Author: Valerie
This class is a lot of fun, and there are free ones at the Durham public libraries this winter:
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Durham County Library system is hosting a number of free Salsa Tots (ages: walkers to 5-years) classes.
Sing, Dance and Play with Salsa Tots!
Enjoy tropical songs and steps to lively Latin rhythms that parents and kids can both enjoy!
Pre-registration is required at the host library. If the class is already full, please ask to be placed on the waiting list.
Wed, January 16 — 7:00 pm
Parkwood Library
5122 Revere Rd 27713
Thu, January 17 — 11:15 am
Southwest Library
3605 Shannon Rd 27707
Wed, February 13 — 10:30 am
East Regional Library
211 Lick Creek Ln 27703
Author: Valerie
Here is a list of summer camps in the area.
PLEASE VERIFY CAMP DETAILS AND REFERENCES CAREFULLY BEFORE ENROLLING YOUR CHILD.
For the most up-to-date summer camp list, click here.
American Dance Festival
ArtsQuest at Hayti Heritage Center
Barriskill Dance Theatre School
Ages 3-16 - half day and full day - ballet, jazz, world dance, more
Blast Wellness
Ages 8-14 - afternoons - “Dance Dance Revolution Theater Video Gaming Bikes Electronic Sportwalls Strength and Cardio Sessions Sports”
Boy Scouts
Link to general site listing Durham Boy Scout troops.
Boys & Girls Clubs
Ages 6-15 - 7:30am to 6pm - “John Avery Boys & Girls Clubs’ summer camp continues and expands our goals to provide our youth with educational & career development, sport, fitness & recreation, character & leadership development, health & life skills, as well as exposure to the arts.”
Camelot Academy Edu-Camp
Ages 6-12 - 8am to 5:30pm - “This unique summer day camp offers both academics and recreational activities. Mornings feature appropriate course work in both language arts and math, while afternoons are devoted to fun field trips: swimming, bowling, roller skating.”
Camp Kanata
Ages 6-15 - Day camp and overnight camp - offers a Gluten-Free Week - “Have a blast and laugh all day. Then you’ll know the Kanata way. Swim, canoe or shoot a bow, ride a pony and steal the show. Feel free to laugh, but not to frown. You’ll have a blast, just come on down!”
Camp Riverlea
Ages 5-12 - swimming, archery, kayaking, nature, canoeing, music, arts & crafts, athletics, drama, tennis - “A Camp Tradition for Durham Area Children”
Carolina Friends Summer Program
Ages 4-15 - 9am to 3pm with extended day available
Chez Bay Gourmet Cooking Camp
Ages 10-17 - 9am to 3pm - cooking in various themes like Asian, Italian, Latin, Brunch
Children’s Cooperative Playschool Summer Camp
Cresset Christian Academy Camps
Duke AHEC (Health Careers) Camps
Duke Gardens Nature Adventures
Ages 8-11 - 9am to 1pm - “This camp will focus on a different topic in nature everyday. Campers will explore plants, birds, insects, and water habitats through hands-on discovery, journaling, art, and science projects to take home. We will explore different areas of the Gardens to discover the connections between plants, animals, and people.”
Duke School Summer Camp
Ages 4-8th grade - times vary - 2007 schedule featured Lego Robotics camp, volleyball camp, Young Explorers, Theater Camp, and general camp with “arts and crafts, computers, academics, sports, cooking, cartooning, and recreational activities”
Duke Sports Camps
Ages vary - baseball, track & field, volleyball, basketball, soccer, swimming, tennis, lacrosse, wrestling, football, golf
Duke University Camps for Youth
Ages vary, primarily middle school - Several camps including: Action Science Camp for Young Women, Biosciences and Engineering Camp, Drama Workshop, Expressions! Performing Arts Camp, Young Writer’s Camp, Creative Writer’s Workshop, Constructing Your College Experience, Weekend Workshops
Duke University Cybercamps
Ages 10-17 - “individual projects using the coolest technologies. Our courses include Game Design, Flash® Animation, Robotics, Web Design—just to name a few.”
Duke University Faculty Club
ages 3-18
Duke University Talent Identification Program
Grades 7-12 - residential program - “an unparalleled opportunity for young scholars to experience college classroom instruction and residence hall living” for academically motivated students
Durham Academy Summer Programs
Durham Arts Council
Durham Bulls Baseball Camp
Ages 7-14 - 9am to 2pm - “At the beginning of each camp, kids are divided into age groups and coached by Bulls players in pitching, fielding and hitting. After a lunch break, each age group plays a game.”
Durham County 4-H
Ages vary - 9am to 3pm - Last year featured money, citizenship, painting, quilting, crime scene investigation, crafts and sewing, democratic process, and other themed camps
Durham County Library Reading Club
Durham Parks and Recreation
Ages 5-12 - half day or full day - “a wide range of activities that include but are not limited to swimming, arts & crafts, computer enrichment, environmental education, dance, athletic games, and much more”
Durham Public Schools Summer Youth
Grades 1-6 - 7am to 6pm - “Interesting learning themes combine with sports, games, swimming, field trips, and crafts”
Girl Scouts
General link to local council
Hope Valley Baptist Church Vacation Bible School
The Little Gym
Jewish Community Center Camp
Kindergarten-9th grade - 9am to 3pm with extended care available - “arts and crafts, sports and nature, swimming, theater and dancing, and foreign language instruction” plus field trips, outdoor swimming at the Duke Faculty Club, visiting artists and performers, and special overnights
Karate International [pdf]
Ages 6-15 - half day and full day schedules - karate, martial arts, general physical fitness, safety
Kindermusik Summer Camps
0-7 years - parent/child program - “music, stories, and crafts”
Mardi Gras Bowling Center
Montessori Children’s House of Durham Summer Camp
Ages 3-6 - 8:30am to 5pm with extended day available - “music, literature, and creative movement throughout the week, with plenty of time for good old-fashioned, summertime fun”
Movie Makers
Ages 6-18 - 9am to 3pm - “By the end of the week, we have made a mini movie or TV show. Within a few weeks, we have a premiere party for family and friends, where our movie is shown on a full-size movie screen!. And each participant receives his/her own copy of the movie to keep.”
Museum of Life & Science Camps
NC Central University Programs
Pasca Pottery Camp
Ages 5-15 - 9am to 11am - “pinch pots, sculptural pieces, coiled work, slab work, etc.”
Project SUCCEED
middle school ages - science
Sarah’s House of Pottery
Schoolhouse of Wonder
Ages 5-16 - times vary - “experiences in Earth awareness, camp skills, river wading, storytelling, campfires, and games”
SEEDlings
animals, gardening, world cultures
Summer Hoopla Basketball Camp
Ages 6-16 - 9am to 3pm with extended care available - basketball and traditional camp activites
Summer Ventures
“a cost-free, state-funded program for academically talented students who may pursue careers based in science and mathematics” held at the NC School of Science and Mathematics in Durham
Walk Your Path Summer Adventures
Ages 7-12 - 8:30am to 5pm - “River explorations, hiking, scavenger-hunting, shelter-building, fire-making, campfire cooking, athletics, arts & cards”
Walltown Children’s Theatre
Ages 4-14 - times vary - dance, drama, acting, singing
Wheels Family Fun
Woodcroft Club Summer Camp
Ages 6-11 - 8:30am to 5pm - crafts, games, swim lessons
Author: Valerie
The NCMLS Santa Train sold out very quickly this year, and tickets were being traded and sold on multiple listservs and craigslist. No scalpers spotted, but it’s a market waiting to happen. Tickets were $10, lap kids 3 and under free.
We were able to get there early this year to do the crafts (reindeer head and ornament) and drink hot cocoa (both free) before our ticketed spots. We had appropriate winter weather (riders reported it was “too warm” earlier in the week), and everyone was bundled in coats, hats, mittens, and the like. The train area was lit up with decorations. For sale were blinking reindeer noses and flashing wands.
The kids were excited to get in line and board the train. We traveled to the North Pole, where the train stopped. A 7-foot Santa (huge, I tell you) greeted each child kindly and reminded them to leave cookies or to mail in their lists. He said he would do his best to bring something they’d each like. His elf gave out candy canes, and we debated whether the hook is a handle or a starting point.
Off the train went–our job was to spot Rudolf and tell him to hurry back to the North Pole. Finally we spied his red blinking nose in the woods and everybody yelled Go! Go home Rudolf! Hurry! And off he went, and our ride was over.
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