New Long Island summer camps: Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum, Patchogue Theatre and more
Kids who like nautical mysteries, puzzles and stories will go overboard for the Maritime Mysteries Camp in Cold Spring Harbor. Credit: Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum
It's back to business as usual at mainstream day camps on Long Island this summer as they return to life B.C. — Before COVID, says Will Pierce, owner-director of Pierce Country Day Camp in Roslyn and immediate past president of the Long Island Camps and Private Schools Association.
Field trips and overnights will likely return at most camps, he says: "Everyone is so excited for getting back to free, unbridled camp without any restrictions."
New niche programs are also cropping up for this summer, some of which may offer a more affordable alternative to the bigger traditional camps. Here are four new options, including programming for kids who are nautical-minded, theater-oriented or computer-inclined.
MARITIME MYSTERIES CAMP
Kids who like mysteries, puzzles and stories about the sea may be intrigued by a new four-day camp called Maritime Mysteries Camp. It runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. from Aug. 28 to 31 at the Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum & Education Center and is geared to kids entering grades 3 to 7. Campers will learn to decode constellations of stars, crack a pirate code and use a treasure map. They’ll also solve escape-room riddles and compete in scavenger hunts. Cost is $260 per child before May 15; $300 per child after. Campers bring their lunch and a water bottle and must provide their own transportation. The museum is also once again offering its Ocean Adventure Camp, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for five days from Aug. 21 to 25 for kids entering grades 1 to 5. That camp costs $325 before May 15 or $375 after.)
INFO: 301 Main St., Cold Spring Harbor; 631-367-3418, cshwhalingmuseum.org.
ACT OUT THEATRE CAMP
Act Out Theatre Camp is a new three-week program at the Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts that will include instruction in voice, dance and movement. Camp culminates in a musical theater production on the Loading Dock stage where campers will perform solos, duets, group numbers and dances. The camp is geared to ages 7 to 12 and runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. from July 10 to 28. Campers bring their own lunch and provide their own transportation. Cost is $700 total per child and $675 for an additional sibling.
INFO: 71 E. Main St., Patchogue; 631-207-1300, patchoguetheatre.org/camp.
SPRINGBOARD INNOVATION HUB SUMMER CAMP
A new summer program from SpringBoard Incubators has been created for middle and high school students interested in pursuing careers in computer science and engineering. Campers will learn about electronic components, minicomputers and learn how to create smart-home devices that they can use in their own homes, such as an automatic sensor that will turn lights on and off. They’ll also learn about solar panels. SpringBoard Incubators has also leased a new space for the program, at 500 Old Country Rd. in Garden City. The camp runs from 1 to 4 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays for four weeks from July 10 to Aug. 3. Campers provide their own transportation. Cost is $550 a week; campers can choose any number of weeks.
INFO: 500 Old Country Rd., Garden City; 516-414-2000, springboardincubators.org.
K'TON TON IN THE HAMPTONS
The 92nd Street Y New York is bringing its longtime New York City summer program for preschoolers to the Hamptons this June. K’Ton Ton is Hebrew for “little people” and the camp is for ages 3 to 5. The two-week program runs from either 9 a.m. to noon or 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. depending on the child’s age. It will feature swimming, soccer, basketball, gardening and more on the grounds of the Jewish Center of the Hamptons. Campers do not have to be Jewish, but the program will include celebrating Shabbat with challah and grape juice on Fridays. Children bring lunch and families provide transportation; campers must be potty trained. Cost is $1,500 per week.
INFO 44 Woods Ln., East Hampton; 212-415-5500, 92ny.org.
Beth Whitehouse writes about families, parenting and great things to do with the kids on Long Island. She’s been a Newsday editor and shared a 1997 Newsday staff Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the crash of TWA Flight 800.
