With summer break less than two months away — school ends June 7 in Miami-Dade and June 6 in Broward — now is the time to start planning how your child will spend his or her summer. Here, you'll find fab summer camps in Miami-Dade and Broward counties for kids of all ages where they can be citizen scientists, paint, act, dance, or try a new skill - like archery - under towering Banyan trees.
Fun at the Parks
▪ When: Miami-Dade parks, weekdays, June 11 through Aug. 10; pick-up and drop-off times vary. Broward parks, free programs at six parks from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, June 18 to Aug. 10.
Campers can participate in myriad activities at different parks throughout Miami-Dade County and Broward counties. There are arts camps, fishing, game-room activities, computer access, nature walks, field trips, fitness programs and swim safety. Some programs include learn-to-swim (swim safety. camps, camps for kids with disabilities, empowerment camps for girls and overnight camps. Programs for kids and adults with disabilities may also be available.
▪ Cost: General camp programs (arts and crafts, some sports) costs $40-90 per week in Miami-Dade. Campers' ages vary.
In Broward, camps are free at six neighborhood parks: Boulevard Gardens Community Center, which caters to kids ages 6-10(954-357-6867); Franklin (954-357-7080): Lafayette Hart (954-357-7970); Rev. Samuel Delevoe Memorial Park (954-357-8801); Roosevelt Gardens (954-357-8700) and Sunview, taking teenagers ages 13-17 only (954-357-6520). All camps, beside Boulevard Community Center and Sunview allow campers' ages 6-17. Sunview is the only camp that does not offer free lunch, but it does offer free snacks. All other camps offer free lunch and snacks.
▪ Contact:In Miami-Dade, 786-315-5410; asergio@miamidade.gov; miamidade.gov/parks/activities-summer-camps.asp; In Broward, go to Broward.org/Parks or call the six parks listed above.
Conservatory at the African Heritage Cultural Arts Center
▪ When: Weekdays, June 11 through Aug. 17, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., 6161 NW 22nd Ave., Miami.
Over 10 weeks, kids and teens, from 5 to 16, will gain a foundation in their choice of performance art, dance, fashion, visual arts and instrumental music. Hip-hop, tap dance, jazz, African, contemporary and modern dance will be taught. The program culminates with an instrumental concert, a choral concert, drama presentation, a fashion show and a student art exhibit in August.
▪ Cost: $500 for 10 weeks
▪ Contact: 305-638-6771; cmizell@miamidade.gov; ahcacmiami.org
Ed-venture Camps at Jungle Island
▪ When: In Miami-Dade, weekdays, June 11-Aug. 10, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., 1111 Parrot Jungle Trail, Miami.
Jungle Island encompasses 18 acres of adventure where campers will learn about animals around the world, as well as those that live nearby, in the Everglades. Campers, ages 5-13, will learn about what it's like to be a zookeeper as they handle playful lemurs, feed squirrel monkeys, observe free-flying parrots, toucans and macaws, and learn about the habitat of orangutans, kangaroos and other animals at Jungle Island.
▪ Cost: $299 per week, excluding taxes; $15 off for annual pass holders.
▪ Contact: 305-400-7000; education@jungleisland.com; jungleisland.com
Summer Camp at Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science
▪ When: Weekdays, June 18-Aug. 10, excluding July 2-6, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., 1101 Biscayne Blvd., Miami.
Downtown Miami's Frost Museum of Science offers a new theme each week for incoming kindergarten through eighth-graders, with a focus on engineering, the physics of flight, marine science and the human body. Each camp includes a planetarium show and "free exploration time" inside the museum.
▪ Cost: $350.00 for non-members per week, $295.00 for members
▪ Contact: 305-434-9564; camp@frostscience.org; frostscience.org
Fat Village Center for the Arts
▪ When: Weekdays, June 11 through Aug. 17, (five two-week sessions); 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., 531 NW First Ave., Fort Lauderdale.
Fort Lauderdale-based Fat Village Center for the Arts is a community of professional working artists who lead courses, workshops and camps. The drawing and painting summer camp is an intensive two-week course where students, from first grade through 12th grade, will learn structural drawing, perspective, depth and proportion to scale. Scholarships are available.
▪ Cost: $675 for a two-week intensive course; $600 for members.
▪ Contact: 954-716-7611; info@fatvillagecenterforthearts.com; fatvillagecenterforthearts.com
Funky Fish Ocean Camp
▪ When: Every day, year-round, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Bahia Mar Resort, 801 Seabreeze Blvd., Fort Lauderdale.
Funky Fish has been Broward County's ultimate beach camp, where campers ages 4 through 17 learn how to snorkel, skim board and paddle board, among other water sports. The ratio of certified CPR instructors to kids is 7:1. The weekly camp culminates with a glass-bottom boat trip to a coral reef and a shipwreck - which parents can also attend. Campers will make tie-dye shirts, hemp surfer jewelry and other beach attire while enjoying "pizza picnics" and learning cool facts about the ocean and sea life.
▪ Cost: $279 per week (use any day individually); or $69 for a one-day rate.
▪ Contact: 954-712-9900; oceanpromotion@msn.com; funkyfishkidsday.com
Museum of Discovery and Science
▪ When: Weekdays, June 7 through Aug. 10, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., 401 SW Second St., Fort Lauderdale.
The museum offers one-day and five-day summer camps for every type of explorer. Some of the camps for kids, ages 6 through 12, include: "Pokémon Science," where campers will learn that Pokémon and science have a lot in common; "All about Animals," where kids discover adaptations like scales and feathers help animals survive; and "Under the Sea," where kids will celebrate Shark Week by exploring the oceans they live in. All camps include an IMAX Film Adventure. The museum also offers an “Ocean Explorers Camp,” where kids in 7th and 8th grade will spend two days at the Museum and three days at FAU’s SeaTech in Dania Beach.
▪ Cost: One-day camps are $55; members $50. Five-day camps: $225; members $200. Ocean Explorers Camp five-day camps are $250; members $225.
▪ Contact: 954-713-0930; sales@mods.net; mods.org
Shake-A-Leg Summer Camp
▪ When: Weekdays, June 11 through Aug. 10, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., 2620 S. Bayshore Dr., Miami.
Since 1990, Shake-A-Leg Miami has helped empower thousands of children and adults with physical, developmental and economic hardships by utilizing Biscayne Bay to offer therapeutic water activities. In its summer camp, kids ages 6-17 of all abilities can learn how to sail, snorkel, fish and kayak during their choice of four water-based camps on Biscayne Bay.
▪ Cost: One time registration fee of $75 for Marine Academy; For Adventure Island and Water Sports $300 weekly or $75 daily fee.
▪ Contact: 305-858-5550; kiandra@shakealegmiami.org; shakealegmiami.org
Miami Theater Center's Musical Theater Camp
▪ When: Session 1 is June 11-July 6; Session 2 is July 16-Aug. 3; 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., 602 NE 96th St., Miami Shores.
Campers, ages 5-15, will learn teamwork, assertiveness in public speaking and time management as they create their own one-act plays. Campers will come up with plots and characters, guided by teachers who have backgrounds in acting, dancing and stage work. A final show will be at camp's end. Scholarships are available.
▪ Cost: $625 for three-week Session 1 (+ $25 registration fee.), $725 for three-week Session 2 (+ $25 registration fee.)
▪ Contact: 305-751-9550; info@mtcmiami.org; mtcmiami.org
Camp Live Oak
▪ When: Weekdays, June 11 through Aug. 14, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Described as an "environmental day camp with a sleep-away camp feel," Camp Live Oak, which has three locations at state parks in Fort Lauderdale, Dania and North Miami, offers outdoor activities for 5- to 13-year-olds, like scuba diving, Spanish immersion camp, mountain biking, archery and "tinker workshops" - where kids can take apart and rebuild cool objects. There's even a camp for toddlers (3 and 4 year olds; $65 weekly).
Fourteen- and 16-year-olds can earn community service hours by volunteering with "Teen Eco," where they'll help oversee younger campers.
▪ Cost: Weekly rates start at $350; whole session: $975
▪ Contact: 954-440-7583; info@campliveoakfl.com; campliveoakfl.com
Camp Seaquarium
▪ When: Weekdays from June 11 to Aug 17, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Summer camp 2018 at Miami Seaquarium offers students from kindergarten to high school the opportunity to learn about animal senses and behavior, environmental issues, and the relationship between humans and marine animals.
Summer activities for kids will focus on educational topics according to their grade level. This year’s camp themes are “Earth Buddies,” “Cold-blooded Critters,” “Beyond the Reef,” “Ocean Explorers” and “Aqua Powers.” This year’s Summer Camp is full of new games, activities, and learning experiences. Coming back for its second year, is the Counselor in Training program (CIT). The CIT program is designed for campers 12 and up and provides leadership opportunities that prepare campers to become future staff members, as well as research effective marine science educational tools.
▪ Cost: Register online before June 1 and get the early bird special rate of $175 per week. Or pre-register online by the Friday before the beginning of each week for the special rate of $195. Miami Seaquarium is offering an entire five-week session for $850, a $1,250 value (campers must register online for a full five-week consecutive session to receive the special pricing). Special rates are available for annual pass holders.
Special pricing at Dolphin Harbor is available for parents who wish to enroll their campers in an unforgettable Dolphin Interaction program. Parents who have registered campers ages 10 and up also will have the opportunity to enroll their campers in a Reef Encounter (Sea Trek).
▪ Contact: 305-361-5705, ext. 526 or 207 or visit www.miamiseaquarium.com/education.
Summer by the Sea, Marine Science Camp at Marjory Stoneman Douglas Biscayne Nature Center
▪ When: Weekdays, June 11 through Aug. 3, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., 6747 Crandon Blvd., Key Biscayne.
For as little as one week or for all eight weeks, kids ages 8-12 can explore the waters of Crandon Park in Key Biscayne. Marine biologists will guide kids on seagrass adventures as they kayak through shallow waters and snorkel around a fossilized reef teaming with sea life. Scholarships for 80 inner-city youths to attend the last four weeks of camp for free.
▪ Cost: $395 per week; early registration discounts and sibling discounts are available
▪ Contact: 305-361-6767; info@biscaynenaturecenter.org; biscaynenaturecenter.org
Horseback Riding at Miami Equestrian Club
▪ When: Year-round,, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., 11970 SW 64th St., Miami.
Founded more than 20 years ago, the Miami Equestrian Club offers horseback riding lessons, as well as pony riding lessons (for younger kids) on nearly 18 acres of farm land in west Miami-Dade. Instructors will teach 4- to 16-year-olds the basics of how to ride a horse (or pony), how to groom their horse, and other skills. All skill levels are welcome. Also available is equestrian therapy for campers with special needs.
▪ Cost: $65 one-hour lessons; Packages from $250 to $800.
▪ Contact: 305-262-8303; info@miamiequestrianclub.com; miamiequestrianclub.com
Dance and Music Camp at Center Stage Miami Dance Academy
▪ When: Weekdays, June 11 through Aug.17, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., 10511 SW 88th St., Miami.
Girls and boys, ages 4-17, will learn different techniques of dance, like jazz, hip-hop, ballet and Flamenco. In music, they'll learn the basics of playing piano and violin. The dance classes are taught by professional dancers and choreographers. There will be an end-of-summer recital. Full-day and half-day options are available.
▪ Cost: Prices start at $115 per week if registering for the whole summer; other packages are available.
▪ Contact: 305-275-8948; info@centerstagemiami.com; centerstagemiami.com