By Leslie Simon

Even when everything we usually do for fun is closed, we still have one valuable place we can go where there are no limits and rules- our imagination.  It's a weird summer we are all dealing with this year. Parents who have been teaching their children at home since March now find themselves needing to be summer camp counselors as well. While the Arvada Center has been able to slowly open our doors to a few smaller in-person classes, the consensus for the sake of public health safety is that now was not the time to hold lots of summer camps at the Center. Not only are we extra-concerned with keeping our patrons of all ages safe, but the health of our Arvada Center instructors is of the utmost importance as well.

Matthew, age 11, created this piece in our Drawing for Kids camp.

Because of this, we transitioned most of our summer camps over to virtual camps using the online Zoom platform, and we have been excited to see that children and parents alike are enjoying this alternative that entertains and educates while offering a social opportunity right there in their own home. Plus, we provide all of the supplies your children need so busy parents can keep their kids entertained with minimal effort.

See Summer Camps

“My daughter (8) took the Character Journeys camp, and her instructor did a fantastic job engaging her the entire time,” said Jenny Hekkers. “They played a ton of games, discussed characters, and did so many fun art projects. She was super motivated to go to camp each day – a behavior I did NOT see during remote learning at the end of this past school year!”

The spread of COVID-19 has certainly brought a lot of upheaval to our programming at the Arvada Center, but those of us who work here took on transitioning these camps online as a creative challenge. “You all rolled with it very well,” a parent from a post-camp survey wrote. “My child enjoyed it very much, and we think it was the best you could have done given the circumstances. Knowing how you do it in person vs how it was virtually: we are very happy and glad you pursued it!”

“They played a ton of games, discussed characters, and did so many fun art projects."

Classes are available for kids in different age ranges from 5-16 in Drama, various Visual Arts, Creative Writing, and of course our Digital Creative Arts Lab. Each summer camp lasts one week, and you are more than welcome to enroll your child in more than one.

Hekkers’ daughter wasn’t the only one in their family who enjoyed her summer camp – her older brother had a blast as well. “Avery (10) took the Animals and Art class, and was so excited to participate each day. I loved it, he really struggled with motivation during remote learning. I feel grateful to have seen their spark ignite again!”

Having a hard time keeping a bored kid from drawing on your walls this summer? Enroll them in one of the Arvada Center’s fun virtual summer camps today where they can learn new skills, discover new interests, and most importantly – have fun! 

By delivering these camps in a virtual format, we can meet our campers right where we are – your comfort level and safety is our top priority.

Some of our fun camps with open spots include:

• Got a Pokemon fanatic in the house? Enroll them in “Pokémon Journey” where they create 2-D and 3-D works of art centered around their favorite characters.
• If there is ever a good time to take wild fashion risks, it's during quarantine. In the "Go Ga Ga For Fashion" class, students will make clothing and accessories inspired by their favorite pop stars. Best of all - you use recyclables in your designs! It's never too early to learn about sustainable fashion.
• We always have a flair for the dramatic at the Arvada Center, and young thespians will have a lot of fun in “Passport to Seussville,” where kids explore different Dr. Seuss classics each class, culminating in a wacky performance for family and friends on the final day.

Check out a full list of the available camps on our Summer Camps event page and enroll them today:

See Summer Camps