Colorado may have some wintry surprises yet to throw our way, but we’re setting our sights on summer! With each lengthening day, kids begin brimming to anticipation: time for relaxation, exploration, and a break from homework. That shake-up of routines doesn’t mean putting learning on hold, however. Summertime experiences abound offering safe, structured opportunities to learn and grow while developing independence and self-confidence alongside friendships and new skills.
Boulder Country Day School
Inquiry-based learning and plenty of movement and fun creates confident, engaged and happy learners at Boulder Country Day (BCD) Summer Camps. Through Sandbox, young learners ages 3 to 5 are treated to an exciting lineup thoughtfully prepared by early childhood experts. Programs are sure to excite the artist, chef, scientist, musician and more in your child. For older students, morning Specialty Camps are geared toward specific areas of interest including sports, STEAM, world languages, chess, art and cooking. For afternoon delight, Camp Boom! offers stand-alone enjoyment or an extension of Specialty Camps that celebrates and engages curiosity with a range of active and exploratory experience. For more information, visit bouldercountryday.org.
Boulder Valley School District Lifelong Learning
New for 2020! Boulder Valley School District’s (BVSD) Lifelong Learning has consolidated all technology-based summer camps into a Tech Camp Hub at Monarch High School. A newly renovated technology wing will host cutting edge camps including coding, robotics and filmmaking. Campers aged 8 to 18 will have the opportunity to build career-focused skills in their favorite subjects. Thanks to a grant from the Best Buy Foundation, one Intensive App Design camp will be free to 14 to 18 year olds focused on technology as their career path. This summer, 474 BVSD Summer Camps will run from May 26 to Aug. 17 at eleven Boulder-area locations. Each half-day, one-week camp lets kids choose their own next adventure in athletic, creative, academic or performance themed offerings. For more information visit lll.bvsd.org.
CU Science Discovery
Creative learners ages 5 to 18 will thrive while creating lasting memories through shared experiential STEM learning experiences facilitated by experts, including CU faculty, graduate and undergraduate students. The wide variety of full-day Kindergarten through 8th grade summer camps and high school classes foster growth and curiosity while laying the foundation for a lifetime love of learning. From exploring physics through Star Wars to digging up dinos, students enjoy access to university equipment, labs and resources and top-tier guidance under the backdrop of the beautiful Rocky Mountains. For more information, visit colorado.edu/sciencediscovery.
Dawson School
Regularly voted one of Boulder’s Best Summer Camps, Dawson School Summer Camps offer 100-plus camps for students ages 5 to 15 from June 1 through July 31. A low camper to staff ratio, daily hot lunch, pool time and plenty of invigorating fun in the sun add bonus appeal to special focuses like Electronics Galore, Hovercraft Design, Magical Science and much more. Tantalizing choices abound for every kid, with an experienced adult director leading every camp. Learn more and register at dawsonschool.org/summer/summer-camps.
Flagstaff Academy
As one of the largest summer camp providers on the Front Range, the Flagstaff Academy Dragon Flight Summer Camps do their utmost to provide a magical summer. Kids of all ages enjoy instruction with peer-based groups in everything from cooking to robotics, as well as field trip excursions to the tune of Rockies Games, adventure centers, water and trampoline parks and more. Students can sign up for full-time camp, or choose from a range of half-day specialty classes including everything from baking to gardening. Learn more and register at flagstaffacademy.revtrak.net/dragon-flight.
Friends School
As one of Boulder’s most popular summer programs for students 3 to 14 years, Friends School has it all. Compelling categories including Science Explorers, Artists and Architects, Music and Theater, and Sports and Games will delight your child as they choose from a wide variety of enriching week-long, half-day, and full-day classes. Who could resist the hands-on, explosive fun of Chemistry and Combustion? The creative application of the scientific method as Myth Busters, or the tempting promise of building a Lego Adventure City? For more information, visit friendsschoolboulder.org/programs/summer-programs.
New Horizon Academy
Registration with New Horizon Academy’s Camp Discovery Summer Program is a passport to fun and enrichment! Special visitors such as scientists and engineers, hands-on building activities, scavenger hunts, field trip expeditions and more will keep your child immersed in action-packed learning and enjoyment. Playfully and purposefully included will be mind-sharpening camp routines such as tracking and celebrating summer books, and writing, self-expressing, and recording in SciKids STEAM Workbooks. Learn more at newhorizonacademy.net/learning-programs/camp-discovery-summer-program.
Reel Kids
Young film and theater enthusiasts will thrive developing industry skills and knowledge alongside life skills, confidence and friendships with Reel Kids. From screenwriting and video-editing to Marvel-ous invitations to unleash inner super heros, Reel Kids’ camps provide a nurturing and student-led approach that fosters creativity and enjoyment of the arts within a structure that adapts to the individual. For more information and registration visit myreelkids.com.
St Vrain Valley District
St. Vrain Valley School District offers an awesome variety of programs for all ages to learn and grow while having a blast! Through Community Schools Summer Camps, enrichment and recreation activities provide well-rounded, engaging experiences in warm, welcoming environments. Community School Camps build in numerous field trip opportunities across the Front Range and regular swimming excursions. At Innovation Center SuperStem Camps, student designers and Innovation Center teachers offer a wide-range of fun, hands-on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) exploration that engages and challenges students while incorporating human-centered design thinking. For personalized, small classroom instruction from St. Vrain teachers, check out The Project Launch Summer Literacy Program, where students build their reading and writing skills in a relaxed, fun environment. Up with People Jr. Summer Camp brings students ages 8 to 12 together with the aim of impacting and inspiring community through music, performance, global awareness, education and community service. Visit the district website at svvsd.org for details and registration for all programs.
Sylvan Learning Center STEM Camps
Broomfield’s Sylvan Learning Center is well-known for its impact guiding students to reach and exceed their academic potential. Did you know Sylvan offers Summer STEM Camps, too? Kids bring imaginative creations to life using LEGO® B bricks and award-winning software in Robotics Camp. Coding Camp invites learners in grades 3 to 8 to dive in where ready, from learning fundamentals to advanced programming. Fit4Algebra camps keep math muscles in tip-top shape and Engineering Camp guides learners through real world engineering processes as they design, evaluate, and reconstruct globally-inspired super structures. Learn more at sylvanlearning.com/camps/stem.
By Wendy McMillan for Raised in the Rockies
