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You are here: Home / Community / Fun in the Sun

Fun in the Sun

April 21, 2014 By admin Leave a Comment Filed Under: Community

Though frozen sidewalks and mismatched mittens may not hint at the upcoming summer, school is out in only a few months. Soon complaints of frostbitten fingers will become whines of overheating and dehydration and pleas to go to the pool, the park, and anywhere with air conditioning will certainly become rampant.  Though controlling the New York City weather may be a little out of reach, planning your kids’ summers, to be exciting, social, educational, and memorable, is easily achievable.  From the artist to the athlete to the all-around all-star, Park Slope and its surrounding neighborhoods have plenty of fun and affordable options for kids of all ages.

Brooklyn Arts Exchange
Artistic kids will enjoy Brooklyn Arts Exchange (BAX) Summer Arts Program, for kids entering grades K–6.  Guests artists, specialists, and counselors will lead campers in daily classes explore art, media, theatre, music, circus arts, and much more. Each week culminates in an informal performance or gallery to show off to family and friends what busy, creative campers have been working on.  An extended day program is also available, offering later pick-up for working parents.
youth.bax.org/general-information/school-breaks/summer-arts-program
Program Dates:  June 30–August 15

Brooklyn Boulders
Kids who are climbing off the walls—or just in search of a bit of adventure—can attend Brooklyn Boulders Summer Adventures in Gowanus.  Named one of ‘Time Out New York Kids: Best of 2013!’ this camp is an invigorating and adventurous experience for all kids!  Brooklyn Boulders offers 22,000 square feet of rock climbing, complete with safety gear and strictly-enforced rules—a bit of reassurance for concerned parents!  Climbing camp is dedicated to providing a fun and challenging experience for campers of all skill levels. This year, the camp will also partner up with Homage Brooklyn Skateboard Academy to offer a dual skate/climbing camp.
brooklynboulders.com
Program Dates:  BKB Summer Adventures Session 1: June 30–July 3 Session 2: July 14–July 18 Session 3: July 28–August 1 Session 4: August 11– August 15 Session 5: August 25–August 29 BKB X Homage
Session 1: July–July 25 Session 2: August 18–August 22

Butterbeans
Butterbeans

Butterbeans
Get young cooks out of your kitchen and into someone else’s at ButterBeans Kitchen Food and Garden Summer Camp, which offers a complete farm-to-table summer experience for kids ages 6–10, and takes care of the mess!  Food-focused activities include planting seed, harvesting fresh food, cooking seasonal summer lunches, and writing unique cookbooks. Kids will enjoy individual sessions with local food experts, getting hands-on with chickens and worms and learning the tricks to great composting.  Fun “Top Chef ” challenges will help teams of kids create inventive lunches and snacks, and perhaps prep them for the next “MasterChef Junior.”
butterbeanskitchen.com
Program Dates:Session 1: July 7–July 18, Session 2: July 21– August 1, Session 3 : August 4–August 15, Session 4: August 18 –August 22

Park Slope Day Camp
For a traditional day camp experience, Brooklynites ages 31/2–14 can enjoy all the summer activities at Park Slope Day Camp. Those wanting a more specific experience can also register for the camps Sports Academy or Circus Camp programs.  The camp also offers a free morning shuttle to local campers. Groups are split up by age. Camp activities include tennis, arts and crafts, music, theater, sports, nature, self-defense, climbing on the camp’s climbing wall, and field trips to locations like the beach or zoo.  Instructional swimming as well as clubs for campers to join to suit their unique interests are also offered throughout the day.
parkslopedaycamp.com
Program Dates:  June 30–August 22, selectable by week

Piper Theater
Piper Theater

Piper Theater
Acclaimed local theater Piper Theatre at Old Stone House offers kids ages 7–17 the opportunity to enter new worlds of imagination and wonder through their summer performance camps. Professional teachers will guide students in creating full-scale productions performed outdoors on the professional stage at the end of July. A new program this summer partnering with Off The Page offers a workshop for campers to create the show they will perform in! Specialized intensive workshops also include Shakespeare, Hands-on Film, an advanced workshop performing Amadeus, and an advanced musical workshop performing Hair.
pipertheatre.org
Program Dates:  June 30–July 26

Streb
Streb

STREB
Brooklyn’s STREB Lab Camp offers a unique circus performance program, encouraging campers to engage with their surroundings and bodies in new and unique ways.  Campers will build confidence and independence swinging from the trapeze, walking the tightrope, and goofing around in clowning gear.  Kids can spend the summer performing in STREB’s circus for six one-week sessions, each of which culminate in a Friday performance and continue to build on practiced skills each consecutive week.  Students who want to continue building on these skills can also continue with weekend and afterschool classes throughout the year.
streb.org
Program Dates:  July 6–August 15, options for weekly sign-up

For kids ready to leave the house for a bit of time, several East Coast sleepaway camps are popular with Park Slope kids (and parents). 

Beam Camp
Creative kids ages 7–17 learn to make their ideas a reality at Beam Camp, which specializes in fine and manual arts. Now in its tenth summer, the camp is celebrating a decade of innovation and community. Workshops are staffed by full-time and visiting professional architects, videographers, builders, engineers, designers, and other innovative makers from diverse backgrounds and skillsets. Campers will also collaborate on a commissioned, one-of-a-kind, large-scale Beam Project, unique to every summer. July’s project will be immersive mechanical light machines, and August will focus on a floating vessel combining the principles of Leonardo da Vinci with modern components. Future engineers, artists, and kids with curiosity will be happy to make this New Hampshire camp their summer home.
beamcamp.com
Program Dates: Session 1: July 2–27 Session 2:  July 30–Aug 24

Camp Med-O-Lark
For over 50 years, Camp Med-O-Lark has been known throughout the country as a premiere summer arts institutions.  Located in Washington, Maine, the lakefront property offers arts electives for kids 8-16.  Unlike many traditional camps, Med-O-Lark does not host inter-camp sports competitions and tournaments but focuses on individual leadership and self-expression rather than competitiveness. Campers live in cozy cabins with bunk beds and participate in creative activities like dance, music, fine arts, circus arts, culinary arts, and performance arts.  A skate park, sports field, and waterfront sports are also all available.  Two, four, six, and eight week sessions are offered.
medolark.com
Program Dates: Session 1: June 27 –July 23 Session 2: July 25 –August 20

 

Camp Onas
Camp Onas

Camp Onas
Young Brooklynites ages 7–13 venture out to Bucks County, PA every summer to attend Camp Onas.  The 72-acre property has been operating since 1922 and is accredited by the ACA.  Onas offers a wide range of programs in arts, drama, sports, aquatics, and outdoors skills like hiking, gardening, and fishing.  Overnight pioneer camping programs and day trips also allow campers to explore the world outside Onas.  Camp Onas is rooted in the Quaker values of simplicity, peace, equality, and community, and aims to provide kids with a fun and memorable summer home and lifelong friends. Eight to nine campers live with counselors under the stars in the sleeping tents and pavilions, and boys and girls live on separate sides of camp, each with their own modern shower house. The rest of camp life is co-ed, including family style Dining Hall meals and camp-wide events. One-week sessions are also available to help ease younger campers into being away from home.
camponas.org
Program Dates:
Session 1: June 22 – July 5
Session 2: July 6 – July 19,
Session 3: July 20 – August 2,
Session 4: August 3 – August 16


Summer Camp Guide

Day Camps

14th Street Y
Manhattan, NY
14streety.org

Aviator Sports
Brooklyn, NY
aviatorcamps.com

Backpacks & Binoculars
Brooklyn, NY
backpacksandbinoculars.com

Beansprouts
Brooklyn, NY
beansproutsnurseryschool.com

Brainy Academy
Brooklyn, NY
brainyacademyny.com

Brooklyn Arts Exchange
Brooklyn, NY
youth.bax.org

Brooklyn Arts for Kids
Brooklyn, NY
brooklynartsforkids.com

Brooklyn Beanstalk
Brooklyn, NY
brooklynbeanstalk.com

Brooklyn Boulders
Brooklyn, NY
brooklynboulders.com

Brooklyn Conservatory of music
Brooklyn, NY
bqcm.org

Brooklyn Craft Farm
Brooklyn, NY
brooklyncraftfarm.com

Brooklyn Cultural Adventures Program
Brooklyn, NY
bklynpubliclibrary.org/bcap

Brooklyn Dance Foundry
Brooklyn, NY
brooklyndanceproject.com

Brooklyn Game Lab
Brooklyn, NY
brooklyngamelab.com

Brooklyn Players
Brooklyn, NY
brooklynplayers.com

Brooklyn Robot Foundry
Brooklyn, NY
brooklynrobotfoundry.com

Brooklyn Stars
Brooklyn, NY
bk-stars.com

The Brooklyn Strategist
Brooklyn, NY
thebrooklynstrategist.com

Butter Beans Food & Garden Summer Camp
Brooklyn, NY
butterbeanskitchen.com

Camp Half-Blood
Brooklyn, NY
camphalfbloodbklyn.com

Camp Intrepid
Manhattan, NY
intrepidmuseum.org

Camp Olympia
Brooklyn, NY
campolympiany.com

CBE Congregation Beth Elohim
Brooklyn, NY
congregationbethelohim.org

Child’s Play NY
Brooklyn, NY
childsplayny.com

Choice Scholars Day School
Brooklyn, NY
choicescholars.com

Construction Kids
Brooklyn, NY
constructionkids.com

The Co-op School
Brooklyn, NY
thecoopschool.com

Dancewave
Brooklyn, NY
dancewave.org

Engineering for Kids
Brooklyn, NY
engineeringforkids.net

Fastrackids
Brooklyn, NY
fastrackids.com

Free Spirits music
Brooklyn, NY
freespiritsmusic.com

Food Art for Kids
Brooklyn, NY
foodartforkids.com

Homage Brooklyn
Brooklyn, NY
homagebrooklyn.com

International School of Brooklyn
Brooklyn, NY
isbrooklyn.org

Juguemos A Cantar
Brooklyn, NY
juguemos.org

Kim’s Kids Summer Camp
Brooklyn, NY
kimskidscamp.com

Kings Bay Y
Brooklyn, NY
kingsbayy.org

Lango
Brooklyn, NY
langokidsnyc.com

Liu Children’s Academy Summer Camp
Brooklyn, NY
liu.edu

Mark Morris Dance Group
Brooklyn, NY
markmorrisdancegroup.org

NY K!ds Club
Brooklyn, Queens, & Manhattan, NY
nykidsclub.com

Park Explorers
Brooklyn, NY
parkexplorers.com

The Park Slope Day Camp
Brooklyn, NY
parkslopedaycamp.com

Piper Theatre Productions
Brooklyn, NY
pipertheatre.org

Pixel Academy
Brooklyn, NY
pixelacademy.org

Prospect Park Zoo education
Brooklyn, NY
prospectparkzoo.com

Spoke the Hub
Brooklyn, NY
spokethehub.org

Streb
Brooklyn, NY
streb.org

Shibley Day Camp
Brooklyn, NY
shibleydaycamp.com

Textile Arts Center
Brooklyn, NY
textileartscenter.com

Tinkergarten
Brooklyn, NY
tinkergarten.com

urBan martial Arts
Brooklyn, NY
urbandojo.com

Overnight Camps

Beam Camp
Strafford, NY
beamcamp.com

Berkshire Hills Eisenberg Camp
Copake, NY
bhecamp.org

Camp Eagle Hill
Elizaville, NY
campeaglehill.com

Camp Kodiak
Ontario, CA
campkodiak.com

Camp med-o-lark
Washington, ME
medolark.com

Camp Onas
Bucks County, PA
camponas.org

Camp Wekeela
hartford, ME
campwekeela.com

Eden Village Camp
Putnam Valley, NY
edenvillagecamp.org

Pinemere Camp
Stroudsburg, PA
pinemere.com

Windsor Mountain International Summer Camp
Windsor, NH
windsormountain.org

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