The space in front of Discoveries: The Library at the Mall at Annapolis Mall was bustling with activity this Saturday. The annual Chesapeake Family Life Summer Camps and Activities Fair had set up shop Feb. 8, allowing kids and parents to peruse the Chesapeake area’s summer offerings for children.
And there was plenty of fun for kids, too, from jamming out with instruments at a music corner to meeting and petting a baby alligator.
In total, there were 14 camps in attendance at the fair, with specialties ranging from dance to pre-med. Here’s a brief look at each camp:
One of the most unique camps at the fair was Medical Me, which hosts summer camps across Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania. Medical Me stands out from other STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and STEAM (STEM with arts) -focused camps because of its focus on medicine. Kids can study family medicine, sports medicine, veterinary science and dentistry through hands-on learning and pretend play. Sessions culminate with campers giving their family members a check-up.
For parents looking for a Christian summer camp, there’s Book of Life Academy. While it serves as a private day school during the school year, it remains open during the summer and offers fun and educational activities for children.
Maryland Hall hosts classes during the summer focused on the arts, from tap dancing for toddlers to woodshop and graphic design for teenagers. These programs are not exclusive to children, either, and offerings are available for campers as young as 2 and as old as 65.
During the summer, Athletic Performance Inc. hosts its 10-week All-Sport Kids Academy Summer Camp, where kids ages 6 through 14 can try their hand at different sports. These include dodgeball, tennis, floor hockey, football and more! There are also specialized camps for campers who prefer to focus on a specific sport.
YMCA Camp Tockwogh was one of the few overnight camps present at the camp fair, offering its campers a lot of freedom to choose what they want to do. They can select five scheduled activities for each week, as well as engaging in free play. Camp Tockwogh offers a large amount of water-based activities, like sailing, water skiing and paddle boarding.
Eco Adventures (which brought the aforementioned baby alligator, as well as a baby hedgehog) is an award-winning nature camp where kids can get out and explore the world around them. Each week, staff host a different themed camp, with themes ranging from animal caretaking to becoming a wizard.
Inclusivity is the name of the game at Camp Accomplish, where campers with and without disabilities can have a fun and safe summer camp experience. Made possible through a partnership between the nonprofit Melwood and Children’s National Hospital, the camp offers activities like rock climbing, swimming and horseback riding, all with accessibility in mind.
Davy Dance Academy hosts weekly themed camps all summer long, all focused on getting kids moving and grooving. These camps focus on different styles like acrobatics, ballet and hip-hop, with fun, kid-friendly themes like Taylor Swift, Barbie and “Trolls.”
A river cruise company may not be the kind of organization one would expect to be hosting a summer camp, but the cruise company Watermark is jumping headfirst into the camp world with its first Annapolis Explorers Summer Camp. Kids can step back into Annapolis’ past and learn more about the area’s history, nature and waterfront.
Bayside Camp’s representatives came to the camp fair with some creepy crawlies in tow: two snakes named Mozart and Tinkerbell. Nature activities where kids can interact directly with animals are only one of the many different activities the camp offers. Campers can enjoy a wide variety of arts, sports and STEM programs or take a specialized camp focused on fishing or cooking.
If your child likes to rock out to their favorite songs or sing along on car rides, they can try Naptown Sings and its summer music classes. These are week-long sessions, some of which are devoted to exploring music from different genres and countries, while others focus on specific themes like Taylor Swift, “Wicked” and Disney music.
While the Chesapeake Children’s Museum does not have a summer camp, it has activities that run all summer long. These include art classes and Creek Critters nature walks through its on-site nature trail.
Finally, there’s Benfield Sports Center, which hosts a day camp every year. The camp includes traditional sports like soccer and baseball, as well as games like capture the flag and relay races.
Families who attended the camp fair had the opportunity to fill out a passport by visiting every camp’s table. They could then turn it in to be entered into a $50 raffle.
To explore more camps in the Chesapeake area, visit chesapeakefamily.com/maryland-summer-camps or check out our Big Book for Families.
