Dive Into Summer Camps

Whether your kid dreams of pirouetting in a tutu, working with superheroes to foil a supervillain or learning about beekeeping, there’s a camp for that. And kids of all abilities can get in on the fun too. Check out our picks for a winning camp experience, then get ready to see your kid blossom this summer.

Be a Part of Nature

Technology captivates nearly all our attention these days, but nature can be just as compelling.

Crown Point Ecology Center’s Summer Farm & Science Camp lets kids get away from electronics and dive into nature by exploring its 115-acre property.

“I just enjoy the fact these kids are coming out and there’s no screen time,” says Dave Daly, education and outreach coordinator. “It’s as much time outdoors as possible.”

Designed for children ages 7 to 11, the camp offers multiple sessions spanning from June 10 to Aug. 9 that teach kids about life on a farm through the natural cycles of animals, plants and people. In the past, professionals from The University of Akron have come to teach campers about trees by doing bark rubbings on what has been coined “Tree-rific Tuesdays.”

Low-tech activities include hiking, studying bees with a beekeeper and searching for turtles, frogs and fish in ponds and wetlands.

“You can have fun outside using your imagination and learning about science and ecology,” Daly says.

It’s also an opportunity for campers to harvest from an on-site children’s garden. Campers water, weed and plant seasonal vegetables in the garden. Then they learn to cook healthy foods from their harvest such as kale chips and tomato bruschetta, and create a children’s farmers market. Parents love that kids return home wanting to continue the healthful eating habits they developed.

“Kids want to try certain dishes at home that they made at camp,” Daly says. “It is connecting young folks to nature and to where their food comes from.”

In a fast-paced world that’s constantly advancing digitally, this camp lets kids unplug and get dirty — so they can be a little more down to earth. Literally.

3220 Ira Road, Akron, 330-668-8992, crownpointecology.org

Dance a Fairy Tale

Children dream of being many things. From brave princesses on magical adventures to gnarly pirates on a quest for treasure, there is no limit to a child’s imagination. The Ohio Conservatory of Ballet wants to bring children even deeper into these fantasy worlds by pairing their dreams with the skills of a new world — the world of dance.

The conservatory’s Ballet Princess Camp lets young royals, wizards and dragon slayers ages 4 to 7 engage their imagination through dance at a summer camp from June 10 to 15. Campers create a unique character and build a dance around it with the help of upper-level ballet students and dance instructors.

Heroic campers get into character and discover more about themselves through reading fairy tale books, making drawings of their kingdoms and choreographing a routine that tells their grand story.

“Every girl is probably dreaming about some kind of character, Cinderella or Clara from ‘The Nutcracker,’ ” says Inna Stabrova, conservatory founder. “They’ve watched a movie or read a book, and they imagine themselves. It gives them that theme of princess. The princesses — they’re important. They’re not just little girls. They’re something more than that.”

While “princess” is in the camp’s title, young princes can join in too. They take the hands of the ballerinas and learn how to display strength and decorum.

While the budding ballet dancers are creating storybook dance routines, Stabrova emphasizes the basics, such as body coordination, counting, musicality and dance history. She also strives to teach campers about relationships with others, especially their dance partners.

“When you dance together, it’s connecting, holding hands,” Stabrova says. “It’s very important to connect to each other, to respect each other, to learn about self-esteem and your imagination.”

4858 S. Main St., Akron, 330-497-3288, ohballet.com

Get Out and Speak Up

Preparing your children to navigate the world on their own is one of the most important jobs parents have. And when your child has disabilities, that job gets even harder.

“There are so many different dynamics and components in the real world,” says Holly Reimann, speech language therapist, director of Smile Summer Camp in Northfield and founder of Peak Potential Therapy, which offers year-round intervention, and behavior and speech-language therapy. “There’s only so much teaching you can do in the therapist’s office before they have to work on it where they’re going to use it.”

Smile Summer Camp offers kids ages 5 to 16 with a variety of special needs an intensive therapy camp experience that focuses on improving their verbal and nonverbal communication skills. With small groups — camper to trained adult ratios hover around 5 to 2 — flexible scheduling throughout 13 weeks of summer and a speech-language therapist present at all times, this camp can make a big difference.

“Whatever level they’re at, we do our best to meet their needs,” Reimann says, citing campers with multiple disabilities like Down syndrome or autism spectrum disorder, as well as those with assistive devices.

Campers go on field trips every day to places like the Akron Zoo and Sky Zone. Because it’s summer, one week is designated as Water Week when campers get to splash and swim at area indoor and outdoor pools.

Reimann says the field trips are integral to helping campers figure out how to apply skills out in the world.

“You have to find a way to manage their behavior in the community,” she says. “Our overall goal for the campers is to work on generalizing and expanding their social communication skills.”

And as a recognized extended school year option, some schools will pay for this camp. Now that’s something to smile about.

Peak Potential Therapy, 7689 Sagamore Hills Blvd., Northfield, 330-405-8776, peakpotentialtherapy.com

Put Your Inventor’s Hat On

Two decades before STEM became a buzzword, the National Inventor’s Hall of Fame saw its

The nationally acclaimed Camp Invention, a summer camp for children ages kindergarten to sixth grade, uses STEM activities to help solve problems through innovation. There are many locations for the camp, including one July 29 to Aug. 2 at the David Hill Community Learning Center in Akron.

The themes this year are Innovation Force, Deep Sea Mystery, Farm Tech and DIY Orbot. The latter theme lets kids reverse engineer a robot to learn about circuit boards, motors and gears in a fun and challenging way.

“Having an opportunity to engage on a deeper level through play will certainly reinforce what older students have already learned and front-load younger students for curriculum to come,” says Tracey Starks, co-director of the David Hill camp.

Rather than teaching children with pen and paper, the camps let children act out roles that encourage them to use critical thinking and concepts from school to “invent” a solution to a problem. Scenarios include collaborating with National Inventor’s Hall of Fame inductees disguised as superheroes to design an object that will stop the Plagiarizer supervillain from taking other people’s ideas in the Innovation Force camp.

The nontraditional model works, as parents report that their children enthusiastically share what they learn and carry over those skills into play at home.

“It helps to reignite the love of learning, the joy of learning in a less structured, pressured environment where we can actually focus on having fun,” says Starks.

3701 Highland Park NW, North Canton, 800-968-4332, invent.org

Camps to Consider

General Interest

Akron YMCA Since 1924, Akron-area YMCAs have been giving kids a summer’s worth of thrills and adventures. With day and overnight options available from June through August, choices include YMCA Camp Y-Noah in Clinton for a traditional camp and Akron Rotary Camp for a classic camp adapted for children with special needs. Many include science, technology, engineering and math-related activities, and all promise new friends and lots of fun. akronymca.org

Camp Ledgewood  Girl Scout troops looking for an adventure-packed retreat need look no further than Camp Ledgewood in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Peninsula. With sessions from June to August, campers can zip line over a ravine or experience a breathtaking look at the night sky by visiting the observatory. In addition, kayaking, low and high rope courses, hiking and more are offered. gsneo.org

Camp JCC  Children can get ready to rock with Shaw JCC of Akron’s Rock Away camp June 3 to Aug. 16. For 11 weeks, campers in grades one through 11 learn about myriad time periods and places throughout musical history. JCC also offers camps in a variety of interests like football, gymnastics, basketball, cheerleading and musical theater. shawjcc.org

Cuyahoga Valley EnvironmentalEducation Center If your child likes the outdoors, this camp allows them to experience its natural beauty from a different perspective. Attendees of the camp at the Cuyahoga Valley Environmental Education Center learn what it’s like to be a park ranger in the Junior Ranger summer camp series. There are three programs — river exploration, preserve and protect, and survival — that run on a weekly basis from July 15 through Aug. 2. cvnpedu.org

The Lippman School A summer camp with a global perspective awaits. The Lippman School Cultural Immersion Camp allows international students from China to connect with American students to experience both educational and recreational activities. Campers ages 10 to 12 can participate in this hands-on program. thelippmanschool.org

Old Trail School  This camp gives your kid the power to choose from a variety of fun weeklong themed camps between June 10 and Aug. 2 with morning, afternoon and all-day options. Some topics include painting, a variety of sports, and fort or tunnel building. Lunch, transportation, before care and aftercare are provided. oldtrail.org

Spring Garden Waldorf School Parents and children 18 months to 3 years old gain a connectedness to nature with a summer class taught by an experienced Waldorf Early Childhood teacher from May 13 to June 24. While children are encouraged to explore and interact with nature, parents learn about child development and a Waldorf education. sgws.org

Stark County Catholic Schools Make your children’s summer productive. From June to August, kids participate in a camp that piques their interest. Whether it be inventing, art or Legos, these camps provide kids with a fun summer they won’t forget. starkholycrossacademy.com

Western Reserve Academy Athletes, musicians and everyone in between can find a camp to fit their unique interests at Western Reserve Academy. Plenty of options are available from June to August. Whether participating in the popular Adventure Camp, a camp tailored toward your favorite sport or another option, campers have opportunities to meet new people, try new things and have fun. wra.net

Educational

Akron Zoo Camp The Akron Zoo offers campers a chance to explore their wild side this summer. Attendees ages 2 to 15 at Zoo Camp can tour the zoo, learn about the animals and wildlife, meet the education animals, do crafts and more. Specific activities depend on the topic you choose. Before care and aftercare are available. akronzoo.org

Hale Farm & Village History buffs can brush up on their local knowledge with InHale summer camps June through August. Learn about the community’s roots through hands-on activities focusing on agriculture, craftsmanship and historical events. wrhs.org

Lake Center Christian School Kids can exercise both mind and body with a variety of day camp and summer class offerings from Lake Center Christian School. Whether they’re prepping for the ACT, shoring up academic skills for the fall or building team skills in basketball or volleyball, your kids will have fun and make friends in a Bible-centered environment. lccs.com

Lawrence School Pump up the fun in learning with Lawrence School’s summer camps, which run June through August. Kids can choose from themed camps based on their grade level. Young scholars learn valuable academic organizational skills as well as participate in a variety of recreational activities. summeratlawrence.org

Soap Box Derby STEM It’s full speed ahead at the Soap Box Derby this summer. Kids ages 9 to 12 have the opportunity to participate in one of two five-day programs in June where they build and race their own mini soap box car. Students also learn valuable science, technology, engineering and math skills through designing, problem-solving and teamwork. soapboxderby.org

Stark State Kids’ College It’s never too early to start preparing for college. Stark State Kids’ College offers the chance for your little ones to do just that. With camps running weekly from June 3 to 27, kids have the opportunity to learn about culture, science and more. This is the perfect way to help stimulate creativity and prepare for the future. starkstate.edu

Sylvan Learning Center Sylvan STEM summer camps can help children develop skills that are both useful and fun. Within robotics, coding or engineering, participants will be inspired to tap into their imagination and creativity while exploring the opportunity to build and program something cool. slyvanlearning.com

Arts

Magical Theatre Co. From opening line to curtain call, Magical Theatre Co. helps kids develop a range of skills that include acting, singing and dancing with multiple sessions from June 10 to Aug. 2. Campers are divided by age group and then spend each day in sessions and rehearsals. Through teamwork, participants build self-confidence and self-respect. magicaltheatre.org

Myers School of ArtUniversity of Akron High school students from Akron Public Schools have an opportunity to get serious about their art this summer with the ArtsLift apprenticeship program at the Myers School of Art at The University of Akron. This free program offers young artists a chance to work with a professional artist and the college students in the Art Bomb Brigade to create truly epic artwork.uakron.edu

Summer Piano Instituteat Kent State University A harmonious summer awaits students in grades 7 through 12 in Kent State University’s piano institute. Participants from around the globe receive four hours of one-on-one lessons with Kent State faculty, attend concerts and experience life on a college campus. kent.edu

Weathervane Playhouse Children can get in touch with their dramatic side with this Weathervane Playhouse camp that offers singing, acting and dancing courses designed for ages 3 to 18 between June 3 and Aug. 12. Whether it’s brushing up on Hogwarts studies or preparing for Broadway, this summer theater academy has it all. weathervaneplayhouse.com

Sports

Blue Streak All-Sports Kids who like multiple sports will love Blue Streak All-Sports camp. With multiple sessions starting in June and running until August, boys and girls ages 4 through 13 take a swing at volleyball, kickball, baseball and more. Blue Streak also offers a brand-new learn-to-swim program this summer. Group rates as well as before and after camp care are also available. bluestreakcamps.com

Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy Let your kids play the sport they love at Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy camps that are always a win. Whether it’s boys or girls basketball, football, volleyball or another sport, campers have the opportunity to develop and hone their athletic skills while building lasting friendships. cvcaroyals.org