The schedule of courses can be found on the course worksheet. You may use the worksheet to help organize and select your camper’s daily camp schedule.
Please refer to the grade 1–2 worksheet when completing the registration form.
First- and second-grade campers select a schedule consisting of two enrichment courses in the morning and three recreational activities in the afternoon. All classes are listed below.
Go on an animal adventure with The Children’s Museum in West Hartford! Each day brings exciting encounters with animal ambassadors from the Museum’s Wildlife Sanctuary and hands-on activities designed to inspire young zoologists. From furry mammals to scaly reptiles, campers will get up close and personal with a fascinating array of animals, learning about their needs, adaptations, and habitats. Note: Appropriate behavior, maturity, and patience are required to guarantee a safe and rewarding experience for all.
Calling all players, puzzlers, digital wizards, and warriors! Do you want to learn about applications while playing fun games, brainteasers, magical quests, and have friendly competitions with your classmates? Welcome to the App Arcade – where we'll transform iPads into our magical tools for learning, exploration, and creative adventures like you've never experienced before!
Get ready to unleash your inner artist and dive headfirst into a world of creative exploration and artistic fun! In this class, you will experiment with a kaleidoscope of mixed media art techniques that will leave your imagination soaring. We will push our creativity with new ideas and new materials. Whether you make clay creations, collage, watercolor, or acrylic paintings– don’t be scared of experimenting and getting messy!
Come make your favorite accessories shine in the Summer Place Be-Dazzled Boutique! Work with gems and jewels to create glittery headbands, dazzling bracelets, and sparkly beads. Add shimmery jewels to all of your favorite summertime outfits so your friends can spot you from far away as you glimmer in the sun!
Meet Bee-bot, a programmable robot that responds to your every command! This little robotic bee zooms through obstacles, races to complete mazes, and can be programmed to complete a dazzling array of challenges. You’ll take command of programming your own Bee-bot, learn how to give it commands, and watch it buzz around the room according to the directions that you give it. Your Bee-bot will run races, navigate mazes, and compete against other Bee-bots. Who will be the leader of the hive?
Can you freeze bubbles and play catch with them? How about make bubbles so tall you could fit inside them? Can you use a balloon to paint a museum-worthy masterpiece? Have you ever played bubble soccer or climbed into a balloon? In the Bubbles and Balloons Bonanza, you’ll answer these questions—and more! You’ll use your curiosity and imagination to test the limits of bubbles and balloons through fun experiments and games.
Do you want to become an expert in the kitchen? What would you do with a basket full of mystery ingredients? Imagine competing against other teams of Summer Place campers to win the Summer Place Cleaver Award! Join us as we chop it up in this fun cooking class using the University of Hartford’s state of the art kitchens!
Join in the fun as you pound, poke, and roll clay into fabulous, hand-made creations. Learn how to use slab, coil, and pinch techniques to make a variety of exciting and functional ceramics projects – everything from vessels to votives. Roll up your sleeves and experiment with a variety of textures and glazing techniques. You’ll be amazed when your finished work comes out of the kiln!
If you have ever seen something in a movie and thought, “That looks delicious!”, this is the class for you! Join us to watch clips of your favorite movies and recreate the yummy foods you see. We will make homemade Num Num Cookies from The Incredibles, Bao Buns from Kung Fu Panda, and many more of your movie favorites! Which ones will taste the best? Take home a recipe book of our finest movie food creations to impress your family and friends.
Become a Summer Place chemist as you discover and experiment with basic science concepts! You will get to explode pop rockets, get lost in a dry-ice cloud, create gooey slimes, send geysers of soda high into the sky, create “worms” and “snow” by mixing just the right liquids and powders, and even shake and make ice cream. This course is sure to excite the curiosity of all future scientists!
Welcome to the Delicious Drive-Thru! Here, you will learn how to make your favorite items from favorite fast-food establishments from scratch. You will make your own versions of famous drive-thru foods like a Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme (but better, and healthier!), or a Wendy’s frosty, and more. Join us to see what fast food masterpieces you can make!
Travel to the Enchanted Forest of Fairy Land! As fairies, you will decorate your own wings, design a wand, create magic wishing dust, and go exploring into the woods to create a fairy house. There is so much to do, join us as we prepare forest cookies for the Fairy Queen and make masks to wear at the Starlight Ball. Would you want to be a water fairy, air fairy, or an animal fairy? Each of them has their own magical skills. Which fairy is waiting inside of you?
Bon appétit! Let’s eat! In this class, you get to create a dish from a different part of the globe each day. You will make pizza from Italy, empanadas from Spain, fried rice from China, and more! You will also bring home a recipe book at the end of the session so you can feast on your famous culinary delights from Far, Far Away all year long.
Playing with your food can be a lot of fun! Come explore the many ways to make food into amazing works of art. From vegetable faces to mummy hotdogs and Chewbacca Noodles to meatball birds in a pasta nest—you are guaranteed to have fun creating food art in this class. Take home a book of the best edible creations to share with your family and friends, but better than that, you get to eat your artwork!
Learn the basics of computer programming through this puzzling and problem-solving course. Play games using innovative and adventure seeking apps. Learn how to easily program loops while coding your own superheroes and robots to complete challenges. You will be surprised how “In-CODE-ably” easy and fun coding can be.
Calling all brave young adventurers! Are you ready for an enchanting journey into magical lands filled with dragons, knights, and royalty? Join us to embark on epic quests to create your very own crowns fit for kings and queens, challenge mighty dragons, and wield magical wands like true wizards. What marvelous creatures might you find in the castle moat? Can you prove your bravery in the thrilling jousting tournament? All of these exciting adventures await you in our magical land, where every day begins with "Once Upon a Time!"
LEARNING ZONE (1-4)
WEEKS 1–6
The Learning Zone is an enrichment course option offered to Summer Place campers who could benefit from small-group academic instruction in reading, math, written expression, and study skills. The class is offered to students entering grades one through nine. Groups meet in a relaxed, air-conditioned space that is highly conducive to learning.
The Summer Place learning-skills specialist focuses on an individual plan for each student, based on the needs of the child. The Learning Zone teacher will contact each parent prior to the summer to gather the information needed to develop an educational plan. The specialist will then teach, model, and reinforce the concepts and learning strategies necessary to achieve each student’s specific goals. At the end of each week-long session, parents will receive a written report that summarizes progress made and current achievement levels. This report may, in turn, be passed on to the student’s teachers in the fall.
Summer Place campers may enroll in a Learning Zone course in each session they attend. A nominal fee of $100 per Learning Zone course for each week 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6 is charged for this individualized program. Week 2 will be $80. For additional information on this special option, please call the Summer Place office.
Calling all LEGO® fans! Come and compete in building challenges as we take an exciting LEGO® journey. We’ll build people for our LEGO® town and cars for them to drive in. Then we’ll construct an entire city, complete with a fire station, an airport, and even a market. At the end of the two-week adventure, you’ll have your own kit to mix up more LEGO® madness at home. LEGO® Land is waiting for you!
Mario and Luigi are searching for a new group of adventurers to help them defeat Bowser’s challenges this summer and reclaim their treasures! Can you solve the challenges while avoiding the sneaky traps left behind by Bowser and his partners-in-crime? If so, join us for some Mario Party Palooza as you build your own power-ups and search for the treasures that are locked away in Bowser’s castle! You will do a scavenger hunt, make your own Mystery boxes, and complete an obstacle course challenge! No prior knowledge or experience with Mario Party is necessary, all are welcome to try their skills and luck.
The world of Minecraft is full of dangers. Adventurers require the quickest wit and the deepest thinking in order to survive. In this class, you’ll learn about Redstone creations and building schematics that can help you thrive in those dangerous and blocky lands. Best of all, you will create a world together, working as a team to complete challenges and conquer your Minecraft missions! Note: No Minecraft account needed.
Roll up your sleeves and get ready to experiment! In this class, you will measure and mix some gooshy, mooshy, squishy ingredients to make some messy and marvelous scientific concoctions! Join us as we stir things up every day with a new, fun formula. Whether we’re combining ingredients for a batch of Flubber, Floam, or fizzing sidewalk paint, every day will be a new, messy mix!
Have you ever seen the hit baking show and wanted to try for yourself? Join us and put your baking and decorating skills to the test! You will make your own cake sculpture, dip and design your own donuts, and decorate cookies. Get your baker’s hat on and join us for a delicious adventure in the kitchen!
Calling all future astronauts! Are you ready to embark on an epic journey beyond the stars? Join us in Mission to Mars: Space Academy, where you will explore outer space within Summer Place! Here, you will learn about the solar system as you build your own spacecraft, create galaxy art, and complete “astronaut training” to prepare for your future in space exploration. Are you ready for lift off? In 3…2…1…
Let’s explore nature in the world around us! Learn how to grow the tallest and strongest beans from seed, make twig boats to sail across the pond, and go on an exciting scavenger hunt to find tiny insects and creatures. Get ready to play games, make nature- based art projects, and discover a new nature adventure each day. Come outside with us and play!
Every day is a party when we’re painting! Learn new painting skills while having a blast and unleashing your creativity. Students will follow step by step instructions in watercolor and acrylic painting techniques with chances for customization. By the end of the session, students will be creating their own museum worthy masterpieces!
Have you ever thought about becoming a vet or working with animals? Join us to learn all about pets, animal jobs, and how to safely interact with animals. We will do PAWsome trivia games and activities, learn about all different types of furry friends, and even create pet toys that we can donate to the animals on our field trip to the animal shelter in Newington on Friday! Class offered in partnership with the Connecticut Humane Society. Note: Appropriate behavior, maturity, and patience are required to guarantee a safe and rewarding experience for all. *Field Trip
Ahoy mateys! Have you ever wondered what a pirate’s life would be like? Come set sail with us on an imaginative adventure to discover the thrill of the high seas! You will get to create your very own pirate flag, craft pirate characters, and play pirate games aplenty! And of course, no pirate adventure would be complete without a treasure hunt for some hidden pirate booty. Climb aboard for some adventure and fun!
Come one, come all! Step right up into the magic of Summer Place Circus, where you will create and play different circus games, win prizes, and test your abilities as a circus performer. Explore the fun of the circus ring all week long with face painting, balloons, and a photo booth. You won’t want to miss this spectacular show!
Roll up your sleeves and dig into the exciting world of rocks, crystals, and fossils! Join the excavation team as we dig up an entire dinosaur skeleton and put it together. You will also get to grow your own crystals, learn how to identify rocks, and pan for real gold in a homemade river. What will you dig up and bring home to show your friends and family? Join The Big Dig and find out!
Have you ever wondered how certain foods are made? In The Science of Cooking, you will find out! In this culinary class, you will learn how to use liquid nitrogen to make your own Dippin’ Dots, make your own cheese and bread from scratch, and even make your own rock candy! Join us to stir up some delicious experiments!
Are you ready for a Summer Place tea party? Travel the world to see how tea parties are thrown in foreign lands. You will paint wonderful teacups, eat scrumptious desserts, and make spectacular party decorations. At the end of the week, we will host a formal tea party like Alice did in Wonderland. RSVP “yes” to attend the Summer Place tea party!
Where would you go if you had a time machine of your own? In Time Travelers, you’ll get to answer this question as you build your very own time travel machine and use it to journey back to the days of the dinosaurs, help the Egyptians build pyramids, defend Medieval castles from dragons, and even explore the future (and don’t worry, you’ll make it back from your travels in time for lunch!)
Get ready for launch! In this exciting class, you will create your own water rocket and launch it high into the sky. Design your own rocket with fins and a nose cone for super aerodynamics. On launch day, you'll become a Summer Place junior astronaut. How far will your water rocket go? Let's aim for the stars!