Camps

The winner of our 2008 Parents' Picks quest to find the Best Day Camp for Teens in Salt Lake City, The Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center is a unique program combining space exploration with a simulated, futuristic adventure experience. Two inflatable StarLab Domes/Planetariums allow kids to study the night sky and it's constellations, while five starship simulators give kids the opportunity to serve as crew members on a 24th century starship as it goes on a mission into deep space - think Star Trek.

Space missions begin with a classroom mission briefing. Children then enter the starship simulator where they receive training for their individual posts on the bridge of the ship. After training, the mission begins. Missions differ by starship - sometimes kids are engaging aliens (good or bad), and sometimes they are exploring black holes, nebulas, and other planets.

The experience at The Space Center covers a large variety of disciplines. Kids learn about science, technology, humanities, leadership, team building, music, drama, and social studies.

The Space Center offers day camps ($11/person), overnighters ($40-$150), classes, and fieldtrips ($100/class) to schools and private parties. The focus group for the programs is ages eight to 14, but adults enjoy the experience as well. Overnight activities are for ages 10 to 14. The 2-1/2 hour private programs are suitable for birthday parties, scout groups, church groups, and family outings; call to reserve a spot. Camp enrollment happens in March and September.

Located in The Gateway, the Clark Planetarium delivers high-quality space science astronomy education in a fun and interactive atmosphere. With interactive space exhibits, visitors are able to learn about space science first hand.

The exhibits are free to the public and include a real Moon rock, a photo-op on the Martian surface, Newton's Daydream (the most extensive audio kinetic sculpture ever completed by artist George Rhoads, featuring over one mile of brightly colored steel and four interactive stations), and much more.

Clark Planetarium also houses the ATK 3D IMAX Theatre, with a five-story screen and 12,000 watts of digital sound. The Hansen Dome Theatre offers three-dimensional views on a 360-degree dome screen.

After visiting the exhibits and taking in a show, visitors can roam the Planet Fun store. It features a wide selection of fun science toys, planispheres (star wheels), astronomy software, books and videos, binoculars, telescopes, and accessories for amateur astronomers.

Budding astronomers enjoy Clark Planetarium birthday parties. Party packages include use of the birthday party room (up to 40 people) for 90 minutes, science demonstrations during the party, a t-shirt for the birthday child, admission for up to 15 children in either the ATK IMAX or Hansen Dome Theatre, a "happy birthday" message to the child on the screen before the show, "happy birthday" signs throughout the planetarium, and priority seating for the show. Parties must be booked at least two weeks in advance. Visit the planetarium's website for pricing and additional details.

Preteen, teens, and teachers with a strong interest in science can give the summer camps a try. The camps run in July and August, and participants receive and learn how to use a telescope, star charts, and astronomy materials. Check the planetarium's website for complete details.

Call or visit the website for more information, and for a complete listing of show times and ticket prices.

These "mad scientists", decked out in lab coats, come to birthday parties and present a high-energy, interactive science show including effects like laser lights, glow in the dark reactions, chemical magic, and more.

The entertainers do all the set-up, and are able to adapt the presentation to any party's age group and size. The show lasts 45 minutes to an hour, and kids get to make things like Mad Science putty, slime, or super bouncy balls to take home.

The basic party package is $149; add-ons can bring the cost up to $300, depending on the number of guests. Add-ons include bubbling potions, dry-ice demonstrations, and even cotton candy making. The complete party package includes branded Mad Science decorations and party bags. Travel fees apply to counties outside Weber, Davis, and Salt Lake.

Mad Science also offers summer camps at various locations throughout the Salt Lake Valley. The camps run weekly from June through August, and are geared toward ages six to 11. More information and registration details are available on the Mad Science website.

Mad Science visits schools, libraries, and camps to give demonstrations as well. Check the GoCityKids calendar to see if any Mad Science public special event performances are scheduled near you. They are a real blast for kids ages five and up.

If you are interested in bringing a Mad Science assembly or afterschool program to your school or organization, give them a call.

The Children's Theatre and School of the Arts offers live drama for schools and families, based on stories from classic literature. The versions of the plays you see here are not the versions you may be familiar with, but they are especially well-suited for children.

Shows are performed Fridays at 7pm and Saturdays at 1pm and 4:30pm, with additional performances weekday mornings for elementary school groups. Performances are preceded by a short talk on theater etiquette, and the cast stays on stage after the bows to answer questions from the audience.

Each person attending a performance must have a ticket; no babes in arms allowed. Tickets can be purchased by phone or in person. Box office hours are Mon-Thu 11am-4pm, Fri 11am-2pm, and one hour prior to performances.

The School of the Arts portion of the organization teaches drama and movement to children ages six to 18 in weekly afterschool sessions during the traditional school year and Summer Theater Camp sessions. Three two-week summer camps are offered over the course of the summer.

The school's Youth Stage program offers students opportunities to work with professional directors, set designers, costumers, lighting designers, and stage managers while receiving more advanced performance training. The group performs a few productions during the school year. Each person attending a Youth Stage performance must have a ticket; tickets cost $8 each and can be purchased in person at the box office or by phone.

Sunshine Generation is a national non-auditioned children's performing group, offering boys and girls opportunities to dance, sing, and perform in their local communities. It's not your typical voice, ballet, or tap classes; lessons are more on the level of musical theater dance. Performances are held at festivals, parades, fairs, and senior centers.

Enrollment in the program costs about $25-$30 per month. Parents must also purchase performance costumes for their children; each age group has it's own performance costume.

The program is available in hundreds of locations across America. Call or email to find a location near you.

Locally, Sunshine Generation offers summer camps for boys and girls ages three to 11. The summer program is an accelerated singing and dancing course with public performances scheduled throughout the summer months. Contact Sunshine Generation by phone or email for pricing and to find the nearest location running summer camps.

The winner of our 2008 Parents' Picks quest to find the Best Artsy Class for Big Kids in Salt Lake City, UP WITH KIDS offers students weekly, one-hour classes and instruction in singing, dancing, and acting. Kids are encouraged to read books upon which the program's plays are based, then throughout the school year the children learn and rehearse songs, dances, and acting segments. Individual parts are cast in the latter part of the year and a show is performed, starring the children. Each child plays a named, speaking part in the show, and when the show is over, each child receives an Oscar statuette at the UP WITH KIDS Academy Awards.

Besides the school-year program, UP WITH KIDS also offers Summer Drama Camps, week-long camps during which students rehearse daily to perform a show at the end of the camp. The cost for the camps varies by county. Check the website for information on how to register.

UP WITH KIDS programs are offered at many locations up and down the Wasatch Front and Back (Weber County, Davis County, Summit County, Box Elder County, Salt Lake County, Tooele County, and Utah County). Check the website for a program in your community. Most of the groups meet during the afterschool hours, but a couple meet on Saturdays.

Additional children in a family receive a discount on materials fees.

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Write to kidscamps.com at 500 NE Spanish River Boulevard, Boca Raton, Florida, 33431, or email the address above.

CampDepot.com is a search engine for summer camps, offering more than 14,000 camp listings that parents can search by zip code, specialty, location, activity, etc.