12 Creative Sleepaway + Day Camps for Every Kid
Whether you’re DIYing edible play dough or turning lunchtime into creative time with themed lunchables, you’ve pretty much done every Pinterest-approved activity to keep your kids entertained during the long, school-free months of summer. Now you’re looking for something new to challenge your high-energy tots. Before you start browsing for more Internet hacks, we suggest investigating sending them off on their own adventure with a non-traditional summer camp. It’s the perfect way to broaden your little one’s horizons while earning yourself some much needed me-time in the process. Here are a few of our favorites, both sleepaway and day camps, to get you started on your own summer camp search.
1. Camp Unalayee Family Camp: With most tots learning to swipe on a tablet by the age of two, it seems unlikely that our kiddos will learn to love a world without tech. At Camp Unalayee, kids go digital-less with no electricity or indoor plumbing in Northern California. With activities ranging from overnight hiking trips to communal campfires, it’s good ol’ camping at its tech-less finest. (via Camp Unalayee Family Camp)
2. Camp17 #BestCampEver With Tyler Oakley and Bethany Mota: If your teen is obsessed with Youtube, odds are they’re addicted to watching Internet royalty Tyler Oakley and Bethany Mota. In this first ever Youtube camp collab, the popular Youtube hosts will become camp counselors for the week — leading everything from fireside gossip sessions to a can’t-miss talent show, all set in Torrington, Connecticut. (via Camp17)
3. Teton Valley Ranch Camp: Teach your tot the skills to survive in the Wild West with this cowboy and cowgirl camp in Wyoming. With activates ranging from horseback riding to fly-fishing to archery, campers spend an entire month fully immersed in the country lifestyle. (via Teton Valley Ranch Camp)
4. SOAR Expedition Camp: Learning to deal with a learning disability like ADHD or ADD is tough, especially as kids — that’s why SOAR created a specially designed adventure camp in North Carolina just for campers with learning disabilities. With everything from a high ropes course to white-water rafting, it’s a great way to challenge your teen to own their ability and do things they never thought possible. (via SOAR)
5. ThrillCoaster Tours: This teen-centric camp is strictly for dare devils. Teens spend two weeks traveling around Orlando to some of the world’s best theme parks to ride the biggest roller coasters they can find — including the largest sky coaster in the US. (via ThrillCoaster Tours)
6. Surf Diva’s All-Girls Overnight Surf Camp: Cowabunga, dude! This beach-side camp in San Diego pairs daily surf lessons with typical camp activities to make this all-girls experience something your teen will never forget. (via Surf Diva)
Day Camps
7. Brooklyn Robot Foundry Robot World: Budding Brooklyn engineers will love this techy camp. In these mega popular week-long classes, students learn how to build nine different types of robots that range in difficulty and, size depending on your child’s age. (via Brooklyn Robot Foundry)
8. Disney Education Day Groups: Looking to take your whole soccer team or Girl Guide troop to camp? Disney World offers tons of day programs for groups of nine or fewer that explore everything from the physics of rides to the principles of animal behavior — all with a little bit of Disney magic, of course. (via Disney Youth Programs)
9. Circus Center Circus Discovery Camp: Let your little monkey discover the magic of the circus with this tiny tot summer camp. With acrobatics, juggling, stilt walking, aerial arts and clowning to explore, San Francisco parents are sure to be impressed at the special end-of-term showcase. (via Circus Center)
10. Automatic Studios Movie Arts Camp: Do you have the next Spielberg running around your house? In this weeklong program, campers put their filmmaking to the test by shooting and filming a pre-scripted movie in Brooklyn using real equipment and under the guidance of industry professionals. (via Automatic Studios)
11. Oregon Zoo Summer Day Camps: Get a behind-the-scenes look inside a real zoo in this immersive Portland summer camp for children up to the eighth grade. Crafts, animal visitors and shows are incorporated into this week-long learning session about some of the world’s coolest animals. (via Oregon Zoo)
12. Common Ground Ecology Camp: Is your kid passionate about the environment? In this six week camp, campers learn everything from the basics of hiking to how to cook straight from the farm, with once-a-week field trips to West Rock Park for maximum exploring. (via Common Ground)
What’s your favorite camp memory? Tweet us at @BritandCo.