The course schedule is available on the Grades 3–4 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.
Go 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!
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!
Have you ever watched Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, or visited an old-fashioned candy store? If so, you might have found yourself wishing you could make your own delectable treats. This class will take you to a whole new level of sweet temptations, guiding you through the basics of candy making. Learn to mold, marbleize, dip, drizzle, and paint your sweet concoctions. Mix, cook, and stretch some tasty taffy, too!
Have you ever played the board game Candy Land? Join us to make a GIANT interactive version of this favorite game! Each day, you will work on a different aspect of creating the life-size Candy Land game, ending in a grand finale where you’ll get to play the completed game. Who will journey through the Lollipop Woods and over the Gumdrop Mountains to reach Candy Castle first?
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 in the fun as you pound, poke, and roll clay into fabulous, hand-made clay 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!
Spend the week at camp in your own imaginary world by designing and creating a shoe box sized room furnished with your own homemade mini furniture and accessories! You can even craft tiny characters to hang out in your room. Choose your favorite wallpaper, build some cozy mini-furniture or paint some funky decor, and create a miniature room that’s uniquely YOU!
Bring your stories and illustrations to life as you step into the world of comics! Create your own crazy characters and illustrations, then construct your own comic books using folded and stitched book-making techniques. You will leave this class with a book full of your very own creations from your own imagination!
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!
Get ready to think outside the box and build way outside the lines! In this wild and wacky class, you'll design and build your very own Rube Goldberg machine — a chain reaction of epic (and silly) proportions. Start small with marbles and dominoes, then level up with ramps, swings, and surprises. By the end of the week, you’ll team up with fellow campers to connect all your crazy contraptions into one MEGA machine that pulls off a simple task in the most complicated way possible. Why do it the easy way when you can do it the fun way?
Dive into the exciting world of architecture and digital interior design with us! Using introductory architecture software, you will design your dream house from scratch, customizing every detail from furniture and wallpaper to location. Learn fundamental design concepts, capture professional renders of your creation, and present it in a stunning basic portfolio. Don't miss out on this opportunity to unleash your inner architect and designer!
Do you love music, remixes, and dubstep? Ever want to be the one creating the beats, and not just the one listening and dancing? Think you can create beats better than the pros? Slip on your headphones and get ready to experiment on a digital DJ turntable to make remixes of your favorite songs! Using a DJ software program, you will make beats and samples by digitally scratching, beat matching, crossfading, and cutting songs. Think you have what it takes to bring down the house? Let’s find out.
Freeze! Do you want to run around camp taking pictures and videos of your friends? Become a master at photography and action- packed videography in this thrilling class. You will experience stunt based digital photography and video projects for online platforms such as Instagram using cameras, GoPros, and even a drone! What will YOU capture?
Do you want to be a doctor 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 a bulging bag of brains 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!
Calling all Vikings! Come to the village of Berk and help train the dragons on the island. You will create your own Viking helmet, practice with your dragon training weapons and build miniature dragons of your own. And to really get to know your dragon, you will build your own dragon wings and pretend to fly like Toothless himself. Hurry...the dragons await your arrival!
Learn the basics of computer programming through this puzzling and problem-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.
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.
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!
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.
The next blockbuster film of the summer is about to be released! What’s it about? Well, that’s for you to decide. Bring your creativity and energy to the silver screen as you write, direct, and star in your very own movies. You’ll gain experience producing short films where the sky is the limit. Practice your acting, directing, and camera work in preparation for a red-carpet premiere of your unique feature film at the end of the session. So, what are you waiting for? Lights…Camera…ACTION!
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!
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!
Picture this: You’re looking through a lens and taking your own unique photographs with film, then printing them in a real darkroom! You will have ultimate control over how your photographs look. You will create photograms, learn the basic elements of black-and-white photography with a 35mm camera, how to develop your own film, and how to print in the darkroom. Smile!
Would you like to “dip” into making amazing art with plaster of Paris? You will learn how to use molds, face mask templates, and how to sculpt simply using tape and rolled up newspaper. Experiment with different dipping methods to transform everyday objects, from your favorite flowers to special shells you found at the beach, into lasting pieces of art to admire forever. You will use molds to capture form in plaster then perfect your piece by adding color and carving detail to ensure your treasures last a lifetime.
If you’ve ever dreamed about becoming a Pokémon trainer, now’s your chance! In this class you will be able to develop your own trainer persona, make your own Pokéball, and create new Pokémon to add to your collection or trade with friends! Throughout the week you’ll complete challenges to earn badges, end engage in an epic battle to test your skills! Gotta catch ‘em all!
Welcome to the wonderful world of robotics! In this program brought to you by the Children’s Museum in West Hartford, campers will learn coding and programming to control and build an array of robots. Can you figure out how to send your robot through a maze? Create art through coding combinations? Program the most powerful battle bot? Join us to find out!
Welcome to the world of slime creations! This class is designed for campers who love getting their hands a little messy while discovering the fascinating science behind slime and other gooey concoctions. Join us for an adventure filled with colorful, squishy, and imaginative activities. We'll be making different recipe variations of stretchy, fluffy, glow-in-the-dark, and squishy slimes from scratch. You will also have the opportunity to explore and experiment with oobleck, flubber, foam, and more. So, roll up your sleeves, and let's make some slime!
Create, play games, and relax with good friends—what could be better? Start by pampering yourself using common ingredients. Unwind by making and using custom healthy spa treatments, run your hands through unicorn slime, decorate textiles, and create your own jewelry and friendship bracelets. Take a morning tea break while decorating scrumptious cookies to enjoy and play giggle-worthy games. You can even become a fashionista with your own designs to model during this fashion and relaxation week. RSVP “yes” to attend Spa Days!
Step inside STARLAB: a portable planetarium that lets campers experience nightfall in the middle of the day with The Children’s Museum in West Hartford! Take a daily journey to outer space in in this immersive full dome projection to learn all things astronomy. From blasting off to the moon, traveling to the planets of our Solar System, and seeing distant stars of storied constellations, campers are sure to have an out of this world experience and learn something new about our place in space. Note: Appropriate behavior, maturity, and patience are required to guarantee a safe and rewarding experience for all. Must be able to sit quietly for up to 45 minutes in order to guarantee an enjoyable and informative experience for all.
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!
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.
From the simplest coin trick to the most elaborate illusion, magicians have used science and psychology to manipulate their audience and create truly amazing tricks that dazzle and bewilder! Learn about the science of magic tricks while learning the fundamentals of close-up magic tricks. Your prestidigitation training will culminate in a magic show at the end of the week that is sure to impress and astound!
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.
Get ready for launch! Learn how to transform an ordinary two-liter soda bottle into an extraordinary water rocket that really flies. Add fins and a nose cone to create an aerodynamic design. Achieve maximum altitude on launch day and become a Summer Place junior astronaut.
Come and enter the wizarding world of Harry Potter! Experience a Hogwarts education firsthand. You will master magical potions, create your own wand for spell duels, compete in an intense Quidditch match, participate in the Tri-Wizard Tournament, and then sip butterbeer with friends. You’re in for a magical time!
Use your mind, muscle, and creativity as you turn wood into something wonderful! Design and build while learning how to use hammers, saws, sanders, drills, and other tools. You’ll gain new skills and confidence, and you're guaranteed to have lots of fun. Both beginning and experienced woodworkers are welcome!
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!