Beat the summer boredom: 7 camps for kids to pick up a new skill
It’s getting hot outside, which means one thing for parents: if you forgot to sign your child up for summer camps, the time for action is now. But luckily, a stay-at-home summer isn’t the only option left, as Fairfield County has a colorful array of daycamps that go beyond just fun in the sun, and also teach valuable skills and inspire lifelong hobbies. We rounded up a couple of the areas best camps that offer kids a wholly unique summertime experience.
Ambler Farm Summer Camp
For the nature-lovers, Ambler Farm allows their campers to get up-close and personal with their assortment of farm animals and crops. In addition to harvesting crops and spending time with the animals, the campers also cook, woodwork and hayride to their hearts’ content. And parents can join in on the fun, as well: Family Fridays let adults have a glimpse into what their children have been working on all week. Camps start June 22 and run from 9 a.m.-1 p.m., as well as an optional aftercare program from 1-3 p.m.
Culinary Arts Camp at Staples High School
In addition to the benefit of being able to snack on all of the meals your child brings home, teaching kids that the valuable life school of cooking can be fun is the main draw of the Westport Public Schools’ Continuing Education Culinary Camp. Open to young chefs of any skill level, there is also a baking program built into each weekly camp. Taught by Chefs Cecily Gans, Jewell Ailes and Rebecca Nissim bring their expertise from the food industry to students to teach how to cook delicious meals from various regions of the world from scratch. Starting the week of June 29, registration closes the week before each camp starts.
The Studio Fairfield Art Camps
The pottery camps, for kids sixth grade and up, are a literal boot camp of skills and drills, as students learn the intricacies of centering, shaping and glazing pieces of their very own to take home. Camps for older students run in the afternoons from 1-4, but they don’t have all the fun, as younger students can also get their hands on clay in a “Mug Lab,” or learn drawing skills in “Take Your Pencil for a Walk” in the morning sessions from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Offering smaller, more focused classes, the fundamentals and the fun are the name of the game at The Studio in summer.
Westport Tennis Club’s Summer Program
For a fun time and the benefit of experts, the Tennis camps offered at the Westport Tennis Club are an ace. The coaching staff, chock full of former professional players and United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) certified coaches, bring the same serves, lobs and intensity to the summer programs, which run from the weeks of June 22 to August 17. In between learning proper footwork and technique, there’s plenty of time for practice matches to put their skills to the test.
Get Schooled
Founded by two Staples High School teachers, Jon Shepro and Eric Mongirdas, and former police officer Scott Morrison, the camp introduces kids aged 8-13 to the art of fishing. The first camp of its kind in Fairfield, campers will fish every day of the week at different hotspots, while learning the essentials of knots, casting and fish identification. Running from 8 a.m.-12 p.m., spots are filling up fast, so sign up soon if your child has any interest in catching a big one, make sure to sign up soon.
Splatterbox Art Camps
The colorful array of art camps at the Splatterbox in Westport ensure that campers can explore their creativity and unleash their inner artist, in whatever medium. For 4-5 year olds, the Mini Splats camp on June 8-12 lets the younger students draw, sculpt, and glue their hearts out. For the rest of the summer, some of the many specific, themed camps for kids aged 5-12 allow students to make art inspired by animated movies, or take home matching stuffed animals based on their own paintings. With some space open for their camps, sign your kids up now for this colorful camp.
Team DIG USA
Offering a little bit of everything, Team DIG USA, run in Weston and Wilton, makes sure that every kid finds something they’ll enjoy during their time. Instead of offering just sports, or just arts and crafts, kids can choose from those and also play board games or enjoy the inflatable water slide, rotating between stations as they like. Open from the very beginning of summer, June 15, to the very end, August 24, DIG USA keeps the good times rolling all season long.