Wherefore Art Thou Camps Close to Home
To go to summer camp or not to go to camp? If that’s not your question, maybe this is: To leave town for summer camp or not to leave town? Such organizations as Shakespeare Dallas, the Dallas Zoo, the Dallas Arboretum, and Club SciKidz offer camp opportunities not far from home. Campers can explore acting, science, and other subjects. Here are a few of the opportunities available. Check camp sponsor websites for more.
What: Campers work on their acting, movement, vocal work, stage combat, and improvisation skills through work on one of Shakespeare’s plays.
Who: Grades second-sixth, All the World’s a Stage and Midsummer Madness; Grades seventh-12th, The Play’s The Thing and What Dreams May Come
When and Cost: 10 a.m.-3 p.m., June 4-15 (Mondays-Fridays), All the World’s A Stage ($300) and The Play’s The Thing ($350); July 9-13, Midsummer Madness and What Dreams May Come ($200 each)
Where: Covenant School of Dallas
Details: shakespearedallas.org
What: Young animal lovers learn about the many different careers at the zoo by exploring what it takes to be an animal keeper, veterinarian, trainer, and various other positions that keep the zoo running.
Who: Grades ninth-12th
When: July 23-27 and Aug. 6-10
Where: Dallas Zoo
Cost: $265/week
Details: dallaszoo.com
What: Campers work as a team with zookeepers, facility operators, and others to design a zoo exhibit. This camp also includes a staff-supervised sleepover every Thursday.
Who: Grades sixth-eighth
When: July 2-6, July 9-13, and July 30-Aug. 3
Where: Dallas Zoo
Cost: $265/week
Contact: dallaszoo.com
What: Not for the faint of heart, campers learn chemistry and biology through a variety of stomach-churning experiments.
Who: Grades first-third
When: June 18-22, July 9-13
Where: Highland Park Presbyterian Church, Trinity Christian Academy, Good Shepherd, Episcopal School of Dallas
Cost: $285/week
Details: clubscikidzdallas.com
What: Campers get their hands dirty digging for fossils and building volcanos while learning about dinosaurs, minerals, and basic geology.
Who: Pre-K and kindergarten
When: June-25-29 and July 16-20
Where: Highland Park Presbyterian Church
Cost: $285/week (full day) or $235/week (half day)
Details: clubscikidzdallas.com
What: Campers through a variety of age and grade specific camps explore nature, art, and science on what Dallas Arboretum officials like to call the “66-acre museum without walls.”
Who: Programs are offered for those as young as 3 to students in the seventh-grade.
When: Weekly from June 4-Aug. 10
Where: Dallas Arboretum
Cost: $110-$360 per week
Details: dallasarboretum.org
