(Featured photo: YMCA Camp Kern)
THE CHILDREN’S THEATRE OF CINCINNATI SPRING BREAK CAMP, SUMMER CAMP AND ACADEMY LIVE!
4015 Red Bank Road, Cincinnati, OH
513-569-8080; thechildrenstheatre.com
TCT has some new, exciting Spring Break Camps under their belt! You’re little performers can take the stage during TCT’s Annie JR. April Spring Break Performance Camp for ages 6 – 10; and ages 11-16! Kids can learn to perform their very own mini-show of Annie Jr. – from singing, to dancing and acting, they will be directed by professional TCT teaching artists as they strengthen their arts and improv skills all while meeting new friends and having fun! Parents get to watch their little stars show what they learned during the “sharecase” performance open to family and friends! This camp is for all levels. TCT Summer Camps vary from Drama to Costume Design and tons more; and Academy LIVE! is presenting two performances for your kids to take the stage, Frozen Jr. and Frozen Kids; before-and-after care is available, too!
CINCINNATI BALLET KIDS DANCE CAMP
1555 Central Pkwy., Cincinnati, OH
513-621-5219; cballet.org
Whether your tiny dancer has been twirling for five years or has never mastered a plié or satué before, Cincinnati Ballet offers dance camps for all levels! The fun, welcoming environment gives your tiny dancer all of the confidence they need to learn new skills while having a blast! This summer, look forward to the “Summer of Dreams” theme, a symatic fairy tale focus, that gracefully ties into some of the ballet’s major programming such as The Wizard of Oz and The Little Mermaid. Dancers will also partake in engaging story times, craft activities, and will even put on a performance, too! June 1 – 5, June 8 – 12 and July 27 – 31; for ages 4 – 8.
POSITIVE CHESS CHESS PLUS SUMMER CAMP
6388 Santa Anita Court, West Chester Township, OH
513-620-6207; positivechess.com
What’s so positive about Positive Chess Chess Plus Summer Camps? The low camper to instructor ratio is one thing, giving more attention to each individual camper; and the variety of engaging and education materials is another! Your engineer can learn to assemble mechanical parts, get involved with small chess activities, robotics and more! With a variety of activities throughout the morning and afternoon sessions, they will get exposed to various skills. If you remember two popular programs from last year “Wicked Fun,” and “Active Fitness,” they are now combined into one active program, “Movement.” It will include tons of physical activities, family board games and more! Your kids
will also love the engaging incentive through awards and fun surprises after cashing in their hard earned work! For second – eighth grade students.
YMCA CAMP KERN
5291 OH-350, Oregonia, OH
513-932-3756; campkern.org
Kids can get beyond adventurous at Camp Kern! Friendships are the main focus during these weeklong camps as campers participate in all the activities their little heart desires with experienced counselors from all over the world. Each program is designed with specific age groups in mind, so each campers’ interests are met. They are widely known for their fully themed programs, and new this year, campers will head off into a fully immersive Disney-themed, “Neverland.” For the second year, look forward to Camp Kern’s “Extreme Camp,” outtrips in the area with Camp Kern overnight camp included. Interested in scholarship opportunities? They have that, too with all of the help
and info you need on their website.
ABRAKADOODLE SUMMER ART CAMPS FOR KIDS
Various Locations in Greater Cincinnati
513-297-5655; abrakadoodle.com
From ages 3 – 12, Abrakadoodle offers engaging Summer Art Camps for kids at schools and other community locations. From art lessons to music, games and crafts and tons more special activities, your little artist will be exposed to a variety of art! Check out their theme-based camps this summer including: “The Big Abrakadoodle Circus;” “The Museum Mystery Tour;” “Kids on the Runway” and tons more where that came from!
SCHOOL OF ROCK CINCINNATI MUSIC CAMPS
6710 Madison Road, Cincinnati, OH
513-586-7625; locations.schoolofrock.com/cincinnati
Do you wanna rock? School of Rock Cincinnati has rockin’ summer camps for age 7 – 18! Whether your kid wants to learn to play in a band or be a songwriter, these musical camps will teach them the ropes. They offer a wide variety of music camps and workshops that cover it all, and their local music camps are perfect for musicians of any skill level who want to play guitar, bass, drums, keyboard and vocals! New this year, School of Rock is opening up a new school in NKY that will also run summer camps – keep a lookout on their website in March for NKY camps.
CINCINNATI SHAKESPEARE SUMMER CAMPS
1195 Elm St., Cincinnati, OH
513-381-2273; cincyshakes.com
Downtown Camps take place at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company and next door at the School for Creative and Performing Arts (108 W. Central Parkway Cincinnati, OH).
June and July space summer camps are available, with weeklong summer camps for anybody who wants to learn more about theatre and get up on stage. Popular this year, June 8 – 12, is “Clowning Around” for juniors, (grades first – sixth), perfect for the class clown! Kids will learn about classic clowning, they will put together scripts and just have goofy, crazy fun! Another camp to look forward to is “Swords and Sorcery,” July 6 – 10 – campers spend a week in Fantasy Theatre Camp, where wizards weave spells, monsters make mayhem and fairies fly through the air. Learn how to make the kind of stage magic that can bring the most fantastical stories to life. Cincy Shakes also offers senior camps for seventh – 12th graders. These include three weeks of camps that go more in depth into Shakespeare’s work. Is your senior not a Shakespeare guru but wants to learn? Shakespeare knowledge is not required, so dive right in! Scholarships are available online.
MATHNASIUM MATH CAMPS
9525 Kenwood Road, #15 Blue Ash, OH
513-984-1212; mathnasium.com
Are you looking to keep your student engaged during the summer and have fun at the same time? Mathnasium is now enrolling for Summer Sessions! Avoid the summer slide by having them customize a program for your student to learn at the center with their in-house curriculum. Your camper will participate in STEM-based projects, too!
KIDS FIRST SPORTS CENTER CAMP-A-PALOOZA
7900 E Kemper Road, Cincinnati, OH
513-489-7575; kidsfirstcamp.com
Camp-a-Palooza, located in Kids First Sports Center, offers a variety of camps grades K through seventh grade! Whether your camper is ready for a half-day camp or full day, they offer a diverse variety of programming. For half day, there is art, music, science, technology and more, plus these engaging, educational programs can be combined with a day camp program to dive a little deeper. For the field trip enthusiast, they offer venture camp programming, too, with four field trips per week. The smaller groups are perfect for a more personable experience.
MAYERSON JCC CAMP AT THE J
8485 Ridge Ave., Cincinnati, OH
513-761-7500; mayersonjcc.org
Experience the best of summer at Camp at the J! Kids can take advantage of anything from swim lessons to archery, to arts and crafts, and way more where that came from! If your kid is looking for a traditional day or specialty camps, they can pursue their interests and learn new skills. Specialty Camps to look forward to this summer include “Dino Digs: Ice Age Mr. Mike” for grades K – third; “Art Camp” for grades 1 – 3; “Theatre Camp” for grades 2 – eighth; and tons more! Head to their website for more information on camps and financial assistance.
GREAT PARKS SUMMER DAY CAMPS
513-521-7275; greatparks.org
Explore the outdoors at Great Parks Day Camps! Ages 2 – 17 will get into hands-on activities and loads of educational opportunities. This summer, look forward to nearly two dozen camps with themes ranging from Adventure, Farm, Fishing, Golf, Horse, Nature and Photography! Has your camper ever kayaked or gone horseback riding? Now they can at these adventurous nature camps! Kids will have the opportunity to get their feet wet and learn skills such as team-building, nature-study and more with Great Parks’ experienced team.
TAFT MUSEUM OF ART SUMMER ART DAY CAMP
316 Pike St., Cincinnati, OH
513-241-0343; taftmuseum.org
It’s a great year for kiddos and families to check out the Taft! Their historic house is celebrating its 200th birthday! The Taft Museum of Art offers weeklong camps for first – seventh graders. Campers will learn to make art through painting, sculpting and drawing in small classes taught by experienced teachers. Cincinnati has so much art to explore and experience, so get ready for some fun weekly field trips, too!
THE ART WORKSHOP ART CAMPS
(Located at Queen City Clay; 3130 Wasson Road, Cincinnati, OH)
513-406-4009; theartworkshopinc.net
The only pottery wheel camp in the city, these art camps also offer drawing and painting; sculpture; paper mache pets; Princesses and Unicorns; and cartooning and clay; and more! If your little artlover can’t get enough, they offer art enrichment classes, too, for ages 3 and older. Class offerings include pottery wheel, cartooning, and comic book, Mom/Dad and Me, Preschool, Drawing, teen classes, and new this year is Freestyle, where kids can come in and choose their own project. Did you know that The Art Workshop is the only studio that offers creating your own art out of clay AND glazing it?
CINCINNATI NATURE CENTER CINCY NATURE SUMMER CAMPS
4949 Tealtown Road, Milford, OH
513-831-1711; cincynature.org
This year, Cincinnati Nature is offering four new camps, a total of 19 different camp themes. Including “Trail Blazers,” “Forest Secrets,” “Who’s Up What’s Up” and “Wild Design.” Little campers learn to have a love for nature and get to head out on a new adventure each day! CincyNature Summer camps are weeklong, nature day camps for ages 3 through 13, June through August, at Cincinnati Nature Center’s two sites: Rowe Woods in Milford and Long Branch Farm and Trails in Goshen. Registration opens February 4 at 10 a.m.
CINCINNATI PLAYHOUSE IN THE PARK SUMMER THEATRE CAMP AND PERFORMANCE ACADEMY
962 Mt. Adams Circle, Cincinnati, OH
513-421-3888; cincyplay.com
Cincy Play camps are continuing with locations around Cincinnati. The Launch Pad Accessibility program which kicked off last year — designed to integrate students with developmental disabilities into a traditional theatre camp environment — is available for all one-week, full-day camps. Also a huge hit last year were half-day camps for pre-K. Look forward to Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park’s 2020 Summer Theatre Camp and Performance Academy that takes your camper to fantastical worlds, storybook lands, favorite books and movies at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. Locations also in Evendale, Blue Ash, Mason and the West End. Half-day and one-week camps are for ages 3 to 5; for first through 10th graders, there are full-day, one-week camps. Performance Academy camps are for first – 12th graders, this year themes include Disney’s Mary Poppins Jr., Clue: On Stage and Disney’s 101 Dalmatians KIDS; scholarship information is online.
FALCON CAMP
4251 Delta Road SW, Carrollton, OH
800-837-2267;; falconcamp.com
Falcon Camp’s summer programs for ages 6 – 16 has been providing unforgettable experiences and lifelong learning for years, and new this year, they are bringing even more fun by rebuilding their swim and boat harbor which can only mean, more water activities! Falcon Camp offers two, four, six, or eight week sessions, where campers will live in a cabin and make lifelong friends! Experienced counselors] teach your kid new skills and teach them to just have fun! There are more expansions to look forward to in the upcoming years as Falcon Camp works to increase their camp facility resulting in more programming and excitement for campers in the near future.
LIFE TIME FITNESS CAMPS
8310 Wilkens Blvd., Mason, OH
513-234-0660; lifetime.life
Your active kid will love the weekly themes, dress-up days, field trips and even more activities that will help him grow and learn! Activities at Life Time focus on healthy eating and physical activity (swimming, rock climbing, turf sports and more), plus, kids enjoy the community connections, S.T.E.A.M, character development, games and weekly warrior challenges!
CAMP WAVE AT NEWPORT AQUARIUM
One Aquarium Way, Newport, KY
859-815-1404; wavefoundation.org
Newport Aquarium is opening their new exhibit “Shipwreck: Realm of the Eels” this spring, which means that campers get to dive in deep to exciting explorations and tons of activities with the new exhibit through “Shipwreck Explorers and Discoveries of the Deep.” Encounter new animals such as green moray eels and cuttlefish, and expect to experience the wonder of the aquatic world. Camp WAVE is a day camp experience for students in grades K – eight, held at Newport Aquarium.
CLASSROOM ANTICS CINCINNATI SUMMER CAMPS
Various locations throughout Cincinnati
800-595-3776; classroomantics.com
Offering 10 unique summer camps throughout Cincinnati, Classroom Antics is also adding Science and Engineering camps this year to expand STEM offerings to younger kids, ages 6 to 9 years old. They offer multiple weeks of exciting STEM-focused summer camps throughout the Cincinnati area for kids and teens ages 7-13, too! Your camper will love half or full-day morning or afternoon camps such as “Lego Bots Camp,” “Game Builders Camp,” “Lego Robotics Camp” and more!
CINCINNATI MUSEUM CENTER SPRING AND SUMMER MUSEUM CAMPS
1301 Western Ave., Cincinnati, OH
513-287-7000; cincymuseum.org
Museum camps are just plain fun! Campers get to explore science, technology, history and the arts through creative, hands-on activities and games! Their imaginations will travel beyond the classroom with visits from curators, community groups and experts in a variety of fields. And this summer, all campers receive a T-shirt during the first week of camps. Campers can look forward to an afternoon snack and camp outings to some of the best spots in town including Union Terminal, Cincinnati Observatory, Blue Ash Recreation Center, Villa Madonna Academy and Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy. Camp registration opens February 3 for members and February 10 for non-members.
ART ACADEMY OF CINCINNATI CAMP ART ACADEMY
1212 Jackson St., Cincinnati, OH
513-562-8748; artacademy.edu
Camp Art Academy is where it’s at! They offer six separate one-week camps from June 8 to July 24 for ages 5 – 12, with each camp week offering a unique and exciting theme your camper will get the most out of! Whether you sign your kids up for one or all six weeks, they will have a blast utilizing their skills and learning new ones. Camp themes include “Color Outside the Lines,” “Call of the Wild,” “Once Upon a Time…” and more!
YMCA OF GREATER CINCINNATI
Various Locations throughout Greater Cincinnati
myy.org
There is so much excitement happening this summer at your favorite YMCA camps! YMCA Camp Ernst is offering new cabins, and families can get in on the process! For a $250+ donation you and your family or friends can buy a brick to be laid near the project – printed with your name and favorite camp memory! The YMCA has locations throughout Cincinnati and NKY and offers full-day camps to part- day adventure programs which allow your camper to build a week full of fun and new ventures! Family Weekend Camps, Day Camps, Weekend Camps … the sky is the limit at the Y, so hop on their website.