10 NJ Summer Camps to Know About

Whether your child shows an interest in sports, music and arts, the outdoors, writing, or science – ‘there’s a camp for that.’ New Jersey is filled with a myriad of diverse, themed summer camps. This guide will help narrow down the top NJ summer camps that parents must know about, with their top-notch programs, facilities, and instructors that your children will benefit from.

• Hoboken Children’s Theater
  

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  Your child will feel like a Broadway star at these musical theater summer camps that take place in the hub of Hoboken’s artistic community at the brand new Mile Square Theatre stage facilities.  Young theater lovers will work with industry professionals and rehearse an age-appropriate musical for three weeks, working towards a fully realized production.  Campers can use all aspects of their creativity while also designing costumes, sets, and programs.  This summer’s productions include Flat Stanley (Grades 1 – 3), The Addams Family (Grades 4 – 6), and Bring It On the Musical (Grades 7 – 12).  Your little ones can also light up the stage with the half-day program, Summer Stage Mini (Ages 4 – 6).Clinton & 14th Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030
  For more information, please call (646) 339-8485 or visit http://www.hobokenchildrenstheater.com/summer

• Princeton Sports Camps

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  Your little athletes will highly benefit from practicing alongside athletes their ages from around the world in Princeton University’s world-class sports facilities on their beautiful, historic campus.  Over 70 camps and clinics are lead by Princeton Varsity coaches, with assistance from noteable players from around the country.  Girls and boys of all ages can hone their skills in almost any sport you could imagine: from classics like basketball, track and field, swimming, and soccer to fun favorites such as rowing, water polo, fencing, and squash.  Your child can have the true university experience with overnight camps, while sleeping in one of the University dormitories and taking meals in the dining facilities.  If you are looking for a top notch sports camp of the highest quality for your children this summer, look no further than Princeton Sports Camps.
  Frist Campus Center, Princeton, NJ 08544
  For more information, please call (609) 258-3360 or visit http://www.princetonsportscamps.com
  

• Project Write Now
  

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  Develop your creative process in a unique and enriching way with Project Write Now’s intensive writing summer camps in downtown Red Bank.  This supportive and educational environment offers summer programs with a variety of themes that, “are designed to provide students with an intensive, enriching writing experience that not only fosters creative expression but also helps them develop their writing skills.”  Beginners and avid writers alike can get excited about each week-long camp’s topic of choice.  Write to Perform allows students to take on the role of playwright and actor in their own original play.  The Rhythm In You and Sports Writing uses music and sports to inspire creative prose.  More advanced courses are offered for seasoned teens, such as College Essay Writing Workshops and Teen Internship Programs.  These programs are a great way for your kids to keep the creative juices flowing while school is out for the summer.
  25 Bridge Avenue, Suite 130, Red Bank, NJ 07701
  For more information, please call (908) 675-0467 or visit http://projectwritenow.org/summer-camps/

• Ivy League Day Camp
  

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  Give your kids the ultimate camp experience that you remember from your youth, with Ivy League Day Camp’s fun summer programming.  This Monmouth County camp has a low camper to counselor ratio, allowing for an extra safe and fun summer.  In addition to activities like swimming, athletics, arts and crafts, and cooking, campers enjoy a variety of electives, including performing arts, golf lessons, and weird science.  3rd, 4th, and 5th graders even get to travel to exciting off-site electives; past destinations include School of Rock, fishing, boating, fashion classes, and horseback riding.  Your children will leave Ivy League with a developed sense of, “discovery, exploration, active participation, and respect for others,” making it not only a fun, but enriching summer camp for your little ones.
  140 Gordon’s Corner Road, Manalapan, NJ 07726
  For more information, please call (732) 446-7035 or visit http://www.ivyleaguedaycamp.com/Camp/index.php

• Liberty Science Center

  

  NJ moms already know that Liberty Science Center located in Jersey City’s Liberty State Park is one of the country’s most state-of-the art science and technology educational facilities for kids of all ages, and it’s right in our back yard.  But did you know they feature a large selection of summer camps?  Your children will be ahead of the curve with experience from these programs with cutting edge topics, including Roller Coaster Technology, Creative Coding, Game Design, CSI: Forensic Science, and 3D Printing.  Campers entering kindergarten through 9th grade will go back to school in September with a foundation in these in-demand topics that will help them kickstart the new school year with inspiration in technology.
  Liberty State Park, 222 Jersey City Boulevard, Jersey City, NJ, 07305
  For more information, please call (201) 200-1000 or visit http://lsc.org/see-whats-happening/camp/

• Lakehouse Music Academy
  

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  Join the band, kids!  Lakehouse Music Academy in Asbury Park features Get Started weekly summer performance camps for ages 5 – 10, with each week featuring its own style and theme.  Your little ones can learn an instrument in The Beatles Week, sing into the mic in Pop Top 40, or rock the drum set in Classic Rock Week.  All Get Started camps culminate in a performance for friends and family at the end of each week.  Teens also have no shortage of options at Lakehouse this summer with focused courses including Senior Songwriting and Recording, Drumset Camp, All Things Vocal, and Guitar Wizards Shred Camp.  Aspiring producers and engineers will benefit from Audio Engineering Camp and EDM (Electric Dance Music) Camp, held in the world-class Lakehouse Recording Studios.  Your children are bound to enjoy these full weeks of music in the heart of New Jersey’s music scene, Asbury Park.
  619 Lake Avenue, Asbury Park, NJ 07712
  For more information, please call (732) 455-5462 or visit http://lakehousemusicacademy.com/summercamps

• Steve & Kate’s Camp
  

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  Steve & Kate’s Camp “conforms to kids,” and parents.  Your little campers will adore the wide range of engaging and fun activities, including music recording in custom sound booths, fashion design in the style studio, daily artisanal breadmaking, and filmmaking with live action and stop motion capabilities.  Steve & Kate’s philosophy is to give the campers choice.  “Instead of teaching kids the typical way, we give them tools and gentle guidance to help them become autodidacts. The difference is subtle–and it’s profound.”  Mom and dad will also love their unique sign-up policy.  Feel free to enroll for the whole summer, or purchase as many day passes as you would like.  Parents do not have to sign up for specific days ahead of time – just show up!  Unused day passes can be turned in at the end of summer for a full refund.  Additionally, Steve & Kate’s Camp is all-inclusive; there are no hidden fees for supplies, and all meals and snacks are provided between 7:30am and 6:00pm.  Everything we read about Steve & Kate’s Camp makes it clear that this is a great summer camp choice for campers and parents alike in New Jersey.
  Lacordaire Academy, 155 Lorraine Avenue, Montclair, NJ 07043
  For more information, please call (973) 587-8420 or visit http://steveandkatescamp.com

• Chef Central Cooking Camps
  

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  Teens ages 11 – 17 with an interest in culinary arts are going to love the week-long, themed cooking camps at Chef Central Culinary Center in Paramus this summer.  Learn about the regional cooking styles of Rome, Naples, and Sicily in Southern Italian Cuisine.  Master the six Mother Sauces of French cuisine in Cooking Techniques & Sauces.  Even perfect the three major styles of service in modern restaurants with The Restaurant.  Lovers of Latin cuisine, Asian cuisine, Farm to Table favorites, bread baking, and pastries will also find a home at Chef Central.  Each week ends with the campers hosting a brunch, buffet, or tableside meal for family and friends to enjoy at graduation.  Your teens will be excited to bring home their new culinary skills and cook up some goodies for the whole family this summer.
  240 Route 17 North, Paramus, NJ 07652
  For more information, please call (201) 576-0100 or visit https://www.cookingschoolsofamerica.com/chefcentralparamus/index.php?page=calendar
  

• Happy Hooves Stables Summer Horse Camps
  

  

  Nothing makes little ones happier than spending time outside with horses.  At Happy Hooves Stables, your child will be able to spend a whole week outdoors on the farm with these beautiful, kid-friendly animals while learning how to care for horses in a safe environment.  Be a Farm Caretaker, become a horse trainer during Horse Whisperer week, or sign up for Horse & Child Spa to learn horse stretches, massage, hoof treatments, and bathing techniques for these gentle giants.  Get creative at the stables with arts and crafts themed camps like Wild West Scrapbooking, Pony Pottery and Crafts, and the ever-popular Pony Painting where kids get to fingerpaint and spray paint the horses themselves.  Your children will thank you after spending quality time up close and personal with their favorite animals this summer.
  329 Main Street, Lumberton, NJ 08048
  For more information, please call (609) 654-1283 or visit http://www.happyhoovesstable.com/#!summer-horse-camp/cj09

• Philly Art Center
  

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  Aspiring artists will adore the Philly Art Center’s award-winning summer camps that allow for campers to create original art in various mediums.  Kids ages 4 – 12 are grouped by age and explore a range of 2-D and 3-D mediums through age-appropriate curriculums.  Campers can delve into the natural world around them and discover unconventional materials in Outsider Art, or explore Native American culture and traditions in art making in Lenape To Cherokee.  Tween summer camps offer specialty themes for those who are interested in focusing on a particular medium: Clay & Construction, Drawing & Painting, Sewing & Fashion, and Comics are just some of the fantastic selection for your tweens this summer.
  1721 Springdale Road, Cherry Hill, NJ 08003
  For more information, please call (215) 765-2787 or visit http://www.phillyartcenter.com/summer-camps/