Summer Activities for East Bay Kids
Days are getting warmer and longer and thoughts are turning to, “Summer vacation is coming.” There are two main worries that run through the minds of parents at this time each year as summer approaches: “What am I going to do to entertain my children this summer?” and “What can my child do this summer besides sit on the couch watching TV or playing video games all day?” The answer to your worries? There are a plethora of camps, places and fun things to do to educate, entertain, exercise and build community for your children. Here are a few ideas:
Outdoor Fun
Photo from East Bay Regional Park
The East Bay Regional Park District continually offers classes, seminars, field trips, lessons and more year round. You can go to their website and search by activity or by date to find activities from kayaking, to photography, to Jr Lifeguard programs to gardening and more!
Sulphur Creek Nature Center Wildlife Camp (Hayward)
Campers get close to animals like owls, opossums, and snakes in a serene park. Each week of camp is based on a different fun-filled theme. Half day camp until noon for ages 3 1/2 to 5; until 2:30 pm for ages 5-13
Hours: 9:30am to 2:30pm
Price: $200 – $223
Oakland ZooCamp (Oakland Zoo)
Photo from the Oakland Zoo
Oakland ZooCamp is an exciting week of outdoor nature discovery, animal adventures, and fun! Activities include zoo tours, games, crafts, science activities and of course, animals up close. Oakland Zoo creates age-appropriate programs for campers in PreK – middle school.
Hours: Full-day programs 9am – 4pm. Half day also available.
Price: $339/week for non-members. Discounts available to members.
STEM Camps
Sarah’s Science Camp (Tilden Park, Berkeley and Roberts Park, Oakland)
Each day at camp, kids make and take home a fun science project while exploring complex science topics ranging from physics to chemistry and beyond. Camp also includes hiking, music, art, games, and swimming. For children 5 and over. CIT program begins at age 11.
Hours: 9am – 3pm, plus before care and after care
Price: $425-$470/week or $105/day with early registration, sibling, and multi-week discounts available
CAMP EDMO (Alameda, Berkeley, Oakland, many more Bay Area locations)
At CAMP EDMO (Pre-K-8th), kids discover awesome stuff as they mix and match ingeniously fun science, art, maker, tech & nature themes to build maximum social emotional learning and 21st Century skills.
Hours: 9am – 3pm, before care and after care available
Price: $409-$559/week depending on location. Discounts for multiple week enrollment, siblings, early birds, and referrals.
Galileo Innovation Camps (Berkeley, Alameda, Oakland, other Bay Area locations)
Galileo believes that kids can change the world (and have a blast doing it). Combining a mindset-shaping, innovation-based approach with crazy, summertime fun for camps kids love: Camp Galileo (pre-K—5th grades), Galileo Summer Quest (5th—8th grades).
Photo from Galileo Camps
Hours: Mon–Fri, 9am–3pm. Extended care from 8am – 6pm.
Price: $429/week for core program; Discounts for multiple-weeks or signing up early.
QuantumCamp (Berkeley and other Bay Area locations)
QuantumCamp offers math and science camps for 1st through 8th graders. Each camp focuses on fundamental ideas in math and science that have inspired great thinkers throughout history. In addition to academics, campers take breaks for games, teacher-led science demos, joke telling time, free play, and lunch.
Hours: 9am – 4pm with extended care available
Price: $499 a week with significant early bird discount
Lawrence Hall of Science Camp (Berkeley)
Photo from Lawrence Hall of Science
Lawrence Hall of Science camps offer high-quality learning opportunities for kids age 4 through grade 12. Choose from a variety of exciting topics including computer science, animals & nature, animation, engineering, chemistry, and robotics.
Hours: Half day from 9am to noon or 1pm to 4pm. Full-day camps available by combining two sessions and adding supervised lunch. Extended care until 5pm.
Price: $600 per week of full-day ($255 for half-day week); discounts for members or multiple weeks. Need-based scholarships available by application.
Play-Well STEM using LEGO (Albany, Berkeley, Piedmont, Alameda, Hayward & other locations)
Play-Well teaches kids ages 5-13 the concepts of engineering, robotics, and critical thinking through building and playing with LEGO. Learn about fundamental STEM principles in core and themed camps (Intro to STEM, Jedi Engineering, Mine Craft Build, etc.).
Hours: Half-day camps, 9am-12pm and 1pm-4pm (some locations have full-day camps)
Price: Half-day camps start at $175/week (varies by location & curriculum)
iD Tech Camps (UC Berkeley and more throughout Bay Area)
Campers age 7-17 can learn everything from coding to virtual reality to 3D printing in small groups.
Hours: 9am – 5pm and overnight.
Price: Varies by course and location. Programs start at $899/week
Enrichment Camps
Head-Royce Summer Enrichment (Oakland)
Photo from Head Royce
Along with the academic morning, campers will also receive swim lessons, lunch, and additional enrichment classes for fun. Registration begins January 27.
Hours: 8am to 4pm. Extended care until 6pm.
Price: $1550 per 3-week session. Session 1 is June 19 to July 7; Session 2 is July 10 to July 28
Summer Animal Camp
East Bay SPCA (Oakland, Dublin)
Through hands-on lessons, interactions with a variety of animals and fun animal-themed activities (beekeeper, dog trainer!) children entering grades 1 through 12 will spend a week doing everything animal at the adoption center. Purr-fect experience before you add a furry friend to the family.
Hours: 9am – 3pm
Price: $395 per 5-day session
East Bay Community Swimming Pools
Temescal Pool (Oakland-Located at a high school)
Roberts Pool (Oakland-Located in the Roberts Regional Recreation Area)
Warm days are here! Happy summer activity planning! If you are moving to the area this spring or summer, please contact us and we can provide more ideas of places to visit and where to go to showcase the amazing lifestyle we have in the SF East Bay!
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