Summer Camp Scramble
by Hyacynth Worth
Though summer seems like a distant dream during February in Chicago, summer camp registration is in full swing! Here's a list of only a few notable summer camps in the Chicagoland area among the many, many (did I say many? Because I mean many!) camps offered. Be sure to click over to the websites to get all the details of registration, ages and dates!
At Camp Chicago Botanic Garden, campers have the opportunity to sink their hands into some soil and connect with the Earth through experiments and projects. Camp CBG is an interactive experience where science, nature and fun meet in a very live and vivid way. Expect your campers to come home wearing little elements of their day as they engage in indoor as well as outdoor activities. Campers range from age 2 to all the way to 12 and attend different classes that meet their developmental needs and desires.
Perhaps your little one isn't quite ready for the commitment of a full-fledged day camp but would love to get out and play a few days per week in the morning in a structured camp-like environment. Little Beans Café camp meets during the morning hours and has a weekly theme with which campers will become engaged through music, arts, theatre, literacy and imaginative play. Little Beans shines especially for its emphasis on creativity combined with imaginative play with its interactive community village playspace complete with fire station, grocery store and auto shop to name just a few highlights.
Prided on its small class sizes, Wishcraft summer camps offer week-long sessions that focus on building friendships, confidence and a variety of skills. With camps sessions like Ecosew, where campers make stylish, ecofriendly projects using recycled fabrics and Fashion Do-Over, a time for little designers to go green while learning about style, silhouette and the art of machine sewing, this hands-on camp is a perfect place for campers to learn real-world skills while having fun.
For the sports-loving youngster who cheers on Chicago teams, there might not be a more exciting camp than the Chicago Bears Youth Football Camp. Several different camps meet the sports enthusiast at the right developmental stages for the camper's ages and skill levels. From basic no-tackle football where the rules of the game and sportsmanship are learned to accelerated skills football camps, most players will find that one section of camp meets them where they are. There's also a new camp section rolling out for the sports enthusiast that focuses on team sports like flag football, basketball, soccer, lacrosse and floor hockey.
Conservation Camp is committed to connecting campers to the natural world not only through spending time in the great outdoors but also through learning about the animals who live in the zoo and wildlife alike. From learning about being good caretakers through the Caring for Creatures camp session to experiencing what it's like to be a zookeeper in Running a Zoo 101, campers will get a real-life taste of life connected with the natural world.
