Thanks to Sarah’s Science, Berkeley Playhouse, Monkey Business Camp, Abundant Beginnings, and Cara Goldstein Cartooning Camp for sponsoring our Guide to Winter Camps for East Bay kids' school breaks. Note that Berkeley Schools and Oakland Schools have different holiday breaks this year.
Call it childcare or call it camp: sometimes we need to give kids a fun place to go during school vacation days. Here are some options, along with pricing for a la carte days for those in need of Berkeley & Oakland winter break camps.
Abundant Beginnings Winter Camp (Berkeley)
Committed to social justice and diversity while fostering a sense of mindfulness and responsibility in each child. Days are spent at a fabulous local park with time for children to play, dress-up and be the creators of their world.
Dates: Dec. 18-22; Dec. 27-29; Jan. 1-5
Hours: 9 am to 3:30 pm, with before and after care available with prior arrangement.
Price: $85/day or $325/week
Bay Area Children's Theatre Camp (Oakland & Berkeley)
Camp with character(s). Acting exercises, theater games, crafts, music, and lots of storytelling for grades K through 5th. Available, daily for full or half days.
Berkeley Dates: Dec. 18-22; Dec. 26-29
Oakland Dates: Dec. 26-29; Jan. 2-5
Hours: 9 am to 3 pm or noon to 3pm
Price: $99 per day; $55 for half day
Berkeley Playhouse Holiday Break Camps (Berkeley)
Award-winning conservatory offering four- and five-day camp sessions. School-age kids will produce a show with an informal performance on the last day of camp. Camps are grouped for K-2nd grade and 3rd-6th. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and The Lion King are on the schedule this year. Act fast – camps are filling up quickly!
Dates: Session 1: Dec. 18-22; Session 2: Dec. 26-27
Hours: 9 am to 3 pm
Price: $350 or $375 per session (no a la carte days)
Boys on the Go or Girls on the Go (Berkeley meeting spot for field trips)
Field trip camp for children age 9-13. Campers travel from Berkwood Hedge School by bus or BART to incredible local field trip destinations.
Dates: Dec. 18-22
Hours: 8:30 to 3:30 with extended care available from 8am to 6pm
Price: $85/day
Brushstrokes Studio (Berkeley)
This paint-your-own-pottery studio where children will do arts and crafts during a half-day camp for ages 6 to 10.
Dates: Dec. 18-22; Dec. 26-29; Jan. 2
Hours: 9 am – 3 pm, extended care until 5:30
Price: $85/day
Camp Bladium (Alameda)
Entertains kids with sports, LEGOs, Rock Climbing, and other fun all day long and provides snacks and lunch for them for ages 5 to 14.
Dates: Dec. 22; Dec. 26-30; Jan. 2-5
Hours: 9 am to 4 pm
Price: $79/day
Cara Goldstein Cartooning Camp (Piedmont)
Morning session involves students designing their own characters, backgrounds, storylines and creating the beginning of a mini comic book. Afternoon session examines illustrators and fine artists to inspire paintings, drawings, and mixed media artworks.
Dates: Jan. 2-5
Hours: 11am to 1pm (register for early session) | 2pm to 4pm (register for pm session)
Price: $225/session non-resident rate; $200 for residents
Claremont Kids Club (Berkeley)
Spend winter break with the Claremont Kids' Club. Games, hiking, cooking, arts & crafts, music and more. Ages 3+
Dates: Dec. 18 to Jan. 5
Hours: 9am- 3pm
Price: Weekly, daily and half day rates available.
Circo Day Camps (Oakland)
At the Kinetic Arts Center, children will engage in clowning, trapeze, juggling, acrobatics, climbing and general circus happiness for 1st through 6th graders.
Dates: Dec. 22; Dec. 27-29
Hours: 9am- 4pm
Price: $85/day in advance; discounts for purchasing multi-day packages
Cooking Round the World (Oakland with some other locations, too)
Offers hands-on culinary activities themed on a country with games of peace, cooking demos, and trivia games for ages 6 to 13. Other locations in Alameda, Lafayette, and Albany.
Dates: Dec. 18-22; Dec 27-29; Jan. 2-5
Hours: Full day 9-4; half-day 9-1
Price: Unlisted, last year it was $450/week, $250/half-day
Crowden’s Winter Strings and Piano Camp (Berkeley)
Designed for beginning- to intermediate- level violin, viola, cello or piano players. Participants will enjoy a variety of music activities, including an all-camp chorus, instrument technique and ensemble classes, music games, and visits by guest artists.
Dates: Dec. 18-22
Hours: 9am – 3pm with before and after-care available
Price: $455 must apply by Dec. 8
Dancing Paintbrush (El Cerrito)
Drawing and painting with a holiday twist. Lovely art materials are provided to campers to create to their heart's desire for ages 7 to 13.
Dates: Dec. 18-22
Hours: 9am-3pm with after-care available until 5pm
Price: $425/week plus$15/hour for after-care
East Bay Dance Center (Oakland)
Offers kids jazz, ballet, tap, hip hop, tumbling and African dance with kids their own age and experience level for ages 5 to 16.
Dates: Dec. 26-29; Jan. 2-5
Hours: 9:30 am to 3:30 pm
Price: $62/day or $450/8 days
Habitot (Berkeley)
Includes winter-themed activities in cooking, art, science, storytelling, movement and music for ages 3 to 5. Limited to 12 children.
Dates: Dec. 26-29
Hours: 9am to 2pm
Price: $75/day, $295/4 days
JCC Camp Tzofim Winter Camp (Berkeley and Oakland)
Includes activities on site as well as field trips to destinations like museums, arcades, and parks.
Berkeley Dates: Dec. 18-22; Dec. 26-29
Oakland Dates: Jan. 2-5
Hours: 8 am to 6 pm
Price: $80 per day for K through 2nd grade; $90 per day for 3rd through 5th grade.
Kids N Dance (Oakland)
Dance adventure and youth theater offerings for all interests. Starting as young as 3 years old with activities through age 16. This year includes HAMILTON for grades 3-8!
Dates: Dec. 26-29; Jan. 2-5
Hours and prices: vary by program
Lawrence Hall of Science Camp (Berkeley)
Engage with science, experiment with cool substances, interact with a live animal, and even make new friends for ages 5 to 11.
Dates: Dec. 18-22
Hours: 9am – 4pm
Price: $105/day (discount for members)
Monkey Business Camp (Berkeley)
Art, cooking, basketball, field games, end of week carnival, singing, and organic food, all at the Berkwood Hedge School. Ages 4.5-10, with youth leaders 11+. 18th year in Bay Area.
Dates: Dec. 18-22; Dec. 26-29
Hours: 8:30am – 3:30pm with flexible drop-off until 10am, extended care available from 8am until 6pm
Price: $85/day
Oakland Zoo Winter Camp (Oakland)
A combination of two- or three-day workshops. Each workshop includes a mini zoo tour, craft, and animal close-up. Curriculum is designed so that campers can register for every session without repeating activities. For grades K to 5th at Oakland Zoo.
Dates: Dec. 27-29; Jan. 2-3; Jan. 4-5
Hours: 9 am – 4 pm with extended care available
Price: $90/day for non-members; $85/day for members
Sarah’s Science Winter Camp (Berkeley and Oakland)
Offers DIY hands-on science projects for kids ages 5 to 11 to design, build, and take home each day.
Dates: Dec. 18-22; Dec. 27-29; Jan. 2-5
Hours: 8am to 5:30 pm
Price: $120/day
Trackers Bay Winter Break Camps
Combines holiday and winter survival themes with the great outdoors for many interesting days. For age 4 through 10th grade.
Dates: Dec. 18-22; Dec. 27-29
Hours: 8am to 4pm with extended care available until 6pm
Price: $95/day
One to drive to: Animal Rescue Foundation (Walnut Creek)
Explores animal-themed activities, games, crafts and daily visits with ARF therapy animals. For ages 5 to 10.
Dates: Dec. 18-22; Dec. 27-29
Hours: 9am – 12pm
Price: $215/week 1, $135/week 2
We carefully researched this guide and apologize for any errors or totally-awesome-but-already-sold-out camps. If we missed your favorite this year, please share it below in the comments!
Thanks to Sarah’s Science, Berkeley Playhouse, Monkey Business Camp, Abundant Beginnings, and Cara Goldstein Cartooning Camp for sponsoring our Guide to Winter Camps for East Bay kids' school breaks. There are so many fun choices, you'll never hear, “MOOOOMMMMM! I'm bored!”
[Photos provided by our sponsor camps as indicated, all rights reserved]
Monkey Ninja Winter camp At Athletic Playground in Emeryville https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ASP/main_enroll.asp?studioid=4796&tg=&vt=&lvl=&stype=-118&view=week&trn=0&page=&catid=&prodid=&date=12%2f18%2f17&classid=0&prodGroupId=&sSU=&optForwardingLink=&qParam=&justloggedin=&nLgIn=&pMode=0&loc=1
Check out http://www.soccer2gether.com
Winter Camp
DOWNTOWN OAKLAND YMCA
Join us during Winter Break for week1, week 2 or pick which days work best for you. Enjoy daily activities, field trips to the Oakland Zoo and Oakland Museum, swimming and more!
Join our Specialty Splash camp where campers enjoy a 30- minute swim lesson and 30-minute recreational swim daily in our indoor heated pool. Lessons are taught by our YMCA swim instructors.
AGES: K-8th
DATE & TIMES
Week1: Wednesday Dec. 27th – Friday Dec. 23rd & Week2: Tuesday Jan. 2nd – Friday Jan.5th
LOCATION
Downtown Oakland YMCA
COST
Facility Members: Week1 $150, Week2 $200; Daily cost: $60
Program Members Week1 $165, Week2 $220; Daily cost $70
Specialty Camp Cost
Facility Members: Week1 $162 Week2 $218; Daily cost $66
Program Members Week1 $182 Week2 $245; Daily cost $78
REGISTRATION
November 7th – December 10th
Please register by Dec.12th at oaklandymca.org or at the Membership Desk.
FINANCIAL AID AVAILABLE
Winter Holiday break is on it’s way It is a time for holiday cheer, delicious food, school break and hopefully some adventure. Whether you are planning your own family adventure or staying close to home, you should send your camper/s to Urban Adventure Camps this holiday season. We have nine great days of camp planned during the break and we hope your camper/s can join us for at least one day, if not all of them.
During the holiday season, campers sign up for individual days, so you can choose as many days or as little days are your camper is interested in. The destinations are listed below as well as on the Holiday Camp Page:
December 18 : Union Square, China Town Back Alley Tour and lunch, and Wells Fargo Museum***
December 19 : Hyde St Pier/SF Maritime Museum, Pier 39 Lunch, SF Dungeon and Wax Museum*** (Note: SF Dungeon is fun, but slightly scary for those children scared easily)
December 20 : Active Art Plein air Painting with Rushawn of BEAST OAKLAND, and Oakland Museum
December 21 : Alcatraz
December 22 : SF City Hall, Golden Gate Bridge, and Fort Point
January 2 : Exploratorium
January 3 : Alcatraz
January 4 : USS Hornet
January 5 : San Jose Tech Museum
*** Lunch included on days with asterisk***
To sign up for any of these days, please visit our website at http://www.urbanadventurecamps.com
Whatever you choose to do this holiday season, Urban Adventure Camps wishes you and your family a happy, fun, and adventurous holiday season!
Happy Holidays!
Urban Adventure Camps
510-339-0676
info@urbanadventurecamps.com
Urban Adventure Camps is unique week-long day camp that takes campers on fun, educational field trip adventures every day of the week. Camp begins each morning where campers meet their group to begin and plot their day’s adventure. Groups visit the Bay Area’s best museums, parks, galleries, science centers, and various other urban attractions and city centers. Public transportation is used to travel between locations, thereby developing the campers’ knowledge and confidence when traveling within a city.
Hello Stitch Studio is hosting a week of sewing camp January 2 through January 5, 2018. We keep our camp sessions small (maximum of 8 kids!) so that each child gets individual attention. We also provide all the tools and materials, including sewing machines! https://www.hellostitchstudio.com/product-page/winter-break-holiday-camp