2016 Colorado Springs Sanity-Saving Summer Camps

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SummerCampsHere’s a question: how many days (or mere hours) did you make it into Spring Break before your kids were declaring they were bored? If you’re already looking warily toward the summer months wondering how to keep your kids occupied, here’s a list of local summer camp offerings designed to engage, entertain, and exhaust your energetic children.

ART, THEATER, DANCE

Millibo Art Theatre (The MAT) has options for your four-year-old or your high schooler. Let the drama take over your summer in a good way.

Academy of Children’s Theatre (ACT)
 Let your child have fun while learning about musical theatre, Broadway dance, and acting through creative improvisations and teaching. Kids of all ages will perform on stage at the end of the week.

Creative Kids Love Color Me Mine! Five summer workshops include clay projects, canvas, tie-dye and other crafts at their Chapel Hills Mall location.

DanceArt Academy, Center for the Performing Arts Summer offerings
 include dance camps for ages 3 and up. Budding ballerinas, pretty princesses, fairies and butterflies, Broadway stars – DanceArt Academy offers ballet and more, plus intensives for the intermediate and advanced dancers.

Fountain Arts Center For your 2.5 year old on up, summer camps include Obstacles/Angles/Hip Hop, Pretty Princess, Teddy Bears and Twinkle Toes, Lyrical, Musical Theatre and more!

SPORTS

AFA Sports Camps are located on the beautiful campus of the United States Air Force Academy. With 20 sports camps as well as 10 specialty and elite camps for children 8 and up, these fill up quickly!

Archery School of the Rockies Induldge your little Katniss or Hawkeye with short camps in June, July, or August.

Flipshack Kids ages 6 thru teens of varying skill levels can choose between two camps: Urban Gym (developing parkour skills) and Tumbling (developing floor and trampoline acrobatics).

Kids on Bikes Day camps are available for kids age 2-13 with options such as mountain bike, urban trails, learning to ride and Strider camps.

The Little Gym For ages 3-8 or 6-12 depending on your preferred method: teamwork and adventure or taking gymnastics skills to the next level.

Little Monkey Bizness offers 3-hour drop off sessions every week that include play, snack, art, and stories! Email [email protected] for more information.

Omtastic Yoga offers weekly themed camps and discounts for siblings.

Soccer Buddies With locations around Colorado Springs and Monument, this is a great way for your child to gain soccer skills and burn off some energy.

Villa Sport offers summer camps with a new theme each week, in addition to swim camps and equestrian options. Wow!

Wishing Star Farm offers Farm Camps (ages 5-8) and Horse Camps (ages 8-15) in both full and half-day options.

YMCA of the Pikes Peak Region hosts several different camps, including Camp Shady Brook, Youth Baseball, Day Camp, Swim Lessons, Sports Camps, Swim Team and so much more!

It’s FUNdamental provides instructional services in basic sports skills and knowledge in multiple sports, all in one session! For children ages PreK to 5th grade. Click here for Registration.

ZOO, PARKS, AND NATURE

With full-day, single-day, and overnight camps, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo has something for everyone from your first grader to your high schooler.

Go West Camps offer summer day camps and teen adventure programs for kids entering 1st through 9th grades. Their home base is Eagleview Middle School, with opportunities to hike and bike the trails of Ute Valley Park and rock climb in nearby Garden of the Gods and Red Rock Canyon.

Bear Creek Nature Camps offers full or half-day camps for children entering grades 1- 5.

Fountain Creek Nature Camps was created for children entering grades 1-5 as well as offering a camp for 6th-8th graders.

Fox Run Park Nature Camp is offered for one week in June. More info at the El Paso County Nature Center Website

SCIENCE

Aerospace Adventure Camps With offerings for grades 1-12, the Challenger Learning Center has many opportunities to help your little explorer dream throughout the summer. Early bird registration deadline is April 30.

Science Matters will host two camps on Amusement Park Science and Junkyard Robots at various locations throughout the summer. Designed for kindergarten through sixth grade students.

Science Playhouse 2016 Summer Programs Created for ages 6 to 14, kids can become immersed in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) with options like STEM adventure, game programming, robot Olympics, or survival camp. Camps are offered May through August at different locations across Colorado Springs and Monument.

YoungBotBuilders
 Be Constructive this summer! Half day summer camps for kids ages 6 1/2 – 13. Build and program with LEGOs and robotics.

Explore Space Experience was created to inspire and engage children, ages 9 – 12, and to provide an educational, memorable experience. Launch your future explorers, scientists and engineers into a memorable summer adventure at the Space Foundation Discovery Center. Your future explorers will enjoy a variety of hands-on, immersive activities and experiences based on space and science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM).

CHRISTIAN CAMPS

Eagle Lake offers overnight camps north of Woodland Park as well as Day Camps hosted at Glen Eyrie near Garden of the Gods. June 20-24, Eagle Lake On Location is coming to Front Range Alliance Church in Colorado Springs! Experience five full days of contagious fun including inflatables, rock climbing, gaga ball, Eurobungy, archery, arts and crafts, engaging speakers and music. Kids ages 7-12.

Camp Elim is also located in Woodland Park, just far enough away for a grand adventure.

A little further into the mountains is YoungLife’s Trail West Family Camp in Buena Vista.

SCHOOL-RELATED PROGRAMS

Just because it’s affiliated with a local school doesn’t mean dullsville. Check out what may be available in your own neighborhood, or branch out into other programs. Local preschools may offer activities for younger kids as well. Here are a few that came recommended by our readers!

The Colorado Springs School offers a wide variety of camps, from soccer (or volleyball or basketball) to chess to LEGO-inspired architecture or Star Wars engineering explorations.

Sidewalk’s End Montessori Ages 3-6 with options for half days or full days. Science is the topic in June, and Music in July!

Ruth Washburn Cooperative Nursery School offers a farm camp with goats and chickens for children ages 4-6. Other programs may be offered, so watch their site!

Engineering with LEGO at The Vanguard School: Corona Campus lets kids dive into their massive collections of LEGO. And while they build elaborate objects, structures and vehicles, they explore fundamentals principles of engineering and physics. Learn more and sign up at www.play-well.org.

Camp Invention provides quality programming in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Their unrivaled program presents essential STEM concepts through the most creative hands-on activities. Designed for children entering grades one through six.

What do you think should be on this list? Leave your suggestions in the comments below!

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Kate
Kate is a Hoosier by birth but knew in her mid-teens that she’d live near the mountains. In college she spent a glorious summer in Colorado Springs volunteering at Glen Eyrie and vowed she’d come back somehow. She's now lived at the foot of Pikes Peak for more than a decade. She and her husband and two boys live downtown in a home almost as old as the city itself. Kate attempts to garden in her free time, making a commitment to grow something strange and new each year. So far luffa sponges, quinoa, and various pumpkins have fed nothing but the squirrels. Prior to staying home with her boys, Kate wrote and edited for a nonprofit that transformed the lives of children all over the world. She is passionate and nerdy and is continually surprised at the joy she has found in this season of motherhood.

4 COMMENTS

  1. I just wanted to let you know I signed my daughter up for a day camp at the humane society. Looks like a fun option for pet-loving kids. Thought you might want to add.

    • Thank you so much for this information Susan! We will look into getting this added for future:) Colorado Springs Moms Blog Team

  2. Hi! I am the owner of a cheer program in North Springs. How do we go about getting our flyer for cheer camps in this post?

    • Hi Tiffani– Could you please email info{at}coloradospringsmomsblog.com

      Look forward to hearing from you! Cosmb

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