Local summer camps offer lots of Lowcountry fun
The end of the school year is nearly here and local organizations are offering a variety of Summer Camp options for kids. While there are dozens of options for the kids to have organized fun after school lets out, we took a look at a few throughout the area that offer a variety of fun opportunities for kids including learning local history, bridge and rocket building, boat building, learning the local coastal ecosystem and lots more.
The YMCA of Beaufort County is offering summer day camp to give kids and youth in northern Beaufort County an adventurous, active and healthy summer.
Camps include:
Kiddie Camp for campers age 3-4. Includes daily swim time, arts and crafts, story time, playtime, nature walks, preschool activities, etc.
Traditional Camp for kids age 5 – 12, segmented into age appropriate groups. Youth participate in educational enrichment activities with an emphasis on reading and mathematics. Plenty of fun time too! Daily swimming, nature activities, crafts, music, gym activities, team activities, etc.
Specialty Camps offer unique opportunities for learning and creativity offered by camp staff trained in specific activities. Camps include travel camp, LEGO® Bricks 4 Kidz, basketball, soccer, tennis, girls & dolls camp, camp diva and more.
The YMCA will also be teaching swim lessons throughout the summer as well as the youth boating program (for rising 7th to 10th graders).
Costs for Kiddie Camp and traditional camps ranges from $85-$105 per week per child. Costs for specialty camps range from $100-$150 per week per child. To ensure that all youth have the chance to experience camp, the YMCA of Beaufort County offers financial assistance to those in need. For more information including dates and registration forms visit: ymcabeaufortcounty.com or call 843.522.9622.
Looking for something fun and different this summer for the kids? Let the Historic Beaufort Foundation take them back in time at its Fun With History Day Camp. Campers will explore a different slice of history each day through walks, crafts, hands-on activities, and more. Important milestones in Lowcountry history will be featured – It’s five years of Beaufort history in five days.
Important years featured are:
1566 – Spaniards built Fort San Felipe on what is now called Parris Island. The Spanish named the new settlement that grew around the fort “Santa Elena” and it became the capital of La Florida Province.
1780 – The Lowcountry had divided loyalties during the Revolutionary War. While many people took up the cause of the Patriots, Daufuskie Island, was a British stronghold. During the Revolution, South Carolina was the site of more battles and skirmishes than any other colony.
1825 – The Marquis de La Fayette toured the United States at the invitation of the government. His visit to Beaufort in March 1825 was met with great celebration.
1862 – The Civil War came to Beaufort in November 1861 with the successful invasion of the Union Army. How did Beaufort cope with soldiers, abolitionists, teachers, and freed slaves all gathering in the town?
1893 – Beaufort has endured numerous natural storms but the Hurricane of 1893 rates as one of the worst! Discover how this hurricane changed the face of Beaufort forever.
Camps are open to ages 8-11 and include arts & crafts, games and interactive history over three weeks this summer: June 20-24; July 11-15; and August 1-5. Cost is $70/week per camper for members of HBF with a family membership or higher or $80/week per camper for non-members of HBF.
The Port Royal Sound Foundation is partnering with the Lowcountry Maritime Society to host a youth summer camp at the Maritime Center. The one week camp will be held twice over the summer and includes a unique combination of wooden boat building and junior naturalist activities. Not only will campers learn about our local maritime history, they’ll also learn to follow design plans, use tools and apply new skills to build a wooden boat.
Campers will also enjoy junior naturalist activities including ecology, arts, history, conservation and boater safety. Campers will take part in activities throughout the Maritime Center that will expand their knowledge of and encourage their interaction with the Port Royal Sound environment.
Camp dates are July 18th through July 22nd, and July 25th through July 29th. Visit the Port ROyal Sound Foundation at http://portroyalsoundfoundation.org/ for registration and more information.
The Beaufort Arts Council/Mather Academy is hosting an Imagination Station Art Camp in June and July at the new Arts Center on Port Republic Street in downtown. Students will explore various visual arts media through hands on arts processes each day including drawing, painting, printmaking, mixed media and clay with a focus on the Lowcountry and Gullah culture.
Camp dates are June 27th through June 30th and July 25th through July 28th. Visit the Beaufort Arts Council on Facebook for registration and more information.
The new Celadon Club on Lady’s Island is hosting two fun summer camps that has attendees building rockets, bridges, catapults and more.
May 31st through June 3rd and July 11th through July 15th Celadon is hosting a Wonders of Flight camp where kids will get to experience lessons based on the physics of flying. A fast paced and engaging four day camp for 10 to 14 year olds, rockets are set to be built and launched by the end of the camp.
June 20th through the 24th and June 2th through July 1st brings a Bridges & Catapults Engineering Camp. Kids 10 to 14 will learn the basic engineering and design of bridges and catapults and will be building their own. Sure to be an intellectual challenging and rewarding time for all.
For registration and more information, visit CeladonLiving.com