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The best online summer camps for kids in 2020

Screen Shot 2020-06-24 at 5.04.25 PM
Photo via Getty Images

By Jenna Fanelli

Summer is here, but things look a bit different this year. Many traditional summer camps are not operating normally due to the pandemic and necessary safety precautions, but luckily, this wide variety of online summer camps have taken the steps to shift their activities and classes to a virtual platform! So, your child can now experience the joy of summer camp right from the computer screen and engage with material that sparks their interest and creativity.

Online summer camps for 2020

Amadeus Conservatory

A Zoom camp will be held Mondays through Fridays for ages 5 through 16 and will create their own show including scenes from musicals like “Beauty and the Beast” along with other favorites. They’ll write group stories and create songs, and the program will culminate in a full virtual performance through Zoom.

Price: Starting from $375

Learn more: amadeusconservatory.com

Atlantic for Kids and Teens

The camp has transitioned over to Zoom for the summer! Choose from a variety of options that will provide your kids with a fun experience where they will meet new friends from around the world. There are online classes and activities for ages 4 to 18, ranging from Comedy Party to Acting 101 to Casting and Auditions.

Price: Begins at $125

Learn moreatlanticactingschool.org

Berkshire Hills Eisenberg Camp

The camp is offering a virtual summer program for ages 7 to 16, which has been developed by camp experts. The activities will bring your child together with the 14 fellow campers and two staff members for whichever activity they choose for the week. Whether the group is baking together or getting fit together, the program is interactive so your child will have a new group of friends to see, chat and learn with each week. They will build friendships while they learn new skills. Every morning and afternoon starts at Virtual Summer with Flagpole. Flagpole gathers the whole community together. Staff share jokes and skits at Flagpole and highlight some of the work being done by campers during activity periods.

Price: Starts at $60/week for one period per day to $200/week for four periods per day

Learn more: virtualsummer.org

Camp Bonkers – YouTube

Camp Bonkers is a new, irreverent and fun digital twist on summer camp, offering kids a safe, interactive and creative space online in the comfort of their own homes. Developed by Wind Sun Sky, the creative team behind smash hits like “Angry Birds,” “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” “Ice Age” and “My Singing Monsters,” Camp Bonkers goes far beyond the typical content consumed by kids on YouTube. Every day at Camp Bonkers is different. Kids can hang out with friends, play games, go on adventures, sing songs, make fun food, conduct a cool science experiment and so much more!

Price: It’s free! New videos are up weekly and can be enjoyed for no charge.

Learn morecampbonkers.com

Clay Art Center

While the location is closed, you can take part in virtual youth and adult classes, lectures and demos, adult and youth parties, that will continue throughout the summer. Enjoy artist talks and demos online from some of the top ceramic artists of today. Stay creative with virtual workshops and lectures including Emoji Sculptures and Shark Finger Puppets for youth, Lidded Jar for adults, and many more.

Price: $18/class

Learn Moreclayartcenter.org


cumbedance.org

Cumbe Dance

Dance, Drum and Imagination Camp 2020 is an immersive, cultural, virtual camp for ages 3 to 8 years old. At Cumbe, the goal is to tap into children’s amazing capacity for imagination and wonder while introducing them to the joy and vitality of dances, songs and rhythms of Africa and its diaspora in the Caribbean and Latin America. The U.S. Camp sizes are small so that their teachers have a chance to get to know your child. This year, digital summer camp sessions will be held on Zoom.

Price: $110 per week (3- to 4-year-olds) / $350 per week (5- to 8-year-olds)

Learn More: cumbedance.org

Curious on Hudson

Choose from unique, academically rich, classes for high school students, comic art, coding, performing arts (ukulele!) and more for middle-schoolers, a range of classes for grades two through five in science, tech, arts, MAKER and more, and skill-strengthening and curiosity-nurturing programs for K/1-2.

Price: Starting at $350

Learn more: steamrevolutioncamp.com

Digital Arts Experience

Students can make their own schedule based on their interests and the times they want to take classes, which include subjects such as 3-D printing and coding. Each class will begin with an ice breaker so students can get to know one another and become more comfortable, and there is an optional gaming hangout following class time!

Price: Begins at $359 for one-week options

Learn more: thedae.com

The Indy Lab

Virtual Camp Summer Social aims to bring kids together, particularly now with social distancing. Each day will involve four 45-minute segments of specialty programming, including programming by The Indy Lab (e.g., greetings, games and activities that encourage socialization between kids), art, yoga/meditation and music, with a consistent theme-of-the-day focused on socialization and connection. Each specialty is run by well-known programs (The Art Studio of NY, Spark and Ray Anderson) that are professionals in the educational kid class space and now, virtual class offerings. All vendors will have worked with The Indy Lab’s directors in advance to create a curriculum that fosters social skill building through teamwork. Kids will build their social and emotional communication skills naturally through fun, summer activities that encourage sharing of opinions, thoughts and questions to amplify their minds, hearts and connections.

Price: $375/week

Learn more: theindylab.com

Katonah Art Center

For first- to fifth-graders, the Virtual Kids Camp is a great alternative to full-day, summer-long programs. Camps are one-week sessions with half-day, full-day and extended-day options. Some options for classes are coding, drawing, painting and even jewelry-making! Teens in grades six through 12 can take classes in digital design, pottery, oil painting and other creative courses.

Price: Half-day $285; full-day $570 (week of July 4: Half-Day $208 / Full-Day $416)

Learn more: katonahartcenter.com

Kuei Luck

In this virtual camp, your child will engage in live teaching through Zoom. Morning sessions will be taught live by NYS Certified Teachers that have been working with and creating a rapport with your children in the past. These teachers have a proven track record that will ensure your child is not only caught up, but ahead of the curve, for the upcoming academic year. The staff will deliver your supplies to your house and leave it at your door. In this box, you will receive your camp supplies including your textbooks, activities supplies and camp shirt. This is for grades three through eight and classes run Monday through Thursday.

Price: Starting at $150 per week (first grade)/starting at $199 per week (third through eighth grade)

Learn more: kueiluck.com

Leman Manhattan

This virtual summer camp offers children grades PK4-12 more than 100 academic and enrichment courses led by Leman faculty and select outside educators. Some classes meet once a week at scheduled times, and others will take place daily over the course of a week. Highlights include programs such as Science Discoveries, World Music, Amazing Animals, French Activities and Games, Sports Journalism, Art of the Middle Ages, Film Studies, Zoology, Model UN and more.

Price: $100-$200/class

Learn more: lemanmanhattan.org

The Mark Morris Dance School

The School at the Mark Morris Dance Center is offering online dance classes for children and teens ages 4 to 18 starting July 6. These progressive, weekly classes are held through Zoom video conference, allowing for interaction between the students and teacher. Class sizes are limited so all participants will appear on the same screen. Genres taught include ballet, dances of the African Diaspora, hip-hop, jazz, modern, tap and yoga.

Price: Begins at $72 for six weeks

Learn More: markmorrisdancegroup.org

Music Conservatory of Westchester

The conservatory is offering virtual lessons with world-class faculty for kids grades K through seven. Classes are fun, interactive and will spark an interest in visual and performing arts. From the safety and comfort of your own home, kids can experiment with music, learn to play instruments, write songs, create art, sing, dance and perform musical theater scenes and songs.

Price: $100-200 per two-week session

Learn more: musicconservatory.org

New York Film Academy

Teenage campers will have the opportunity to learn all of the same subjects, do hands-on projects as our on-campus programs, and socialize (virtually) with their fellow campers. The esteemed faculty has designed programs that fit squarely in NYFA’s “learn by doing” philosophy. In addition to the live daily interactive classes, the camp team has designed after-class social activities that will occur two or three times per week to allow campers to get to know one another and have fun. Some classes include filmmaking, broadcast journalism, game design and many others.

Price: Pricing starts at $650 for 1-week camps

Learn more: nyfa.edu

Picassos Art Studio 

The studio will be holding Summer Science of Art Camp and No Brush Art Camp. For all camps and classes, each session is limited to nine students to allow social distancing as well as adhere to state guidelines. Registration is required; no drop-ins. The staff is actively cleaning and sanitizing the studio and materials after each class, and instructors will be wearing masks. Campers are not required, but encouraged, to wear masks. Hand-washing and temperature checks are required on arrival.

Price: Begins at $155 for five classes

Learn more: privatepicassos.com

Play Group Theater

Students from near and far can enjoy PGT’s virtual theater programs from their own homes this summer. Summer Action with the PGT offers classes for ages 4 to 14 and up in improv, sketch comedy, playwriting, tech and design, and more!

Price: Starting at $325

Learn more: playgroup.org

Steffi Nossen

The Steffi Nossen School of Dance is going online this summer with virtual classes and story-time videos on Vimeo. There is a wide array of summer dance camps and intensives for a variety of ages, levels and disciplines. Kids will learn creative movement, ballet, modern, jazz, tap, hip-hop, musical theater and composition.

Price: Starting at $50 for two classes/week

Learn moresteffinossen.org

Stempunks 

Stempunks offers online STEM programs that have been developed to provide an immersive learning experience for your child. They will explore new skills as they progress on their exciting STEM learning journey. All classes are teacher-led and the content has been developed by educators and leading innovators to enable a mindset of innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship. The curriculum includes classes such as coding, robotics, 3-D design, space science, VR & AR, and much more. Programs begin at 8 years of age and older.

Price: Free bundles available; bundles starting at $29

Learn more: stempunks.com

Westchester Community College – Peekskill

Peekskill Summer Youth Arts Technology Program 2020 is focused on engaging youth in arts technology integration that will better prepare them for advanced study and work in the 21st century. STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) focuses on the hybridization of art and science and develops critical creative thinking. Children ages 7 to 17 can take online courses in coding, drawing and painting, 2-D animation, game design, filmmaking and so many others.

Price: Two-hour classes are $178 (+ $50 lab/$20 studio fee); four-hour classes are $228 (+ $50 lab fee)

Learn more: sunywcc.edu

Wonderment Art Camp 

Cultivate creativity with the summer art camp that comes right to your door! This self-paced, open-ended kit is filled with high quality, reusable art supplies. It includes five art explorations, inspiration from different artists, guidance and videos from Wonderment, an online camper forum, plus an end of summer Zoom gallery where campers can share and talk about their art. Recommended for ages 5 and up. Campers work at their own pace and can use the forum to ask questions and connect with the staff and other campers.

Price: Starting at $45

Learn Morewonderment.art

92y.org

92Y Camps

Virtual Camp Live brings the best of 92Y’s children’s programming to your home for ages 1 to 13 years. This is an immersive online summer camp experience that provides campers with personalized attention, a specialty-curated curriculum, the opportunity to connect with new friends, engage in unique activities led by experts from across the entire 92nd Street Y, and experience the magic of camp right from the living room!

Price: For ages 2 through 5, $30/week per class for drop-ins, $75/week for unlimited access as well as a personal consultation with a child development expert to discuss the best ways to virtually program your child. For ages 5 through 13, $250/week full-days, $175/week half-days or $30/week for drop-ins.

Learn More: 92y.org