USA Chess Camp

Chess and computer camps can help improve thinking, logic and memory skills.  Kids as young as 5 years old can learn chess at USA Chess, one of the programs from Active Learning, the largest chess program kids.

At Active Learning, kids can not only learn chess, but also computer skills, such as video game creation or computer animation.

Active Learning has locations in many cities and states throughout the US that offer summer camps and year-round enrichment classes.

Video game creation camp

And, here’s some shameless horn-tooting: use our search & summer planning calendar tools to save time, and, check out our discounts page and our free week of camp to save some money! You can even sign up for our newsletter and get these discounts delivered to your inbox once a month!

And, it doesn’t stop there, we give you two sham-wows!!! ok, we don’t. But we do help you find after-school activities during the school year too.

We would love to hear how we can make this even easier. Please tell us!

ActivityHero.com makes it easier to find kids’ classes. And now, you can enter to win a free month of classes!

Below are a few examples of San Francisco Bay Area and Philadelphia camps which offer more options than just weekly registration.  A couple are so flexible you could actually drop your child off at the last minute for a day of camp.  Most require some pre-paid days, registration, and/or some notice so they make sure the camp is properly staffed.  At a few camps the one-day registration process may not be very clear on their website, so don’t hesitate to call them for help.  We find summer camp folks to be pretty friendly!

Bay Area Flexible Camps

Camp Doodles
Three locations in Marin, plus now three convenient pick-up locations in San Francisco,  provides many Camp Doodle options.  Register for any number of weeks ($300 per week before 6/1) or days ($75 per day).  Their whole-summer option is $1800, plus a bit more for extended care.  Optional hot lunch is available for purchase at all locations.  Camp day runs from 9:00am – 3:30pm, with earlier/later pick-up/drop-off from San Francisco.

Kids Outdoor Club
This camp meets in Speedway Meadow of Golden Gate Park, but travels within the park and elsewhere in the city.  There’s a 5-day punch-card option ($425) which you can use any time during the summer on a drop-in basis.  Full day camp runs from 9am – 5pm, with an extended day option.   There’s also a punch card  for their half-day program (9:00-1:30) for a bit less ($325).  Once you have the punch card you can drop-in any day without advanced notice.    Note:  There’s  a punch card discount of 10% through May 30th.

Andy Harader Tennis
This camp in Palo Alto, for kids 7-16,  has a daily rate of $70 available.  You can register in advance on their website to let them know the dates you are planning to attend.  This sounds like a perfect option if you have another full week of tennis camp and want to add on a few more days for extra practice. Camp is half-day only, 9am – 12pm.

Steve and Kate’s Camp
With 19 Northern CA locations, Steve and Kate’s sets the bar for maximum flexibility.  They’ve been going strong since 1980 and have the logistics down pat.  You can buy any number of days ($75 per day) and use them anytime at any location. Unused days are fully refunded automatically. Alternatively, the “20-Day Bundle”  is just enough to get in the groove and is  a great deal at $1200 ($60 per day).  But the best value of all is the All Summer Membership at $2100.  (This is less than $50 per day, if you take full advantage.)   Camps are open from 7:30am – 6pm and include all lunches, snacks and drinks.  (And the food sounds fantastic BTW.)

The Dancing Paintbrush
The Dancing Paintbrush in Berkeley provides lessons on color theory and famous artists in art history, go on field trips, and host special guests to spark the creative process. They encourage individual exploration of personal themes and interests and value working together and sharing ideas. Drop-in students are welcome at the rate of $75/day on a space available basis. Please contact them at least 24 hours in advance to see if space is available. There are no drop-ins on Field Trip days.

Sticky Art Lab
Sticky Camp fills the mornings with a structured art or craft project (with local artists whenever possible), then in the afternoon the kids get to design their own project ideas. It’s a perfect combination of focused skill-building, then self-directed learning. Partial weeks, 2-day minimum at $60 per day.

Paresh Martial Arts
Voted Red Tricycle’s 2011 Totally Awesome Sports and Fitness Classes, Paresh Martial Arts provides dynamic, fun, empowering day camps for children aged 5 & up, with or without martial arts experience. Their day camps teach core life skills through the art of Tang Soo Do, a traditional Korean karate that develops self-awareness, self discipline, self-confidence, respect, and integrity. The camp program is led by certified black belt instructors. It is well-paced,  including games, reading time, and adventures in Golden Gate Park. Camps are available by the day(s) or week, and early drop-off can be arranged.

Delaware Valley Flexible Camps

Club La Maison
Club La Maison in Wayne, PA, is  swim camp plus much more for children ages 3-10 years old. They offer a traditional 5 day week, plus T/Th or M/W/F options. Half-days or extended care are also available.

Lavner Camps

For the summer of 2012, will be offering camps in Tennis, Golf, Culinary Arts, Robotics, Video Game Design, Performing Arts (theater and acting), Filmmaking, and Salon Services. Lavner Camps is known for their very flexible sign up options; camps open on June 18^th and many run until August 31.  Campers may sign up for a week or multiple weeks, including half day and partial week options.

At Pacific Coast Kids in the bay area, campers can sign up for an entire summer of Lego fun with the Innovative Lego Camps program.  Camp sessions include KinderSmart for the little guys, Action Legos for grades 1-2, LegoMotion for grades 1-3, and Motor Mania for grades 2-3. Older campers explore the intricacies and projects inspired with Legobotics, Star Wars legos and Mindstorms. These camps are offered in two locations in the South Bay/Peninsula region and are perfect for Silicon Valley kids that love to create and innovate.

Similarly, the TechKnowHow Technology and LEGO Summer Camps based in and around San Francisco teach children educational principles through Lego and KNEX fun. Sessions include game design, 3D modeling and electronics, all with age-appropriate projects that will inspire them to learn more about technology and science. This camp is geared toward those aged 5-14.

Celsius and Beyond utilizes a hands-on science enrichment program, but includes fun side projects like Lego Robotics for grades 4-9. The Lego camp lasts for a week, and kids attend from 9am-4pm.  Multiple session and sibling discounts are also available.

For parents who want to integrate summer camp with the strong teachings of the Jewish faith, try Osher Marin JCC Camp, which offers a Legos Sportsbots session for grades 1-4. Or, try exposing them to traditional Quaker values of service and community at San Francisco Friends School Summer Camp. Quakers totally play with Legos too – which is proven with their Lego Motor Madness camp session, as well as Master Lego Builders and Lego Solar (environmental focus) in July.

Little campers aged 4-6 can enjoy Lego Lab at Peekadoodle, as well as many other fun and creative activities that will stimulate young minds. Older kids (grades 3-7) will enjoy Lego Robotics at Chabot Space & Science Center.  Finally, the The Tech summer camps at The Tech Museum of San Jose, will inspire young scientists, engineers and inventors in grades 4-8. Specialties include a Lego Robotics class just for girls, as well as a master’s class for those in grades 4-6.

For those over in Philly, there’s plenty of East Coast Lego action for your campers at Bucks County Community College. Their Kids on Campus program features a wide array of one-week camp sessions, including Lego Animation for those aged 9-12 in July. Camp Teekna, another Philly favorite, is a Christian camp that teaches God’s love and keys to healthy friendships while mixing it up with fun activities. Check out their Jr. Camp’s Lego session for grades K-5.

Beyond these, many traditional camps on both coasts include Legos into their activity roster. Conduct a simple Google search in your area, or contact SignUpForCamp.com for some more great destinations near you.

Q: Tell us a little about yourself and how you started the camp

A:  I have been actively involved with TILT at Ninth Street Independent Film Center (participating in its first teacher-training workshop in December of 1999, instructing several of dozens of media literacy/video production workshops, developing curriculum, consulting with the design of TILT’s new website, and now taking on the role of the Youth Media Manager).  Throughout the year TILT partners with community-based organizations.  TILT has been teaching young people media literacy through hands-on video production for over 15 years. TILT’s Summer Film Camp is a newer program, celebrating its 5th year last summer

Q: Are there any special lessons or experiences you are trying to provide during the camp?

A: TILT, the Youth Program of the Ninth Street Independent Film Center, teaches young people the fundamentals of movie making and media literacy through hands-on training in video production. TILT programs empower young people to tell their own stories, to work collaboratively, and to become lifelong learners.  Our summer program allows teens to gain exceptional experience in an intimate setting, with professional filmmakers and educators. Teens have gone on to win awards, with work screened at film festivals, and enter top university film programs such as NYU, UCLA, and USC.

Q: What surprises/delights the kids (or parents) most about your camp?

A: TILT Summer Film Camp is more than video production training – teens learn to become critical consumers and producers of media. TILT programming delivers specialized lesson plans, expert instruction, experienced staff, and inspired collaborative projects that support a holistic view of 21st century teaching and learning.

Q: Anything else you’d like to add?

A: Some quotes from parents whose kids have been to the camp:

• [My son]felt a deep sense of accomplishment and was proud of his work that he did. Learning the basics of the editing program, working collaboratively on shoots and overcoming fears such as being in front of a camera were powerful life lessons.

• The staff was great, very supportive, intuitive and able to help kids with the normal stumbling blocks of doing a first production.  Hey, I graduated from the Motion Picture and Television School at UCLA and I was really impressed to see that students completed such great work in three weeks.  A great camp!

• After a few short weeks they fired her up to such an extent she started making Films and never stopped.  Becoming a Director or a Cinematographer is her dream.

• Tilt’s summer film camp was an excellent opportunity for my fourteen-year-old son to explore his interest in filmmaking. He learned the process of video production and was able to showcase his work in a professional setting with a screening and participated in a Q & A panel. I was struck by the quality of work and use of technique in the students’ short films and the commitment of the instructors. In addition there was a great sense of camaraderie amongst the students who collaborated on projects together and supported each other in their own individual films from acting to helping with the film shoot.

• It helped to boost his self-esteem and find a way to project his voice and deepen his understanding of filmmaking.  With the experience he gained at Tilt he now continues to pursue his interest in digital media. Thanks to Tilt for providing a platform for youth to create and be heard.

• My daughter, Linden Bengtson,[attends] the Tisch undergraduate film school at NYU this fall.  I want to thank you for all the incredible support and guidance you provided her during and after her TILT summers.

While traditional summer camps may not be what you have in mind for yourself or your child this year, the good news is there are plenty of high school camp options out there that teens DO enjoy, and return to for all four years.  No matter what your interests or goals after high school, these camps can help you accelerate your skill set, or even just plain have fun and relax before people will expect you to get a job!

TILT Summer Film Camp is geared toward aspiring movie makers, aged 13-18. With only three weeks, you will learn a heck of a lot about video production, which is why the staff refers to it as a “boot camp.” Get ready to collaborate in small groups, take on real-life industry roles and attend a special screening of your final product.

Golden State Lacrosse Academy is ideal for teens that enjoy the sport but don’t want to commit an entire summer to it. With their weekend camp, you enjoy an intensive training and review, picking up some great tips and tricks along the way to improve your game.  If soccer is your game, and you ARE looking to get away from it all, check out Two Rivers Soccer Camp. This overnight camp lasts for about a week and picks up campers in San Francisco.

Golden Gateway Tennis and Swim Club is another way to get involved with sports over the summer with minimal commitment.  While the camps themselves are geared toward younger campers, teens aged 13-17 can enjoy the camp experience volunteering as a counselor-in-training.

ArtWorks Summer Workshops and Art Camps are ideal for those aged 9 to 16, and give you a chance to be re-inspired within an art discipline you love, or provide you with the opportunity to try something new. Class options include cartooning, drawing exploration, mixed media sculpting and more.

Academic Chess may be considered “dorky” at your school, which gives you the perfect reason to get away from the usual opinions and spend a summer loving the board game with likeminded teens. Outside of just playing chess, campers can take yoga, gymnastics or theatre, and participate in Friday tournaments that come with pizza and trophies. Ages 6-18 welcome.  For those that love computers, iD Tech can round out your summer after you’ve played some great chess games. From gaming to visual arts, there is a week devoted to what you love about technology.

Roughing It Day Camps will give all city kids a chance to experience the great outdoors. The nature adventures include canoeing, kayaking, sports, crafts, and various teambuilding activities in the wilderness. Students are picked up at various bay area spots including San Francisco, Berkeley, Oakland, Lamorinda and San Ramon, and are transported to Lafayette Reservoir for camp.

Paresh Martial Arts Day Camp will provide teens with fitness and agility with their many Tang Soo Do sessions. This traditional Korean karate will change your life and your outlook. One week sessions available through the spring and summer months.

Japanese Theatre Arts Summer Conservatory is a sanctuary for those who love the performing arts but crave something different. Learning about Japanese history through the theatre should do the trick, as teens are invited to adopt a character and learn everything from Japanese song and dance to staging techniques. “Kids” as old as 22 may attend.

Tutor Corps is the answer to enrichment programs that parents desire for their teens over the summer, but don’t have a lot of time or money to spend. Yes, teens reading this know that academics aren’t exactly the ideal summer vacation, but when you get into a good college – you can thank your mom AND your summer camp teachers.  Convent & Stuart Hall Co-Ed Summer Program is another great resource, designed for kids entering grades 7-12. It’s a diverse array of students from all over the bay that normally would not cross paths, giving campers time to not only enrich their minds, but their social life as well.

Education Unlimited focuses on both the practical and artistic sides of the camper, with activities including creative writing, computers, science, acting and video production. It takes place each summer on college campuses, including local Stanford and Berkeley. Finally, the Eureka Tutoring Center Summer School can help those through 11^th grade get a leg up on their next report card. From basic math skills to difficult geometry theorems, students learn in the morning and have fun with field trips and creative games & sports in the afternoon.

If you are close to a young overachiever who excels in school, but also cares equally as much about their social life, then SuperCamp may make up a great part of your summer. Here students learn life skills to help them manage their time, improve their friendships (and relationship with you, parents!), and also gives them plenty of academic strategies to make your bright star shine even brighter.

Children’s Culinary Creations in Los Altos Hills is run by Chef Sharon, who takes the time to patiently teach not only hands-on cooking, but also independence, self-reliance and other life skills essential for any future career.

Cucina Bambini in San Jose takes a cue from its name with an Italian cooking course for kids aged 6-10. Other opportunities over the summer include Cupcake and Cake Pop Craze, Lil’ Chefs Go to the Circus and much more! Hours and ages vary per session.

Over in Pennsylvania, Lavner Camps features a wide repertoire of enrichment courses, including Culinary Arts and similarly so does Penn Charter Summer Camps. These Philadephia area camps are great because they embrace a more traditional camp schedule, inspiring children to experience a diverse array of activities. Young chefs may develop in such an environment that is low pressure and intentionally only covers the basics.

Back in the Bay Area, Osher Marin JCC Camp Kehillah teaches children of all faiths a variety of activities including cake decorating and cooking. For around $300 per week, your child will also learn the fundamentals of Jewish culture and go on various nature adventures.

Camp Doodles focuses on a variety of interests including cooking, and older kids are able to take stove-top cooking classes as well as the more basic things youngsters learn at the San Francisco, San Rafael or Mill Valley locations. Similarly, Celsius and Beyond offers one-week rotating themes throughout the summer, including International Top Chef which teaches children the method and chemistry behind the various cooking techniques found around the world. If you’re in the San Francisco area, the Exploratorium also offers cooking-themed summer activities, as does the San Francisco Friends School Summer Camp.

Many summer camps also offer one-week isolated sessions focusing on a single cooking or baking method. Baking with Design, a session held through Upper Main Line YMCA in Pennsylvania, teaches children how to bake various sweet treats from scratch, as well as the art of decorating them.

Kids on Campus at Bucks County Community College also teaches children aged 10-13 the basics of kitchen careers with Kid Kuisine I. This week focuses on proper hygiene, safe food handling and both cooking & baking principles. They then are broken off into teams where they get to create their own dishes. Later the summer, rejoin Kinds on Campus for IncredIble, Edible Experiments and Kitchen Magic! Where kids learn how science works in the home everywhere from the sink’s soap dish to the ice cream they love to eat during the summer months.

Cooking camps are the way to go wherever you live if you are looking to teach your child some independence and a basic life skillset. It can also be a lot of fun and inspire them to dig deeper into a newfound hobby once school starts back up again.

California Affordable Camps – Bay Area and Beyond

In the bay area, there are plenty of affordable camp options you may not have known about.

Peace Camp in Berkeley is only $200 per week, and they offer two separate sessions during the summer. Berkeley Day Camp, arranged through the city, costs $147 per week and accepts kids of all ages. Also in Berkeley is Explorers Camp, which features fun weekly themes. 2012’s themes include:

• Welcome to Summer
• Spirit Week
• All ABOUT Me
• James Kenney’s Got Talent
• So You Think You Can Cook
• Super Soak Slippery Splash Week
• Road to Olympics
• Back to the Future

If any of those caught your eye, sign your child up and enjoy a week of camp for only $98. Best of all, you can choose to come either to a single week or return all summer long.

Young sports enthusiasts will love the Sports & Games Camp also put on through the city of Berkeley. Those living throughout the bay area can also benefit from Legarza Basketball Camp, which costs around $195 per week and trains kids in the South Bay, Peninsula area and beyond.

A couple of hours Northeast in Sacramento, kids can explore performing and visual arts at Summer ARTastic! Day Camp in the suburb of Roseville. For only $200 for the entire summer, children learn dance, drama, painting/sketching, voice and more.

Pennsylvania Camps – Philadelphia and Beyond

In Pennsylvania, the Lehigh University Sports Camps teaches kids both basic and advanced moves in Basketball, and wrestling, while Malvern Preparatory School covers squash, baseball and basketball.

Kids on Campus at Bucks County Community College are offered a diverse array of activities each week, from learning how to use Dreamweaver and Flash, to baseball and Ultimate Frisbee. The diversity is awesome at this camp designed for kids of all ages.

Meanwhile, the Chester County Art Association inspires young artists through its various week-long sessions including acrylic & water color painting and clay sculpting. Over a dozen different art disciplines are taught at this camp.

Finally, Camp Teekna uses Christian values and foundational messages to teach young campers the importance of giving back to the community around them that they benefit from. It’s a great lesson and time to reflect upon moral issues for both young and older kids.

Camps Across the Nation

Around the country, there are many affordable opportunities available. First, the Actor’s Youth Theatre Summer Workshop in Gilbert, AZ gives kids aged 10 through 16 the opportunity to explore the various facets of making a movie with their week-long July session. At the Petroglyph Pathfinders Summer Camp in Phoenix, kids learn about archaeology at a real dig site for less than $150 per week.

In Miami, the Science Museum Summer Camp offers a wide variety of classes for all ages, with topics ranging from Kitchen Chemistry to Space-themed focuses. Massachusetts is home to Drama Kids Summer FUN!, where kids experience theatre arts. A similar program happens each summer at the Drama Kids International Summer Camp in North Carolina, New York and many other regions across the U.S.

In Ohio, Classroom Antics Summer Tech Camps happen in three major cities including Cleveland, Akron and Columbus. Kids learn all different genres of technology while having fun at the same time.

Active young Texans can enjoy Best Gymnastics Summer Camp, or Sokol Gym ‘n Swim Camp.  CYT Houston Summer Camps plays host to a Christian creative arts camp with fun themes such as Disney and Young Destiny. In Virginia, the Abrakadoodle Summer Camp provides the youngest of campers with fun themes like Pirates, Princes and Princesses. Watch imaginations thrive with these varied and creative camp experiences guaranteed to be under $200 weekly.

Chris Waage, of the DaVinci Day Camp in the bay area recently chatted with SignUpForCamp to share with us a bit more about the camp that enriches, enlightens and engages children each summer.

Q: Tell us a little about yourself and how you started the camp.

A: For the last 20 years we have been known for providing quality academic summer programs for grades 4-12 at Universities here in California as well as Boston. The one thing that was missing from our program was a community focused camp that served younger grade groups. Our goal to offer great programs that all age groups could benefit from was completed with DaVinci Day Camp for K-5th grade campers. DaVinci Day Camp brought together our organizations long standing values of immersive academic learning and more traditional recreational day camp.

Q: Are there any special lessons or experiences you are trying to provide during the camp?

A: Camps choose from 8 different themes workshops that fall into either public speaking, creative writing, or science and engineering. The lessons are taught through constant hands-on experiences that provide a variety of different approaches to reach each child’s different learning style.

Q: What surprises/delights the kids (or parents) most about your camp?

A: When parents and kids here “academic day camp” they are very surprised to find that camp resembles an artists workshop much more than a stuff classroom.

Campers lose themselves in the engaging activities so much that they forget that they are learning important skills that will be used for years to come.

To sign up for DaVinci Day Camp, choose a location and session that best suits your child, and prepare to see them beyond inspired during their school break.

There are   some other  community focused camps that  are  in Bay area like  Osher Marin JCC Camp at San Rafael,Camp Mandarin Immersion at Berkeley and Camp Carden at San Jose .