Educational Day Camps
Adventure Days
South Boulder or Jefferson County
303-938-9191
www.womenswilderness.org
Amped for adventure!? Imagine learning the skills of camping, backpacking and rock climbing while building incredible friendships. Women’s Wilderness offers a variety of camps for girls entering sixth through 12th grade in fall 2019. Our Adventure Days camps are a great way to enjoy the wilderness, make new friends and try new things. You will be able to explore beautiful places and learn outdoor skills. In relationship with the natural world, girls will explore their identities and values and learn how to navigate emotions and interpersonal relationships. We have full and partial scholarships available for our camps, and no girl needing financial support has ever been turned away.
Boulder Country Day School Summer Camps
Gunbarrel
303-527-4931
www.bouldercountryday.org
Boulder Country Day School (BCD) offers an exciting lineup of summer programs sure to excite the artist, athlete, chef, scientist, musician and more in your child. We welcome both BCD students as well as students from other schools. BCD offers full-day camps starting at 8 a.m. for students ages 3-5 and a wide variety of morning specialty camps for student ages 5-12 including Legos®, art, sports, chess, cooking, science, music, academics, world languages and more. Specialty campers ages 5-8 can extend their day until 4 p.m. through the afternoon camp. BCD is licensed by the State of Colorado, and is accredited by ACIS and NAIS. Cost varies depending on selections. Please visit our website for more information.
Camp Game On!
Boulder
museumofboulder.org
Summer time means it’s Game On! at the Museum of Boulder! In this summer camp facilitated by Pop Culture Classroom, you’ll be playing and analyzing all kinds of board and video games. As well, you’ll be applying what you’ve discovered throughout the week to create a new board game experience of your very own! Pop Culture Classroom is here to prove that games aren’t JUST fun. They also help develop critical and creative literacy skills! Come and experience ground-breaking educational programming centered around one of our very favorite summer pastimes: Games! Camp runs July 15 through 19, 9 a.m.-12 p.m., costs $250 and is suitable for children ages 7-9.
Camp Invention
Longmont, various locations
800-968-4332
www.campinvention.org
Led by local educators, the week-long Camp Invention program immerses elementary school children in hands-on learning disguised as fun summer activities. Children spend their time designing inventions and exploring connections between science, technology, engineering and innovation. Discounts are available — register today!
Camp Oonie Koonie Cha
Boulder
303-413-1711
www.campokc.com
Camp Oonie Koonie Cha is an action-packed music camp for children ages 4-9.
Be transported back in time to the days of the dinosaurs and our Pleistocene pals, the cave dwellers and woolly mammoths. Campers will be going on a “dig,” play-acting paleontology and making their own instruments and “rumbasha” poles. Music weaves it all together with movement, chants and rock ‘n’ roll. “Dig It” will come alive with Amy Haywood, Kelye Lotz, Susie Adams, Ariana Snow and Garette Suzelis. We are very excited to have Marilyn Martorano, RPA, archaeologist from Longmont presenting “Mysterious Stones found in Colorado: Rock, Stone or… Lithophone?”
Camp OKC is an early childhood week-long music camp that blends a variety of musical experiences with instrument construction, science experiments, dramatic play, a xylophone orchestra and a final performance into one amazing week. Creative hands-on activities are designed to engage the whole child in an unforgettable camp experience. Camp dates: June 3-7 and June 10-14.
Chess Camp
Boulder
866-949-4386
www.chesswizards.com
Join us this summer for tons of challenging chess lessons, exciting games and cool prizes. You’ll improve your chess skills, meet new friends and work out your most powerful muscle — your brain! Our camps include fun team chess games (like bughouse), recess time (of course), snacks, tournaments and puzzles. Each camper receives a T-shirt, trophy and puzzle folder. Unleash your brain power and spend part of your vacation with Chess Wizards!
Comic Book Camp
Boulder
museumofboulder.org
From Peanuts to Batman to Lumberjanes, comic books offer something for everyone! Join Pop Culture Classroom for this exciting summer camp where you will explore the fantastic worlds of superheroes, fantasy creatures, and even people just like yourself, all while exercising your creativity and literacy skills. Each day, you’ll learn comic book storytelling techniques and receive hands-on art instruction from real-life comic book artists. In addition to a new love for the world of comics and their creators, you’ll finish the camp with a fully illustrated comic to call your own! Students do not need to have any experience in art or comics to join. Camp runs June 17 through 21, 9 a.m-12 p.m, costs $250 and is for children ages 7-9.
Cottonwood Gulch Foundation
Albuquerque, N.M.
800-2-GO-TREK
www.cottonwoodgulch.org
The Cottonwood Gulch Foundation sponsors educational wilderness expeditions and outdoor programs in the American Southwest that promote scientific, historic and cultural discovery, personal growth, and a knowledgeable environmental ethic among all those who participate.
CU Science Discovery
Boulder
303-492-7188
www.colorado.edu/sciencediscovery
CU Science Discovery offers a wide variety of K-8 summer camps and high school classes at the CU Boulder and CU Anschutz campuses. Full-day programs offer unique summer experiences that cover a wide range of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) disciplines and cater to a number of interests. Most programs provide free lunchtime supervision and optional extended care, making summer scheduling a breeze for busy families. Summer programs provide an eclectic mix of engaging, experiential learning activities designed to inspire exploration, curiosity and fun that has kids excited to return summer after summer. Instructors include CU faculty and graduate scientists and field experts that are enthusiastic and knowledgeable about their topic. Program topics for 2019 include video production, e-textiles, game design, biomedical research, animation, programming, robotics, forensics, DNA science, aerospace, med school experience, app design and more — we have a little something for everyone! Register online.
Denver Museum of Nature & Science Summer Camp
Denver
303-370-6000
www.dmns.org/visit/events-and-activities/summer-camps
Each week, campers will take amazing journeys throughout the museum as they experiment, create, build, ask questions and learn — but most of all have fun!
Denver Rocky Mountain Chess Camps
Denver
303-770-6696
www.coloradomasterchess.com
The 25th annual Denver Rocky Mountain Chess Camps will be held on June 3-7 and July 8-10. Full- and half-day options are available between 9 a.m.-4 p.m. With an 8-to-1 staff-to-student ratio, participants will be taught scorekeeping, etiquette, tournament preparation, logical thinking and strategic planning for all phases of the game. Also available throughout summer are two-day workshops, tournaments and follow-up classes. Founded in 1993, the Rocky Mountain Chess Camp is the oldest and one of the largest chess camps in the country. Thousands of students from around the country, including state and national scholastic champions, have attended the camp for decades. Learn from National Chess Master and international best-selling author Todd Bardwick. Call us or visit our website for details.
Denver Zoo Summer Safari: Zooper Heroes
Denver
729-337-1400
www.denverzoo.org/summer-safari
When school is out, Safari Camp is in! This summer, campers will puzzle out some of our planet’s most exciting challenges! How can we ensure each animal gets what it needs? How do you even begin tracking the nearly invisible and even unheard from? What role will you play once you’ve uncovered the secret connections that hold our world together? Campers connect with animals through zoo exploration, up-close animal experiences, engineering challenges, nature play, and special camp-only zoo opportunities. Camps are for ages pre-K through eighth grade and run weekly. Registration is online only.
Feet on the Earth Programs
Boulder
303-642-0562
www.FeetOnTheEarth.org
Every day is a new adventure in nature! Children discover their strengths and build confidence while learning ancient skills for living close to the Earth. Each week-long camp takes place in lower Lefthand Canyon (1.5 miles west of U.S. 36) and emphasizes building a relationship with nature and creating a healthy community. Curriculum includes wild edible and medicinal plants, animal tracking, natural shelters, making (and shooting) primitive bows and arrows, team-building challenges, nature crafts, silly songs, storytelling, fun games and more! Co-ed and all-girls camps available. Ages 7-11.
Friends School Summer Programs
Boulder
303-499-1999, ext. 229
www.FriendsSchoolBoulder.org
Programs include preschool backyard camp, drone academy, birdhouses and fairy gardens, outdoor adventure skills, ocean blue, robo quest, circus classes, cooking, art, theater, music, xtreme olympiad, cardboard city, basketball, soccer, chess, yoga, dance and more. Licensed and accredited. Discounts available. Details and registration is online. Camps are for preschool, elementary and middle school students, ages 3-14, and run in week-long morning and afternoon sessions between June 3 and July 26.
iD Tech Camps
University of Denver, Colorado State University
888-709-8324
www.internalDrive.com
Gain a competitive edge! Create iPhone apps, video games, movies and more at week-long, day and overnight programs held at the University of Denver, CSU-Fort Collins, Stanford, Princeton and other universities. These are small classes for ages 7-17 in a fun and challenging setting. Also two-week, teen-only programs are held at the University of Denver, Stanford, Yale, Harvard and others: iD Gaming Academy, iD Programming Academy and iD Visual Arts Academy (filmmaking and photography).
Keystone Science School Summer Camp
Keystone
970-455-4228
www.KeystoneScienceSchool.org
Be amazed this summer at Keystone Science School as we celebrate 40 years of extraordinary experiences, best friends and new insight into the awe-inspiring world of science. Since 1976, Keystone Science School Summer Camp has taught kids social skills, independence and friendship with the added elements of outdoor education and high-altitude adventure. Our Day Camp, for kids grades K-8, features a new theme each week and incorporates creative activities, team-building and investigative learning into each day. Find a full summer calendar and program options on our website, or give us a call!
Longmont Humane Society Kids & Critters Camp
Longmont
303-772-1232, ext. 289
www.longmonthumane.org
WANTED: Children ages 7-12 who love animals! Longmont Humane Society is holding animal care mini-camps this summer, with four half-day sessions of three days each to choose from: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, June 10-12, 17-19, 24-26 or July 8-10. Enjoy a paws-itive summer break while learning about proper dog walking, animal body language and cat handling. Participate in interactive animal-themed games and activities and meet special guest visitors. $170/session.
Ocean First Swim School
Boulder
303-444-7234
www.oceanfirst.blue/swim
How do sharks find their food? Is coral alive? Why are plastic bags dangerous for turtles? In our exciting Marine Science and Swim mini-camp, your child will explore these questions and learn about our amazing ocean and its inhabitants through hands-on activities, storytelling and games. Each day focuses on a different marine topic with an emphasis on how we can help protect the ocean. After our engaging time in the classroom, we’ll move the fun to the pool to practice swimming techniques and water safety skills. Camp runs Monday through Friday from 1-3 p.m. during select weeks June-August.
Play-Well TEKnologies
Boulder
970-645-6075
www.Play-well.org
Play-Well TEKnologies provides project-based programs designed to teach principles and methods of engineering to kids in kindergarten through eighth grade utilizing LEGO® products. Using over 100,000 pieces of LEGO® for each camp, we strive to build students’ problem-solving skills, foster a greater appreciation of how things work and encourage the qualities of inquisitiveness, self-reliance and self-confidence in children. Play-Well Camps in the Boulder area take place at Boulder Parks & Rec, Boulder JCC, Friends School, Boulder Country Day, Dawson School, The Arts HUB, Bob Burger Rec Center, St. Vrain Memorial Building and WOW! Children’s Museum. See website for all the different camps offered by Play-Well.
Quest & Quill with Renaissance Adventures
Boulder
303-786-9216
www.RenaissanceAdventures.com
This is an adventure quest plus creative writing! Questers write about the stories unfolding in their quests, their heroic character or any topic that inspires them. In the tradition of the Norse Skalds, we focus on the enjoyment of writing, self-expression and the oratory arts of reading aloud and hearing others. We do not focus on grammar, spelling or writing style. By participating in daily “Guild Challenges,” every quester’s writing earns character powers and treasures in the Adventure Quest program that is a part of Quest & Quill. Quest & Quill Summer Quests give the opportunity to write and develop short stories, with the potential to craft a tale to include in the Adventure Quest: Stories publication (released in book stores and on Amazon). See website for dates. Ages 9-17.
Summer Camp at the Longmont Museum
Longmont
303-651-8374
www.longmontmuseum.org
Discover history, art, music, culture and science in these hands-on camps. Learn from artists and musicians. Build a robot or become an archeologist. Camps are located at the Longmont Museum, both indoors and outdoors, at 400 Quail Road. For requirements, fees and details call the museum or visit our website for more information. Camps run through June and July, Monday through Friday. Ages 3-16. Starting at $150/week.
Summer Fantasy Writing and Gaming Camp
Boulder
720-300-2216
www.creative-writing-solutions.com
Druidawn, Inc. specializes in helping reluctant writers overcome writing resistance using fantasy role-play gaming as a powerful motivator. This summer camp delves deeply into the world of imagination and creativity, giving students the unique opportunity to add their own ideas to the exciting World of Druidawn! Also offered are advanced writing techniques and publishing opportunities, help with overcoming writer’s block, lessons on how to create original characters and plots, sword-making and action-packed adventures outdoors, fantasy art techniques and more. Camp runs June 17-21, June 24-28, and July 8-12 and is open to ages 7.5-14 years old.
True Learning Educational Services, Personalized Instruction & Enrichment (P.I.E.) STEAM Program
Lafayette
510-909-9939
truelearningeducation.com
Don’t just have your child learn math and science this summer, have them experience it! Immerse your child in a hands-on journey of scientific and mathematical exploration that is customized to your child’s interests. Your child will use his/her problem-solving, designing and assembly skill sets in the fields of robotics, chemistry, physics and bio-technology. Specific half-day weekly sessions are available for students entering grades K-2, third through fifth or sixth through eighth. Contact us for details!
YMCA of northern colorado camps
various locations on the front range
303-443-4474
www.ymcanoco.org
Join Northern Colorado’s YMCA for dozens of different, engrossing camp sessions and activities this summer. Learn to rock climb, ride a bike, play team sports and much more in the outdoors-focused sessions. Discover how the mysteries of science can play into the fun of art during STEAM-focused camps. Whether young ones are excited about being out in the sun all day, creating something new with their hands or developing about leadership skills, Boulder Valley’s YMCA camps are the place to be! For a comprehensive list of all camps and sessions, visit our website.
Overnight Camps
Adventure Camps
Meet in Boulder, but travel to locations in Colorado & Wyoming
303-938-9191
www.womenswilderness.org
Amped for adventure!? Imagine learning the skills of camping, backpacking and rock climbing while building incredible friendships. Women’s Wilderness offers a variety of camps for girls entering sixth through 12th grade in fall 2019. Our camps are great ways to enjoy the wilderness, make new friends and try new things. You will be able to explore beautiful places and learn outdoor skills. In relationship with the natural world, girls will explore their identity and values and learn how to navigate emotions and interpersonal relationships. We have full and partial scholarships available for our camps, and no girl needing financial support has ever been turned away.
Crow Canyon Archaeological Center Archaeology Camps
Cortez, Colorado
800-422-8975, ext. 455
www.crowcanyon.org
Brush away the dirt to uncover a piece of ancient pottery — and be the first person to touch that artifact in a thousand years! At Crow Canyon’s summer camps, high school and middle school students join our research team to help discover the ancient history of southwest Colorado. You’ll learn excavation and lab techniques, and work alongside our archaeologists at sites inhabited more than 1,000 years ago. Then you will help analyze ancient artifacts in the lab. It’s an authentic, hands-on introduction to archaeology at the pre-college level. You will learn about American Indian cultures and explore the cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde National Park. You’ll also try your hand at ancient technologies, like throwing wooden spears with an atlatl and making fire with a bow drill. In 2015, USA Today named our archaeology summer camps one of the 10 best adventure camps for kids. High School Camp: July 14-20; High School Field School: June 23-July 13; Middle School Archaeological Camp: June 16-22.
Global Works Travel
Boulder-based with trips to 20 destinations
303-545-2202
www.globalworkstravel.com
For 29 years, Global Works has been providing exceptional community service, summer enrichment and adventure travel programs for students and groups. Choose from programs that focus on community development, language immersion, ecology and wildlife, and public health/medicine. Global Works international trips are the bridge for meaningful cultural exchange with people around the world. In all of our locations, we partner with communities and organizations to select and implement grassroots service projects that make an impact. Global Works offers summer service adventures for high school students and custom group travel for schools and organizations. If you are looking for fun and adventure, and want to be a spark for positive change in the world, let Global Works be your guide!
iD Tech Camps
DU, Colorado State University
888-709-8324
www.internalDrive.com
With small classes for kids ages 7-17, this is a fun and challenging setting. Two-week, teen-only programs are also held at the University of Denver, Stanford, Yale, Harvard and others: iD Gaming Academy, iD Programming Academy and iD Visual Arts Academy (filmmaking & photography).
Keystone Science School Summer Camp
Keystone
970-468-2098
www.KeystoneScienceSchool.org
Keystone Science School has been teaching our campers about independence, self-reliance and appreciation for the natural world for over 40 years. Each overnight camp session includes a backpacking overnight, summit hike, team-building activities and traditional songs by the campfire. For those looking for a high adventure experience, we have two programs: Keystone Voyager and Keystone Mountain Adventures, in which campers travel to a variety of natural areas in Colorado and Utah. Activities include rock climbing, backpacking, whitewater rafting and more. Find a full summer calendar and program options online or give us a call.
Mad science camps
Boulder
303-403-0432
www.Colorado.madscience.org
Get inspired. In June Camp Eureka Inventors & Explorers camp, ages 6-11, will get young inventors thinking outside the box. In July, Bubbling Beakers & Radical Reactions will let kids 6-11 explore molecular madness and get their chemistry fix. Also in July, Biology Blast will take kids 6-11 on an exploration of the tiniest cells in the human body. For a full schedule, dates and pricing, check out the website above.
Sanborn Western Camps
Florissant
719-748-3341
www.sanbornwesterncamps.com
Since 1948, Sanborn Western Camps have been creating outdoor experiences of exceptional quality and depth. Sanborn’s fun, relaxed atmosphere and caring staff provide a supportive environment for individual growth in self-confidence, independence and awareness of others. Big Spring Ranch for Boys and High Trails Ranch for Girls lie at an elevation of 8,700 feet in the center of Colorado, 35 miles west of Colorado Springs.
