Camp for rising 1st & 3rd graders together
Hi BPN! This summer, my daughters will be 6 and 8 years old (rising 1st and 3rd graders) and would like to attend camp together. My older daughter in particular is really slow to warm up to new situations, so having her younger sister in the camp with her would be great. (Many appear to accommodate multiple ages but tend to split K-2 / 3-5 for the activities.) They like sports (especially swimming), art, dance/music, but mostly a warm, caring environment. We're Oakland-based but open to Berkeley as well. Any recommendations to share? The Aurora Creators & Explorers camp looks great -- open to others as well. Thanks in advance!
Jan 7, 2019
Parent Replies
My kids are the same distance apart and I do think you'll find, for the most part, they will be in different groups even within the same camp. There are a few more freeflow camps where the kids are all in one mixed age group, but I'd also consider some of the camps where they'd be in separate groups but in close proximity like Fairyland (though registration opens on January 11th so it may be full before you see this comment!) or Galileo (where you might be able to request the same group since they group rising 1st and 2nd graders). You could also try Cal Blue Camp. Head-Royce's camp is also well liked and is a four-week session this year so there would be some consistency, though it's very pricey. I'm curious to hear other suggestions too!
My girls always liked Touch the Earth--in the Oakland hills. Outdoors, crafts, hikes...that was a long time ago.
Sees the Day - outdoor activities in Tilden - has been great for my kids (including my anxious older kid) and doesn't separate based on age. Already a fairly small group. Sometimes they separate into two groups, and the kids get to pick which activity they want to do.
We love Camp Ere at Brasarte, the Brazilian Cultural Center on San Pablo in Berkeley. It's open to ages 6-12, they do a great mix of dance, music (drumming and singing), capoeira, visual arts and crafts (usually costume making) and outdoor playtime at a local park. It's really cozy and affordable and the kids are not divided up by age. You won't find registration information online just yet - this is a all-hands on deck non-profit community center so they generally don't post the dates and themes (usually a region of Brazil or style of music/dance) for the summer camp until spring, but I highly recommend trying it.
I'd also suggest Sees the Day which is held at a site in Tilden Park. They don't separate out by age, there are a good number of activities so kids can find something they like, whether it's athletic, artistic, etc. They do a good job of helping kids who are a bit more shy.