6 Salt Lake summer camps with options for everyone

SALT LAKE CITY — Summer camp has evolved from the friendship bracelets and bug bites from your past. Salt Lake offers a veritable cornucopia of options for every interest. Choose from theater, robotics, outdoor activities or STEM-focused camps and keep your kids learning and exploring all summer long.

Utah Children’s Theatre Camps

Offered all summer in weeklong sessions, Utah Children’s Theatre provides dramatically inclined kids with drama exercises, games designed to improve kinesthetic awareness and listening skills, storytelling practice and experience with teamwork and constructive feedback. These themed sessions — which include a princess theme and a whodunit theme along with options for film acting or special effects makeup — provide ample performance opportunities and conclude with a recital for friends and family. Utah Children’s Theatre has camps for children ages 4-17 and offers morning and afternoon sessions. For kids attending both morning and afternoon classes, there’s an option for a supervised lunch break.

University of Utah Youth Education

The University of Utah offers the widest range of camps by far. The camps are designed for ages 6-17 and range from STEM-focused classes like “Biochemistry and Beauty” (ages 14-17), “The Science of Magic” (ages 9-11) and “Robotics Design” (ages 6-8) to the opportunity to build your own longboard, learn to fence, or practice painting and drawing skills. Camps are weeklong and can be half or full days, depending on the class. They also offer extended care for working parents.

Utah Hogle Zoo

What kid doesn’t love animals? Utah Hogle Zoo’s full-day camps provide crafts, games, and supervised animal encounters for kids aged 7-13. For 5- and 6-year-olds who are entering first grade, morning and afternoon sessions are available, though your child can attend both sessions to make it a full day. These camps are based on grade level and are a great option for the animal-obsessed. Camp focuses include ecosystems, animal eating, conservation and veterinary science. Participants also take field trips to Red Butte Garden, the Natural History Museum and This Is The Place Heritage Park.

SUMMER@SLArts

Salt Lake Arts Academy kicks off its summer camp season on June 10 and has seven weeks of camps with more than 55 class options. You can pick from morning, afternoon, or full-day sessions to find the best fit for your family. SUMMER@SLArts gives kids a rich introduction to a variety of arts-based skills while providing a fun environment. Camps offered include weaving, paper sculpture, journalism, chess, aviation and Lego engineering.

Wasatch Kids Camps

For a more traditional, outdoor-based summer camp, look no further than Wasatch Kids Camps. They provide day camps as well as overnight travel camps split into age groups for ages 6-16. Camp registration is on a week-by-week basis, so you can find the perfect schedule for your family. Wasatch Kids Camps offers hiking, swimming (including weekly swim lessons), night games and art projects. In addition, kids go on field trips to fun local locations like the BYU Museum of Art, Seven Peaks and East Canyon Reservoir. Scholarships are available based on need.

Natural History Museum of Utah

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The summer camp of the future is here, and it’s awesome. The Natural History Museum of Utah gives kids ages 5-13 exciting experiences with classes like “SENSEsational Science,” “Artful Science” and “Nature Explorers.” Their “Ultimate Camp Experience” gives kids the opportunity to go on field trips to places like Camp Kostopulos, Red Butte Garden and Hogle Zoo. Additionally, NHMU offers two girls-only camps: a Lego engineering challenge for fourth- and fifth-graders and “Art with Power Tools” for sixth- and seventh-graders.