The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, Greater Kansas City Chapter (AAFA) is one of our local partner organizations. We are proud of this partnership and wanted to share one of the great things that AAFA is doing for kids with asthma and allergies. AAFA hosts a fun-filled, week-long day camp for kids who have just completed grades 2-6. The 10th annual camp will be next week, July 21-25, and is already filled; but you might want to contact AAFA to learn about some of the other great services for your kids and other family members with asthma and allergies! Also, don’t forget to click back to our series on Summer Camps–especially #6/Special Needs.

This year, 50 campers will be participating in exciting activities including games, crafts, swimming, and even a field trip to Science City at Union Station! There will also be a visit from a Wizards player to help drive home the message that with proper education and asthma management, there’s no reason that kids should be limited in their summer activities. Superkids Asthma Day Camp ensures a safe, medically supervised environment for kids, and they will leave feeling informed and empowered to manage their asthma. Have a great week, campers!

Are you looking for something a little different for your kids this summer? Something to get them away from the TV, computer and Wii or Xbox? Try a kids’ cooking class! There are several options available in the Kansas City area.

The Kansas City Culinary Center (kcculinary.com) is located in old downtown Overland Park. They have a fabulous newly expanded facility and several different classes for kids throughout the summer. The bulk of their kids’ classes are geared for ages 9 to 14 - but they do offer a small number of classes for smaller kids, 2 1/2 to 4 and 5 to 8. The classes range from breakfast foods, cookies and cinnamon rolls to shopping and cooking from the farmers’ market, Italian and cake decorating. The Culinary Center is even offering a French food class modeled after the animated movie Ratatouille - this one is for parents and children ages 6 and up. Check out the full schedule on their website for dates and pricing.

A new offering in town is the Young Chefs Academy at 119th St. and Roe in Leawood. There are regularly scheduled weekly classes - you can take just one or sign up for a package or a membership. YCA is also offering week-long mini-camps this summer - each week has a different culinary theme. Kids get to do hands-on food prep, learn cooking and prep techniques, kitchen safety and table setting. They change the menus and recipes weekly and teach the children about taste testing and food rating too! This is also a fun new option for birthday parties! Check out their website at youngchefsacademy.com for details.

Believe it or not, there are some fantastic cooking classes being offered at the Olathe Hy-Vee location (135th Street, east of Mur-Len - near Kohl’s) this summer. Their Kids in the Kitchen program offers a one-hour class for kids in the Hy-Vee dining room ($2 per child!) every three or four days for all of June, July and the first few days of August. Classes include mini pizzas, muffins, smoothies, fruit and cheese kabobs and fruit and yogurt parfaits. Check the KCKidsFun events calendar throughout the summer for the full schedule. Reservations are suggested - call Hy-Vee at 913-780-9339. All classes start at 10:00 a.m.

We checked around with most of the metro’s parks and recreation departments and couldn’t find any other summer cooking classes. But definitely check back with them for cooking classes for kids during their fall and winter sessions. You can usually find some fun classes for bargain prices! Email us here at KCKidsFun - or add a comment to the end of this article - if you run across any other great cooking classes for kids around Kansas City.

Readers–here it is–a listing of major KC-metro area pools, open to the public, and their locations! Pools should have all opened for the season over the weekend. (That’s no guarantee that the water is warm!!!) They are listed by city to make it as easy as possible to navigate. Many of the pools offer swimming lessons, as well. I’ve included the link to each city’s aquatics website…simply click on the city and you’ll see the corresponding aquatics page. These city-specific pages offer detailed information on lessons, pool hours and daily/season fees, if applicable. PLEASE SEND ME AN EMAIL IF I’VE FORGOTTEN YOUR FAVORITE POOL! I can easily add it to the list. Happy Swimming! And above all, be safe!!

Overland Park, KS and Leawood, KS

• Bluejacket, 101st and Bond, 913.327.5671
• Marty, 74th and Conser, 913.327.5672
• Roe, 104th and Roe, 913.327.5673
• Stonegate, 97th and Antioch, 913.327.5674
• TRAC, 119th and Lowell, 913.327.5675
• Young’s, 77th and Antioch, 913.327.5676
• Leawood Aquatic Center, 10601 Lee Blvd., 913.327.3977

Olathe, KS and Prairie Village, KS

• Black Bob Pool, 14570 W. 151st St., 913.764.9720
• Mill Creek Pool, 320 E. Poplar, 913.829.9811
• Frontier Pool, 15909 W. 127th St., 913.829.9730
• Oregon Trail Pool, 1800 W. Dennis, 913.829.9815
• City of Prairie Village Pool, 7711 Delmar, 913.642.6010

Lee’s Summit, MO

• Legacy Park Community Center, 901 NE Bluestem Drive, 816.969.1550
• Summit Waves, NE corner of Hwys 50 and 291 South, 816.969.1515

Kansas City, MO

• Brush Creek community center, 3801 Emmanuel Cleaver II Blvd., 816.784.4000 *JULY 22 PARTY*
• Line Creek community center, 5940 NW Waukomis Dr., 816.513.0760 *JUNE 10 PARTY*
• Budd Park, Budd Park Espl. & Denver Ave., 816.784.2600 *AUG 5 PARTY*
• Grove Park, 3031 E. Truman, 816.231.9568 *JUNE 24 PARTY*
• Swope Park, Swope Park- 67th and Lewis, 816.513.8915 *JULY 8 PARTY*
• Arbor Villa, 66th Terrace and Main St. (OPENS JUNE 10)
• Ashland, 23rd and Elmwood streets (OPENS JUNE 10)
• Gillham, 41st and Gillham streets (OPENS JUNE 10)
• West Terrace, 16th and Jarboe streets (OPENS JUNE 10)
• KCMO “Spraygrounds” - Douglas Park, 2632 Jarboe St. - Harmony Park, 10th Street and Agnes - Longview Park, 7101 Longview Road (Closed Mondays) - Loose Park, 52nd Terrace and Summit - Parade Park, The Paseo and Truman Road - Sunnyside Park, 8255 Summit (Closed Mondays)

Five of the above KCMO “major” swim complexes will host FREE SUMMER SWIM PARTIES ON SELECT TUESDAYS FROM 5-7 pm! These are presented by Children’s Mercy Family Health Partners, KCWE Channel 29 and the KC Parks and Recreation Department. For hours and additional information on classes and parties, call 816.513.7500.

Shawnee, KS

• Splash Cove at Jim Allen Aquatic Center, 5800 King, 913.631.7177
• Thomas A. Saetaert Aquatic Center, 13805 Johnson Drive, 913.631.0054

Lenexa, KS

• Ad Astra Pool, 83rd and Maurer, 913.492.SWIM
• Flat Rock Creek Pool, 103rd and Hauser, 913.888.3202
• Indian Trails Aquatic Center, 87th and Greenway Lane, 913.888.4659

Independence, MO and Blue Springs, MO

• Adventure Oasis Water Park, 23rd Street just west of 291 Hwy., 816.325.7843
• Water playgrounds to cool off: 24 Hwy/N. Delaware and 24th & Hardy streets
• Blue Springs Centennial Pool Plex, 2401 W. Ashton Drive, 816.228.0188

Liberty, MO

• Liberty Community Center, 1600 S. Withers Rd.
• Spraygrounds at: Ruth Moore Park, 401 N. Morse and City Park, 970 S. Highway 291

Gladstone, MO

• Municipal Pool, Central Park, 69th & North Holmes, 816.436.2200

KCI Area/Platte County, MO

• Park Hill Aquatic Center, 8152 N. Congress Ave., 816.741.7963
• Springs Aquatic Center at Tiffany Hills Park, 9700 N. Congress, 816.880.0733
• Riverside Municipal Pool, 4498 NW High Drive, 816.741.3993

KC, KS

• Parkwood Pool, 950 Quindaro Blvd, 913.551.0402
• Spray Parks to cool off: Eisenhower Park, 2901 N. 72nd St., and Pierson Park, 1800 S. 55th St.

Also, if you’re looking for a break from the sun, don’t forget about the newly-opened CoCoKey Resort, located in the Sheraton Kansas City Sports Complex! Day passes can be purchased if you aren’t planning on spending the night at the hotel. The same holds true for Great Wolf Lodge in KCK. When it’s just too hot outside, bring the waterpark IN!

May is here! The school year is quickly coming to a close. If you haven’t made your summer camp decisions yet, don’t miss the KC Kids Fun Kansas City Summer Camp Series. We’ve done the legwork for you! Check out our lists of great summer camps available all over Kansas City this summer - general day camps, sports camps, visual arts camps, performing arts camps, science and nature camps and special needs camps.

Kansas City Summer Camp Series - #1 - General Day Camps

Kansas City Summer Camp Series - #2 - Visual Arts

Kansas City Summer Camp Series - #3 - Performing Arts

Kansas City Summer Camp Series - #4 - Science and Nature

Kansas City Summer Camp Series - #5 - Sports

Kansas City Summer Camp Series - #6 - Special Needs

You might also want to take a peek at our list of vacation bible schools for 2008!

KC Kids Fun hopes that you are planning a great summer! Check back with us often throughout the summer for new fun ideas for kids’ activities around Kansas City!

Yoga for kids? YES! Yoga for kids right here in Kansas City! The Zen Zone is a yoga studio in Lee’s Summit which offers classes for everyone in the whole family. Literally, EVERYONE! There are baby and mommy classes, toddler classes on up to the over 9 crowd. There are even family classes and adults only classes. After cruising through The Zen Zone website, I get the distinct impression that this is yoga like we’ve never seen it before. Yoga poses, puppets, animal sounds, songs for the younger crowd - phasing into more traditional yoga goals like breathing, relaxation and core strength as the kids get older.

The Zen Zone is located at 413 NW Murray Road in Lee’s Summit, MO. And they are having a FREE Family Yoga Class on Saturday, May 10th at noon for ages 4 and over. Check it out and then let us know what you thought!

I know, I know.  I said we were finished with the summer camp series.  But there has been such an interest in the camp offerings listed in the previous posts, I thought I’d go ahead and add a list of camps for kids with various special needs.  As always, if we’ve missed something great, please let us know by leaving a comment after this post or by emailing us (our email addresses are on the About Us page).

• Camp Encourage (held at Tall Creeks Conference Center in Linwood, KS) is tailored to children with autism, Asperger and related pervasive developmental disorders.  Peer models (children without an autism spectrum disorder) will also participate in the camp.
• Camp Hope (Claflin, KS - about 60 miles from Kansas City) is open for children from 7-18 who are in cancer treatment or in remission from cancer.  The camp is staffed by pediatric oncologists and nurses.  This is an overnight camp with all of the traditional camp activities.  A day camp is offered for kids ages 4-6.
• Camp MITIOG (Excelsior Springs, MO) is a camp for young people with spina bifida.  This year it runs from July 19-July 25.  All of the traditional camping activities are offered, with a one to one camper/counselor ratio and medical staff on-site.
• Camp Quality (Excelsior Springs, MO) is an overnight camp for children, ages 3- 17 with cancer.  Every child has an assigned adult ”companion” and an on-site oncology specialist is available for every camper.  Camp Quality is always looking for people over 18 who are willing to be camp companions - no medical training or experience is required.  Check out the website for an application.
• Children’s Therapy Group (Overland Park, KS) is a multi-disciplinary clinic specializing in sensory integration therapy.  This summer, they offer fine motor enhancement classes for preschoolers and kindergarteners, a handwriting class for ages 6-8, cursive writing for kids 7-10, Fun with Language for kids 3-9 who have problems with social, pragmatic and expressive language, sensory motor group for preschoolers, creative arts for kids 6-9 and water fun for kids with behavioral, learning and motor coordination problems.  CTG is located at 76th and Metcalf.
• Concerned Care, Inc. (North Kansas City, MO) hosts recreational sports, youth day camp and vocational day camp for young people with developmental disabilities.  Campers must be Clay County residents (due to funding issues).
• Girl Scouts Juliette Low Camp (Jackson County, MO) is held at Rotary Youth Camp at Lake Jacomo for girls with physical disabilities, ages 8-18.  Campers are encouraged to invite friends without disabilities to share the camp experience with them.  This is an overnight camp, lasting 6 nights.
• Horizon Academy (Roeland Park, KS) sponsors summer classes for kids with average or above average intelligence who are struggling with basic skills due to learning disabilities.  This summer, they offer a full summer school program, a reading clinic, a Type to Learn Keyboarding class and Cogmed Working Memory Training Computer Sessions for grades 1-12.
• H.O.R.S.E. (Helping Others Reach Success and Excellence)/Camp Round-Up (south Kansas City, MO) is a summer day camp for children ages -18 diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder.  This is a horse and horseback riding centered day camp with other traditional camp activities as well.  H.O.R.S.E. offers many fun yet therapeutic services for children within the autism spectrum.
• Joshua Center Summer Camp (Kansas City, MO) is sponsoring a summer overnight camp at Lake Jacomo (Rotary Youth Club Camp) for 5 days/4 nights in June.  The camp is for 3rd to 8th graders with Tourette Syndrome, Asperger Syndrome and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.  Hurry!  Registration ends April 15th.

(more…)

I’ve been digging around looking for different Vacation Bible School (VBS) options for the summer.  I’ve found 4 programs and wanted to post these quickly since one of them starts June 2!  Here’s where you, dear reader, come in:  please send us VBS dates from your places of worship!  You can easily shoot Kiran or Kate an email, or simply add to the “comments” section at the bottom of this post.  I will quickly post your suggestions and keep the list running!  Thanks!

Church of the Ascension (127th and Grant-Overland Park), June 9-13, www.kcascension.org

Kansas City First Church of the Nazarene (119th & State Line Rd-KCMO), June 23-27, www.kcfc.org

Prince of Peace (143rd b/w Black Bob & MurLen- Olathe), June 2-6, www.princeofpeace.info

St. John LaLande (Hwy 7 and RD Mize Rd- Blue Springs), July 16-20, www.stjohnlalande.com

Reader Update: 

KC Kids Fun reader Stacy emailed us about the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection (COR) at 135th & Roe in Leawood.  They’ve got VBS, June 9-13, COR Vacation Bible Camp

Another reader suggests Village Presbyterian Church (6641 Mission- Prairie Village) offers multiple events throughout summer! ie)Kids’ Day Out, Parent’s Day Out, day camp, VBS and field trips. www.villagepres.org

Okay, this is going to do it for the 2008 Summer Camp Series. We’ve covered general day camps, art, performing arts and science and nature. Today, we’ll take a look at sports camps. There is absolutely no way we could EVER catch every sports camp in town - but we’ll try to feature some highlights here!

The obvious place to start is with your local parks and recreation department. Click here for some easy links to parks and rec websites.

After you’ve taken a look at your tax-subsidized options, you might want to check out:

• AKKA - Karate USA (Kansas City, MO/Independence, MO/Gladstone, MO/Overland Park, KS/Olathe, KS) offers a variety of summer camps at their locations - as of March 29, 2008, some of the sites have not been updated with summer camp information yet. So, check back!
• All American Cheer & Stunt (Overland Park, KS) will be hosting summer fun and cheer camps for all ages at their new facility at 143rd and State Line.
• Barstow School Summer Camps (south Kansas City, MO) has a great variety of camps for all ages - baseball, basketball, soccer, tennis, volleyball, football, fencing, golf, gymnastics, rock-climbing and horsemanship.
• Blue Valley Soccer Club (south Johnson County, KS) will host recreation-level and premier-level soccer camps - for ages 5 through high school.
• Challenger British Soccer Camps (multiple locations across the Kansas City metro area), through city and county parks and recreation department and private soccer clubs, holds TONS of camps for kids of all ages and skill levels. The instructors are excellent young British coaches with a high level of skill and patience.
• Coach Rocky Lamar’s Fundamentally Driven Basketball Camp (Olathe, KS) is held in Olathe at the Mid-America Nazarene University. Camps are offered for girls and boys, grades 3 through 12 and are coached by MANU’s head men’s and women’s basketball coaches.
• First Tee of Greater Kansas City (many locations across the city) hosts junior golf camps at public courses to teach kids ages 5 and up golf skills and life skills. Classes and leagues are also available.
• Great American Gymnastics Express (GAGE Center) - Bump City Sports Camps (Blue Springs, MO) offers week-long, full-day camps all summer long for ages 4 to 12. Activities include gymnastics, rock climbing, games, sports, swimming and more.
• Got Skills Soccer Camp (Northland) teaches soccer fundamentals and advanced techniques to boys and girls of all skill levels, from age 6 to 14.
• Heartland Fencing Academy (Overland Park, KS) will be holding introduction to fencing camps at Blue Valley’s Heartland Elementary School (just east of 127th & Antioch) for kids ages 6 to 13.
• Johnson County Community College (Overland Park, KS) offers a HUGE variety of sports clinics for kids of all ages - you name it and they’ve got it: baseball, basketball, football, soccer, conditioning, cheerleading, golf, softball, tennis, track, volleyball and weight training!
• Kansas City Athletic Cheer - KCAC (Overland Park, KS) will host tumbling and cheering camps for all ages!
• Kansas City Fencing Center (Overland Park, KS) offers introductory, recreational and competitive fencing camps for kids ages 7 and up.
• Kansas Gymnastics & Cheer (Olathe, KS) will have a full summer of Monday thru Thursday, half-day gymnastics camps (preschool and recreational) for ages 3 and up.
• Kansas Rush Soccer Club (Olathe, KS) will offer week-long soccer camps for kids ages 5 and up at Lone Elm Soccer Complex and Prairie Center Park.
• Northland Youth Football Camp (Liberty, MO) hosts kids K-8th grade for a four day football camp at William Jewell College, just in time to prepare for the 2008 season!
• Peeper Ranch (Olathe, KS) offers riding camps with two lessons every day plus crafts, buggy rides and more horse-related education. Space is limited!
• Pembroke Hill Summer Camps (Kansas City, MO) offer a little bit of EVERYTHING including sports like basketball, mixed martial arts, climbing, soccer and volleyball.
• R&R Stables (Lee’s Summit, MO) offers a host of horse riding clinics and camps. Contact them for more information.
• Rockhurst High School (Kansas City, MO) hosts several different sports camps this summer. These include baseball camps for boys in grades 4 through 9; basketball camps for boys in grades 3 through 10; football camps for boys in grades 4 through 9; lacrosse camps for boys and girls in grades 3 through high school and soccer camps for boys and girls K through 12.
• Sports City (Blue Springs, MO) looks like it might have camps for baseball, softball, volleyball, basketball and football throughout the year. Their website was a little lacking in information about summer programs - so you may just need to give them a call!
• St. Thomas Aquinas Summer Camps (Overland Park, KS) has grade school camps for baseball, basketball, football and wrestling (boys) and basketball, cheerleading, softball and volleyball (girls). They also offer high school camps for the same sports.

For more articles about camps, lessons or classes, use the pull down menu at the top left hand side of the page to sort previous posts - choose Lessons/Camps/Classes. For links to other classes, use the Links! menu on the right hand side of the page.

Good luck and have a great summer!

We’ve previously looked at general day camps, visual art camps and performing arts camps.  Today, we’ll take a look at science and nature camps available around the Kansas City area this summer.  There are some fantastic hidden treasures around the metro for your scientifically-inclined child or for your nature/outdoors kids.  As always, check out the offerings of your local parks and rec department and also take a look at these great finds:

• Anita B. Gorman Conservation Discovery Center (Kansas City, MO) will be offering a Discovery Camp and an Outdoor Skills Camp for older elementary school kids and middleschoolers.
• Ernie Miller Park and Nature Center (Olathe, KS) hosts outdoor discovery camps for children ages 6-12.  Hikes, environmental games and nature crafts are centered around a changing weekly theme.  Sign up quick!  Some camps are already full!
• Kansas City Zoo Summer Camps (Kansas City, MO) offers some really neat week-long science and animal-related day camps for all ages.
• Kansas Starbase (Kansas City, KS) is a really cool camp for kids who have finished 4th, 5th or 6th grades.   Topics covered are flight basics and flying skills in a simulator, robotics, rocketry and space exploration.
• Lakeside Nature Center (Kansas City, MO)  offers a Summer of Science camp for kids from 6 to 12.  I think they also team up with the Kansas City Zoo on some of the zoo’s camps too.
• The Learning Exchange (Kansas City, MO) hosts the CityWorks, WildWorks and WildWorks II camps for kids from 7 to 13.  CityWorks is offered at Exchange City and teaches kids about personal finance and business.  The WildWorks programs cover wildlife biology and scientific skills.
• Martha Lafite Thompson Nature Sanctuary (Northland) has a brand new summer program this year called EGADS (Earth Guardians Adventure Days).  These are nature focused camps with outdoor exploration, games, crafts and songs.  There are different offerings for everyone from preschool through ninth grade.
• Mr. & Mrs. F.L. Schlagle Library (Kansas City, KS) is an environmental learning center located at Wyandotte County Lake Park.  This summer, the Schlagle Library will have a nature day camp for preschoolers, an outdoor discovery day camp for elementary age children, Destination Science camp for middleschoolers and a World of Flight camp also for middleschoolers.
• Parkville Nature Sanctuary (Parkville, MO) offers three-day nature camps, exploring the trails, learning trail safety, discovering wild animal habitats, identifying trees and other nature-related activities.  For ages 8 to 12.
• Powell Gardens (Kingsville, MO - east of Lee’s Summit) is expanding its Summer Explorations program this year.  Camps are offered for 3rd grade through 7th grade.  Nature Explorations (for the younger set) will cover plant and water science.  Career Explorations (for the older kids) explores careers in botany, horticulture and landscaping.
• Science City (Kansas City, MO) offers summer camps for kids ages 6 to 12.  Hands-on activities keep your kids interested in weekly themes related to biology, chemistry, engineering and space.
• UMKC - Kansas City Summer Transportation Institute (Kansas City, MO) is a camp for high schoolers focused on various aspects of the transportation industry including career exploration in the transportation sector, skill building, teamwork and college preparation.
• Wildwood Outdoor Education Center (near LaCygne, KS) offers overnight (or “residential”) camps for kids ages 8 to 14.  With a nature-focus, campers take part in very traditional camp activities - swimming, fishing, ropes course, games, canoeing, arts & crafts and theme nights. 
• William Jewell College (Liberty, MO) hosts week-long residential camps for 7th and 8th grade boys and girls.  Campers have the opportunity to engage in activities related to biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics and computer science. The camp curriculum also emphasizes leadership development and teambuilding. Evening activities are generally less formal.
• Wonderscope (Shawnee, KS) has some really fun camps for kids ages 5 to 9.  In addition to a drama camp, Wonderscope offers great science-related themes - like water experiments, space, rainforests, building, environmentalism/conservation and the popular Ker-SPLAT! and Ka-BOOM! camp which mixes science and the creative arts.

Continuing our series on summer camps in Kansas City, today’s post covers performing arts camps. Theater, dance, voice, gymnastics - there are so many offerings in this genre. We’ve got a huge list here and I’m sure we’ve even missed a few. And many of the general day camps I mentioned in my first Summer Camp post offer performing arts-themed camps as well. Check those out and then take a look at these, in addition to those offered by your local parks and recreation department.

• Academy of Performing Arts (Grandview, MO) has two-week sessions of performing arts training for ages 6 and up, culminating in a musical play and talent showcase on the Academy’s outdoor stage. This year - Alice in Wonderland!
• Act Out! (Olathe, KS) is an acting camp for ages 6 and up, hosted by the First Christian Church in downtown Olathe.
• Ballet North (Northland) offers week-long dance camps for ages 4 and up.
• Camellot Academy (Blue Springs, MO) offers a camp program for kids age 5 through grade 9. Campers participate in activities related to dance, art, drama, vocal music and performance skills. They rehearse and perform a complete play the final week of camp.
• Chestnut Fine Arts Center (Olathe, KS) is offering two one-week theatre workshops this summer. Topics covered include scripts, songs, dances, costume design, set building and performance. A 30 minute production caps off the week.
• Christian Youth Theater (multiple locations) offers several day and overnight camp options for kids from age 4 through high school. Each session is a week long. The kids work on fun productions all week long and then perform!
• Coterie Theatre (multiple locations) has courses for grades 1 through 12 - try acting, playwriting or theatre exploration classes.
• Creative Arts Academy (Gladstone, MO) offers weeklong, full day camps for kids from ages 4 to 14, each week in July. Camp activities include hip hop dance, gymnastics, trampoline, tumbling, arts/crafts, sports, drama and swimming.
• Culture House (Olathe, KS) has a HUGE variety of summer courses available from dance and ballet to music and theater. Take a stage saber fighting course, learn to perform Wicked and Hairspray!
• Dave’s Gymnastics Factory (Lee’s Summit, MO) offers a full day camp for ages 5 to 11, all summer long. Activities includenot only gym time but also outdoor activities, arts and crafts and swimming
• Eagles Gymnastics and Dance Centre (south Kansas City, MO) has half day camps with different themes each week. Each camp includes gymnastics and special activities related to the week’s theme. Boys and girls of all ages are welcome!
• Edge Gymnastics (Liberty, MO) offers one day “power camps”, which are single full day classes based around a fun theme - princesses, American Idol, Mad Scientist, Olympics, cheer and dancing.
• Emerald City Gymnastics (Overland Park, KS) offers four-day camps with gymnastics, games, playing in Bump City and a week-ending show for parents.
• A Fairytale Ballet (Prairie Village, KS and Overland Park, KS) has one and two day “princess” camps for little girls throughout the summer.
• A Flip Zone (Lee’s Summit, MO) offers two-day camps based around different themes. Kids from 2 1/2 to 12 participate in gymnastics, games and snacks.
• Camp Shakespeare/Heart of America Shakespeare Festival (various locations) has a wide range of offerings for kids from 5 to 18. Camps range from one day to two weeks and many camps end with a camp performance of a Shakespearean play.
• Ibsen Dance Theatre (Northland) doesn’t have their summer schedule posted on the website yet. But they traditionally have a theatre camp in addition to dance classes during the summer. Check back on their website or just give them a call!
• Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey AileyCamp (Kansas City, MO and Kansas City, KS) is a camp for inner-city middle-schoolers which uses dance as a vehicle to build self-esteem, self-discipline and critical thinking skills.
• KC Young Audiences (Kansas City, MO) gives kids ages 5 to 18 a chance to learn music, musical theater, Shakespeare, comedy, dance and show production.
• Legacy School of the Arts (Olathe, KS) offers regular and intensive summer dance classes as well as drama and musical theatre camps for all ages.
• Lyric Opera (Kansas City, MO) hosts an amazing two week camp for kids ages 10 to 18. Campers will study the opera La Boheme and acting techniques. They will perform a family opera at the end of camp and will have the opportunity to be chosen to sing in an actual Lyric Opera production next season.
• Martin City Melodrama (Overland Park, KS) offers fun comedy camps for grades K through 12 during the month of June.
• Miller-Marley School of Dance and Voice (Overland Park, KS) doesn’t have their summer information posted to their website yet (as of March 27, 2008 ) but check back because the folks at Miller-Marley never slow down!
• Music House School of Music (south Overland Park, KS) has some super non-traditional camp offerings - Rock Band, Garage Band and The Real Guitar Hero - for ages 10 to 17.
• Music Theatre for Young People (Olathe, KS) is putting on a day camp for ages 7 to 12, culminating in a performance of School House Rock!
• Paul Green School of Rock (North Kansas City, MO) offers rock music performance camps and theory camps. Check back at their website soon for details.
• Paul Mesner Puppets (Kansas City, MO) is having Puppet Camp for ages 6 and up! Learn to make puppets and create puppet shows from the best!
• The Pulse PAC (south Kansas City, MO) offers some fun camps this summer in addition to their regular and intensive dance classes. Sign up for High School Musical, Pop Divas, Fairytale Ballet and Beach Party camps.
• Theatre for Young America (Shawnee, KS) hosts drama classes and five-day workshops at Wonderscope Children’s Museum during the summer. As of March 27, 2008, they still had 2007 summer information on the website - but check back soon for an update!
• Theatre of the Imagination (various locations) offers theatre camps at several locations around the city. Check out their website for updates. UPDATE: Looks like Theatre of the Imagination is offering camps in Kansas City and in Leawood. All ages, several themes - acting, singing dancing!
• University of Missouri - Kansas City Community Music and Dance Academy (Kansas City, MO) has several dance and musical instrument summer programs. Some are offered at UMKC and others are offered at Notre Dame de Sion.