The course schedule is available on the Grades 1–2 worksheet. Families may use this worksheet to help plan their camper’s daily schedule, which includes three recreational activities in the morning and two enrichment courses in the afternoon.
All classes are listed below.
Come on an animal adventure with The Children’s Museum in West Hartford! Each day brings exciting encounters with animal ambassadors from the Museum’s Wildlife Sanctuary and hands-on activities designed to inspire young zoologists. From furry mammals to scaly reptiles, campers will get up close and personal with a fascinating array of animals, learning about their needs, adaptations, and habitats. Note: Appropriate behavior, maturity, and patience are required to guarantee a safe and rewarding experience for all.
Calling all players, puzzlers, digital wizards, and warriors! Do you want to learn about applications while playing fun games, brainteasers, magical quests, and have friendly competitions with your classmates? Welcome to the App Arcade – where we'll transform iPads into our magical tools for learning, exploration, and creative adventures like you've never experienced before!
Get ready to unleash your inner artist and dive headfirst into a world of creative exploration and artistic fun! In this class, you will experiment with a kaleidoscope of mixed media art techniques that will leave your imagination soaring. We will push our creativity with new ideas and new materials. Whether you make clay creations, collage, watercolor, or acrylic paintings– don’t be scared of experimenting and getting messy!
Have you ever watched a baking show and thought about trying to make those masterpieces yourself? Join us and put your baking and decorating skills to the test! You will make your own cake sculpture, dip and design your own donuts, and decorate cookies. Get your baker’s hat on and join us for a delicious adventure in the kitchen!
Come make your favorite accessories shine in the Summer Place Be-Dazzled Boutique! Work with gems and jewels to create glittery headbands, dazzling bracelets, and sparkly beads. Add shimmery jewels to all of your favorite summertime outfits so your friends can spot you from afar as you glimmer in the sun!
Meet Bee-bot, a programmable robot that responds to your every command! This little robotic bee zooms through obstacles, races to complete mazes, and can be programmed to complete a dazzling array of challenges. You’ll take command of programming your own Bee-bot, learn how to give it commands, and watch it buzz around the room according to the directions that you give it. Your Bee-bot will run races, navigate mazes, and compete against other Bee-bots. Who will be the leader of the hive?
Step into the spotlight and enter the world of musical theater! We will explore popular musicals such as Wicked, Frozen, Legally Blonde, and so many more! Campers will bring these shows to life by learning short scenes, iconic songs, and exciting dance numbers inspired by the Broadway hits. At the end of the week, campers will host a performance to show off their new theatre skills!
Can you freeze bubbles and play catch with them? How about make bubbles so tall you could fit inside them? Can you use a balloon to paint a museum-worthy masterpiece? Have you ever played bubble soccer or climbed into a balloon? In the Bubbles and Balloons Bonanza, you’ll answer these questions—and more! You’ll use your curiosity and imagination to test the limits of bubbles and balloons through fun experiments and games.
Do you want to become an expert in the kitchen? What would you do with a basket full of mystery ingredients? Imagine competing against other teams of Summer Place campers to win the Summer Place Cleaver Award! Join us as we chop it up in this fun cooking class using the University of Hartford’s state-of-the-art kitchens!
Join the fun as you pound, poke, and roll clay into fabulous, hand-made creations. Learn how to use slab, coil, and pinch techniques to make a variety of exciting and functional ceramics projects. Roll up your sleeves and experiment with a variety of textures and glazing techniques. You’ll be amazed when your finished work comes out of the kiln!
Get ready to taste the rainbow! In this class, you will get to pick a color and build a menu inspired by it. From green pesto pasta to sunny yellow mango smoothies, cooking with color is fun! Join us to explore how color makes food fun, nutritious, and creative. It’s a bright and tasty adventure through the rainbow, one plate at a time!
Become a Summer Place chemist as you discover and experiment with basic science concepts! You will get to explode pop rockets, get lost in a dry-ice cloud, create gooey slimes, send geysers of soda high into the sky, create “worms” and “snow” by mixing just the right liquids and powders, and even shake and make ice cream. This course is sure to excite the curiosity of all future scientists!
Travel to the Enchanted Forest of Fairy Land! As fairies, you will decorate your own wings, design a wand, and create a fairy house. There is so much to do! Join us as we prepare forest cookies for the Fairy Queen and make masks to wear at the Starlight Ball. Would you want to be a water fairy, air fairy, or an animal fairy? Each of them has their own magical skills. Which fairy is waiting inside of you?
Playing with your food can be a lot of fun! Come explore the many ways to make food into amazing works of art. From vegetable faces to mummy hotdogs, or Chewbacca Noodles to meatball birds in a pasta nest—you are guaranteed to have fun creating food art in this class. Take home a book of the best edible creations to share with your family and friends, but better than that, you get to eat your artwork! *Food Art projects can be modified to accommodate dietary restrictions. Please get in touch with the office when enrolling.
Do you want to be a doctor or nurse when you grow up? Or maybe you just want to know why your body does the weird and gross things it does. If so, then this is definitely the class for you! Making simulated snot and measuring the length of your intestines are just the beginning. Get ready for a week full of learning about the human body while completing an array of disturbingly and disgustingly fun projects!
Learn the basics of computer programming through this puzzle-and-solving course. Play games using innovative and adventure-seeking apps. Learn how to easily program loops while coding your own superheroes and robots to complete challenges. You will be surprised how “In-CODE-ably” easy and fun coding can be.
Calling all brave young adventurers! Are you ready for an enchanting journey into magical lands filled with dragons, knights, and royalty? Join us to embark on epic quests to create your very own crowns fit for kings and queens, find a mighty dragon, and wield magical wands like true wizards. Can you prove your bravery in the thrilling jousting tournament? All of these exciting adventures await you in our magical land, where every day begins with "Once Upon a Time!"
Calling all LEGO® fans! Come and compete in building challenges as we take an exciting LEGO® journey. We’ll build people for our LEGO® town and cars for them to drive in. Then we’ll construct an entire city, complete with a fire station, an airport, and even a market. At the end of the two-week adventure, you’ll have your own kit to mix up more LEGO® madness at home. LEGO® Land is waiting for you!
LEARNING ZONE (1-4) – Weeks 1-6
The Learning Zone provides personalized, small-group academic support in reading, math, writing, and study skills for campers entering grades 1–4.
Led by a dedicated learning specialist, each child follows an individualized plan designed to build confidence and strengthen key skills in a relaxed, supportive setting. Families receive a weekly progress report, and the instructor connects with parents before the session begins to tailor instruction to each student’s needs.
Campers may enroll in the Learning Zone during any session for an additional fee: $80 for Week 1 and $100 per week for Weeks 2–6. Contact the Summer Place office for more information.
Mario and Luigi are searching for a new group of adventurers to help them defeat Bowser’s challenges this summer and reclaim their treasures! Can you solve the challenges while avoiding the sneaky traps left behind by Bowser and his partners-in-crime? If so, join us for some Mario Party Palooza as you build your own power-ups and search for the treasures that are locked away in Bowser’s castle! You will do a scavenger hunt, make your own Mystery boxes, and complete an obstacle course challenge! No prior knowledge or experience with Mario Party is necessary; all are welcome to try their skills and luck.
The world of Minecraft is full of dangers. Adventurers require the quickest wit and the deepest thinking to survive. In this class, you’ll learn about Redstone creations and building schematics that can help you thrive in those dangerous and blocky lands. Best of all, you will create a world together, working as a team to complete challenges and conquer your Minecraft missions! Note: No Minecraft account needed.
Supervillain Gru has sent his trusted minions Dave, Bob, and Kevin to Summer Place on a top-secret mission: recruit a new crew of clever sidekicks to help carry out his next big plan! Are you up for the task? Train for a life of hilarious mischief in Minion Training Camp, build wild contraptions like your very own freeze ray, and prepare to steal the moon in an epic final challenge! With creative activities, minion games, and plenty of bananas to keep us going, this class is perfect for any future minion ready to laugh, invent, and join Gru’s mischief squad!
Calling all future astronauts! Are you ready to embark on an epic journey beyond the stars? Join us in Mission to Mars: Space Academy, where you will explore outer space within Summer Place! Here, you will learn about the solar system as you build your own spacecraft, create galaxy art, and complete “astronaut training” to prepare for your future in space exploration. Are you ready for lift off? In 3…2…1…
Roll up your sleeves and get ready to experiment! In this class, you will measure and mix some gooshy, mooshy, squishy ingredients to make some messy and marvelous scientific concoctions! Join us as we stir things up every day with a new, fun formula. Whether we’re combining ingredients for a batch of Flubber, Floam, or fizzing sidewalk paint, every day will be a new, messy mix!
Turn the great outdoors into your art studio! Inspired by nature artist Andy Goldsworthy, you’ll gather sticks, stones, leaves, and other natural treasures to build amazing creations. From epic fairy homes to eye-catching sculptures, let your imagination run wild as you transform nature into one-of-a-kind works of art!
Do you have what it takes to become a Ninja Turtle? Transform yourself into the newest Ninja Turtle by designing your own shell and mask! You’ll learn the skills you need to defeat Shredder and his gang of underlings by playing fun games, doing science experiments, skills trainings, and completing an agility course! By the end of this class, you’ll have learned a little bit of karaoke, and a lot about teamwork! Cowabunga, dude!
Every day is a party when we’re painting! Learn new painting skills while having a blast and unleashing your creativity. Students will follow step by step instructions in watercolor and acrylic painting techniques with chances for customization. By the end of the session, students will be creating their own museum worthy masterpieces!
Ahoy, mateys! Have you ever wondered what a pirate’s life would be like? Come set sail with us on an imaginative adventure to discover the thrill of the high seas! You will get to create your very own pirate swords, craft pirate characters, and play pirate games aplenty! And of course, no pirate adventure would be complete without a treasure hunt for some hidden pirate booty. Climb aboard for some adventure and fun!
Books are the gateway to the imagination—they can also be a gateway to your kitchen! Have you ever seen something in a book and thought to yourself, “that sounds delicious!” Now is your chance to make those storybook foods yourself. We’ll whip up Green Eggs & Ham, spider cupcakes from Charlotte’s Web, and so much more. Each recipe connects to a beloved story, turning reading time into snack time. Get ready for a tasty adventure where books come to life right on your plate!
Come one, come all! Step right up into the magic of Summer Place Circus, where you will create and play different circus games, win prizes, and test your abilities as a circus performer. Explore the fun of the circus ring all week long with face painting, balloons, and a photo booth. You won’t want to miss this spectacular show!
Calling all young mixologists—it’s hot outside, but these delicious drinks will cool you down! In this class, you’ll decorate and bedazzle your own souvenir cup, learn how to make a frozen base for fruity smoothies, and make some fun Sugar Factory drinks! Let’s stay hydrated and sip our way through the summer!
Calling all Swifties! Get ready for the Summer Place 2026 Eras Tour, where you'll craft iconic Taylor friendship bracelets and create sparkling ornaments and mementos while dancing and singing to your favorite TSTV tunes. Unleash your inner artist as you polish your poetry and songwriting skills, and enjoy Taylor-themed games like “Finish the Lyrics” and a scavenger hunt. Let’s make this summer unforgettable—don’t miss your chance to be part of the magic!
How you ever wondered if other cultures have their own versions of your favorite food? Or maybe there’s a food from halfway across the world that might actually become your new favorite! In Tasty Travels, you’ll create your own “passport” and explore the cuisine from a new country each day of the week. Each day you’ll stamp your passport and learn about other cultures through cooking.
We’ll be tie-dying like crazy, and we’re not just talkin’ T-shirts! Dip and dye in bright, bold colors using sunbursts and wild patterns as you discover new ways to make your tie-dye project one-of-a-kind. Incorporate your favorite pop song lyrics or inspirational quote into your piece by using fabric paint and markers. Try the accordion knot technique to make a wall hanging, a T-shirt, or a colorful pillowcase that your friends can sign at your next sleepover.
Are you ready for a Summer Place tea party? Travel the world to see how tea parties are thrown in foreign lands. You will paint wonderful teacups, eat scrumptious desserts, and make spectacular party decorations. At the end of the week, we will host a formal tea party like Alice did in Wonderland. RSVP “yes” to attend the Summer Place tea party!
Get ready to dive into an under the sea adventure! Have you ever wanted to swim with sharks or explore a coral reef? You’ll get to do just that through the magic of crafts, games, and imagination to bring all your favorite sea life to land! You’ll play games, make puppets, and even have an under the sea bubble dance party! Join us under the waves for some fish-tastic fun!
Get ready for launch! In this exciting class, you will create your own water rocket and launch it high into the sky. Design your own rocket with fins and a nose cone for super aerodynamics. On launch day, you'll become a Summer Place junior astronaut. How far will your water rocket go? Let's aim for the stars!
There are so many ways to create beautiful paintings and bring art to life! Join us to find out what’s so wonderful about watercolor! You’ll learn basic watercolor techniques, using photographs and everyday objects for inspiration, to create your own small collection. On the final day, your paintings will be displayed just like they would be in a gallery!
Let’s explore nature in the world around us! Learn how to grow the tallest and strongest beans from seed, make twig boats to sail across the pond, and go on an exciting scavenger hunt to find tiny insects and creatures. Get ready to play games, make nature-based art projects, and discover a new nature adventure each day. Come outside with us and play!
Want to know a secret about Summer Place? Okay, but you have to keep it to yourself. This place is full of hidden treasures. Behind buildings, around the lake, under the trees—there is amazing stuff to find all over! How do we know? Because we hid it all, of course! And if you want to find all of these treasures, you’ll need to use teamwork and the latest GPS technology each day as you follow clues, answer trivia questions, discover new clues, take and upload pictures, and find the prizes at the end—where X marks the spot!