Wallingford Kid Summer Camps: The 2015 Edition

If you have a dog then your summer plans consist of going on long, sunny walks. Aside from picking up the poo, it sounds nice. Kids are pricier and generally less grateful. My son has an awesome if dorky summer consisting of going to the DOTA championships at Key Arena, volunteering in Guatemala to build computer labs, then skipping ahead a grade in math by taking summer school.

The current plan for my 11 year old daughter is to see how bored we can make her before she drives us insane. We are looking for alternatives, and here’s what I dug up for school age children:

• Artist and Craftsman Supply: Art camp! Here’s a calendar. Especially good for older kids and/or adults looking to pick up a skill like cartooning.
• Campfire at Woodland Park: August 10 to 14, Grade K-7, or look at their site for outdoor options further afield.
• Community Centers: Camps for all ages, including basketball camp at Green Lake with the awesome Ernie Chatters, tennis camp at Lower Woodland Park, pottery camp, dance camps, STEM camps (MineCraft, Lego, MAD science, etc), and boating on Green Lake. See the awkward SPARC Website to register and for a description of boating camps that are not in the PDF catalog, because government.
• Fremont Dance Camp on Stoneway. I’m sure it’s great, although I’d prefer it if they didn’t associate Stoneway with Fremont. Then again, there’s a Stoneway Hardware in Ballard now, so maybe I need to get used to sharing.
• Meridian School Summer Quest: Ages 5 to 15, week to week at the Good Shepherd Center.
• Neo Art: Class for ages 6 to 12, or be an art assistant from ages 12 to 15. We did this for a few years, it’s lots of fun. It’s at the Good Shepherd Center and is “Seattle’s oldest, locally owned art school for children.”
• Seattle Parks Jobs For Teens: Your teen or preteen gets paid to go away and make the city better! When our son wanted a gaming computer this is how he earned it. Locations rotate around the city, it’s a great set of programs.
• Sonic Crossfit Kids: Has camps featuring active gymnastics and outdoor activities behind Kabul restaurant- it looks like Wallingford’s own little Seattle Gymnastics Academy.
• Stone Soup Theatre At Meridian Park: Up to age 13, with performances in the pagoda.
• Tilth Summer Camps: Camps for younger kids at the Good Shepherd Center Children’s Garden, or be a counselor if you’re older.
• The Wallingford Boys and Girls club: Has a walk in program for all ages where you pay a nominal fee once per year. The food and facilities are great and the clientele is diverse, but our coddled little shmoopy found it to be too regimental. It’s a shame it doesn’t have a range of offerings like the Ballard Boys and Girls Club does.
• Vámonos Spanish Center: For ages 7-14 at 45th and Bagley. Spanish immersion through art and cooking projects, outdoor activities, dancing and more.
• YMCA Camps: For ages K-6 at the University District YMCA, or outdoor adventure camps for all ages.
• Zoo Camp: Up to age 14, or volunteer at age 14 or older. An interesting option for our daughter is the middle school focused Zoo Crew. As a special treat, all participants will get to eat a real elephant ear this year.

So there’s no shortage of options, and I’m sure there’s more out there. Suggestions or experience with some of the above options you want to share?