Join us for the Traditional (Under the Sea) session at the Edward Jones Family YMCA.

Roll up your sleeves, put on your makers cap, and get ready to create! This is our most hands-on camp! Together, campers will build a geodesic dome large enough to sit in. Who can build the strongest bridge? Can your bridge withstand the shake rattle and roll challenge? Explore the world of birds and beasts with bird feeder building and our super bug investigation. Speaking of birds, what did Hooty the owl have for dinner? A mouse? A Squirrel? A Frog? Kids will dissect owl pellets and reconstruct Hooty’s dinner. Enter the Mad Science chemistry lab and mix, mash, and brew concoctions to create cool sidewalk chalk and bath fizzers! Assemble and control pulleys, levers, catapults, simple machines, and megapinchers! Campers will discover the wonders of photography and make their own chromatography-dyed T-shirt. It’s a week packed with non-stop science fun!

You will be out in the field during this course, developing your skills in nature observation and animal tracking in the context of modern ecology. You will become familiar with the details of the lives of local wildlife including coyotes, deer, foxes, raccoons, opossums, weasels, mice, and bobcats. Topics and skills covered include local natural history, wildlife habitat assessment, clear print track identification, wildlife conservation, and the role of humans in today's ecosystems.

The Ithaca Writers Institute is a place where promising high school student writers come together to celebrate, study, and practice the creation of literature, laying the foundation for a successful life of writing. Taught by a distinguished faculty member of the College’s Department of Writing, with teaching assistance from the department’s most talented undergraduates, the curriculum mirrors the department’s own unique curriculum, giving aspiring young writers an immersive experience in an authentic college atmosphere.

Calling all junior engineers! Learn all about the design process and use a variety of materials to tinker, create, and build.

Crayola® Artist’s Passport Camp Travel the World through Art! 1 Week Full-Day Camp for Kids Ages 5-12 Embark on an around-the-world cultural adventure - explore far-off places and learn about the people who live there, from the Americas to the Ivory Coast, from the cosmopolitan to the countryside. Experiment with Crayola® products, while trying art techniques developed by local artists and artisans. Make different masterpieces each day, such as drums, masks, canvases, prints, buses, and more! Bring the unique creations home and build a globally-inspired art gallery.

Take a journey to the farthest reaches of the imagination while learning about the ocean, the rainforest, Mars and a futuristic city, and more! Use the design thinking process to solve real-world problems in these different environments. Experiment with Crayola® products and many art techniques like sculpting, storyboarding, collage, and mixed media. Discover design careers like graphic design, universal design, urban design, and product design. All this, plus games, creative free play, and more!

In our other most popular course for this age group, campers play and create together on a safe, secure Minecraft realm in the digital sandbox that is Minecraft Bedrock Edition, and join from their iPads. Campers will create custom themed mazes, themed droppers and reverse droppers to fly through, and build mazes as they learn basic redstone and code and much more! This class o“ers huge thrills AND education alike as students explore their inner Michaelangelo in a STEAM format perfect for Minecraft lovers and can finally do so from any type of device!!

Develop literacy skills and deepen comprehension through fun, interactive, and accessible stories and activities!

Refresh your math skills in multiplication, fractions, decimals, percentages, measurements, geometry, and algebra through games and other fun activities!

Ever dream of becoming a secret agent? We'll start with the basics: From decoding messages to metal detector and night vision, campers have the opportunity to check out spy tech equipment and take home lots of gadgets like spy glasses! Step into the shoes of a detective as you uncover the science involved in evidence gathering and analysis! Figure out the science of forensics in a hands-on look at crime scenes! Become a super spy and learn clever ways of performing tasks as we take a hands-on investigation of the science that spies use! Before and After-care is available at an addition cost through the Brentwood Parks and Recreation.

Ever dream of becoming a secret agent? We'll start with the basics: From decoding messages to metal detector and night vision, campers have the opportunity to check out spy tech equipment and take home lots of gadgets like spy glasses! Step into the shoes of a detective as you uncover the science involved in evidence gathering and analysis! Figure out the science of forensics in a hands-on look at crime scenes! Become a super spy and learn clever ways of performing tasks as we take a hands-on investigation of the science that spies use! 

Note: Students will participate in 4 out of the 5 described classes at the instructor's discretion.

Give your preschooler a green thumb without using paint! Campers will learn about plants by dissecting seeds, making leaf rubbings and creating frameable fruit and veggie prints. Learn what types of weather are vital for a healthy garden. Put on your Bee-utiful Bug Costume and flutter by the camp as you learn about one of a flower's favorite pollinators! Come see what the buzz is all about!

Children must be potty trained.

Build Minecraft characters, tools, and more with LEGOs.

Build Disney and Star Wars characters and more from LEGOs.