Summer camps keep the kids busy and having fun. Some are educational, some are athletic, and some are just plain fun.
Middle school-high school. Jun 6-Jul 2. This free program is offered by Birdville ISD at Smithfield Middle School (8400 Main Street) in North Richland Hills. Class is Mon-Thu 8:30 a.m.-12:40 p.m. A deposit of $100 is required and will be returned as a scholarship on the last day of the program if the student has no absences and completes assigned work. Deadline for
application is May 29.
Ages 6-14. The Junior Players put on theater summer camps, art summer camps, and Shakespeare summer camps at more than fifty locations around the Metroplex. The camps are free, so register early.
Casa Manana offers two acting camps: one for kids 8-14 and one for high school students. The camp for younger kids is Jul 6-25, with the performance of the play "Dear Edwina Junior" on the last two days. It costs $850. High School Theater Camp is Jun 8-28, with the performance of the play "Once on This Island" on the last two days. It costs $650 and admission is by audition only unless you have attended a previous High School Theatre Camp at Casa Mañana. Auditions will be held Sat, March 28, 1-3 p.m. and Wed, April 8 6:30-8:30 p.m. To schedule an appointment, contact Valerie Galloway-Chapa, Director of Education & Outreach, at valerie.galloway-chapa@casamanana.org or call (817) 321-5040.
Ages 3-12. Mad Science creates summer camps that expose kids to basic science concepts through fun experiments, covering topics like chemistry, environmental science, and "secret agent". Camps are offered in nearly every city in the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex in full-day or half-day sessions. Check here for camps in the
Dallas area or the
Fort Worth area.
Ages 4-13. Club Scientific Dallas is a day camp that is designed to offer children a choice of many different science themes. Themes which include experiments and projects in Robotics, Veterinary Medicine, Crime Scene Investigation, Paleontology, Engineering, Space, Biology, Chemistry, Oceanography, and much more.
Ages 3-10. Science classes introduce children to physics, chemistry, astronomy, geology, and more. Classes are Mon-Thu and 10 a.m.-noon or 1 p.m.-3 p.m. Tuition costs $125.
Ages 4 and up. The Texas Ballet Theater School is affiliated with the professional dance troupe, the Texas Ballet Theater. Professional dancers instruct students in classical ballet and modern and classical jazz. Programs for the younger children are designed to introduce students to the basics of movement. As they increase in age, the classes become pre-professional to get dancers ready for a career on stage. The Fort Worth campus is located at 6845 Green Oaks Road, across from Ridgmar Mall. The Dallas campus is located at 670 North Coit Road Suite 2379 in Richardson. Some classes will be held on the TCU campus in Fort Worth. Tuition varies according to the class.
Ages 5-16. Learn moves and strategies for the game of chess at this camp. A full week's tuition costs $265 for a morning or afternoon session or $410 for a full-day session and includes a chess board and pieces, camp t-shirt, trophy, scorebook, certificate with group photo, and a work folder containing completed work and concepts learned.
Ages 8-16. Kids can learn how to make video games or animate stories on the computer at these camps around the Dallas Fort Worth area.
Ages 4-18. Full-day summer camps are offered for kids 9-15. Mini-camps (from ninety minutes to a half-day) are offered for kids ages 4-15. Camps cover all aspects of the theater, including scriptwriting, character development, improvisation skills, and directing. Tuition ranges from $120 for the mini-camps to $320 for the full-day week-long camps. One two-week residential comprehensive musical theatrical camp is available for students entering 7-12 grades. All classes are taught by professionals working in the field.
Jun 8-Aug 14. The Dallas Arboretum is offering twenty-five different camps this summer with topics ranging from art and biology to "Survivor"-inspired camps. Camps are five days, some are half-day and some are full-day.
Ages 6-15. The Kimbell Art Museum has two camps: a Young Artists' Workshop for ages 12-15 (Jun 16-19, 2 p.m.-4:30 p.m., $125) and a Summer Camp for ages 6-12 (Jun 13-17, 2 p.m.-4:30 p.m., $150). Call (817) 332-8451, ext. 297 to register or for more information.
