Dear Restonmom,
"We are moving to Oakton this spring and I am looking for summer camp-like activities for my 3 and 5 year olds. Any art or science like activities in the area that you know about? Thanks for your time!" Jen
Dear Jen,
Welcome to the area! There are so many camps here that you'll have more difficulty deciding among them. While I am most familiar with the Reston area, most of the neighboring communities will also have a lot to offer you. Narrowing it down to art and science for 3-5 year olds, I can hopefully give you a few places to start. The Reston Association has some good camps which might fit what you are looking for, specifically "Nature tots" (3-5), "Hug a tree" (5-7), and the mini camps (5-10). If you can get past the sub-par names, they are worth checking out. The Reston Community Center also hosts a variety of camps that would be worth taking a look at as well. I don't know if either of your children are girls or are interested in dance or performing arts, but the Reston Conservatory of Ballet offers some spectacularly cute summer camps too. You might also want to check out Abrakadoodle for some good art-based camps as well as Curiosity Zone (in Ashburn) which has some really cool science based camps for ages 4-6. Frying Pan Farm hosts summer camps for youngsters as well where they get some fun experience around the farm and animals. These are all basically week-long day camps (as opposed to overnight camps) which is what I suspect you are looking for. There are a myriad of other camps that I am neglecting, so if none of these seems to fit what you are looking for, the community center and other local businesses often carry publications which list every camp available in the area. I do hope that you will enjoy Oakton and find just what you are looking for. Thanks for your question, very apt as many parents will soon be researching summer camps as well!
Dear Readers,
If you know of any other camps to suggest to Jen, please help our friend out by leaving a comment. Also, if you have kids who have attended camps, we'd love to hear about your experience - positive or negative. Thanks!
don't forget about the summer concerts for kids at wolftrap
Posted by: Me | February 17, 2008 at 02:15 PM
I personally can't tell you any, but I do know that there's a Family Fun mag that gets put out (it's free) and there was recently one that covered all the summer camps in the area. You also might see if there is some stuff going on at the Y in Reston.
Posted by: Leah | February 17, 2008 at 02:38 PM
Fairfax County Parks Authority has a ton of camps available; you can search online by age at:
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/parktakes.htm
Posted by: Therese Howe | February 18, 2008 at 04:13 PM