Last summer didn’t go off quite as planned for most Frederick summer camps and, after a year spent virtually learning, kids and parents alike are itching to get back to some semblance of normal.
Summer camps are the perfect answer!
While things won’t be back to normal as we once knew it, and camps are are going to be implementing various health and safety precautions to ensure everyone’s safety, it will be great to see the kids back to enjoying summer together again!
Summer Camp 2021: The Best Frederick Summer Camps for Kids
YMCA Frederick
This summer, the YMCA of Frederick County will offer more than 40 camps, including sports, art, humanities, outdoor adventure camps, and many more! Many camps will offer swimming, games, crafts, and character development activities.
- Fun camp activities to engage brains
- Opportunities to explore, develop new skills, and try new things
- Plenty of physical activity and games to keep bodies active
Campers will develop new friendships and have tons of fun in a safe environment that will include:
- Physical distancing
- Face mask and hygiene protocols
- Small group sizes
Learn more here:Â YMCA Frederick
The Banner School
The Banner School offers camps for children from preschool through 8th grade. They are fun and educational theme-based experiences led by trained staff, many of whom are our own faculty and staff members.
AGES 3-5 (must be toilet-trained) A perfect mix of fun and academics with weekly themes that are creative and interactive.
AGES 6-14 Offers camps that will keep your child entertained and engaged. Camp offerings vary each week and include adventure hikes, creative arts, STEAM exploration, and more. We are delighted to offer many new programs as well as annual favorites.
Learn more here:Â The Banner School
Holly Hills Country Club
Holly Hills offers campers a unique balance of a traditional day camp experience in the convenient and familiar setting of the country club. With a combination of outstanding amenities, exciting programming, and an experienced and energetic staff team, they structured and fun day camp will be the perfect place for your child.
The entire team at Holly Hills is stoked to welcome the kids back to Camp Holly Hills this summer! We can NOT wait to see them all enjoying the activities our new Camp Director, Cara Mogavero has planned. #inlovewithsummertime -Chanon Zimmerman, Director of Operations, Holly Hills Country Club. -Holly Hills Country Club
Learn more here:Â Holly Hills Country Club
The Claggett Center
The Claggett Center offers week-long, residential, camp programs for youth from completed 2nd grade to recently-graduated high school seniors. Whether climbing high on the ropes course, or diving deep at the pool, there’s something for everyone here at Claggett. From adventures on the Monocacy River and Sugarloaf Mountain, to swimming, games, campfires and classic skits, campers are sure to create new friendships and renew old ones year after year.
Summer Camps at Claggett are Christian formation ministries of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland. Camp is grounded in Scripture and tradition, and encourages campers and staff to use their whole selves as ways to explore the Christian Story. Each week a chaplain participates in all camp activities, and supports the ministry of camp through prayer, participation and spiritual direction.Â
The Claggett Center offers residential camps for young people grades 2-12, grounded in the Episcopal tradition. Experience life in a supportive community of friends as you explore the outdoors, learn new skills, and build relationships with campers from all over the region.
Learn more here: The Claggett Center
TreeTrekkers
Tree Trekkers Adventure Camp is the ultimate summer adventure camp offering campers the chance to climb on 14 different courses with 7 difficulty levels.
Campers have the opportunity to improve their climbing skills and tackle more challenging courses each day. Campers will participate in team building activities, games, educational activities related to camp theme, and climb on the courses for 2-3 hours daily with an encouraging camp counselor to guide their way. Adventure camp encourages person to person communication, outdoor socialization, physical fitness, imagination, a love for nature and so much more.
This summer get off the screen and into the green, because zipping is better than zooming! Make new friends and reconnect with old ones.
Learn more here:Â TreeTrekkers
The Delaplaine Arts Center
The Delaplaine is offering EIGHT weeks of fun and creative visual arts camps for kids and teens this summer! Choose from more than 30 camps for ages 6–10 and 10–14. Each camp runs Monday–Friday (except Week 3, which is three days, Wednesday–Friday), with two sessions each week, morning (10 am–12 pm) and afternoon (1–3 pm).
Some examples of their courses include:
- Starting Points in Oils
- Weaving 101
- Creating with Metal (camp)
- Art and Nature Explored
- Introduction to Woodworking: Animals
- Art of the Masters
- Prehistoric Creatures Exploration 22-1-CP10
- Fun with Origami 22-1-CP12
- And more!
View the entire list on their site.
- We’re excited to be able to offer more than 30 morning and afternoon art camps for kids and teens ages 6–14 at the Delaplaine this summer! Even though we will be closely following appropriate health and safety guidelines for our Maryland-state certified camps, we expect that they will be just as full of creativity and fun as ever! -The Delaplaine
Maryland Ensemble Theatre
Looking to enjoy safe in person summer theatre experience? Try The MET.Â
Their variety of theater camps will allow participants to explore all elements of theater. Here are some of their offerings:
- Work on becoming anything from a Ringmaster to a Clown as we workshop techniques for physical comedy, juggling, flow arts, dance, and more.
- You become set, costume, lighting, sound, and prop designer. Each day will focus on a different area of theatrical design, as well as different acting, movement, design elements.
- Work on becoming a triple threat as you combine acting, singing, and dancing. Students will be led in a morning workout then move through their day working on scenes, songs, and dances from some of Broadway’s greatest treasures.
- Class clowns and wallflowers alike are all welcome! Basic improv exercises, stand-up comedy techniques, and comedy scene work are all fused to help students learn how to write, create and perform an original student-crafted comedy improv show, all while building confidence and honing public speaking skills.
- Students will create an original theatre piece utilizing ensemble-based exercises that are the core of MET. This is a chance to use their own voices to really show us the future of theatre.
Learn more here:Â Maryland Ensemble Theatre
The United Way Summer Serve Camp for Teens
This six-week program, divided into three separate two-week sessions, is designed to help young people awaken their inner leader, build teamwork skills, and meet like-minded peers while creating positive change in their community. Summer Serve participants learn about different areas of need in Frederick County through hands-on experience while working on service projects at various local nonprofits.
Service hours are provided.
Summer Serve was not offered in 2020 due to COVID but in 2019 there were a total of 71 Summer Serve participants, who collectively contributed 1,815 volunteer hours to the Frederick Community (about $44,812 in labor that small non-profit organizations cannot afford to pay).
All Summer Serve participants have the opportunity to apply for Leadership Week at the end of the summer. Leadership Week participants receive information and resources to become a leader in their community through guest speakers, activities, games, and more. Participants receive resume-building and job skills through workshops and mock interviews while networking and getting to know the community they live in.
Learn more here:Â The United Way Summer Serve Camp for Teens
Tuscarora Tennis Club Camp
Tuscarora offers tennis camps every summer in their beautiful facility. Their goal is to keep kids active and encourage tennis as a lifetime sport of fun and great exercise.
Players will enjoy working with their tennis pros on a variety of tennis skills, fun games, drills and match play.
Our summer camps keep students active in a structured tennis setting. Camp participants get great exercise while working with a Pro on drills, stroke technique and match play. Our camps are designed to appeal to beginners through tournament level players. -Tuscarora Tennis Camp
Learn more here:Â Tuscarora Tennis Club Camp
Hood College 36th Annual Blazer Basketball Camp
The primary objective of the BLAZER BASKETBALL CAMP is to teach young players the correct way to master the fundamentals. The camper will be exposed to the same drills and techniques that many successful high school players have used to develop their skills. With the knowledge gained at the camp, the young player can practice intelligently and with a purpose.
Learn more here:Â Blazer Basketball Camp
The Boys and Girls Club Frederick
There is also something new and exciting happening. Club on the Go will be going out in the community, with different activities to reach families that may not be able to attend club. We want everyone to be able to experience Boys & Girls Club of Frederick County!! -Boys & Girl’s Club Frederick
FC Frederick
Join the FC Frederick Staff and PRO players at the premier soccer day camp in Western Maryland!
The FC Frederick Soccer Day Camp is a HI-ENERGY + FUN camp devoted to the technical development of all skill levels! In this camp you WILL get lots of learning, ball touches, and laughs!
FC Frederick’s coaching goal is to help players develop confidence with, and composure on, the ball. Soccer is a game of fundamentals, and all players need to be able to dribble around opponents, shoot with confidence, pass with accuracy, and possess the ball.
The camp will feature new and exciting training activities each day, and a variety of contests and tournaments throughout the week!
Learn more here: FC Frederick
Bar-T
Bar-T offers a variety of summer camps designed to fit your family’s budget and schedule, along with your child’s interests and personality!
The Ranch
The Bar-T Ranch is a spacious 12-acre farm located on Olney-Laytonsville Road in Montgomery County, Maryland. Campers will have the opportunity to play on manicured sports fields, ride the slide into the newly renovated pool, develop their singing in music and drama, make projects in arts and crafts, learn to use a bow and arrow in archery, and so much more.
Mountainside
Bar-T Mountainside, located in Frederick County just minutes from I-270, is a 115 acre farm which was built from the ground up as a summer camp. At Mountainside, your camper will have the opportunity to build their self esteem on an adventure course, embrace their curiosity by searching for crayfish and salamanders in the stream, expand their creativity at arts & crafts or music and dance, challenge their peers in sports and games, and most importantly make new friends with the other Mountainside campers and staff.
Mountainside features a 700ft zip line, 50ft climbing wall, expansive pool with slide, manicured ball fields, playground, basketball court, street hockey rink, outdoor amphitheater, fishing pond, and over a mile of hiking trails. There are nearly limitless possibilities for what your child could experience in a given day.
Bar-T Specialty Camps
Specialty camps focus on some of your child’s favorite activities that they’d like to spend time exploring further. These camps operate out of the Ranch and Mountainside, and will focus almost entirely on your child’s skill development. Camp themes include: Adventure Camp, Arts & Culture Camp & STEM.
Learn more here: Bar-TÂ
Flips
At Maryland certified Flips Camps, your child will participate in structured gymnastics, exciting new games, themed crafts and weekly outings to regal movie theater, a swimming pool, picnics at the park and weekly themed field trip.Â
Escape from the heat of the summer at Flips. Stay cool in their air-conditioned facility and enjoy lots of gymnastics fun.Â
Learn more here: Flips
Frederick County Parks and Rec
FCPR will offer a variety of summer day camps and courses for kids this year.
Grab their annual Summer Camp Guide to learn more.
Learn more here:Â Frederick County Parks and Rec
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