The Sedona Parks and Recreation Department will continue to offer a number of summer camp programs this year, as will Sedona nonprofit organizations.
“In the summertime, there are opportunities for enrichment that have a different quality than what the kids get during their regular school year,” Parks and Recreation Special Events Coordinator Jason Vargo said. “It’s an opportunity to connect with new friends that might be going to different schools, and have a different opportunity.”
To enroll in city day camps, visit sedonaaz.gov or call (928) 282-7098.
Prana Beans Yoga Camp
■ Session 1, June 3 to 7; session 2, July 15 to 19; 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Ages 5 to 9. $150 per student.
“It’s perfect for ages five to nine,” instructor Kimberly Sager said. “However, last year, I had a couple of four-year-olds, and they did so great. It was a lot of fun … Every single day, their kid’s going to come home [after] learning something new. That is not only going to help the development of their children, but also help the development of their family … There’s never going to be a day where the kids are bored because there’s always going to be something new.”
Sager also offers a free monthly kids’ yoga class at the Sedona Public Library, which is scheduled for Saturday, June 8, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. and Saturday, July 27, from 10:15 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Sedona Mountain Bike Academy
■ June 17 to 21; 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Ages 8 to 13. $345 per student.
“Our goal is to not only empower youth riders to progress their skills and confidence, but also to teach them about trail stewardship and environmental advocacy, as well as making new friends with other kids who love to ride bikes,” cofounder and head coach Amaryth Gass said. “We not only do skills, but we also try to incorporate educational components and support the kids in creating positive relationships with their peers.”
Challenger Soccer Camp
■ Session 1, June 24 to 28; session 2, July 17 to 21. Ages 2 to 4, $130 per student, 8 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. Ages 5 to 18, half-day, $205, 9 a.m. to noon. Ages 7 to 18, full-day, $254, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“Rooted in British training methodology, these camps introduce our international training tactics to campers across the U.S and Canada,” the program description states. “Our curriculum and coaching foundation meet engaging delivery for an all-around positive experience. We channel our energy and passion for the game into a fun yet developmental environment.”
Sedona Dance Academy
■ July 8 and 9; 9 a.m. to noon. Ages 5 to 12. $65 per student.
No experience is necessary for this two-day mini-camp where new and experienced dancers can have fun learning dance moves and how to do nonverbal storytelling through movement.
JQ Basketball Camp
■ July 15 to 19. First through sixth grade, 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.; seventh through 12th grade, 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. $200 per student for seventh grade and up; $180 per student for sixth grade and under.
“JQ Basketball Training emphasizes the balance between ‘traditional’ skill work and ‘live play’ to best suit each individual player and their development,” the program description states. “Players will improve their skills and see them translate into live situations faster than any other training method. JQ helps develop complete, skilled basketball players who achieve success on the court through game situational drills, which breed game results.”
Rita Stubbs Volleyball Camp
■ July 23 and 24; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sixth through 12th grades. $100 per day per student.
Led by the head coach of the University of Arizona’s volleyball team, Rita Stubbs, this coed camp works to instill the fundamental techniques needed to excel in all aspects of the sport at all skill levels through drills and competitive play.
Science Vortex Junior Botanists Camp
■ June 10 to 14; 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Ages 6 to 9. $195 per student.
“They will be conducting ecology experiments, making plant-based products, playing games and they’ll be tasting herbs, making different products with herbs,” Science Vortex Director Laurie Altringer said. “It should be fun. We live in such a beautiful area that you’ll gain appreciation for our place through learning. They say that you don’t really know a person until you know their name, that’s the first part of meeting somebody. So there’ll be learning the name of local plants and some of the history and some of the ethnobotany … it just connects them to nature in a fun way.”
Science Vortex Extreme STEAM
David Jolkovski/Larson Newspapers
■ July 1 to 3; 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Ages 8 to 12. $120 per student.
Altringer said making science, technology, engineering, art and math “extremely fun” is how this camp gets its name.
“It’s so much more fun to play with chemicals and electronics and things like that with other people, and that wow factor that science can provide,” Altringer said. “We’ll probably do rockets, create projects that they get to take home with them.”
Science Vortex Future Innovators’ Coding Camp
■July 15 to 18; 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Ages 8 to 12. $160 per student.
Campers will learn basic coding using Edison robots that bring the ones and zeros to life.
“They will be programming the robot to go through different mazes and different challenges,” Altringer said. “They’ll also be using Ozobots and those are robots that can read color codes. So they’ll do an engineering challenge of creating a roller coaster that an Ozobot needs to travel through.”
Hey, I Can Draw That! Art Camp
■ July 10 through 12; 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Ages 11 to 17. $95 per student, supply fees included.
Hosted by Jan “The Janimal” Marc Quisumbing, participants learn how to draw comic books and complete a one-page story over the course of three days. Quisumbing compared the experience to “chocolate broccoli” because campers will have a fun time but still walk away with an educational experience that’s good for them.
Missoula Children’s Theatre: ‘Treasure Island’
■ July 22 through 27; 10 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. First through 12th grades. Free.
The Rotary Club of Sedona Village, the Sedona Public Library and the city of Sedona are bringing back the Missoula Children’s Theatre after last year’s successful production of their country-fried take on “Beauty and the Beast” with a new production of Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island,” which will cast area youth for the show.
“Their kids learn self-reliance,” Rotary member Rob Schaefer said. “They learn teamwork working with other kids in the program. They learn how to speak to an audience. It is a real growth opportunity for young children … We can take up to 60 kids … and we’re inviting all the kids from the Verde Valley to participate.”
For questions, call Jennette Bill at (929) 301-1363 or Rob Schaefer at (310) 463-7732.
Kids & Kritters
■ Session 1, June 10 to 14; session 2, June 24 to 28; session 3, July 8 to 12; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Ages: 7 to 12. $275 per student.
Campers learn about what it takes to attend to the animals at the Humane Society and covers animal behavior and how to care for animals along with guest speakers. Students do need to bring their own lunches but all other materials are provided.
“We do all kinds of different games outside,” director of operations Sarah Porter said. “One of our really cool features of camp is we do an old-school scrap book with each student. We take pictures all day so for years to come, they have a little booklet of their memories.”
For more information, call (928) 282-4679 or visit HumaneSocietyofSedona.org
Sedona Youth Theatre
■ July 8 through July 27. Monday through Friday, noon – 1:30 p.m. $180 per student.
David Jolkovski/Larson Newspapers
“We are truly honored to be the new home of Sedona Youth Theatre here at our Sedona Film Festival Theatres.” SIFF Executive Director Patrick Schweiss said in a press release. “It is a natural fit with our mission, and we are honored to help groom the next generation of performers.
For more information, call (928) 301-8288 or visit TheTwoLucys.com.
Race Pace Middle School Swim Development
■ Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday; 7 to 8 a.m.
This program is designed to build the skills to join a high school swim team. As students progress, they will be invited to some of the evening sessions on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Race Pace Pre-Competition Swim Skills
■ Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday; 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Ages 5 to 7.
Students must be able to swim 12 yards as a prerequisite to join. The program “focuses on learning all four competitive strokes, two relaxation/survival strokes, starts, turns, and most importantly, build the endurance of the children to be able to swim 300 yards without stopping,” Coach Jodie Thorton said. “We sometimes think that our children can ‘swim’ when they can hold their breath underwater and doggy-paddle back to the side. But the reality is, until a child has the skills to swim 300 yards and survival float, they’re unlikely to have the skills to self-rescue in an actual emergency.”
Race Pace Novice Swim Program
■ May 27 to July 27, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday; 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. Sixth grade through high school seniors. $125 monthly fee; three annual $85 t registration fees; and an annual fee for membership to USA Swimming.
For more info and to register, visit sedonaracepace.com contact Thorton at racepaceclubaz@gmail.com or (928) 713-4824.
Sedona Arts Center Summer Youth Clay Camp
Photo courtesy Sedona Arts Center
■ June 24 to 28; 9 a.m. to noon, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday; 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Friday. Ages 8 to 12. $200 per student.
“We do probably three to four projects in both wheel work and hand building,” instructor Dennis Ott said. “We process it towards the end of the week, and because the ceramics has to be fired twice … we make a date after school is over and they come and pick their work up … It’s a lot of fun, the kids learn something and a lot of times it carries with them through their whole life.”
Sedona Arts Center Puppet Power
■July 22 to 26; 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Ages 7 to 12. $250 per student.
“Explore the wonderfully wacky world of puppets in this camp on all things creature creation [with instructor Jillian Sander],” the SAC website states. “From character design to rigging to physical building, students will learn all the steps needed to build their very own uniquely expressive puppets. This week will combine drawing and sculpting and students will leave with a funny little friend and a toolkit to continue to build their menagerie on their own.”
Sedona Arts Center Let’s Go Stop-Mo!
■ July 22 to 26; 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Ages 7 to 12. $250 per student.
“In this stop-motion camp course, students will learn to bring characters to life using animation,” the SAC website states. “Austin [Frick] will cover storyboarding, setting the scene through set building and all the important aspects to creating a moving picture. Campers will animate 3D puppets and will leave this exciting experience with their very own film.”
For more information and to register, visit sedonaartscenter.org or call (928) 282-3809.
Vacation Bible School: Alethia Church
■ July 22 to 25; 9 to 11:30 a.m. Ages 2 through sixth grade. Free. Free transportation from Cottonwood and Cornville is also available.
“They’ll have various activities. Recreation, crafts, music, there’ll be a Bible storytime, and then we also serve lunch each day for those kids,” Pastor Josh Jennings said. “The kids always have a really good time and it’s an opportunity for us to invest in and help the families of our town.”
For more information, visit aletheia.com or call (928) 282-7405.
Sedona Camp Enrichment Program
■ Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Session 1, June 3 to 7, Mysteries of the Nile; session 2, June 10 to 14, Tacky Wacky Wonderland; session 3, June 17 to 21, Wild West Adventure in Sedona; session 4, June 24 to 28, Beyond Boundaries. Ages 4 to 10. $250 per student per week; siblings receive a $50 discount.
A rotation of weekly themes is sure to enthrall your children as they discover everything from ancient history to sportsmanship as the program returns for its second year.
“As soon as the children come in, we have drop off time and we have sensory stations,” co-owner Ana Cordova said. “Then we talk about what the day is going to look like and we have an a.m. rotation of activities. Then we have lunch and free time. We have a chill zone where the kids can relax, if we have little kids in camp that week.”
For information visit sedonacamp.com/summer-camp-2024 or contact Cordova at (928) 301-8485 or sedonacamp@gmail.com.
