Des Moines Moms Blog is thrilled to be launching our 2018 ultimate guide to Des Moines summer camps – along with a myriad of other fun summer programs and activities for Des Moines kids!
The options are endless and include programs for all ages, budgets, and interests – from nature and the arts to academics and athletics. Our goal is to help you plan a fun and stress-free summer for the kids.
The 2018 Summer Camp Guide is sponsored by our featured programs, but it is a comprehensive guide to all summer camps in Des Moines. We so appreciate the support of the community and the opportunity to present our readers with valuable resources.
Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden
Enroll your 6 to 10-year-old in Summer Camp at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden! With a mission of exploring, explaining, and celebrating the world of plants, Botanical Garden camps use the gardens as a unique classroom that inspires children to create and explore. Immerse your child in the garden through the lens of their favorite activities with themes like Outdoor Explorers, Theater Sprouts, Budding Chefs, Garden Artists, Magic in the Garden, and more. Each camp includes the opportunity to learn from guest experts and complete multiple projects to take home and enjoy. All camps run 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday.
The Science Center of Iowa
From chemistry to rocketry and from invention to dissection – there’s always more to explore with SCI Summer Camps! Using project-based curriculum on a variety of subjects, SCI Summer Camps will spark your camper’s interest in science and provide hands-on experiences using all the resources SCI has to offer. Week-long camps for students in grades Pre-K through 8th grade are taught by educators or future educators with experience in science, education, and other related fields. Camps are offered June 11 through August 17, 2018.
Camp Invention
Wild and crazy ideas become reality in this year’s all-new Camp Invention program, Fast Forward! A nonprofit program of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, Camp Invention allows children in kindergarten through 6th grade to experience real-world problem solving, creative thinking, invention, and teamwork – all while having FUN! Activities include challenges and achievements from the brightest thinkers around—National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductees – to inspire children! This year, campers will bring their “smart” home to life with smart furniture and eco-smart energy, design a robotic dog and diagnose puppy problems, explore sensors by designing tracks for an Optibot, a robot that senses dark and light surfaces, and build Cake Catapults! Local educators lead the week of fun, hands-on, STEM activities that allow children to think big, explore their curiosity, and never give up. Register by phone or online using promo code MomsBlog15 to save $15 (expires 5/4).
Learn Create Build Academy
Have an OBSESSED Minecrafter at home? We thought so! Join us this summer as we explore Minecraft and learn how to take this game and make it educational. Yes, educational AND Minecraft! This summer, Learn Create Build Academy campers will learn how to program and build unique Minecraft Mods and Minigames. We’re tackling STEM learning with a fun twist. This is definitely a camp you want to send your little superhero! Registration fills up FAST. You can register online or by calling 605-231-5431. BONUS: Save $20 off your camp by using MOMBLOG during checkout!
Enrichment Therapy & Learning Center
Children excel with Enrichment Therapy & Learning Center’s summer academic programs! Let us help your child reach their full potential in reading, math, and social skills. Our programs take an individualized approach and are based on the student’s skill level, not their grade level or age. Meeting the child at the skill level they are helps them succeed in the classroom!
-Kindergarten Prep
-Growing our Skills: Reading and Math (Kindergarten-1st Grade Skill Level)
-Triumph Over Reading (2nd-6th Grade Skill Level)
-Navigating Social Skills (2nd-6th Grade Skill Level)
Heartland Youth Choir
Learn new music, make new friends, and have loads of fun doing both at Heartland Youth Choir’s week-long summer choir camps. SummerSongs is for singers with unchanged voices in grades 4 – 8 (as of spring 2018). In addition to building a deeper choral knowledge, participants also learn folk dance and musical theater skills, then relax with afternoon field trips throughout the week. SummerTunes (mornings only) is for singers in grades K – 3, who learn new skills through full choir rehearsals and folk games. Singers in both camps come together for a concert at the end of the week for family and friends. Join us for camp the week of July 8!
Grace Ballet
Happy anniversary to Grace Ballet & Acrobatics Studio! They are celebrating 20 years of “Teaching Character Through Dance & Acrobatics” and being a studio committed to modesty, integrity and encouragement. To celebrate you are invited to join them for summer camps and classes that are only $20! This magical celebration is open to students ages 2.5 and up and include Princess Camp, LEAP dance camp, Acrobatics, Dance for Athletes (boys only), Ballet & Contemporary dance classes. Join them at one of their three locations – Ankeny, Des Moines & Indianola – by registering on their website or calling their office at 515-289-2884 for more information.
WDMCS Community Education
WDMCS Community Education Summer of Learning programs provide a wide range of fun and enriching educational experiences during the summer months for students in preschool through 12th grade.
Living History Farms Day Camp
Located on 500 acres of rolling prairie filled with bubbling streams and nature paths begging to be explored, Living History Farms’ outdoor day camp setting provides a fun and unique way for children entering kindergarten through 8th grade to experience day-to-day farm and town life as it was in the past.
Entrepreneur Camp
For budding entrepreneurs in grades 5-8 this fall. July 9-13 at Iowa Center for Higher Education, Des Moines. Register through May 25! Participating campers will meet local entrepreneurs, create a product and even take it to local farmers market. Entrepreneur Camp is a program of the Jacobson Institute.
Highlight Listings
Blank Park Zoo
If your child is looking to have a wild adventure this summer, check out Blank Park Zoo’s weekly themed camps available June – August. These camps are offered for children entering pre-K through grade seven and include fun activities such as live animal encounters, hands-on lessons, crafts, and games. Learn more on Facebook.
