Community Corner
Summer Camp Roundup for Procrastinators
It's not too late: Patch found a bunch of summer camps still available for kids of all ages.
In just two days, your kids will dash off campus on their last day of school, jumping for joy for those long days of summer ahead.
And, just days later, they'll likely flounce on the couch, rolling their eyes as they sigh, "I'm bored. What's there to do?"
If you're staring in panic at an empty calendar, we're here to help with a roundup of summer camps and classes that still have some space left for procrastinators.
City-run Summer Camps and Classes
Camp Central
New this year, the city-run Camp Central mixes structure with a la carte flexibility. Parents can choose short three-hour camps or leave the kids longer with morning and afternoon extended care options.
The camp, geared toward younger kids under 12, features both morning and afternoon camps ranging from Clay Sculpture Camp to Fairytale Princess Dance Camp to Skyhawks Multi-Sport Camp to Lego Engineering Camp.
Explore the city's online recreation guide to learn more about the new Camp Central and to register.
Preschool Camps
The city has a new Dougherty Station Creative Center camp along with its preschool camps at the Community Center at Central Park.
Tots ages 2 - 5 get their first taste of camp life in short one-hour to three-hour camps such as Preschool Spanish Camp, We Love to Paint Camp and Skyhawks Mini-Hawk Sports Camp. A few camps, like Busy Bee Cooking Camp, are sold-out, but plenty still have space available. Get complete course descriptions and register online at www.SanRamonRecGuide.com.
Elementary School Camps
The City runs many summer camps for kids ages 5 - 12. The award-winning BandWorks School of Rock Camp, Performing Arts Camps (Schoolhouse Rock Live! Jr.), I.Q. Boosters Camp, Hindi Camp, School of Rock, Chess Camp, Irish Dance Camp, Gymnastics Camp and plenty of others still have spots opened for your elementary school-aged kids. And the City just added two new ones: Creative Art Camp Explosion and Art & Dance Hybrid Camp. Get complete course descriptions and register online at www.SanRamonRecGuide.com.
Teen Camps
Teens may have outgrown Fairytale Princess Dance Camp, but they still need some structured summer activities.
The City-run Studio 925 camp, for middle schoolers 11 - 14, takes place at Pine Valley Middle School daily from 12:00 - 5:30 p.m. and offers teens and pre-teens field trips plus "wacky games, contests, movies, video game tournaments, sports and cool crafts."
Hurry: At last check, only a few spots were left for each week-long Studio 925 camp.
Other City-run camps for teens with spots still left include Star Guards Aquatic Camp (water safety, lifeguarding, CPR and First Aid skills), Teen Performers Camp and Jr. Lifeguard.
Visit www.SanRamonRecGuide.com for details, pricing and registration.
Kids Gym Camps
All of these San Ramon kids' gyms offer summer camps and all still have space available.
Diablo Gymnastics
This gymnastics school offers week-long gymnastics camps from 9:30 a.m - 12:30 p.m. for kids ages 5 - 12. Click here for camp details, pricing and location.
Club Sport
You don't have to be a member to enroll your child at summer camps at this members-only gym. In addition to its week-long "KidSport Summer Camps," Club Sport also has a four-day "Physics & Fun" science camp. Click here for camp details, pricing and location.
My Gym
This small gym for young kids offers camps twice a week for kids ages 3 - 7. Click here for camp details, pricing and location.
Valley Cheer & Dance
Young cheerleaders can participate in week-long cheer camps, offered from 12:30 - 3:30 p.m. for kids ages 4 -10. Click here for camp details, pricing and location.
Nature and Science Camps
Sarah's Science Camp
There's still space left in Sarah's Science's popular science and nature summer camps. The camps, for kids ages 5 - 15, take place at the Little Hills Ranch and mix science and nature exploration with swimming, hiking, art, music and outdoor games.
Click here to learn more about Sarah's Science and to register for camps and classes.
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Crow Canyon Nature Day Camp
This nature camp at Crow Canyon Gardens is the city's longest running summer camp. For twenty years now, Crow Canyon Nature Day Camp has treated elementary school kids to the old-fashioned outdoor camp experience, mixing creek exploring, camp songs, themed crafts and field trips.
A favorite of kids and their parents, these reasonably priced camps ($159/week for the full-day camp) fill up quickly. But we found lots of openings when we checked online today. Although many of the weeks were full for "Crows" (grades 3 - 5), most were still open for "Blue Jays" (grades 1 - 2).
Explore the city's online recreation guide for weekly themes and registration.
Academic Camps
San Ramon Valley Unified School District
Enrichment Programs
There are still openings in many of the district's popular enrichment programs, which range from "Get Ready, Get Set for Kindergarten" for five-year-olds to "Literature through Films" for teens. The registration deadline is June 11. Click here for programs, pricing and registration.
Writers Workshop
This privately run summer writing program, with one- and two-week courses taught by district teachers, focuses on personal narrative, essay and fiction for students in elementary, middle and high school. Visit writersworkshop.net for class overviews, teacher bios, dates and pricing.
Diablo Valley College (San Ramon Campus)
College for Kids
These affordable academic classes for students in 4th through 9th grade fill up quickly, and many slots are gone. But several courses, including French, Keyboarding, Mental Math & More and Powerpoint, still had openings at last check. Click here for course description, dates and pricing.
The City also runs academically focused camps and classes. Find out more at www.SanRamonRecGuide.com.
Prefer spontaneity? We've got you covered:
If registering for a camp isn't your thing and you're looking for an "anytime activity," try these free or inexpensive activities.
Summer Reading 2010: Make a Splash
Okay, this isn't really a camp or class, but it's the perfect addition to your summer schedule.
The free program motivates kids (up through 5th grade) to read all summer long and gives young readers rewards as they mark off a "boat" for every 20 minutes they read.
Find out what's happening in San Ramonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The program is offered through the Contra Costa Library and available at both San Ramon library branches. Click here for details and to print a reading log.
Public pools
At just $3 for kids and $4 for adults, an afternoon of swim time comes pretty cheaply at San Ramon's popular community pools. Click for details on hours and ammenities at the San Ramon Olympic Pool and Dougherty Valley Aquatic Center
Parks
San Ramon is famous for its parks--all 53 of them. San Ramon Patch features a different park each week, all perfect for free summer outings. Try Central Park, Memorial Park, Golden View Elementary Park, Fire Truck Park, East Branch Park, Village Green Park, Souyen Park, Limerick Park and Country Faire Park. And check back each Monday for details on our featured park of the week.
Free Events for the Whole Family
The summer is also full of free San Ramon events, San Ramon's popular Summer Concert Series, Movies on the Lawn, "Splashy Matinees" at both San Ramon library locations, library storytimes and free library events, and more.
We'll be updating our San Ramon Patch calendar with a bunch of events to keep your summer stocked with entertainment.
