Exciting Camps and Activities for Summer 2022

Remember when summer camp meant macramé, camp songs and s’mores? Well, welcome to summer camp 2022. These unique and specialized programs aren’t your mama’s summer camps!

Summer Sailing School at Seattle Yacht Club (Seattle)

Kids as young as 7 can learn the basics of sailing during these weeklong camps. Beginners sail with peers and an instructor, learning terminology, basic rigging and other sailing fundamentals through games and activities. Classes are grouped by age, and a variety of boats are used. All camps are suitable for new sailors, though in order to participate in the Learn-to-Race Camp, sailors must have taken at least one previous class at SYC.

Dates: June 13–Aug. 26

Ages: 7–17 (9–17 for Learn-to-Race Camp)

Cost: $490

Moss Bay (Seattle)

Moss Bay’s Kids Camps combine kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding and sailing on Lake Union in Seattle. The program is designed for “inside-out learning,” for which well-trained staff members take a supportive, low-pressure approach to skill development, helping kids discover for themselves which boating activities they most enjoy.

Dates: June 13–Aug. 29

Ages: 7–12

Cost: $475

Alki Adventure Camps (West Seattle)

Alki Adventure camps mix stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) in the mornings with afternoon excursions such as nature hikes. Kids ages 9–11 and 11–16 can practice paddleboarding around Puget Sound, Elliott Bay, Lake Washington and other local bodies of water. Each session is supervised by experienced SUP guides, counselors and instructors.

Dates: June 13–Sept. 2

Ages: 9–16

Cost: $340–$350 (plus tax and booking fees)

Seattle Rhythmic Gymnastics

Your child can try out rhythmic gymnastics in half-day or full-day camps. Campers will learn ballet, ribbon, hoops and tumbling, and participate in other fun camp activities. Each camp concludes with a showcase performance for parents.

Dates: Half-day camp, July 5–8 and July 11–15 (total of nine days); full-day camp, July 11–15 (five days)

Ages: 6–8

Cost: Half-day camp, $450; full-day camp, $420

Canoe Island French Camp (Orcas Island)

“Summer fun with a French accent!” Canoe Island French Camp will hold four themed sessions this summer. In “La Révolution Française,” campers learn about the French Revolution while enjoying activities such as fencing, drama, archery, boating and sports. In “Les Voyageurs,” campers get to explore nearby islands and learn about French and Native American explorers, trying their hands at traditional crafts, archery, cooking outdoors and more. Check the website for additional offerings.

Dates: June 26–Sept. 1

Ages: 9–16

Cost: $2,275–$3,990

Synapse Circus Center (Auburn)

Synapse Circus is offering three camps in partnership with other local camp providers. In Music + Circus Summer Camp, participants will practice tumbling and other circus arts in the morning, and learn and play instruments in the afternoon. In a session with Allegro Performing Arts Academy, campers will learn different types of dance for half of the day and circus arts during the other half. A camp offered in partnership with Artsy Fartsy Studio combines equal parts art lessons and circus arts. All three camps will culminate in a performance for friends and family. Synapse will also offer other aerial arts camps (details TBA).

Dates: June 18–Aug. 5

Ages: 6–13

Cost: $199–$425

Made Sewing Studio (Seattle – Greenwood/Phinney Ridge)

Kids learn to sew and master yarn arts in these half- and full-day camps. Projects include upcycling clothing and sewing animal onesie pajamas, dresses, sweatshirts, pillows and more.

Dates: June 20–Aug. 31

Ages: 7 and older

Cost: $100–$325

NW Film Camp (Kirkland, Seattle and Vancouver, Washington)

Students learn how to use their own stories and shared experiences to develop a screenplay, production plan and storyboard for a filmmaking project. Campers will also learn fundamentals of cinematography, lighting, directing and editing.

Dates: Camp weeks run July–August (see website for dates by location; camps are also available in Portland and Vancouver, British Columbia).

Ages: 11–17

Cost: $399

Camp Colman All-Gender Camp (Longbranch)

This is a traditional camp in which cabin groups are divided by age group and not by binary gender. Camp activities include all the classics: archery, arts and crafts, swimming, boating, challenge courses and more.

Dates: June 29–July 2

Grades: 2–6

Cost: $635–$795

Smithsonian Summer Camp (virtual)

The Smithsonian will offer both in-person and virtual camps this summer. Virtual camps on a variety of themes (dinos and soldiers and dioramas, oh my!) will be conducted via Zoom, with half-day morning or afternoon sessions available. Led by educators, kids will explore the museum’s collections through interactive play, art creation and experimentation.

Dates: Virtual sessions run July 5–Aug. 12; registration opens Feb. 15

Grades: K–11

Cost: $95–$195