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. [Still looking for Thanksgiving camps? We got those, too]
Cooking Round the World offers hands-on culinary activities, themed as a Dish of Disney this year. Each camp day children cook foods featured in children’s movies and stories:
- Jambalaya in “Princess and the Frog”
- Twinkies from “Wall-e”
- apple strudel from “A Sound of Music”
- mash and gravy from ”Coraline”
- Dr. Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham
- pasta putanesca from A Series of Unfortunate Events
Other activities include Disney tag, Name That Tune to children’s musicals, Simon Seuss, “Who Am I?” and a rousing competition of “Chopped” each afternoon.
Location: Oakland’s Kehilla Synagogue Kitchen is located at 1300 Grand Avenue, Piedmont. Other locations in Alameda, Lafayette, and Danville.
Hours: Full day 9-4; half-day 9-1
Dates: Dec. 21-23, 28-31
Price: Purchase a block of 3 full- or half-days; 4 full- or half-days; or all 7 full- or half-days at $55/half-day and $85/full-day.
510Families readers get a special discount. Use code 6657 in registration form and save 10%!
Berkeley Playhouse Winter Camp enables school-age kids to produce a show with an informal performance on the last day of camp. Harry Potter and Inside Out are on the schedule this year.
Dates: Session 1: Dec. 21-24; Session 2: Dec. 28-31
Hours: 9 am to 3 pm
Price: $350 per session (no a la carte days)
Brushstrokes Studio is a paint-your-own-pottery studio where children will do arts and crafts during a half-day camp.
Location: 745 Page Street (between 4th and 5th Streets)
Dates: Dec. 21-24; Dec. 28-31
Hours: 9 am – 1 pm, extended care until 5:30
Price: $70/day
Ages: 6-10
Camp Bladium entertains kids with sports, LEGOs, Rock Climbing, and other fun all day long and provides snacks and lunch for them.
Location: Alameda
Dates: Dec. 21-23; Dec. 28-30
Hours: 9 am to 4 pm, every day of winter break except Dec 24/25 and Dec 31/Jan 1
Price: $69/day
Ages: 5-14
Circo Day Camps are put on by the Kinetic Arts Center. Children will engage in clowning, trapeze, juggling, acrobatics, climbing and general circus happiness.
Location: 785 7th St (7th and Brush Sts) in Oakland
Dates: Dec. 21-23; Dec. 28-30
Hours: 9am- 4pm
Price: $75/day in advance; $85/day of; discounts for purchasing multi-day packages
Ages: grades 1st-6
East Bay Dance Center offers kids jazz, ballet, tap, hip hop, tumbling and African dance with kids their own age and experience level.
Location: 1318 Glenview Ave, Oakland
Dates: Dec. 21-24; Dec. 28-31
Hours: 9:30 am to 3:30 pm
Price: $55/day or $200/4-day week
Ages: 5-16
Gan Israel Berkeley offers kids excursions to local destinations like the Jelly Belly, ice skating, and rock climbing. Healthy lunch and snacks provided.
Location: Chabad of the East Bay with transportation from N. Berkeley BART and Park Blvd, Oakland
Dates: Dec. 21-24; Dec. 28-31. Registration available for one day to two weeks.
Hours: 9am – 3:30 pm. After Care until 5:30 pm
Price: $60/day or $200/week
Ages: 7-12 (or Mini Gan Izzy for 4-6)
Head Over Heels Gymnastics Camp offers gymnastics and circus activities, arts and crafts, and games.
Location: 4701 Doyle Street in Emeryville
Dates: Dec. 21-24; Dec. 28-31.
Hours: Camp is available half day (9am-12noon) or full day (9am-4pm). Extended care available
Price: $70/day for full-day or half-day
Ages: 4-12, must be fully potty-trained
JCC School’s Out Winter Camp includes activities like bowling, ice skating, and laser tag, as well as field trips to destinations like museums, arcades, and parks.
Location: Berkeley Branch and Oakland Branch
Dates: Dec. 21-24; Dec. 28-31.
Hours: 8 am to 6 pm
Price: $75 per day/$65 sibling (discounts for members)
Ages: 5-12
Lakeshore Children’s Center is a general day care program that runs during Oakland school holidays for grades K-8
Location: 3534 Lakeshore Avenue, Oakland
Oakland Zoo Winter Camp offers a combination of two-day workshops at the Zoo each day.
Location: Oakland Zoo
Dates: Dec. 21-22 or Dec. 28-29 Zoofari; Dec. 23-24 or Dec. 30-31 Nature Play
Hours: 9 am – 4 pm with extended care available
Price: $80/day for non-members; $75/day for members
Ages: grades K-5th
Sarah’s Science Winter Camp offers an inventors workshop during six of the most common, non-holiday vacation days.
Location: The Berkeley site will be at Black Pine Circle School and the Oakland location is the Lake Merritt United Methodist Church.
Dates: Dec. 21-24; Dec. 28-30
Hours: 8am to 5:30 pm
Price: $115/day
Ages: 5-11
SF Seals Baseball Camp offers individual instruction to boys and girls with a focus on developing fundamental baseball skills and an emphasis on fun.
Location: San Leandro High School
Dates: Dec. 28-30
Hours: 9am to 3pm
Price: 1 day/$60 or 3 days/$150 (Register before 12/4 and save $10)
Ages: 6-14
Trackers combines holiday themes with the great outdoors for many interesting days. Think waffling meets archery.
Location: 3049 Adeline Street, Berkeley
Dates: Dec. 21-23; Dec. 28-31
Hours: 8am to 4pm with extended care available until 6pm
Price: $85/day
Ages: Grades 1-8
We Rock the Spectrum combines modules of arts and crafts, storytime, Zumba and other indoor fun to offer day camp at their facility.
Dates: Open except Christmas Day and New Year’s Day
Hours: 9 am to 2 pm; drop in for a short “break” or sign up for longer
Located at 2920 7th Street, near Ashby + San Pablo. Call to inquire 510-845-9787
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 Cooking Round the World for sponsoring this guide to Winter Break Camps in the East Bay.
[Photo provided by Cooking Round the World, all rights reserved]
Can I put in a good word for Lakeshore Children’s Center. They are really nice to the kids, they feed them a hot breakfast (!), and when we lived in Oakland my son loved going on their field trips too.
I’d like to highly recommend Monkey Business for Winter Camp! They’re located at Berkwood Hedge in Berkeley for their winter session. Monkey business provides a fun, safe and nurturing environment where kids are equally comfortable exploring or unwinding. They have an amazing staff that includes awesome youth counselors that are often the kids’ favorites. It’s a great balance of indoor/ outdoor, energetic and low key. Their website: monkeybusinesscamp.com
Thanks Teresa, When I looked for Monkey Business info, I couldn’t find it online. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Heather. At Monkey Business Camp, we have had our winter camp dates online for months, and registration open since mid-October.
http://www.monkeybusinesscamp.com/winter/
Location: Berkwood Hedge School
Dates: December 21-31, Mondays through Thursdays
Hours: 8:30-3:30, with extended care 8:00-6:00
Price: $89/day for basic day, with discounts for siblings, multiple days, and registration by 12/1
Girls on the Go will be holding three days of field trip camps for Girls ages 9-13. Using public transportation, girls explore, imagine, and connect with one another and the beautiful Bay Area.
Location: home base at Berkwood Hedge School
Dates: December 21-23
Hours: 8:30-3:30, with extended care 8:00-6:00
Price: $89/day for basic day, with discounts for siblings, multiple days, and registration by 12/1
Go Girls is also running a Winter break camp in Oakland this year: http://gogirlscamp.com/december-2015-day-camps/
Kids N Dance has winter camps!!! Awesome!
Don’t forget about Habitot’s Winter Camp too. Sometimes people don’t know that the award winning children’s museum, Habitot, in downtown Berkeley also has excellent camp programs with teachers especially trained in Early Childhood.
Morning Camp in Classroom
Dates (2015) : December 28-31
Times: 9:00 am–1:00 pm (includes lunch)
Ages: 3–5 year olds
Cost: $45.00 per session, $175 for all 4 morning sessions
Class size limited to 12 students
Parent participation NOT required
Curbside drop-off and pick-up service available.
For more information, inquire at the time of registration.
Weekday, Drop-off Activity Camp
Each weekday morning, drop-off children at Habitot’s classroom annex for hands-on play and learning celebrating winter! All camps take place in Habitot’s classroom annex, Habitot, Too, located at 2065 Kittredge Street in downtown Berkeley.
Activities are all led by experienced Habitot instructors. Children will explore winter-themed activities, including cooking, art, science, storytelling, movement and music. Half-day camps are offered in December. Sign up for one day or all the days! Actual camp days vary each year.
Make real snow
Create ice balloons
Build sugar snow castles
Bake gingerbread cookies
Build an igloo
Dance like snowflakes in a winter wonderland parade
http://www.habitot.org/museum/activities_camps.html
Hi 510Families Team! I would like to share Go Girls! Winter Break Camp. This is the first year that they’re doing it, and my daughter is super excited. She went to camp this summer (we actually read about them here 2 years ago but she was too young!) and LOVED it. I love the mission of growing a Compassion Revolution so much that I’ve joined the advisory board. She can’t wait to go back for winter camp. It’s 6 days, for girls currently enrolled in grades K-5, and it’s at North Oakland Community Charter School. You can get more information on their site: http://gogirlscamp.com/december-2015-day-camps/
Hello All! East Bay SPCA Winter Camp is a great option for your kid that loves animals.
Over winter break, the East Bay SPCA offers a mini session of their Animal Camp program. Winter camp is open to all elementary grade levels. Campers will have the opportunity to interact with animals and participate in winter themed games and activities.
Oakland: December 28-30, 2015
9am-3pm each day
$150/child
Oakland Adoption Center
8323 Baldwin Street, Oakland, CA
For more information, visit http://www.eastbayspca.org/wintercamp
Anyone know of camps for mid-winter break in February? Feb 15-19?