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Staying local: summer day camps in Sonoma

For a town the size of Sonoma, the array of children’s summer camps available is staggering. Below is a quick overview, in alphabetical order, of most of the local camps right in the Valley, as well as a sampling of other options nearby. Information may be incomplete, please check each camp’s website for specific age ranges, offerings and pricing.

 

THE BOYS & GIRLS CLUB

The Boys & Girls Club offers a different experience each week for grades one through five, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., as well as related field trips. This year’s themes include Cirque de Sonoma, outer space, tall tales, rockets and more. The club also offers specialty camps including rock climbing, cooking, ceramics, engineering, science, volleyball, soccer, basketball and flag football. Childcare is available from 7 to 9 a.m. and in the afternoons, from 1 to 7 p.m. for general fun. The club’s programs for high school students include personal finance, study habits, sports and more. The cost is $60 to $110 per week, plus membership. Go to bgcsonoma.org.

 

CULINARY CAMPS

Ramekins offers cooking camps for kids ages 7 to 12 and junior chefs 13 to 17 with a curriculum that includes an introduction to weird and exotic ingredients; a homemade pasta workshop; developing recipes and menus; learning to bake cakes; pies and tarts; and an introduction to making and tasting international foods. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for $350 a week. Sessions run June 18 to 21, July 9 to 12, July 23 to 26 and Aug. 13 to 16. Go to ramekins.com.

 

GIRL SCOUTS

Glen Ellen is the site of the Girl Scouts one-week camp from June 18 to 22. This year’s theme will be a historical trip through the ages. The camp runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Girls not involved in scouting are still welcome to attend, with an additional $12 for the summer fee, plus the regular camp fee of $220. Go to sonomadaycamp.com.

 

LADY DRAGONS BASKETBALL CAMPS

The Sonoma Valley High School girls Dragons basketball players will be running two sessions of camp for girls, in the mornings this summer, from June 11 to 14 and July 16 to 19, overseen by varsity coach, Sil Coccia. The cost is $125 per week, and includes T-shirt and ball. Go to ladydragonbasketball.org.

 

LADY DRAGONS VOLLEYBALL

The Lady Dragons Summer Volleyball Camps take place at Sonoma High. The three-day fundamentals camp runs from 9 a.m. to noon, and the intermediate skills, rookies camp for eighth- and ninth-graders runs from 2 to 5 p.m. Both camps cost $80 a girl and include a T-shirt. To register, contact Sonoma head varsity coach Mindy Neves at sonomavalleyball@gmail.com.

 

NATURE CAMP

Rhoten Productions returns with its popular all-day Nature Camp at VanHoosear Wildflower Preserve, June 11 to 22 and June 25 to July 6. Cost is $470 to $525 a week. For ages 10 and up, they offer the residential Adventures In Leadership camp from July 22 to 27 for $650. Go to rhotenproductions.com.

 

PETS LIFELINE

Pets Lifeline’s popular humane education camps run every week from June 11 to Aug. 17, from 9 a.m. to noon, Monday through Friday, on Eighth Street East. In addition to learning about the animals at the Valley’s only animal shelter, camp includes weekly guests, reptile rescue, pocket pets, therapy dogs and more. The cost is $110 a week. Go to petslife.org.

 

PERFORMING ARTS AT THE SEBATIANI

Rhoten Productions will once again offer its popular Performing Arts Camp, led by Roger and Diana Rhoten, out of the Sebastiani Theater, July 9 to 20. Students ages 5 and up learn about acting, singing, dancing, stilt-walking, magic tricks and more. The cost is $480 a week. Sonoma Treasure Artist Kate Kennedy returns with Camp Shakespeare, June 11 to 22, teaching ages 10 and up about the world’s most famous playwright. The cost is $440 a week. All camps take place at the Sebastiani Theatre. Go to sebastianitheatre.com.

 

PRESENTATION SCHOOL

Presentation School offers summer camps for all Sonoma youth. This year, their offerings include Jedi Lego engineering, renegade science, yoga, poetry, puzzles, introduction to fashion and sewing, volleyball, cartoon theater and wire sculpture. The camps run June 11 to 14, June 20 to 24 and June 25 to 28, from 9:30 to noon or from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. Go to presentationschool.com.

 

SEWING CAMP

Broadway Quilts will be hosting two summer camps for beginners and experienced sewers alike, ages 8 and up, from June 18 to 20 or July 16 to 18. Each session is $100 and runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Go to broadwayquilts.com.

 

SOCCER

North Bay Soccer will hold two one-week sessions of camps for boys and girls ages 4 to 13, at Maxwell Park on Mondays through Fridays, July 25 to 29, and Aug. 1 to 5. Cost is $65 for ages 4 to 7 and $80 for ages 9 to 12. Go to northbaysoccercamps.org.

Run out of Field of Dreams, British Soccer Camps provide players with foot skills, technical drills, tactical practices, small-sided games, coached scrimmages and a daily tournament. Camp programs include a free ball and shirt. Two weeks are available this year: July 9 to 13, and July 30 to Aug. 3, for ages 3 to 13. Price is $92 to $131, and the morning camp runs from 9 a.m. to noon. Go to challengersports.com.

 

SONOMA ACADEMY OF DANCE

Sarah Duran’s Sonoma Academy of Dance is back, with an array of offerings this year in a new location at Trinity Episcopal Church on East Spain. Choose between dance camp June 18 to 22; camp Broadway, June 25 to 29; science camp, June 25 to 29; singer/songwriter camp, July 9 to 13; film camp, July 16 to 20; cheerleading camp, July 16 to 20; Where in the World Camp, July 23 to 27; photography camp, July 30 to Aug. 3; princess camp, July 30 to Aug 3; art camp, Aug. 6 to 10; and camp apprentice, Aug 6 to 10. Most camps run 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and ages vary. Camps are $250 each. Call 933-9933 for more information.

 

SONOMA BALLET

The Sonoma Ballet Conservatory offers summer dance programs out of its location at 561 Broadway, Suite B. Their five week summer dance workshop will run July 2 to Aug.t 4. sonomaballet.com.

 

SONOMA COMMUNITY CENTER

The Sonoma Community Center offers a variety of summer programs. For ages 6 to 11, there is a new camp every week, covering creative subjects like puppetry, cartooning, cooking, clay, songwriting and personal finance. Most camps run from 9 a.m. to noon and the weekly cost is $175 ($157 for SCC members). Go to sonomacommunitycenter.org.

 

SONOMA ECOLOGY CENTER

The Ecology Center will host three sessions of camp this year, all running from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 11 to 15 and July 9 to 13 is Water Warriors Camp at Sonoma Creek. This camp, for ages 6 to 12, centers around water experiments as well as games, arts and crafts, singing and storytelling.  For camps on June 18 to 22 and July 16 to 20, the theme will be birds, bugs, and slugs. This camp, for ages 6 to 12, will be held at Sonoma Garden Park and centers around birding, insect investigations, garden explorations, natural arts and crafts and garden-themed games. Finally, June 25 to 29 and July 23 to 27, the theme will be Harry Potter Science Camp, for ages 6 to 12. Campers will study “Herbology,” “Potions” and “Care of Magical Creatures,” and they will play Quidditch and other wizarding games. The camps are $200 for SEC members ($240 non-members). Go to sonomaecologycenter.org.

 

SONOMA VALLEY MUSEUM OF ART

Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, with its new classroom space, will offer summer programs for children, though the schedule is not available yet. Go to svma.org/classes.

 

SWIMMING

Sonoma Aquatic Club at Agua Caliente holds summer swim programs for babies to adults, including swim lessons, stroke school;, Sea Dragon swim team, junior lifeguard camps, water polo clinics, and parent and tot water classes. Go to sonomaaquaticclub.com.

 

TENNIS

Sonoma Valley Tennis Association will run its annual Junior Tennis Free Summer Program for youths ages 6 to 15 at the Maxwell Park courts, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. and from 5 to 6:30 p.m. every Thursday from June 14 to Aug. 2. sonomavalleytennis.org.

 

YOGA CAMP

The Yoga Community is offering a Yoga Camp for Kids this summer in their location on Fifth Street West. The camp from June 4 to 8 is for ages 3 to 6, and the camp June 18 to 22 is for ages 7 to 12. The camps run from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. for $170 a week. Go to yogacommunity.net.

 

CAMPS OUT OF TOWN

If you are willing to drive a little further away, the array of possibilities is even broader. Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park does a great camp for academically accelerated children – go to sonoma.edu/exed/excel. Cloverleaf Ranch in Santa Rosa offers a camp for kids interested in horses – go to cloverleafranch.com. McDonald Ranch offers a day camp with swimming, boating archery and more at Morton’s Warm Springs in Glen Ellen. Go to mcdonaldranch.org.