Summer Camp Guide 2019

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This post is sponsored, but our opinions are 100% are own.  We are part of Amazon Associates. 

It’s that time of year again.  As soon as the holidays are over, every parent has “Register for Summer Camp” on the top of their to-do list. Ugh! We hear you!  And so, we put together a Summer Camp Guide to make finding the perfect camp for your little camper this year super easy.

Check out our spotlighted camps, general tips, and comprehensive list!

MVCode

Voted Bay Area’s Best Tech Camp for Kids! Camp tracks include:
– Coding Fundamentals
– Game Design (Unity or Roblox)
– Robotics
– Minecraft (Learn JavaScript to make your own plugins)
– YouTubing Fundaments 
 
Camps are open to 1-8th graders and kids are split up by age. Campers also participate in daily outdoor play – fun team building activities and games.  Locations all over the Bay! 
 
415-569-2112

Hi-Five

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The Hi-Five Bay Area Sports Club is thrilled to present our 7th summer of sports camps in the San Francisco Bay Area at our NEW LOCATION in the beautiful UPPER LAUREL CAMPUS in Menlo Park! Our experienced, patient, and passionate coaching staff will divide the campers into balanced teams that will then learn about and compete in a wide variety of sports including: basketball, baseball, football, volleyball, soccer, lacrosse, and more!  Our vision is to help the next generation develop a passion for sports – one camp, coach, and one child at a time. The Hi-Five Sports Camp experience will be remembered for the high energy-level of our coaches and the positive impact made on the lives of our campers.  June 17th – August 9th 

608 Howard Ave, Burlingame Ca 94010

650-362-4975

Integem Holographic Augmented Reality Summer Camp

usf baseball

Invest in your future and learn to program, design, and innovate with future tech this summer! Through hands-on projects, you will create your own Holographic AR outer-space/nature adventures; Holographic AR animated comics; Holographic AR Broadcasting studio; interactive 3D Holographic AR movies/games; and/or intelligent engineering designs powered by AI. You will learn Holographic AR programming, STEM/STEAM concepts, computer animation, UX/UI Design, 3D modeling, artificial intelligence(AI), and visual communication.

Suitable for ages 6-18 of all computer skills, from zero experience to advanced levels.

Address: Gunn High(Palo Alto), Encinal School (Menlo Park), Homestead High (Cupertino), Mission San Jose High (Fremont), and Evergreen High (San Jose).

408-459-0657

TechKnowHow

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A perfect way for students to learn valuable, real-world technology skills through fun and engaging projects. Our week-long Summer Camps include Engineering with LEGO® gears and motors, Robotics with LEGO EV3® and WeDo®, Programming with Java, Unity and Python, Game Coding with Scratch®, and Girls STEAM camp.  Kids 5-15 years

Locations in Burlingame, Foster City, San Mateo, Menlo Park and Palo Alto. Camps June 24- Aug 9th

553 Pilgrim Dr. Suite D, Foster City, CA 94404

650- 638-0500

Amigos de Palo Alto

Amigos de Palo Alto is committed to serve you and provide a professional child carer. We offer parents a safe, loving, and trustworthy environment where they may leave their children, both for childcare and to begin learning Spanish. As an immersion school, students learn to speak Spanish from bilingual instructors the same way their native language was learned naturally.

Summer camps include: Summer Preschool, Kindergarten Readiness Camp, and First Grade Preparation Camp.

1611 Stanford Ave. Palo Alto, CA 

650-493-4300

Littlest Angels Preschool

Come join us for enrichment and fun at Little Angels Preschool’s Summer Program. Our camps are three weeks long and each offers an exciting theme. Each session will give your little one the opportunity to experience theme related vocabulary words and facts, music, science, pretend play, creative art experiences, counting, color, shape, and letter recognition! Ages 2-5 years.

Summer Sessions:  June 10th – 28th Fantastic Farm! July 8th – 26th Under the Sea! July 29th – August 16th Creepy Crawlies! Registration starting SOON!

1095 Cloud Ave. Menlo Park, CA 94025

650-854-4973

Destination Science

Multiple Bay Area locations  1-888-909-2822

The Fun Science Day Camp for Curious Kids ages 5-11!  Camps run July and August. 

Dance Connection

4000 Middlefield Road  Palo Alto, CA 94303  650-852-0418

ALL THINGS DANCE! Dance Camps for kids 4-17 may include costume creations, nutrition, pantomime, history of dance, and more. 

German-American School of Palo Alto

ALTO International School in Menlo Park (475 Pope Street)  650- 520-3646

June 24th – Jul 19th for campers 3-12 years. Every week there is a new topic to discover. 

 

Do you want to be listed in our guide?

Email Kelly@midpeninsulamomsblog.com to learn more!

Summer Camp Tips From Our Writers: 

Don’t over schedule your children, especially if they are super young and this is their first time at camp/ away from you. It’s summer time, and you don’t want your kids exhausted from too many things. Let them be kids and have down time too.  

If your child is starting preschool in the fall, do a “little” camp.  This will help with the preschool transition and may help with school separation anxiety.  That way, if your child freaks out and doesn’t really make it to camp that much, you didn’t waste money on a whole semester. 

Try something new.  This is a great chance to try something before registering for it for an entire semester.  Does your child like dance, basketball, or computers?  Who knows?  Summer allows you to give it a try. Exposure to different activities allows children to really find what they are interested in.

Take advantage of the area we live in.  Maybe your child will want to do coding or circus acrobats?  These camps aren’t offered other places in the country like they are here.  If you have an older child, camps like these stand out on college applications because they are unique. 

If your are trying to get into a particular school, register for their camp.  It doesn’t hurt to get your family’s name out there and let the school get to know your child. It can only help!

Don’t just do what your friends are doing. Do what’s best for your child. Use this guide to find something special for your child.

Plan your camps around your vacations.  It’s hard to plan in advance, but try to plan what you might be doing this summer from little day trips to maybe some bigger vacations (woo hoo!).  You don’t want to pay for camp and then realize your child is going to miss a whole week for your cousin’s wedding on the East Coast.   

Location, location, location.  Don’t sign up for a camp too far away.  Just because this isn’t your child’s every day school, don’t forget you still might find it super inconvenient to drive a long distance every day over the summer to a camp. 

Dress your child in T-shirts that can be conversation starters.  It’s hard to make new friends in a new environment.  Maybe a SF Giants shirt, 49ers shirt, or an Elsa Frozen shirt (you get the idea) will help the kids realize they might like something in common and help them begin to chat. 

Don’t panic to sign up. Take your time to find the right camp. There are plenty of camps out there. It will all work out.
 
Let your child take some ownership in their camp. Give them choices, ask them what they want to do, and then use this information to make a good decision. 
 
Remember to apply sunscreen and pack sunscreen for outdoor camps.  Note whether your camp is allowed to re-apply or not and discuss this with your child. 

If you have a child that is just too young for camp make sure and carve out some “summer experiences” just for them so they don’t feel left out seeing their older siblings go to camp.

If your child is independent, don’t be afraid of sleep-away camps.  The goal is to raise children who will one day be capable of leaving us, right? 

Label EVERYTHING! Here are some of our favorite labels.  

Don’t let your child bring their “favorite” anything (water bottle, hat, whatever), even if it’s labeled. Items tend to go to home with the wrong camper and sometimes never make their way back. All kids have different schedules, and you may not see the same kids every day like you do in regular preschool. 

Comprehensive Summer Camp List

Alpine Strikers Soccer Camp, 6-10yrs

Amigos de Palo Alto, Preschoolers

Andy Harader Tennis Camp, 7-16yrs

Avid4Adventure

BandWorks Summer Camp, 8yrs and up

Bay Area Chess Camp, PreK-8th grade

Bing, Preschoolers

BrainVyne, 4-11yrs

Bricks4Kidz, 3-13yrs

California Riding Academy, 5-14yrs

Camp Argo, 4-16yrs

Camp Edmo, K- 8th grade

Camp EdTech, 5th-9th grade

Camp Galileo, PreK-8th grade

Camp Shoreline, 5-11yrs

Captivating Dance Summer Camp, 4-18yrs

Castilleja Summer Day Camp, 2nd-9th grade

Child and Family Institute, 3-5yrs

Creative Art for Young Children, 3-8yrs

Dance Connection, 4-18yrs

Dance Expressions, 4yrs and up

Destination Science, 5-11yrs

El Camino Youth Symphony, 6-14yrs

Embark Labs, All ages

German-American School Camp, 3-12yrs

Glenoaks Stables, 6 to 14yrs

Growfit Sports Camp, 4-13yrs

Harker Summer Camp, K-12th grade

Hi-Five Sports Camp, PreK-5th grade

Hiller Aviation Camp, K-8th grade

Hope Musical Theatre, 2nd-8th grade

iD Tech, 6-18yrs

India Community Center Camps, K-5th grade

J-Camp at the Oshman Family JCC, K-12th grade

Jeff Arons’ Youth Tennis Camps, 1st-12th grade

Jefunira Camp, 4-14yrs

Jim Heebner’s Tennis Camp, 5-14yrs

Kado Baseball Camp, 6-18yrs

Kelly Coding and Creation Camp, 4th-6th grade

Kidizens, K-6th grade

Kuk Sool Won Martial Arts Camp, 7-12yrs

Legarza Basketball Camp, 5-14yrs

Littlest Angels, preschoolers

Living Spanish Summer Camp, 1st-6th grade

Luna Dance, 4-9yrs

Marine Science Institute, K-12th grade

Menlo Madness and Mini Madness, 4.5-13yrs

Menlo Park Legends Baseball , 6-12yrs 

Menlo Swim and Sport, 4.5-14yrs

Mountain Camp Woodside, 5-14yrs

MV Code Camp, K-5th grade

Norcal Crew Learn to Row Camp, 11-18yrs

Omega Teaching Writing Camps, 5th-12th grade

Pacific Art League, 5-18yrs

Pacific Coast Kids, K-6th grade

Pacific Tech Camps, 5th-8th grade

Panthers Camp, 1st-7th grade

Peninsula Music Camp, 6-18yrs

Peninsula Young Writers Workshops, 8-18yrs

Peninsula Youth Theatre, 5-15yrs

Playschool Summer Camp, 3-6yrs

Portola Valley Theatre Conservatory, 1st-8th grade     

Shoestring Farm Riding Camp, 7-14yrs      

Spring Down Horsmanship Camp, 6yrs and up

Stanford Boys Basketball Camp, 1st-7th grade

Steve and Kate’s Camp, K-7th grade

Summer Rock Camp, 7-18yrs

Talking Playhouse, 12yrs+

Team Esface Hoops Camp, 6-16yrs

TechKnowHow 5-14yrs

The Foundry Volleyball Camps, 6-18yrs

Western Ballet Summer Programs, 4yrs+

Wizbots Robotics, 7-14yrs

Summer Must-Haves

adidas Alliance II Sackpack

Comes in multiple colors

Under Armour Girls’ Novelty Big Logo Short Sleeve T-Shirt

Under Armour Boys’ Tech Big Logo Solid T-Shirt

Native Unisex-Kids’ Miles Junior Sneaker

Comes in multiple colors

kilofly 4pc Girls Nonslip Grip Braided Headbands

CamelBak Eddy Kids 12oz Water Bottle, 2-Pack

Comes in multiple colors

Carter’s Girls’ Stretch Skimmer Shorts

Comes in multiple colors

Carter’s Boys’ 2-Pack Pull-on Woven Short

Thinksport Sunscreen SPF 50+, 6 Ounce

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Kelly migrated to San Francisco in 2009 after living in Chicago, Florida, and growing up in Texas. She is happy now to call the Bay Area her home. She is a licensed Physician Assistant and previously worked in OBGYN and Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. With the support of her husband and college sweetheart, Rob, she took a break from medicine to do something more creative! In addition to running San Francisco Moms Blog, Kelly is mommy to Mr. Gavin and Mr. Byron. She is happy to be the princess of the house! When she is not working or chasing her boys, she loves cooking, college football, and spending time and traveling with her family.

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