Don’t let COVID-19 waste away your summer! There is still hope for some online learning and fun with online summer camps. Here’s a list of summer camps for anything your child is interested in.
American Shakespeare Center in Staunton
Theatre and Arts
For more artistic children, Virginia Repertory Theatre offers one to two week long camps where kids can learn more about acting. The classes cover kindergarten ages all the way to age 18. Each day of camp, families receive an email especially designed for the child’s age group including videos taught by Virginia Rep’s professional educators. There will also be an hour long live-streaming feature for those interested in real-time feedback and connections with peers as well as instructors. VA-Rep.org/Camps
American Shakespeare Center students
American Shakespeare Center students at work.
At the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton, #SHXCamp is a new approach to summer learning. A socially-distant, three-week immersive intensive for teens conducted entirely online, students will work with Shakespeare’s text within a particular play, customize their camp experience by enrolling in different elective classes, and develop a personal portfolio. Campers can earn college credit from Mary Baldwin University, hang out with other campers in virtual lounges during downtime, and join their friends for beloved camp life activities in the evenings and on weekends. The camp runs from July 12 to August 3. AmericanShakespeareCenter.com/SHXCamp
If your child enjoys creating art, George Mason University provides online summer programs that also range from one to two weeks for ages five to 18. These programs include lessons in everything from stop motion photography to oil painting. They also offer lessons for younger children that feature fun crafts and painting. George Mason also provides classes on acting, film and video, as well as various kinds of music. Music camps at George Mason range from teaching musical instruments to your child to teaching your teenager how to produce and write music. MasonAcademy.GMU.edu/Online
Outdoors
If you have an outdoorsy child with a sense of adventure, this camp could be the one for you! Camp Cloud, an online camp from Adventure Links, features a traditional camp feel, all from the safety of your own home. Although this camp is not the same as going away into a cabin for a week or so, your child can still experience the same core values they would learn in person. The different activities are led by seasoned facilitators and guide kids on exploratory journeys through their own backyard, as well as teach them how to do different arts and crafts. For older campers, there is even an opportunity to learn how to do different experiments in their backyard and discover nature through physics and engineering. You can even involve your child and pet with the Pet Camp Week and learn the basics of veterinary care as well as the history of pets.
STEM
Mason Game and Technology Academy
George Mason University also offers an online summer camp from the Mason Game and Technology Academy where you or your child can learn about game design, immersive technology, game programming, artificial intelligence and machine learning. The schedule for the online classes includes a session at 9 a.m., a one hour break for lunch, and an afternoon session 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Some of the classes offered include an Intro to Python for ML/AI (Part 1), 3D Game Design with Unreal, as well as Game Programming with Unity and C#, as well as many more. These classes will be sure to aid anyone’s experience in video game programming.
Sports
The National Academy of Athletes features a variety of sports camps including baseball, volleyball, basketball, soccer and football. These online classes feature a variety of drills to get your child up and moving—and improving on their sport! Drills are available for five days upon purchase and are designed to be practiced in your backyard or in your home. NationalAcademyOfAthletics.com/virtual-sports-camps
VCO Orthodontics Summer Giveaway
If your child participates in any of these virtual summer camps, be sure to send a picture of them doing so to VCO Orthodontics for a chance to win a free pair of AirPods! During the COVID-19 pandemic, the smile squad at VCO Orthodontics is offering this free giveaway from their office in Arlington Virginia. They are also now treating patients with the necessary safety precautions. ARLNow.com
