Children from pre-school to high school danced their way through July and August during the Dance Studio at Hollin Hall’s summer camps. The camps were tailored for each age group with the four year-olds working on pre-ballet and creative dance all the way up to the children age nine and older who studied a combination of ballet, tap and jazz. But the camp went beyond dance with all sorts of musical and artistic activities fitting with the theme of the day.  For example, on Circus Day, the preschoolers experimented with galloping horse and walking the tightrope dance moves, put together circus…

If you’re looking for a summer camp that features art, not crafts and nurtures artists, not campers; then you might want to look into Art at the Center’s three days sessions. Owner Kathryn Coneway, who you might also recognize from her columns on Hybla Valley Patch, said Art at the Center summer camps are all about exploring different mediums.  Though some classes focus on bookmaking and others on moving sculpture, the creative philosophy remains the same. “I think it’s just great for kids to work with materials,” Coneway said.  “It’s nice for kids to have a place where they can do it.” …

If your child is looking for a summer camp that includes; water slides, cotton candy, indoor air hockey, princess ballet, Lego builds, field trips to the zoo and rock climbing excursions, you may want to check out a Child’s Place at Hollin Hall. The camp is for kids who have finished kindergarten all the way up to 14 year-olds and is offered all summer long.  The camp caters to working parents, so you can drop off your kids as early as 7 a.m. and pick them up until 6 p.m.  The multi-purpose camp shakes things up every day with indoor activities, outdoor activities and numerous field trips. …

Five to 13 year-olds worked took center stage in several musical and dramatic programs put on by the Mount Vernon Community Children’s Theater’s most recent summer camp. The two-week camp featured drama in the morning and musical theater in the afternoon.  At the camp’s end, kids put on a short production that they had polished throughout the two weeks.  The drama productions in the most recent camp were The Extraordinary Ordinary Day, Chrysanthemum, Fairytale Feud and Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Musical productions were March of the Penguins, Charlotte’s Web, The Granny …

A series of unique, theater based summer camps put on by StagePlay and hosted at St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church aims to keep kids imaginations engaged the whole day through.  For a group of five to eight year-olds two weeks ago camp was all about the word play. “They just don’t get to do enough of it,” said Founder and Director Heather Sanderson.  “Life is so structured.” Sanderson compared the camp to “a three day birthday party.”  Kids were encouraged to wear costumes; Stage Play provided heaps of kids’ dress up garb, everything from dragon wear to princess gowns. “They love [dressing up].  …