educational • {kidlist} activities for little kids

There are so many fun summer camps with a range of subject matter for little kids! It’s exciting to find out about all these opportunities… good luck making up your mind.

I did not list the camps in any particular order. Some of them have early bird discounts for registering in February, which was a surprise to me so I wanted to get it out there as soon as possible!

Please note that I focused on camps for ages 0-6, but if you click on the links for each camp there are most likely options for older children as well. Each camp name is the link to the website for more information.

Princess Camp (ages 3-5)
Impact Dance Studio
6B S. LaGrange Road
LaGrange, IL 60525
(708) 354-5867
info@impactdancestudio.com

Fine Arts Camp
St. John’s Lutheran Church and School
505 S. Park Road
LaGrange, IL 60525
(708) 354-1690

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (ages 18 months and up)
1147 W. Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 850-9744
community@hubbardstreetdance.com

Princess Camp (ages 3-6)
Balance Institute of Gymnastics
16w110 83rd Street
Burr Ridge, IL 60527
(630) 323-6244
biggirlsteam@yahoo.com

Kick N Pom Camp (ages 6-12)
Balance Institute of Gymnastics
16w110 83rd Street
Burr Ridge, IL 60527
(630) 323-6244
biggirlsteam@yahoo.com

Hodge Podge Lodge (ages 6-8)
Willowbrook Wildlife Center
525 S. Park Blvd.
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137
(630) 942-6200 x 0
stouzalin@dupageforest.com

Conservation Camp (ages 4 years to grade 4)
Lincoln Park Zoo
2200 North Cannon Drive
Chicago, IL 60614
(312) 742-2056

Tiny Tots Camp (ages 2½-5)
Park District of La Grange
536 East Avenue
La Grange, IL 60525
(708) 352-1762

Mighty Munchkins (ages 4-6)
Gilbert Park Activity Building
La Grange, IL 60525
(708) 352-1762

Flying High Sports & Rec Center Summer Camp (ages 4 and up)
Flying High Sports & Rec Center
5400 East Ave.
Countryside, IL 60525
(708) 352-3099
camp@flyinghighgym.com

Eco-Ranger Camp (ages 6-9)
Oak Park Conservatory
615 Garfield Street
Oak Park, IL 60304
(708) 386-4700

Themed Summer Camp (ages 2½-5)
Zion Lutheran ECEC
204 S. Grant St.
Hinsdale, IL 60521
630-323-0065
ecec@zionhinsdale.org

K-Skills Summer Camp (ages 5-6, children entering or completing kindergarten)
Zion Lutheran ECEC
204 S. Grant St.
Hinsdale, IL 60521
630-323-0065
ecec@zionhinsdale.org

Tiny Rider and Horse Summer Camp (ages 4 – 14)
Double J Riding Club
10545 W. 74th Street
Countryside, IL
(708) 528-4674

Monarch Summer Camp (ages 6-14)
Salt Creek Butterfly Farm (ages 6-14)
10545 W. 74th Street
Countryside, IL
(708) 528-4674

Max Summer Camp (ages 4-12)
McCook Athletic & Exposition
4750 Vernon Ave
McCook, Illinois 60525
(708) 485-9900
ericb@max-mccook.com

Art Summer Camp (ages 4 and up)
Magical Minds Studio
343 Harrison Street
Oak Park, IL 60304
(708) 948-7934
haj@magicalmindsstudio.com

Summer Science Camp (over 100 different camps to choose from for grades K-8th)
The Morton Arboretum
4100 Illinois Route 53
Lisle, IL 60532
(630) 719-2468

Biweekly themed camps (preschoolers)
Champs Adventure Camps (grades K-1st)
All-Star’s Adventure Camps (grades 2-5)
Grand Avenue Community Center
4211 Grand Avenue
Western Springs, IL 60558
(708) 246-2270
Highlands Elementary School
1905 59th Street
LaGrange Highlands, IL
(708) 579-1103

Clay and Multimedia Camp (ages 3½-5 and 5-8)
Puppeteering Camp, All Things Messy, Cosmic Constructions, Wild Things (ages 5-8)
4401 N Ravenswood
Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 769-4226
julia@lillstreet.com

Premier Gymnastics Summer Fun Camps (ages 4 and up)
Premier Gymnastics Academy
2435 Curtiss Street
Downers Grove, IL 60515
(630) 969-0900
premiergymnasticsdg@gmail.com

Preschool Summer Camp (ages 3-5)
DuPage Children’s Museum
301 N. Washington St.
Naperville, IL 60540
(630) 637-8000

Engineering with LEGO® Camps (ages 5-10)
DuPage Children’s Museum
301 N. Washington St.
Naperville, IL 60540
(630) 637-8000

Summer STEM Camps (ages 7-10)
DuPage Children’s Museum
301 N. Washington St.
Naperville, IL 60540
(630) 637-8000

Nature Museum Summer Camp (ages 4-10)
Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
2430 N. Cannon Drive Chicago IL 60614
(773) 755-5111 x6
camps@naturemuseum.org

Kids Science Labs Summer Camp (ages 4-12)
1500 N. Kingsbury Street
Chicago, IL 60642
(312) 846-1426

YMCA Summer Swim Camp (ages 3-8)
Chalet Pool
8300 S. Wolf Road
Willow Springs, IL
(708) 352-7600
dstrus@ymcachicago.org

YMCA Little GL Travelers Camp (ages 3-7)
YMCA, LaGrange Park, IL
Yena Park, LaGrange Park, IL
(708) 352-7600
dstrus@ymcachicago.org

YMCA GL Travelers Camp (ages 5 and up)
Meet at Countryside Park
61st & Brainard Ave
Countryside, IL
(708) 352-7600
dstrus@ymcachicago.org

Animal Camps at Cosley Zoo (ages 4-15)
Cosley Zoo
1356 N Gary Ave.
Wheaton, IL 60187

Camp FBW (ages 4-12)
Fullersburg Woods Nature Education Center
3609 Spring Rd.
Oak brook, IL 60523
(630) 850-8110
KDubina@dupageforest.com

div class=”separator” style=”clear: both; text-align: center;”a href=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TKm6n5jXF0M/TnzFJgQheYI/AAAAAAAAAXE/AE_8PbT9J4A/s1600/43579.png” imageanchor=”1″ style=”clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;”img border=”0″ src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TKm6n5jXF0M/TnzFJgQheYI/AAAAAAAAAXE/AE_8PbT9J4A/s1600/43579.png” //a/divThe new a href=”http://online.nwf.org/site/PageServer?pagename=hikeandseek_details_locations_chicago”Chicago Hike amp; Seek/a event will be held at Bemis Woods South in Western Springs this Saturday, September 24. I love the way this event is described by saying “trade screen time for green time!”br /br /The hike starts at 9am and lasts about 2-3 hours. There will be five Stop amp; Study Stations where your children will enjoy nature facts and interactive lessons. After completing each Stop amp; Study Station they will earn a colorful naturalist badge! br /a name=’more’/abr /br /Onsite registration is $15 per adult, $9 per child. a href=”http://online.nwf.org/site/PageServer?pagename=hikeandseek_register_2011″ title=”hikeandseek_register_2011″Register online /atoday to get the early bird prices ($12 per adult, $7 per child).br /br /The Hike amp; Seek National Sponsor, Keen, has interactive outdoor games and great gear to raffle off. Local sponsor, REI, will be teaching outdoor skills such as knot tying and will also be providing kid’s binoculars and Adventure Journals. REI will bring out the artist in all young children with their planned coloring craft activity.br /br /Bemis Woods Southbr /11500 Ogden Avenuebr /Western Springs, Illinoisbr /br /br /Thanks Caitlin for sharing this great event with the rest of the {kidlist} readers. If anyone else knows of an event or location that all of us moms would enjoy with our kids, let me know! annie@mykidlist.combr /br /Related Posts: a href=”http://kidlist.blogspot.com/2011/01/nature-centers.html”Nature Centers/a, a href=”http://kidlist.blogspot.com/2011/03/forest-preserve-walks.html”Forest Preserve Walks/a

div class=”separator” style=”clear: both; text-align: center;”a href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-85-mE6ma05Y/Tc7kHInWpEI/AAAAAAAAAJY/HNkKYlRNRvc/s1600/spring_redbud.jpg” imageanchor=”1″ style=”clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;”img border=”0″ src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-85-mE6ma05Y/Tc7kHInWpEI/AAAAAAAAAJY/HNkKYlRNRvc/s1600/spring_redbud.jpg” //a/divIt’s starting to be Morton Arboretum weather! If you haven’t been there yet, it’s a beautiful place to let your kids run around or take your infant for a stroller walk through the gardens and paths. You can pack a picnic or buy food and eat at the a href=”http://www.mortonarb.org/ginko-restaurant-a-cafe.html”Ginkgo Restaurant and Cafe/a.br /a name=’more’/abr /br /The a href=”http://www.mortonarb.org/childrens-garden.html”Children’s Garden/a has streams, a huge acorn to climb, a tree root slide and other great plant based adventures for your kids to explore.br /br /There are also art exhibits called “a href=”http://www.mortonarb.org/calendar/article/22010/nature-unframed-art-at-the-arboretum.html”Nature Unframed/a” now through November to check out in the gardens.br /br /You can even enroll your child in a a href=”http://www.mortonarb.org/youth-and-family.html”class at the Arboretum/a. They can search for squirmy frogs along Lake Marmo’s shore, investigate creepy crawly bugs, and learn about the outdoors. Classes are tailored toward each age group, starting from eighteen months old! There are also classes and events that you can attend as a family.br /br /a href=”http://www.mortonarb.org/”The Morton Arboretum/abr /4100 Illinois Route 53br /Lisle, IL 60532br /(630) 968-0074 br /br /The Arboretum is open 365 days a year!br /Grounds open at 7 a.m. year-round and close at sunset.br /Children’s Garden is open 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m.br /br /$11 Adults (18–64)br /$10 Seniors (65+)br /$8 Youth (2–17)br /Children under 2 are free!br /Discount admission on Wednesdays!br /br /Related Posts: a href=”http://kidlist.blogspot.com/2011/01/nature-centers.html”Nature Centers/a, a href=”http://kidlist.blogspot.com/2011/02/garfield-park-conservatory.html”Garfield Park Conservatory/a, a href=”http://kidlist.blogspot.com/2011/02/childrens-museums.html”Children’s Museums/a, a href=”http://kidlist.blogspot.com/2011/03/forest-preserve-walks.html”Forest Preserve Walks/a, a href=”http://kidlist.blogspot.com/2011/01/art-museums.html”Art Museums/a

National Geographic is teaming up with Pottery Barn Kids to present a great program! Kids ages 3 and up will learn all about ocean creatures through hand-on activities, quizzes, songs, and more. Children will receive a badge for every event they attend and a special gift after all three.

Each session has a special theme:

Saturday, April 30: Sharks
Saturday, May 21: Turtles
Wednesday, June 8: World Oceans Day

Pottery Barn Kids Events
Oakbrook Center
68 Oakbrook Center
Oakbrook, Illinois
(630) 572-2241

div class=”separator” style=”clear: both; text-align: center;”a href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UMT2vKpP3qY/TZis5mdhwZI/AAAAAAAAAGw/RJ3wtpvv4XY/s1600/dupage_forest.jpg” imageanchor=”1″ style=”margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;”img border=”0″ height=”63″ src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UMT2vKpP3qY/TZis5mdhwZI/AAAAAAAAAGw/RJ3wtpvv4XY/s320/dupage_forest.jpg” width=”320″ //a/divbr /”You realize the importance of fostering a love of nature in your children, but you’re not sure how to start. You want to share fun experiences with your family, but you don’t have time to plan. If this sounds familiar, then the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County’s new “Family Expeditions” program is for you.”br /a name=’more’/abr /br /You can receive tips on exploring nature areas without a guide, information on upcoming events all for free.br /br /To sign up, fill out the a href=”http://www.dupageforest.com/news/familyexpeditionsform.doc”enrollment form/a or call the Office of Education at (630) 933-7208. For questions on the program or to submit your application, please email a href=”mailto:educate@dupageforest.com”educate@dupageforest.com/abr /br /a href=”http://www.dupageforest.com/”Forest Preserve District of DuPage Countynbsp;nbsp;/abr /br /*Related Posts: a href=”http://kidlist.blogspot.com/2011/01/nature-centers.html”Nature Centers/a, a href=”http://kidlist.blogspot.com/2011/03/forest-preserve-walks.html”Forest Preserve Walks/a