Summer Camp Guide 2020

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Boys who love to sing may enjoy creating music during the Boychoir Boot Camp Aug. 3-7 at Concordia University. The camp is for boys entering first to fifth grade. (Photo courtesy of the Boychoir)

Create a cardboard castle, a cigar box guitar, or a Lego robot. Connect with long-time friends and make new ones while learning how to kayak, juggle or sew. Make a puppet, animated cartoon, stationary, or your own song.

There are so many summer camp options in the Twin Cities area, your kids will have trouble picking just one!

Browse below for more information on some of the camps offered locally.

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN

IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

AUTISM SOCIETY OF MINNESOTA

Experience outdoor activities at AuSM camps tailored for youth age 6 and up and adults with autism. Two residential camps where campers stay several days and nights are also offered in northern Minnesota at several locations.

ausm.org/camp/ausm-summer-camps.html

651-647-1083

BLACKHAWKS OF ST. PAUL

Blackhawks offer several exciting half- and full-day soccer camps for players ages 5-18 that encompass a wide variety of activities and skills. Specialty camps focus on specific skills such as ball control, shooting, and goalkeeping.

651-894-3527

http://blackhawksoccer.org/

CAMP COMO

Spend some time “Monkeying Around” with your primate pals, go for the gold in “Animal Olympics”, take an “African Adventure” without leaving Como, or try on the hat of a zookeeper or gardener in “Behind-the-Scenes!”. Como’s camps focus on developing children’s appreciation for the natural world through play and exploration, behind-the-scenes experiences, interactions with zookeepers and gardeners, and up-close encounters with plant and animal ambassadors Five-day, half-day or full-day sessions for preschool to grade eight. Extended care available.

651-487-8272

https://comozooconservatory.org/como/camp-como/

FOREST SCHOOL

Free Forest School of the Twin Cities is a free group, open to young children and their parents or caregivers. This is a welcoming and non-judgmental group where parents and caregivers can practice giving children space and autonomy to explore and create in nature. Free Forest School meets every day of the week throughout the year at wilderness areas

around the metro. Share a snack, take a hike, play in the woods, and have circle time. Parents get a chance to unplug and step back… Kids and their imaginations take the lead.

Cost: Free

www.freeforestschool.org/free-forest-school-twin-cities-minnesota/

FRIENDS SCHOOL

Want to make a film just like the professionals do? Feel like biking 10 (or 20!) miles a day? Have a secret stash of poems you want to share? Feel a need to express yourself through paint and paper-folding? Maybe you’d rather argue for the defense in a real courtroom? Friends School will be the place to do that--and more--from June to August for ages 4-14. Weekdays, half- and full-day. Extended day care in the mornings and afternoons and need-based financial aid available.

651-621-8941

http://www.fsmn.org

GERMAN LANGUAGE AND CULTURE CAMPS

Speak, hear, sing, and create in German while exploring subjects ranging from history and art to science and music during five-day, half-, full- and extended-day sessions for grades K-13 at the Germanic American Institute.

651-222-2979

http://gai-mn.org

GIBBS MUSEUM OF PIONEER AND DAKOTA LIFE CAMPS

Travel back in time and learn about life in the 1800s. Explore seasonal Dakota activities including the maple sugar camp, wild rice village, life in the tipi, hunting games, methods of travel, language and song. Three-day, half-day camps. One-day Pioneer PeeWees camps offered for ages 4-5.

651-646-8629

http://www.rchs.com

HAMLINE YOUNG WRITERS

High school students ages 15-18 can explore the craft, prepare for college, and connect with other young writers in the Twin Cities, while working closely with Hamline Creative Writing faculty and published authors.

651-523-2476

http://www.hamline.edu/gls/youngwriters/

MINNESOTA WALDORF SCHOOL

Join the Minnesota Waldorf School for good, old-fashioned summer fun with outdoor games, natural crafts, water play, gardening, fairy camp, and much more. For children ages 3.5 to (rising) 6th grade.

651-487-6700 x202

http://mnwaldorf.org/summercamp

RAPTOR CENTER

Summer sessions for ages 6-14 are run by the University of Minnesota’s Rec & Wellness Camps. Camps also offered in partnership with MIA and Richardson Nature Center.

www.raptor.umn.edu

ST. PAUL ACADEMY

Make your own games and design circuits. Paint with pizzazz. Search out connections between visual art and creative writing, and explore the life of a story in journalism. Options at SPA cover a wide range of academic, arts, and enrichment activities for grades 2-12.

651-698-2451

http://www.spa.edu

ST. PAUL CONSERVANCY OF MUSIC

Music day camp for aspiring young musicians – offering a setting where children can explore their musical knowledge and ability through classes, creative play, and presentations by renowned professionals.

www.thespcm.org/summercamp

651-224-2205

ST. PAUL BALLET

Summer is a great time to try dance. Programs include workshops and camps for ages 3 and up, and weekly drop-in classes for teens and adults,.

651-690-1588

www.spballet.org

ST. PAUL URBAN TENNIS

Located at 30+ sites, with several locations in the Midway-Como neighborhoods, St. Paul Urban Tennis offers a summer program for all age groups and skill levels. Tennis lessons combine high quality instruction with life skills learning. Sampler Camps offer a condensed, 4-day version of the lesson program. Scholarships available.

612-222-2879

https://stpaulurbantennis.org/summer/

STEPPINGSTONE THEATER

Learn about devised theater, music and other performance art forms during these one- to two-week, half- and full-day sessions for those preK to grade 12. Two theater classes offered in collaboration with the Science Museum and Minnesota Zoo.

http://steppingstonetheatre.org

TEXTILE CENTER CAMPS

Sew, knit, felt, dye, and more. Take home hand-made creations from half-day, weeklong classes, for students ages 6-16.

612-436-0464

http://textilecentermn.org/sc

VERTICAL ENDEAVORS

Climbing camp in single day, half and full day sessions run early June to late August for ages 6-13.

www.verticalendeavors.com

YMCA

Explore the variety of Y Summer Programs at over 60 metro-area locations. Programs include flexible three-, four-, and five-day options for preschool and up, as well as day camps, overnight camps, Teen Wilderness, family camps and more.

http://www.ymcatwincities.org/child_care__preschool/summer_programs/

IN THE TWIN CITIES

ANIMAL HUMANE SOCIETY

Kids entering grades 3-10 spend a full week immersed in animal learning and fun at one of four AHS locations.

animalhumanesociety.org/summer-camp

763-489-2220

ALEXANDER RAMSEY HOUSE

Solve mysteries of the past in this three-day History Detective Camp for ages 10-13. Or, young ladies ages 9-12 can step back in time in a unique Finishing School for Young Ladies day camp.

612-341-7555

http://www.mnhs.org/summercamps

ARTSTART

Creative cultural camps exploring Peru & Ecuador through art that reuses discarded materials. Sessions for ages 4-teen run late June – July.

651-698-2787

www.artstart.org

BASE CAMP

Climb high, climb far during the Discovery Day Camp’s high energy activities offered near Fort Snelling Mondays to Fridays June to August for ages 5-15.

612-261-2301

http://www.explorebasecamp.org/

CENTER FOR BLADE ARTS

Modern Olympic fencing camps for all ages run from 10 a,m,-2 p,m, Monday-Friday in June and July.

612-501-0640

www.centerforbladearts.com

CIRCUS JUVENTAS

Explore international circus arts at Circus Juventas. Five-day, full-day sessions and one-day sampler camps offered for ages 6-18.

651-699-8229

http://www.circusjuventas.org

CONCORDIA LANGUAGE

VILLAGES

Experience cultural and language immersion; 15 languages to choose from. Resident camp for ages 6-18 and family camps.

1-800-222-4750

http://www.concordialanguagevillages.org

FARM TO TABLE

Make butter, ice cream and bread while learning about science, agriculture and history at the Bruentrup Heritage Farm in Maplewood. Plus, students will play old-time games like townball and do arts and crafts during three four-day sessions.

651-748-8645

http://www.maplewoodhistoricalsociety.org/

IRISH DANCE

Professional Irish Dance training by director Cormac O’Se, an original member of Riverdance.

612-722-7000

www.osheairishdance.com

LEONARDO’S BASEMENT

Girls and boys ages 6 to 17 can design and build their creative ideas, mixing art, science and technology during partial-day, weekday camps. There are more than 120 classes available over 10 weeks.

612-824-4394

www.leonardosbasement.org

MINNEHAHA ACADEMY

Pick from an amazing variety of camps for children grades K-12. From fencing to Lego robotics, baseball to history field trips, there is a camp to jump start a child’s summer adventure.

612-728-7745, ext. 1

http://www.minnehahaacademy.net

NORTHERN CLAY CENTER

Explore clay through sculpture or wheel-thrown pottery in half or full-day sessions for ages 6 and up.

612-339-8007

www.northernclaycenter.org

TRAPEZE CENTER CIRCUS CAMP

Students ages 8-17 enrolled in the weeklong, half-day camps will experience a variety of circus disciplines (including Trampoline, Static Trapeze, Acrobatics, Circus Bike, and of course Flying Trapeze).

651-262-9477

twincitiestrapeze.com

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is not a comprehensive list of every camp in the Twin Cities. If you would like to be included in next year’s guide, please send us detailed information on the camp.

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