Looking for a Summer Day Camp?

We've found some fun options.

by Robin Gallaher Branch with Jane Schneider

April 1, 2015

12:05 AM

Is your child always drawing pictures, exploring outdoors, humming a tune, thinking about airplanes, or looking for adventure? Then consider a specialized summer camp that concentrates on these interests — or help them discover new ones. Just make this summer one to remember!

Tennessee State Parks Junior Ranger Camp

Meeman Shelby Forest & T. O. Fuller State Parks
Ages: 6-13
Dates: June 8-11 & June 22-25, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Thurs. night from 6-10 p.m. (NOTE: Dates shown are for Shelby Forest programs only. Call T. O. Fuller to learn their dates & program offerings.)
Fees: $30. Register April 1-June 1 (slots go quickly; call on April 1).
Fun Stuff: Campers who love the outdoors will get to explore this shady park. Activities include hiking, fire building, fishing, canoeing, hunting tool demos, and learning about Tennessee plants and wildlife. At the end of camp, kids receive a Jr. Ranger certificate.
Contact: 876-5215, Shelby Forest, 543-7581, T.O. Fuller.

Memphis Botanic Garden Summer Camps

750 Cherry Road, 38117
Ages: 5-12. Caterpillar Club (ages 4-5), Nature Scene Investigators (ages 6-9), Eco-adventure Camp (ages 9-12)
Dates: Go to website.
Fees: Caterpillar Club: $125/week, $150/nonmembers. Nature Scene & Eco Adventure: $150/members, $175/nonmembers
Fun Stuff: Help your kids connect with nature. At Memphis Botanic camps, children get to explore the great outdoors, learn about plants, discover creepy crawlies, play garden games, and more. Some lessons are translated into crafty projects. For older kids, eco-experts lead tweens to trek, thread, hike, and splash through the garden.
Contact: memphisbotanicgarden.com

U.S. Space & Rocket Center Camps

U.S. Space & Rocket Center, One Tranquility Base, Huntsville, AL 35805
Ages: 9-11 & 12-14.
Dates: Overnight camps held weekly from May 24 through August 16. Camp runs from Sunday 2 p.m. to Friday 9 a.m.
Fees: $939/week (room & board). Day camps also available, $275/per week
(9 a.m.-4 p.m. daily). All activities take place in Huntsville.
Fun Stuff: Trainees choose robotics, aviation, or space as a focus. Robotics Camp builds on a love of Legos. Students learn basic engineering and design principles with robots. Those in Aviation learn to fly an F-18 simulator and receive land/water survival training. Campers choosing Space learn about living and working in space. Crew trainers guide trainees through the past, present, and future of flight or space exploration, using actual jets, shuttles, and rockets as the backdrop. Dorm-style housing and meal plan.
Contact: rocketcenter.com/daycamps or call (256) 837-3400 or (800) 637-7223

YMCA Day Camps

NOTE: Most YMCA branches offers summer camp options.
Contact the one near you for details or visit their website.

DeSoto County Childcare YMCA Summer Day Camp

Locations: Hernando Elementary School, Olive Branch Elementary School*, Southaven Intermediate School* - * Locations offer lunch & snack
Ages: 5-12
Dates: May 26-July 31, 6 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Fees: $75/registration. $115/week. $5/sibling discount. $60/week for Counselors in Training “CIT” program. Applications must be submitted for review before acceptance.
Registration: Located at Olive Branch Elementary, Southaven Intermediate, and Hernando Hills Elementary, March 21 & April 18, 9 a.m.-noon.
Fun Stuff: Camp activities include weekly adventure field trips. Teamwork values promoted via sports and games. Art projects encourage imagination and creativity. Weekly themes like Wacky Wednesdays help make camp fun. Swim lessons also offered. Y day camps promote character development, respect, responsibility, and faith.
Contact: ymcamemphis.org/find-a-y/desoto/camp/ or (662) 280-6370 or email Mandy Smith, msmith@ymcamemphis.org.

Millington Family YMCA Summer Day

Camp Locations:
- Arlington Elementary School, 11825 Douglass Street, Arlington, 38002
- Lakeland Elementary School, 10050 Oak Seed Lane, Lakeland 38002
- Millington Middle School, 4964 Cuba Millington Road, 38053
- Munford at Old Munford Library, 87 College Street, Munford, 38058
Ages: Completed Kindergarten-5th grade
Dates: May 26-July 31, 6:30 a.m.-6 p.m.
Fees: $75/registration per child nonmembers, $150/per family. Weekly fee: $85 & $100/per child, per week. Registration begins March 1. Check with individual Y’s for details.
Fun Stuff: The Y’s Summer Day Camp gives campers a chance to explore the outdoors in a structured, safe environment where kids can form lasting friendships and develop leadership skills. Y camp offers two swim days, a field trip day, a day to visit a park, and a Fabulous Fun Day based on a theme; children dress up to illustrate a theme — be it Indiana Jones for ancient Egypt, or music rock stars.
Contact: ymcamemphis.org/find-a-y/millington/ or Carrie Cullum at 873-1434.

YMCA Summer Camp at Schilling Farms

Camp Locations:
- Collierville First Baptist Church, 830 New Byhalia Road, Collierville, 38017
- Evangelical Christian School, 1920 Forest Hill Irene Road, Germantown, 38138
Ages: 5-15
Dates: May 26-August 7, Collierville First Baptist Church; May 26- July 31, ECS Germantown campus. Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Registration: Begins March. March 30, 5:30-8:30 p.m. & April 25, 9 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Fees: $75/registration for nonmembers, $150/per family. Camp is $125/per child per week. Fee assistance and income-based rates are available.
Fun Stuff: The Y’s Day Camp offers children a variety of activities that nurture spirits, challenge minds, and strengthen bodies. Campers participate in age-appropriate activities including physical fitness, swimming, and field trips.
Contact: ymcamemphis.org/find-a-y/schilling/camp/ or call Pam Hipp, 850-9622, |phipp@ymcamemphis.org

Theater Camps at the Orpheum Theater

Rising Star Camp

Orpheum Theater, 203 S. Main Street, 38103
Ages: Grades 3-5
Dates: July 20-24. 9 .a.m.-4 p.m.
Fees: $250/per child. $40/lunch for the week
Fun Stuff: Campers will learn about musical theatre, master fun and challenging choreography, rehearse songs, and explore their imaginations. Rising Star Camp is an opportunity for musical theatre students to develop vocally, physically, and creatively. A final presentation will include choreographed song selections from our upcoming Broadway season.
Contact: orpheum-memphis.com, call 529.4242, or email: education@orpheum-memphis.com

Broadway Boot Camp

Ages: Grades 6-8
Dates: July 6-10 & July 27-31. 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Fees: $250/per child. $40/lunch for the week.
Fun Stuff: Broadway Boot Camp means five days of singing, dancing, and acting. Learn everything from Broadway musical backgrounds to choreography. Campers will work with professional teaching artists to create a one-of-a-kind production based on the Orpheum’s upcoming 2015-2016 Broadway Season. A choreographed showcase will be presented to family and friends on the last day of camp.
Contact: orpheum-memphis.com, or call 529.4242, or email: education@orpheum-memphis.com

Broadway Summer Institute: Motown the Musical

Ages: Grades 9-12
Dates: July 13-17, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Fees: $250/per child. $40/lunch for the week.
Fun Stuff: Come experience the business side of show biz. Learn the inner workings of the theatre and performing arts in classes that explore administrative subjects including Marketing and Promotion, Development, and Box Office Operations along with technique classes in stage adaptation, movement, and acting. Classes will be taught by local artists, performing arts personnel, Orpheum staff, and Broadway actors from the smash hit Motown: The Musical.

Community Music School Summer Camps

Memphis Suzuki Institute

3775 Central Avenue, 38111
Ages: 3+
Dates: June 7-12
Fees: $75/registration fee or $120/family registration. $370/full-day tuition. $235/half-day tuition
Fun Stuff: Children attend semi-private lessons daily; each student receives focused attention from an expert teacher. Children also take part in group lessons, ensemble classes, performances, and related musical enrichment classes. Parents are able to see Suzuki teaching in action through observation of their children’s lessons and classes and experience the Suzuki philosophy at work.

Memphis Music Camp

3775 Central Avenue, 38111
Ages: Fifth grade+ for String Camp (violin, viola, cello, string bass, harp)
Ages: Sixth grade+ for Band Camp (woodwind, brass, percussion)
Date: June 15-19
Fee: $50/registration fee. $350/camp tuition. $100/housing, $100/meal plan for four nights optional. $25 Early Bird discount (if paid in full by 5/1)
Fun Stuff: Memphis Music Camp provides quality instruction, an artistically stimulating environment, and an opportunity for young musicians to have fun and make new friends. Along with large band and orchestra ensembles, campers will participate in master classes, private lessons, chamber ensembles, and musicianship classes. Faculty is made up of distinguished teachers, performers, and conductors from across the Mid-South.

Piano & Art Camp

935 West Park Loop, 38111
Age: 8-12 years old
Date: July 13-17
Fee: $50/registration fee. $225/camp tuition. $25 Early Bird Discount (if paid in full by 5/1).
Fun Stuff: Piano & Art Camp offers young piano students the opportunity to develop their playing skills, learn more about music fundamentals, and more. Participants will be coached in solo and ensemble repertoire and have the opportunity to express their creativity through multi-media art classes. Campers will use clay, paper, paint, and found objects to create cool works of art. All materials and supplies will be provided.
Contact for All Music Camps:
memphis.edu/cms/mmc.php or email: cms@memphis.edu, or call the Community Music School, 678-4244.

Pinot’s Palette Art Camp

5040 Sanderlin Avenue, Suite 111, 38117
Age: 5-12
Date: June 15-19, June 22-26, & July 13-17. Classes run from 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
Fee: Check website.
Fun Stuff: With a little bit of art history and a lot of fun, kids at Pinot’s Palette Summer Camp will explore the world of painting and crafts in a fun morning camp with kids of all ages. Campers will have the opportunity to learn about impressionism, abstraction, and Southern art traditions.
Contact: pinotpalette.com/sanderlin or call 761-0021

Camp Fly High for Special Needs Campers

Madonna Learning Center, 7007 Poplar Avenue, 38138
Ages: 5-30, open to all children with disabilities
Dates: Mid-June-July 21. 8-week camp runs from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Registration: Deadline is May 16.
Fun Stuff: Imagine a place that has special friends just like you and volunteers who are caring and attentive. Days are filled with arts, crafts, and games, cooking and swimming, field trips and more. A place you can be yourself and FLY HIGH without leaving the ground. Moms say they have piece of mind when they leave their children each morning, thanks to awesome counselors.

Architecture+Design Summer Program for Teens

Department of Architecture, University of Memphis
Ages: 9th to 11th graders interested in art & science of design.
Dates: June 1-June 13, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Fee: $350 by May 18. $400 after May 18. Space is limited. Scholarships available based on merit and financial need. Scholarship applications must be received by May 1, 2015. Tuition covers instruction, materials, and field trips.
Fun Stuff: Jointly sponsored by the Department of Architecture at The University of Memphis and the Memphis Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, this camp incorporates visits to architecture and design firms and an architectural tour of downtown. Activities include an introduction to architectural and structural concepts, computer applications, model building, and freehand drawing. Campers work one-on-one and in groups with university instructors and design professionals. The program ends with a presentation of student projects.
Contact: aiamemphis.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/2015-Architecture-Summer-Camp-Application.pdf. Or call Heather Koury, 525-3818 or email: info@aiamemphis.org.

Lindenwood Summer Camp for Kids

Lindenwood Life Center, 2400 Union Avenue 38112
Ages: 6-14
Dates: May 26-Aug. 7
Fees: $50/registration. $120/week
Fun Stuff: Kids who attend camp at Lindenwood learn cooperation and teamwork through games, crafts, outings and more.
Internship Opportunity: Teen leadership for students grades 10-12. UTeam members serve by making snacks, mopping floors, washing dishes, and watering plants. They also leading games, assist with classes and more. Teens must meet internship requirements. Register now, training begins March 18th, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
327lifecenter.com/life-center/summer-camp/uteam--10-12
Contact: Wilson Clark, youth pastor. wilson.clark@lindenwood.net. 327-5433 MP