10 In-Person or Virtual Summer Camp Options in the DMV
Kids at play during one of three of The St. James’ summer camps. Photo credit: The St. James.
With the end of summer coming rapidly and school still a few weeks away, you can take away the tablets and video games and get the kids moving, creating and exploring. Local summer camps are still accepting enrollment and are being hosted either virtually or in-person from now through the end of the month– some even into the fall. From arts to science to sports camps, the options for your child’s interests are plentiful. Here are 10 choices to consider.
For the Young Athlete
The St. James Camps – Springfield, Va.
For The St. James, it’s “all sports, all day.” This month, The St. James is offering three camps: Ultimate Sports Camp, Adventure & Gaming Camp and Sport Specialty Camps. Designed for general sport-enthusiasts to learn about all kinds of sports, the Ultimate Sports Camp can be attended either for a full or half-day at their 45,000 square feet state-of-the-art facilities. Basically, there’s plenty of room to play. If your young athlete is looking to be challenged even more, the Adventure & Gaming Camp offers opportunities such as yoga alongside advanced gaming like Virtual Reality. Sport Specialty Camps hone in on specific areas such as baseball, swimming and hockey. Camps are offered until August 28 for children ages 6 to 15.
After Labor Day, The St. James is offering the Ultimate School Day Camp, half or full-day sessions of active entertainment for children ages 6 to15 to complement online schooling this fall. Get the kids out of the house for an array of sports, from parkour to golf. It runs from September 8 through October 30.
Format: In-person
Covid measures: The St. James camps will be limited to 10 students per counselor and all campers must pass daily temperature checks upon each visit to the Complex. Masks will also be required when transitioning between activities. For more in-depth measures, check out their FAQs here.
Cost: Varies depending on dates and options, check pricing here; pick up and drop off services are available for $160/week from Eastern Market Metro, and Potomac Yards Shopping Center.
D.C. Fencers Club Fencing Camps – Silver Spring, Md.
Fencers practicing at one of D.C. Fencers Club’s camps
On guard! The D.C. Fencers Club is offering week-long camps with nationally-ranked fencing coaches for beginners and intermediate fencers ages 7 and up. Interested campers will have the pleasure of being introduced to the Olympic sport. Camps will run through the end of August, and all equipment and uniforms are provided.
Format: In-person
Covid measures: The D.C. Fencers Club will be checking temperatures upon arrival and requiring masks to be worn at all times even under fencing masks. They will be keeping smaller numbers of the campers (up to 13 kids) inside the gym.
Cost: One camp – $350; two camps – $670; three camps – $970; each additional camp is $300
Dynamite 2 Camps – Gaithersburg, Md.
When you enroll your child ages 3.5 to 15 in a Dynamite 2 summer camps, your child will learn to cheer and tumble while forming fast friendships. The camp runs until August 28 with both daily and weekly options all of which include a performance where campers can show off their newly learned moves to their parents and guardians.
Format: In-person
Covid measures: Students attending Dynamite 2 Camps are expected to bring a gym bag containing a water bottle, socks, face-covering and hand sanitizer. Temperatures will be checked before students enter into the gym. Students will be required to wear masks throughout the gym and, when is safe, on some equipment. Parents will not be permitted in the gym. For more in-depth measures, check out their FAQs here.
Cost: Varies depending on dates and options, check pricing here.
Not interested in in-person classes? Check out Dynamite’s Gymnastics At Home series for preexisting gymnasts to maintain their abilities while giving new gymnasts the chance to develop skills. Classes available for gymnasts as young as 18 months into adulthood. Cost varies depending on dates and options, check pricing here.
For the Young Science Wiz and Innovator
Summer Camp Carry-Out Activity Kit
A glimpse into the virtual field trip offered by The National Children’s Museum.
The National Children’s Museum has a Summer Camp Carry-Out Activity Kit for purchase that provides young innovators in 1st through 5th grade with the opportunity to dive into topics such as science, technology, engineering and math. The kit includes a booklet with step-by-step instructions on activities and experiments such as designing a pulley or playing with a parachute. All the needed materials for the activities are in an easy-to-carry blue duffel bag: rope, sandpaper, ruler, rubberbands, modeling clay, pipe cleaners, and tons of fun art supplies and more (even feathers!). Last month, The National Children’s Museum offered a virtual summer camp where students worked through fun apps like Stop Motion Studio and activities with a leader, but now the Museum is selling kits for kids to tinker with on their own at home or even on vacation after beach play. There are two delivery methods available for the carry-out kit: curbside pickup and shipping.
In addition to the kit, the Museum has also developed a free 20-minute virtual field trip titled “Head in the Clouds,” where young learners will be taken through the museum’s exhibit on the weather and then outside to look at the sky above. The field trip offers additional pre and post resources, including “office hours” with museum educators to answer any questions.
Format: At-Home + Virtual
Cost: $250 for a Summer Camp Carry-Out Activity Kit
Mad Science Camps
A kid “exploring” space for the Mad Science’s camps.
Choose between eight different themes from NASA to dinosaurs with Mad Science Camps. For three hours a day, up to five days a week, young learners from kindergarten to 6th grade can dive in. Mad Science camps are modeled on interaction and discussions alongside guided at-home projects. The camp mails the required materials to your home. It runs into September.
Format: At-Home + Virtual
Cost: $145
For the Young Artist
The Shakespeare Theatre Company’s logo for their summer camps.
Virtual Camp Shakespeare
To be or not to be a camper this summer? The Shakespeare Theatre Company has the answer to that question: yes! This opportunity provides thespians-in-training an online avenue to develop acting skills while bringing Shakespeare’s historic characters to life. From fun theatre games to text analyses of Shakespeare’s greatest works for older campers, kids ages 7 to 18 will each gain insight into what it meant to be in the most famous theatre troupe in the world. Each camp will end with a recorded showcase of the play the group worked on for friends and family. The Company offers children ages 7 to 8 a week-long camp and two-week programs for children ages 9 to 18 until August 21.
Format: At-Home + Virtual
Cost: Ages 7-8 – $175; ages 9-18 – $395
Salsa with Silvia 4 Kids – Washington, D.C. & Bethesda, Md.
If you want your child to continue learning school curriculum like Spanish and math while dancing, creating art and having fun, Salsa with Silvia’s Summer Dance & Learning Bilingual Camp is offering in-person sessions for them to do just that. There is one remaining session this summer with a dance style focus on hip hop and Latin. The camp runs from August 17-28.
Format: In-person
Covid measures: The staff members of Salsa with Silvia 4 Kids summer camp will be wearing masks and checking the temperatures of everyone who enters into the studio. The camp is asking that kids wear masks yet cannot guarantee that they will keep them on all day, and therefore, they will try to keep the kids distant from one another. The studio will be disinfected and cleaned regularly. For more in-depth measures, check out their FAQs here.
Cost: Varies depending on session; check pricing here
For the Young Animal Lover
Camp Olympia – Rockville, Md.
Ever wonder where you can horseback ride close to D.C.? Camp Olympia in Rockville, Md. has 16 horses ready for your young camper to practice riding and jumping. Beyond horseback riding, the camp offers swimming, soccer, basketball, gymnastics, tennis, mountain biking and track and field events, plus much more. The camp is running until August 28 with the recommendation that you enroll for at least two weeks.
Format: In-person
Covid measures: Camp Olympia will be conducting daily temperature & health checks prior to children entering the camp. Once at camp, the children will be in isolated groups of nine to one counselor. There will also be limited enrollment this summer. For more in-depth measures, check out their FAQs here.
Cost: $399 per week; Door to door transportation is available to your home or office at an additional cost of $165 per child / per week.
Animal Welfare League of Alexandria (AWLA) Summer Camp – Alexandria, Va.
Smiling kids participating in past AWLA summer camps.
Does your child love cats, dogs and/or small animals? AWLA’s week-long summer day camps focus its lessons on those animals in addition to veterinary care and how the Vola Lawson Animal Shelter operates. This year, the camp is offering age-specific programming for ages 6-7, 8 -10, and 11-13, and providing each camper with a Camp in a Carrier kit that includes at-home humane education activities. The camp is operating until August 28.
Format: In-person
Covid measures: Email camp@alexandriaanimals.org with any questions about the expanded COVID-19 cleaning and safety protocols for the camp.
Cost: Ages 6-7 – $200; Ages 8-10 and 11-13 – $350
Other Camp Opportunities You Won’t Want to Miss
Linda, an instructor at Circle Yoga, teaching a Zoom yoga course. Photo credit: @
circleyogadc Instagram
Circle Yoga Kids Summer Camp
No matter your age, it’s always important to practice mindfulness. Circle Yoga Kids Camp is providing children ages 6 to12 the chance to do yoga, journaling and other activities this summer during three-hour week-long sessions though August 21.
Format: At-Home + Virtual
Cost: $315/week
High Speak Summer Camp
Glossophobia – speech anxiety or the fear of public speaking. It affects many people. High Speak wants to combat speech anxiety at a young age offering public speak classes, private tutoring and a summer camp. “Trek Talk!” Impromptu Speech Camp’s stand-up comic and performer instructors will teach your 7-10-year-old the art of impromptu speaking through games and assignments for hour-long classes August 17-21.
Format: At-Home + Virtual
Cost: $125
5 Tips for Keeping Your Kid Safe During COVID-19
- Wear a mask! If your child is not eating or doing intense sports, encourage them to keep on their mask even if it gets uncomfortable.
- Pack them a hand sanitizer and teach them proper handwashing techniques.
- Encourage them to make friends from a distance. Don’t let six feet stop your child from meeting new friends but remind them that you can still have fun from afar.
- If the in-person camp you choose has not outlined their safety procedures, ask.
- If your child feels sick, keep them home. As always, it’s better to stay safe than sorry.
