Community Corner

Find a Summer Camp in Silicon Valley

Patch readers shared their favorite summer kids programs. Find the right fit for your children here or add something we've missed.

Summer camp is almost a rite of the season for some families. For others, summer programs offer kids something to do while mom and dad are at work, a chance to explore a new interest or an opportunity to improve an existing talent.

There is no shortage of summer activities in Santa Clara County that will stretch your child's mind or challenge them physically.

We asked our readers this week for your suggestions on local camps, and the following are what you wanted us to include in our guide. If you see a favorite camp that's not included, let us know! Email Field Editor Jennifer Squires or leave us a comment, and we'll put it in the guide.

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Art/Media

DigiQuest From advanced animation to digital studio production, this camp provides hands-on workshops on all things film-related for ages 10-15 in Palo Alto. All programs are Monday through Friday 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Montalvo Arts Center Visual and Performing Arts Camps offers everything from drama to drawing to digital photography and more in Saratoga. One-week- and two-week-long camp sessions start June 10 and run through Aug. 16. Cost: Range $175-$395. Info: 408-961-5858, info@montalvoarts.org

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KMVT Claymation and Studio Production KMVT Community Television in Mountain View offers Studio Production and Claymation camps for middle school students ages 10-14. The weeklong camps June 10 to Aug. 16 (and every winter break, spring break) Register for a fun and hands-on camp that gets you behind the scenes!

DezignKidz Held at Covington School in Los Altos June 17 to July 19, with weekly half-day programs and full-day programs, children entering grades 2 through 8 can learn the ins-and-outs of fashion design, accessory design and interior design, plus newly added textile design and fashion sketching. Learn to design and make a wearable garment, accessories, unique fabric and cool stuff for the bedroom. Costs: $170-$485.

Imagineerz This program, aimed at grades 1-4, is at Covington School in Los Altos the weeks of June 17 and 24, and at Landels School in Mountain View for four weeks in July. Children use stories and characters to learn lifelong problem-solving techniques, fueled by their own imagination and creativity. Cost: $365/week.

General Recreation

Steve and Kate’s Camp has several camps including Palo Alto, Los Altos, Los Gatos and Sunnyvale. This is a unique camp where the program is whatever the kid decides, including activities from film-making to water-sliding. Food is organic, fresh and locally grown. 

Northwest YMCA has a healthy fun summer learning day camp at various elementary schools in the Cupertino School District. Camps feature themes, field trips, arts and crafts, songs, games and outdoor activities. Camps run June 17 to Aug. 16. Cost: varies. Info: 408-257-7160, sippolito@ymcasv.org

Kwan Academy in Cupertino lets kids grades K-5 build environmentally friendly robots, play East-West musical instruments and do abacus mental arithmetic. It also runs academic camps in English, Math and Chinese. Early bird discount for registration by May 15.

Camp Fremont Kids 5-12 can participate on a weekly or even two- or three-day basis at the Fremont Hills Country Club camp in Los Altos Hills that runs from June 17 to Aug. 16. Kids get a full complement of horseback riding, tennis and swimming, along with traditional arts and crafts, games and other camp activities. Info: 650.948.8261x304 or viacamp@fremonthills.com.

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Still looking for the best camp for your child? Try these lists of:

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Language Immersion

German-American School of Palo Alto Children ages 3 to 12 participate in a variety of fun outdoor activities, all conducted in German.

LanguageArts Children ages 6-12 can immerse themselves in Spanish, French, Hindi, Mandarin or German through a variety of engaging, hands-on activities fthis language school in downtown Palo Alto. Weekly camps run June 3 to Aug. 16, and a pre-registration discount is available until April 30.

International School of the Peninsula This camp offers two-week sessions, June 24 to Aug. 2 in Chinese, French, and Spanish in Palo Alto.

Mandarin Culture Camp Offered through Mountain View Recreation, by i-Immersion, this three-hour morning camp for one week Aug. 5-9 is themed “Let’s Go on a Treasure Hunt,” in Mandarin Chinese. Located at the Recreation Center, and aimed at children 4-8 years old. Cost: $188 (residents) /$235 for (non-residents). There is also a $30 course materials fee.

Premier International Language Academy Mandarin Camp in San Jose offers themed weeks for grade K-2 focusing on LEGOs, Little Chef’s Kitchen, Little Einsteins (science), Sports, Galaxy Explorers and Little Gardeners. Most instruction is in Mandarin.

Yew-Chung International School No prior Chinese is necessary for this Mandarin-immersion summer camp in Mountain View, for grades 1-5. The program runs June 17 to July 12 and is themed around the Silk Road. Students will raise silk worms, and explore drama, music, arts and crafts, and go on field trips. Cost: $1,475. Info: 650-903-0986, areall@sv.ycef.com

Spanish Culture Camp Offered through Mountain View Recreation by i-Immersion, this three-hour morning camp is offered July 15-19, with the theme, “Let’s Go On a Space Trip,” for children 4-8 years old. Cost: $188 (residents) /$235 (non-residents) plus a $30 materials fee.

Let’s Play in Spanish / Juguemos en Español Children 3-9 are fully immersed in the Spanish language through a variety of activities in weekly half-day or full day camps in Mountain View and Campbell. Cost: $145-$299.

Music/Theater

East West Music & Dance Summer Camps has dance and music programs from July 8 to Aug. 17. Each week is a different camp. Cost: Varies. Info: 408-865-0654, ewmusicdance@gmail.com

Speech/Debate Camp at Bay Area Speech & Debate Academy has three sessions at its downtown Saratoga office this summer. Cost: $900. Info: 408-384-2419, younggenius110@yahoo.com

Community School of Music and Arts CSMA camps and workshops in Mountain View for grades K-8, run June 17 to Aug. 17 and in weeklong camps of 2.5 hours, morning or afternoon, art and musical components span a wide variety of experiences, from theater and music magic” to “Adventures in Jewelry-Making to “Clay Creations.” Scholarships are available.

Peninsula Youth Theater These are two-week programs, June 10 to Aug. 9, culminating with a theatrical production at the end. With age-appropriate programs for kids ages 6-15, children cam prepare for the popular “Theater in the Park” program, with a range of theatrical styles, from musical theater, the pop star version to Robin Hood. There are also mini-camps for the preschool set. This year, PYT expands beyond its own studio into Saratoga Recreation, Congregation Beth Am and Landels School.

Los Gatos Youth Theatre has several summer programs in Los Gatos. Register through LG-Saratoga Recreation. Info: 408-858-1803, info@lgyt.net

  • Theatre Workshop Camps for two weeks in July for ages 6-12. Cost: $300. 
  • 6-10 year olds from June 10-21. Cost: $450
  • "Annie Jr." performance camp for kids 6-10 year olds from June 10-28. Cost: $450
  • "Dear Edwina, Jr." performance camp for kids 7-12 year olds from July 22-Aug. 9. Cost: $450

iSing is a new five-day summer camp at First Baptist Church of Palo Alto for girls grades 3-12 who love to sing. Info: www.isingsv.com

Nature/Outdoors

SNAKE Camp is a nature, science and outdoor program for elementary school students with four one-week sessions at Barron Park Elementary School in Palo Alto. Cost: $475/week. Info: 650-208-7864, SummerPrograms@EVols.org

Audubon Society Summer Nature Days Camp Kids grades 2-6 can join the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society, the Mid-Peninsula Regional Open Space District, Shoreline at Mountain View and Audobon’s naturalist experts for one week of exploring the amazing world of nature and the beautiful open space preserves. Cost: $295, scholarships available.

Explore! is a nature, science and outdoor program for middle school students with four one-week sessions at Barron Park Elementary School in Palo Alto. Cost: $580/week. Info: 650-208-7864, SummerPrograms@EVols.org

Hidden Villa Summer Camps kids grades 1-4 take part in programs ranging from “Cows and Cookies” to “Friends of a Feather." Older kids can take part in sleepaway camps. Camps run from June 17 to Aug. 16 in Los Altos Hills. Cost: $405 and up. Scholarships available.

Green Bean Kidz is a a nature exploration education program in Los Altos Hills for children ages 2-5 and their accompanying adult. The focus is on ecology, preservation, and environmental awareness. Children explore, climb trees, walk in creeks, look for animals, bugs, and birds and learn about plants, animals and ecosystems.

Ohlone Camp is a weekly camp for children 6-12 years old to learn about Ohlone culture as they learn about the wildlife and local environment in Los Altos Hills. Activities include playing with found objects, collecting pigment rocks and grasses for projects to learn the Ohlone perspective. There will be two sessions in August.

Full Circle Farm in Sunnyvale offers its Kids' Summer Farm Camp, with garden-based learning classes for age groups 5-7, 8-10 and 11-14. There are five one-week camps with start dates between June 24 and July 29. Costs $195-$295/week.

Walden West Summer Programs in Saratoga is part of Walden West Science Center, operated through the Santa Clara County Office of Education, features various outdoor summer programs for children. Cost: $375-400.

  • Wild Things is for K-1 children and features fun activities such as arts and crafts, gardening, hiking, fishing and swimming. Camp meets from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with start dates between June 17 and July 29.
  • Day Camp is offered for grades 2-7 with start dates between June 17 and Aug. 12.
  • Trail Blazers campers participate in activities including hiking, swimming, archery, arts and crafts, gardening, games, sports, singing, nature study, and the Low Challenge Course.
  • Leadership Training camps for grades 8-9
  • Backpacking Adventures for ages 11-19 that feature long-term, overnight, traveling trips to various locations.

Caterpillar Kids Club has various Peninsula meet-up locations where children can connect to nature through hands-on experiences. One parent must accompany each child on these nature adventures, which are tailored to preschool-age children. Cost: $85/three-week session.

Religion

JCC Summer Camp at the Oshman Jewish Community Center in Palo Alto has dizzying number of camps to choose from, from weekly, to two-week camps, and activities from gymnastics to Glee-style theater, all with an opportunity to explore Jewish culture. From specialty camps like archery to teen adventure camps, J-Camps cover Grades K-6 and Grades 7-10. Weekly camps run June 3 to Aug. 2. Some are overnight and some have multiple field trips. There are also pre-school-age summer camps.

Mount Cross Ministries in Los Altos, Palo Alto, San Mateo, San Carlos, San Jose partners with local churches for a week of “faith-based fun,” which includes group games, arts and crafts, worship, community-building activities. In Los Altos, it will be held at Los Altos Lutheran Church July 29 to Aug. 2. In Palo alto it will be held at Grace Lutheran Church, July 8-12.

Houseboats on Lake Shasta is a Christian youth water sports program run by the West Valley Presbyterian Church in Cupertino. Cost: $490.  Info: 408-252-1365, matt@wvpc.org

Science/Technology

Mathnasium Summer Jump Start Programs has summer math power workouts June 17-Aug. 22 at several locations, including Campbell-Los Gatos and Mountain View-Los Altos. Cost: $349-$449 for 5 weeks, with a 10 percent discount for registrations by May 18. Info: 408-374-6284, campbell@mathnasium.com

Camp Brainy Bunch There are 10 locations in the San Francisco Bay Area, including Atherton, Palo Alto, Los Altos and Sunnyvale. They offered presentation and oratorical skills camps, design and engineering, storytelling, and flight design, of the Leonardo da Vinci mode for grades pre-K to 5.

Kidizens Designed for kids to learn problem-solving and analytical skills, “soft” skills in interpersonal relations, as well as leadership. Children create a city using LEGOs, become mayors for the day with a buddy, manage the economy, prepare for earthquakes, flooding and other natural disasters, interact with other cities and their mayors. Held in Los Altos and in Belmont. Info: 650-384-0412

AwesomEngineering in Cupertino, Palo Alto and Sunnyvale helpss kids ages 6-13 learn fundamental construction and engineering concepts using Erector sets and instructional toys. The weekly programs three hours each, 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m.

Camp Edmo & Camp EdTech has 17 locations in the Bay Area, including Los Altos and Cupertino. There are themed Arts and Science camps for PreK through grade 4 and Animation for grades 2-4 at Oak School and Stevens Creek Park. Runs from June 17 to Aug. 2. Additionally, Camp EdMo in the Park at Stevens Creek Park (Pre-K to 4th grade), runs through Aug. 16. and Camp EdTech has camps for grades 5-9, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Oak School up to Aug. 2.

Destination Science has 21 camps around the Bay Area, including Los Altos, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale. This science-is-too-much-fun camp for the K-6 kids boast themes such as “Ultimate Survival Zone” and “Wacky Megabot Tech. Cost: $364/week.

Camp Galileo has 38 Bay Area locations. It encourages kids to brainstorm and think like innovators through a variety of hands-on projects and activities. It's not only science, it's arts and music. Info: 800-854-3684, info@galileo-camps.com

iD Tech Camp Set at Stanford University, Santa Clara University and other California campuses, students 7-17 years old can learn to create iPhone apps, video games, C++/Java Programs, 3D models, websites, movies, and more.

Youth Science Institute Summer Science Camp is offered for in weekly day camps June 10 to Aug. 9 for Pre-K through grade 6 in San Jose and Los Gatos. YSI teaches physical, earth, life and social sciences. Cost: $199-$259, with extended day option in Los Gatos.

Walden West Science and Sustainability Center Camps in Saratoga has week-long science camps for grades 5-9. Cost: $500. A limited number of scholarships are available for both programs, with applications due May 15.

  • Sustainable Solutions for grades 5-6, starting July 15 and July 29, focuses on learning how sustainable technologies work while participating in activities like building batteries, competing in a solar oven design contest, comparing different energy requirements, and making smoothies while pedaling our energy bikes.
  • Engineering Energy for grades 7-9, starting July 8 and July 22, delves into daily design challenges, including geothermal and wind turbine construction. Participants will also get a chance to experiment with solar-oven and pedal-powered smoothie recipes.  

Sports

Decathlon Sports Club teaches individual sports, but is rooted in the days-gone-by summer traditions of water fights, swimming, treasure hunts, trivia, arts & crafts, hide and seek, tug-of-war, kick-the-can, board games, card-trading, prizes.... that makes summer feel like summer. It it held in four-week sessions in Los Altos and Woodside. Cost: $1,380/four-week session.

BayArea Chess Camp has locations in Palo Alto, San Jose, Santa Clara and Millbrae. The camp is eight weeks long. Cost: $167-$415. Info: 408-786-5515, admin@bayareachess.com

Bay Area Running Camp at Corte Madera School in Portola Valley will be July 22-26 from 8 a.m to noon for kids ages 12-18.  Great running areas, camp clinicians, New Balance training shoes, t-shirt and much more are included with your registration fee. Cost: $300, $50 discount for each team member if five or more students sign up from the same school. Info: bayarearunningcamp@gmail.com

Golden Eagle Sports Camp Based at Los Altos High School and Homestead High School in Cupertino, this camp allows kids ages 5-13 to try out a plethora of sports with all the bells and whistles a high school campus can offer. Instruction includes swimming, tennis, golf, softball and badminton. The $25 registration fee is waived for sign ups before April 14

Spartan Sports This camp offers multi-sport camps for grades 3-6 and sport specific camps for grades 6-9, taught by the Mountain View High School athletic staff and student athletes, and raises money for its program. Cost: $250-$275.

Shoreline Water Sports For kids age 5-11, Camp Shoreline in Mountain View offers a water-sports oriented weekly summer program. Mornings are spent learning to kayak, canoe, row or cycle the pedalboats. Afternoons are for playing games, doing crafts, taking a sailboat ride, hiking, learning about Shoreline Park, birdwatching or visiting the historic Rengstorff House museum. Kids ages 9-15 can take windsurfing and sailing lessons. Cost: $365-399. Info: 650-965-7474, registration@shorelinelake.com

Know about a great camp we missed? Add the information—including phone number, email address and/or website—in the comment section below. Thanks!


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