The children of Santa Monica will soon leave the classroom and embark on a summer of endless possibilities. Over the course of a few months, these children can go from being simple students to avid adventurers, amateur scientists, and advanced athletes.
To help develop the physical and mental skills of local youth, the Santa Monica area offers an impressive array of summer camps in several categories. Parents trying to fill their child's seasonal schedule have a multitude of camps to choose from in science, arts, sports and traditional summer camps.
To avoid learning loss associated with summer heat, many STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) constitute first-rate “edutainment” programs. One of them is Camp Galileo, back for its sixth year in Santa Monica, with camp director Kevin Berman offering innovative STEM projects to young people at the Saint-Martin school in Tours.
Operating five camps on the Westside, including locations in Venice/Mar Vista and Westwood, Camp Galileo hosts week-long sessions from June 24 to August 2, combining dedicated camp activities with unique projects for “Nebulas” (K-1st grade), “Stars” (levels 2-3), “Supernovas” (levels 4-5) and “Meteors” (levels 6-8). The daily schedule includes an individual “Innovation Studio” project, an “Outdoor Adventure” collaborative team activity period, and an “Ideas Lab” collaborative design session.
“(Camp) teaches kids how to be confident and resilient, and the things they learned over the summer, they can take back into the school year,” said Molly Douglas, senior director of field marketing from Camp Galileo. “(Parents) will see a very fun and polished project at the end of the week, but they will also see that their campers have new skills, new confidence, a (new) ability to bring their ideas to life. »
Turning STEM into STEAM by adding an “a” for arts, CREST enrichment classes will run from June 17 to August 9 for ages 8 to 14. Classes are led by hand-picked professional instructors for K-5 students enrolled in Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) elementary schools. This summer's weekly “STEAM Adventure” sessions at Lincoln Middle School bring hands-on experiences, artistic challenges and a host of new discoveries to the summer landscape.
Youth creativity will also be highlighted at art-focused camps like Camp Cosmo, the 2022 winner of the Most Loved New Business Award in Santa Monica. Crafty kids at Camp Cosmo will participate in a well-stocked “artisan café,” a jewelry-making station, put on face paint and walk through an indoor treehouse during weekly sessions from June 10 to August 30.
Other local favorites on the arts scene include PAINT:LAB's weekday and weekend art camps, the Santa Monica Music Camp where young people can learn new instruments, and the dance class-centric camp Funky Divas and Dudes aimed at boosting self-esteem.
For more active kids, taking up a new sporting activity can be a productive use of summer, and Santa Monica camps are available in almost every sport imaginable. Baseball's seasonal tradition is well represented, with the Santa Monica Baseball Academy leading the way with camps for youth ages 6-14, as well as “elite” summer camps for ages 10-14. Camps at Memorial Park Sports Facilities are led by professional baseball coaches, who put players through a program designed with an emphasis on fundamentals, practicing pitching, catching, hitting, fielding and base running.
Other outdoor sports will be hosted at local parks this summer, including Future Stars Junior Tennis Camps at Marine Park run by Pete Fox and SAMO Tennis Camps at Samohi Courts. Younger children ages 3 to 10 with the energy to run will be able to do so at Super Soccer Stars camps at Clover Park and Roosevelt Elementary School, with an emphasis on a fun, non-competitive environment .
Fitness comes in many forms for kids, with camps also designed to teach unique sports, like the Dawn Barnes Karate Kamp and skateboarding lessons at Cove Skatepark. More general athletics classes include the Fitness by the Sea Beach camp, which has been serving children ages 4 to 14 for over two decades, as well as the Coast Sports camp which covers a wide variety of athletics.
Registration for many camps and other recreational opportunities in the area can be done through the City of Santa Monica. websitewhich contains a link to create an ActiveNet account, the City's online camp registration system.
