, Manhattan and Torrance.
The summer program offers surf and beach camps for toddlers, teens and adults ages 3-17, private and group surf lessons and stand-up paddleboard lessons (SUP) and caters to all surfing levels, offering a variety of soft surf boards. They provide a 5:1 surfers-to-instructor ratio in the water at all times, and a 1:1 ratio for beginner swimmers. All Surf Staff are certified in CPR, AED (Automated External Defibrillators) and are Lifeguard-certified surf instructors. Beginner surfers will get one-on-one surf lessons if initially intimidated. Once they learn the basics of surfing and understand that it is a sandy beach bottom and a safe environment, their fears are put to rest. Experienced surfers will surf all day and learn basic tricks and maneuvers to help them progress to the next level and apply to contests or freestyle fun.
Both surf camps and beach camps educate young ones on how to first understand the ocean and its waves, then boogie board and eventually surf. This progression keeps your child from being fearful of the ocean, which is very common when they are put into camps with higher swimming levels and older children.
Perfect Day also does annual non-profit events with professional surfers for Cystic Fibrosis Survivors, inner city kids and battered women.
For more information or to register: info@perfectdaysurfcamp.com; (310) 985-1458; perfectdaysurfcamp.com.
SUMMER THEATRE CAMP—, offer a five-week musical theatre camp for kids,‘tweens and teens, ages 5-15, where kids will rehearse and perform The Lion King Musical on June 19-July 21 at Class Act Community Playhouse, a nonprofit community theater where Topanga Elementary and Topanga Mountain School have presented their plays for the last several years.
Kids camp includes “Let’s Make A Movie” (July 24 – Aug 4) and “Let’s Make A Musical” (Aug 7 – 18), where the kids will collectively write and star in their own movie and musical. By double-casting, each child receives an age-appropriate opening night role and a secondary off-night role. They learn singing, dancing, acting and choreography specific to the musical being rehearsed. Class Act is a safe environment for kids to grow creatively. Assistant directors are skilled in the various aspects of theatre and child development and monitor the kids the entire time while in rehearsals.
The Teen program (Grades 6-10) is more challenging and competitive as students learn character development, musical direction and choreography. Teens will audition for a role in a full-length Broadway musical and casting will be based on the audition.
For more information and to register: ClassActCommunityPlayhouse.org.
THEATRICUM BOTANICUM SUMMER SHAKESPEARE FOR ALL AGES—Every summer, along with its repertory season of five plays, Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum provides a treasure trove of acting classes and camps. All classes are held in Theatricum’s beautiful 299-seat outdoor amphitheatre, 88-seat S. Mark Taper Foundation Youth Pavilion and surrounding gardens.
Young People’s Camp—Youngsters (ages 4-7) are introduced to the imaginative world of Shakespeare. Experienced artists and caring group leaders engage little ones in Cmmedia dell’Arte, theatre games, stage combat, music, puppetry, Elizabethan dance and more. They learn to play as a team while developing their individual creative thinking. Their final performance will have you smiling for days. After-camp care is available for an additional fee. Sessions are July10-August 11, Monday and Friday, 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Tuition: $450. Contact: Elisa Schultz-Richardson, (310) 455-2322, ext 305; youngpeople@theatricum.com.
Youth Drama Camps—Kids, ages 8-14, study Shakespeare plays and learn Fencing, Stage Combat, Improvisation, Voice/Speech, Elizabethan Song and Dance, culminating in a performance of a Shakespearean play on July 8 and 9. Sessions are June 19-July 7 (no classes July 3-4), Monday to Friday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuition: $975. Contact: Cindy Kania-Gustaferro, (310) 455-2322, ext. 228; theatricumyouth@gmail.com.
Teenage Summer Shakespeare Camp—Teens, ages 15-18, spend three weeks at Theatricum exploring Shakespeare and classical performance. Expert teachers engage students in Voice/Speech, Period Movement, Dance, Music, Text and more. Participants apply these techniques to Shakespeare scenes and monologues in a final performance on August 13. Sessions are July 25-August 11, Monday and Friday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuition: $1050. Contact: Cindy Kania-Gustaferro, (310) 455-2322, ext. 228; theatricumyouth@gmail.com.
Adult Shakespeare Intensive—Participants in this program are actors, teachers and lovers of Shakespeare who will immerse themselves in classical theatre, language and performance. It is limited to an intimate group of14-18 led by experts in the study of Voice/Seech, Movement, Fencing, Stage Combat, Scansion, Text, Rhetoric, Elizabethan History, Music and Dance. Students apply these techniques to scenes and monologues hand-picked by Artistic Director Ellen Geer with a final performance on August 12. Six LAUSD points available. Sessions are July 10-August 11, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuition: $900. Contact: Sarah Stone, (310) 455-2322, ext. 222; theatricumadult@gmail.com.
Folk Music Camp—Students sing, dance play rhythm instruments and learn about the stories, artists and historical events behind great American Folk music. Sing along during their moving final performance on July 8 and 9. Sessions are July 11-July 21, Tuesday to Friday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuition: $700. Contact: Cindy Kania-Gustaferro, (310) 455-2322, ext. 228; theatricumyouth@gmail.com.
To enroll: theatricum.com, select “Education,” then “Classes” in the menu. Theatricum Botanicum is located at 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Boulevard, Topanga CA 90290.
CAMP WILDCRAFT—This Kids Art and Nature camp has two venues: King Gillette Ranch in Calabasas, 26800 Mulholland Highway and Las Virgenes Road, and The Sycamore School in Malibu, 3504 Las Flores Canyon, Malibu. Growing, creative, curious and confident kids will feel at home in nature in either of these two campsite locations set in the Santa Monica Mountains. This camp is where kids can explore unfamiliar territory, make art from nature and share stories. Kids can sketch in nature journals, build with wood, identify plants and insects, find animal tracks, sculpt with clay, take daily hikes, turn leaves into paper, write poems under oak trees, identify fossils or paint landscapes.
King Gillette Ranch is located in a spectacular 588-acre National Park Service (NPS) site in Calabasas across the street from Malibu State Park where most of the art programs and presentations take place under shady oak trees. Camp Sessions are June 12 to July 24-28.
Sycamore School in Malibu provides trails to explore along the creek, Gardens to tend and harvest, space designed for inventing and sporting and play areas, as well as a kid-friendly kitchen to explore the art of cooking and more!
Camp sessions are June 19 to July 10-14.
For information and to register: campwildcraft@gmail.com; (818) 992-5177; campwildcraft.com. Follow on Facebook and Instagram for upcoming events!
Compiled by Pamela Mesaros and Flavia Potenza
