Spring and summer lend to lulls in usual routines. With breaks from school, kids need a source for their spirits, and parents seek for them an outlet to expend energy, tap into creativity, and practice a passion.
There are more than enough options for the busy bees to test out. Whether they’re looking to try out a new skill or hone a natural talent, our city has it all— theater, art, science, surfing, ballet, animal care and more.
Discover our top picks for San Diego spring and summer camps for kids.
The New Children’s Museum- Summer Camp and Teen Workshop Series: The New Children’s Museum invites young artists to think, play and create in their 2012 Summer Camp Series from June 18-August 17th. In small groups segmented by age, kids take on a variety of focuses through the guidance of professional contemporary artists. The imaginative skill-building includes Camps for Littles (pre-kindergarten and kindergarten) featuring Garden Art, Hip-Hop Dance and Storybook Art; Creativity Rules Camps (grades 1-6) featuring Hula Hoop Dance, The Wonders of Papermaking, Fun with Food and Printmaking Possibilities; and Art Invasion Workshops for teens exploring in-depth art projects such as Wearable Eco-Art and Photography through Your Eyes. For more information and to register your child, visit thinkplaycreate.org.
San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum- Discovery Camp 2012: The San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum in Escondido is now taking registration for their educational Spring Break and Summer Camps. SDCDM will be hosting two weeks of Spring Break Camp for local kids ages 5-8 looking to explore the world around them. From April 2nd-6th, Grossology Week invites kids to get their hands dirty and explore all things “gross” in the world of science. From April 9-13th, the museum presents Going Global!, a week of discovering the world through stories, art and music from various cultures. The daily schedule runs from 9am to 4pm and summer will present multiple weeks for kids to do the same with exhibit play, science story time, science activity, games and movements, story and drawing time, and of course, snacks and lunch. For more information and to register your child, visit sdcdm.org.
San Diego Humane Society- Spring Animal Adventure Camp: The San Diego Humane Society and SPCA are welcoming all animal-loving kids to join their Spring Animal Adventure Camp. This week-long interactive camp will be held from April 2nd-6th from 9am-3pm at the Gaines Campus in Linda Vista. Campers will learn about sharing compassion for animals while playing games, making crafts and participating in hands-on animal activities with dogs, kittens, guinea pigs, bunnies and more. The San Diego Humane Society will teach kids ages 5-13 that responsibility matters and encourage a respect for all living things. This camp will also be offered again in the summer. For more information and to register your child, visit sdhumane.org.
San Diego Zoo- Spring Camp 2012: Kids from kindergarten to 5th grade are invited to find out what goes on behind the scenes at the San Diego Zoo in their Spring Camp 2012. Participants will get hands-on experience with what it takes to care for the San Diego Zoo animals through one-day adventures packed full of activities. The camp runs from April 2nd-6th, 9am-4pm. Each day will feature an alternating focus, but all will involve going into the animal shelters and getting up-close encounters. Campers will also have some fun with crafts, games and storytelling. Kids are split up by grade, but the options of day classes remain the same. They can choose from programs such as “How we train animals,” “How we feed animals,” “How we study animals” and “How we care for baby & sick animals.” For more information and to register your child, visit sandiegozoo.org.
Mission Bay Sportcenter- Youth Camp Spring Break: For the kids and teens looking for extreme sports on the waters of San Diego, the Mission Bay Sportcenter presents Youth Camps Spring Break with a variety of educational and athletic classes. Week-long camps from April 2nd-6th and April 9-13th will offer half-day classes or a combo of morning and afternoon class for a full day schedule. Sign-up for Watersports for ages 4-6 introducing a variety of aquatic activities from sailing to kayaking and much more, Multisports ages 7-16, Junior Sailing for ages 9-10, and Sailing, Kayaking, Paddle Boarding and Surfing for ages 9-16. Mission Bay Sportcenter is the largest public watersports facility in San Diego, and prides itself on trained and certified instructors leading each student to success. They’ll also offer a summer camp with the same courses. For more information and to register your child, visit missionbaysportcenter.com.
Torrey Pines Golf Course- Junior Golf Camps: Torrey Pines Junior Summer Camps give future golf-pros their chance to take on the green and practice with the pros. This summer, they’ll offer full Day Camps for ages 10-17, 12:30pm to sunset and Twilight Camps for ages 7-12, 4pm to sunset, Monday through Thursday. These comprehensive programs teach golf skills in a clinic format as well as along the beautiful golf courses of Torrey Pines. Each camp features instruction by PGA and LPGA Professionals, and coaching that includes iron shots, driver and fairway shots, pitching & chipping, bunker play, putting and playing lessons and competitions. Not to mention, golfers will get to enjoy an early dinner at the Lodge of Torrey Pines. The camp will run through the last couple weeks of June, July and into August. For more information and to register your child, visit torreypinesgolfcourse.com.
San Diego Civic Youth Ballet- Spring Camp: From April 2nd-6th, ballerinas-to-be can join the San Diego Civic Youth Ballet Camp with daily ballet class followed by outings around Balboa Park. Outside of the ballet studio, girls and boys will have fun with educational arts and crafts teaching about ballet technique and etiquette. On the Friday of the week-long camp, family members are invited to watch their students perform what they learned through the week. Ages 4-6 can participate in morning sessions from 9am -12pm, or afternoon sessions from 1-4pm. In the summer, the San Diego Civic Youth Ballet will offer summer camps for pre-K through 5th grade, taking place July 2nd-July 6th, August 13-17th and August 20-24th. For more information and to register your child, visit balboapark.org.
Surf Diva- Kids Surf Camp Coed: If you’re a San Diego kid, you reserve the right to know how to hang-ten. Surf Diva Surf School is inviting all mini-surfers to take on the La Jolla Shores with a camp that includes beach activities, ocean awareness, and of course, surfing. The trained and certified surf instructors focus on building self confidence and creating a fun experience for each student. Children will be provided with a wetsuit, a colored La Jolla Surf Camp rashguard and a soft surfboard for ultimate safety. From Monday to Friday, surfers will gradually progress from basic surfboard paddling up to surfing with maneuvers. This Spring Break 2012, the camps will run from March 26-30th, April 2nd-6th, April 9-13th, and April 16-20th. Half-day and full day options are available, and participants must be between ages 5 and 10. For more information and to register your child, visit surfdiva.com. (pictured)
iD Tech Camps- UC San Diego: internalDrive gives tech-savvy students the chance to experience a Tech Camp recognized with national acclaim. In its 13th season at UC San Diego, iD Tech Camps invite kids ages 7-17 to branch into computer and technology focuses for week-long camps from June into August. Campers will foster STEM skill development (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) through the use of a variety of cutting-edge technology. Kids and teens learn one course topic per week, in a range of options like video game design, iPhone app development, Flash animation, programming, video editing and more. Plus, the camp uses the best products from Adobe, Apple, Google and Microsoft. For more information, and to register your child, visit internaldrive.com.
San Diego Junior Theatre- Spring Camp: In this week-long camp, kids from kindergarten through 8th grade will have the opportunity to learn all the showstopping techniques of singing, dancing, and acting from the professionals right inside Balboa Park. This year, the camp runs April 2nd-6th and April 9-13th from 9am-3pm in the Casa del Prado Building of Balboa Park. In the summertime, little ones will have the chance at a wider range of classes including puppetry, mask-making, make-up, audition skills, and performance set to run from June 11th-August 31st. For more information and to register your child, visit sdjt.org.
Discover more of the best activities and events in our San Diego entertainment calendar
