Your child will never be bored at these summer camps
By CHRISTINA MAYO and
CAITLIN GRANFIELDSpecial to the Miami Herald
Summer arts conservatory at the African Heritage Cultural Arts Center
Miami Herald file
It’s almost that wonderful time of year when kids of all ages can learn special skills outside their regular classrooms.
Summer break means exploring nature, practicing art and music, sailing, acting in plays, learning about the sea and its animals, dancing, discovering a new sport, and so much more.
Now is the time to start planning. School ends June 6 in Miami-Dade County and June 4 in Broward County. Here’s a list of summer camps to get you started.
Fun at the Parks
Campers can participate in activities at different parks throughout Miami-Dade and Broward counties. There are arts camps, fishing, game-room activities, computer access, nature walks, field trips, fitness programs and swim safety. Some programs include learn-to-swim, overnight camps and there are programs for kids and adults with disabilities.
When: Miami-Dade parks, weekdays, June 10 through Aug. 9; pick-up and drop-off times vary.
Cost: Register your child anytime throughout the summer. Siblings get a 10 percent discount. General camp programs (arts and crafts, some sports) including disability camps cost $40-$90 per week in Miami-Dade. Campers’ ages vary.
When: Broward Parks, weekdays, June 10 to Aug. 2. Pick-up and drop-off times vary.
Cost: Summer equestrian camp at Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek, for ages 9-16, June 10-27, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. $300 per week plus tax. Also, three, four-day long, half-day Junior Farmer Camps are at Tradewinds Park, June 10-27 for ages 5-8.Cost is $40 per half-day session.
Other camps are free at six Broward neighborhood parks: Boulevard Gardens Community Center, which caters to kids ages 6-10 (954-357-6867); Franklin (954-357-7080): Lafayette Hart (954-357-7970); Rev. Samuel Delevoe Memorial Park (954-357-8801); Roosevelt Gardens (954-357-8700); and Sunview, (954-357-6520). Campers’ ages are 6-17. All camps offer free lunch and snacks. Call for details and to register.
Contact: 954-357-8870. Broward.org/Parks
Conservatory at the African Heritage Cultural Arts Center
When: Weekdays, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., June 10 through Aug. 16, 6161 NW 22nd Ave., Miami.
Over 10 weeks, kids and teens from 5 to 16 will gain a foundation in their choice of performance art, dance, fashion, visual arts and instrumental music. Hip-hop, tap dance, jazz, African, contemporary and modern dance will be taught. The program culminates with an instrumental concert, a choral concert, drama presentation, a fashion show and a student art exhibit in August.
When: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., June 10 to Aug. 2, Miracle Theatre, 280 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables
Your student actor or filmmaker, ages 7-18, can learn lessons that will take them far in four theater and film camps, from three to four weeks long. Activities include taking an original show from concept to the big stage or screen, and fully staged shows with rehearsals and performance. Two sessions require auditions.
Cost: $1,000 to $1,500, per three- or four-week session.
When: In Miami-Dade, weekdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., June 10-Aug. 10, 1111 Parrot Jungle Trail, Miami.
Jungle Island encompasses 18 acres of adventure where campers will learn about animals around the world, as well as those that live nearby, in the Everglades. Campers, ages 5-11, will learn about what it’s like to be a zookeeper as they handle playful lemurs, feed squirrel monkeys, observe free-flying parrots, toucans and macaws, and learn about the habitat of orangutans, kangaroos and other animals at Jungle Island.
‘Flying High’ at Frost Museum of Science teaches the physics of flight, from winged dinosaurs to the future of space travel.
Summer Camp at Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science
When: Weekdays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., June 17-Aug. 19, excluding July 2-6, 1101 Biscayne Blvd., Miami.
Downtown Miami’s Frost Museum of Science offers a new theme each week for incoming kindergarten through eighth-graders, with a focus on engineering, the physics of flight, marine science and the human body. Each camp includes a planetarium show and “free exploration time” inside the museum.
Cost: $350-$400 for non-members per week, $295-$3400 for members
When: June 10 to Aug 9. Weekdays, 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. (before and after camp available)
For all girls ages 5- 17. During this year’s Girl Scouts of Tropical Florida camp, girls will unleash their inner G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-Taker, Leader) in a safe, fun environment.Girls will gain hands-on experience with everything from STEM and archaeology to magic and fairy tales.
There are two camp locations:
▪ Camp Mahachee, 9950 Old Cutler Rd.,
▪ Miami Camp Little House, 6609 SW 60th St., Miami
Cost: $160 per week
Contact: https://www.girlscoutsfl.org/summercamp
Funky Fish Ocean Camp
When: Every day, year-round, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Located at five beach resorts in Broward County.
Campers ages 4 through 17 learn snorkeling, boogie/skim boarding, marine science, beach clean-ups and eco-ocean art. The ratio of certified CPR instructors to kids is 1-7. Every Friday there is a snorkel boat adventure to explore a coral reef and a shipwreck.
When: Weekdays, Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings, June 17 to July 2, 2200 Liberty Ave., Miami Beach.
The curriculum consists of “Creative Movement” for 3-year-olds, “Pre-Ballet” for 4-year-olds, “Ballet Preparatory I” for 5-year-olds, “Ballet Preparatory II” for 6-year-olds and “Ballet Preparatory III” for 7- and 8-year-olds. No auditions are necessary.
Cost: Classes begin at $63 for once a week, three-week option. See website for all options.
When: Weekdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., June 5 to Aug. 13, 401 SW Second St., Fort Lauderdale.
The museum offers one-day and five-day summer camps for every type of explorer. Some of the camps for kids in first through sixth grade, include: “Zombie Survival Training,” “Food-ology,” “To the Moon and Back,” “Full STEAM Ahead,” and “Hogwarts Summer School.” The museum also offers an “Ocean Explorers Camp,” where kids in 7th and 8th grade will spend two days at the museum and three days at FAU’s SeaTech in Dania Beach.
Cost: One-day camps are $55; members $50. Five-day camps: $225; members $200. Ocean Explorers Camp five-day camps are $250; members $225.
Contact: 954-713-0930; sales@mods.net; mods.org
Campers and counselors paddle away at Shake-a-Leg’s summer camp Miami Herald file
Shake-A-Leg Summer Camp
When: Weekdays, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., June 10 to Aug. 9, 2620 S. Bayshore Dr., Miami.
Since 1990, Shake-A-Leg Miami has helped empower thousands of children and adults with physical, developmental and economic hardships by utilizing Biscayne Bay to offer therapeutic water activities. Kids ages 7-17 of all abilities can learn how to sail, snorkel, fish and kayak during their choice of four water-based camps on Biscayne Bay.
Cost: Marine Academy, $75 per day; Adventure Island and Water Sports, $350 per week, $600 per session; Summer Outings Camp, $25 per person.
When: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Session 1 is June 10-June 28; Session 2 is July 15-Aug. 2; 602 NE 96th St., Miami Shores.
Campers, ages 6-15, will star in their own plays. Talented teaching artists guide future superstars in writing their very own musical. This four-week camp experience will inspire children with enriching dance, music, design and acting classes, culminating in a debut performance on the final day of camp on stage in the 35-seat theater. Snacks and MTC water bottle included.
Cost: $700 for each session, installment plans available.
When: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., June 17-21, 500 Deer Run, Miami Springs.
For children entering grades K-6, this camp is “a nationally acclaimed summer program where STEM concepts come to life.” Students will learn to become innovators through teamwork and hands-on creative problem-solving projects inspired by National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductees.
When: Weekdays, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., June 10 to Aug. 13.
Described as an “environmental day camp with a sleep-away camp feel,” Camp Live Oak, which has two locations at state parks in Fort Lauderdale and Dania Beach offers outdoor activities for ages 5-13, including archery, fishing, sports, arts and crafts, paddle boarding, and swimming. Field trips, on-site adventures, and guest speakers are scheduled to give your child a well-rounded experience. SCUBA Camp and Bike Trail Adventures also available. Teens can register as volunteers and earn community service hours in “Teen Eco Experience” where they’ll help oversee younger campers.
Summer Camp at Miami Seaquarium offers students from kindergarten to high school the opportunity to learn about animal senses and behavior, environmental issues, and the relationship between humans and marine animals. Max Reed FOR THE MIAMI HERALD
Camp Seaquarium
When: Weekdays, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., June 10 to Aug 16, 6747 Crandon Blvd., Key Biscayne.
Summer camp for kids ages 5-15 returns to Miami Seaquarium in a unique experience for kids to learn about Marine life while also having a blast with hands-on animal interactions, watching one-of-a-kind live dolphin, sea lion and killer whale shows and, participating in classic summer camp games and crafts. Camp activities will be focused on “Marine Mysteries,” “Seaside Superheros,” “Ocean Olympics,” “Tide Pool Travels” and “Dinosaur Detectives.” Miami Seaquarium Summer Camp also offers the Counselor in Training program to 15-year-old campers.
Cost: Early Bird registration, by June 1, $175 per week; $195 per week if paid Friday before each session. Entire five-week session is $850. Dolphin Encounter specials available.
When: Weekdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., June 10 to Aug. 2, Marjory Stoneman Douglas Biscayne Nature Center, 6767 Crandon Blvd., Key Biscayne.
Kids ages 8-12 can explore the waters of Crandon Park in Key Biscayne in one week sessions or more. Marine biologists will guide campers on seagrass adventures as they kayak through shallow waters and snorkel around a fossilized reef teaming with sea life. Scholarships available.
Cost: $395 per week; $350 for returning campers and siblings.
Founded more than 20 years ago, the Miami Equestrian Club offers horseback riding lessons, as well as pony riding lessons (for younger kids) on nearly 18 acres of farm land in west Miami-Dade. Instructors will teach 4- to 16-year-olds the basics of how to ride a horse (or pony), how to groom their horse, and other skills. All skill levels are welcome. Also available is equestrian therapy for campers with special needs.
Cost: $65 one-hour lessons; Packages from $250 to $800.
The Miami Equestrian Club offers horseback riding lessons, as well as pony riding lessons for younger children, on about 18 acres of Kendall farm.
Musicall Summer Camp
When: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., June 17 to July 12, Riverside Baptist Church, 10775 SW 104th St., Miami.
Campers can study piano, strings, guitar, percussion, woodwind, brass, composition, theory, music appreciation, chorus, chamber group, musical theater, and visual arts at this program for students ages 5-18. All-State prep and field trips also available. Lunch and snacks included.
When: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., weekdays, June 10 to Aug. 16, Center Stage Miami Dance Academy, 10511 SW 88th St., Miami.
Girls and boys, ages 4-17 can participate in dance, music, technique, acting, drawing, and magic classes; field trips; group games; play make-up; photo shoots; movies; pony rides; bounce houses; and a summer recital. Full-day and half-day options are available. Breakfast, snack and lunch included.
Cost: Prices start at $80 for half a day, per week.
