Thanks to Steve and Kate's Camp for sponsoring our website today.
To fall in love with Steve and Kate's Camp, you need only watch this awesome video. Another way, of course, is to contact the director by phone or email to arrange a tour of one of the campuses or to talk to some of the satisfied parents that return with their children year after year. In the near East Bay camp is at the Berkeley School on University and Park Day School in Temescal.
What makes Steve and Kate’s awesome?
- Steve & Kate’s Camp conforms to your kid and not the other way around with a wide variety of activities to cater to virtually all interests. Campers choose what they’re most interested in doing and run with it. Their unique structure of kid-directed learning allows campers to make mistakes, course correct, develop their own judgment and eventually begin to trust their judgment.
- Their flexible enrollment and drop-in system is perfect for parents doing a combination summer of day camps, grandparent visits, vacations, and general unstructured awesomeness. And at the end of the summer, any unused Day Passes are automatically refunded.
- Lunch and snacks are provided — hooray for no lunchbox!
Let's talk about those boundless opportunities for inspiration and the wide range of activities. One camper dives deep into stop-motion animation. Another discovers a passion for dance. Or chess. Or baking bread. Or making denim jeans. Or soccer. Or coding an app. Because the options are self-directed, kids' discoveries are made without adult judgments and expectations. S&K believes that allowing campers the freedom to blur the line between learning and play unlocks their natural curiosity.
Art and technology programs are called the Studios including Style (sewing and knitting), Film (stop-motion animation and live action), Music, Coding (with robotics), Dance and Breadmaking. To balance all that learning, there is a choice of sports and recreational activities available for campers like foosball, electric scooters, and custom bouncy houses (Wait, what?!). In the Lounge, campers can relax with a book on beanbags, build with Keva blocks, or play board games with each other.
New this year:
- Robotics: Taking Coding a step further to allow campers to control robots they build in the studio.
- Live Action Film: Campers will use iPads to make documentaries and create fictional short films.
- Global Street Food: New exciting options are found on the menu this year including street food from around the world.
- Mentorship Program: Teens entering 8th and 9th grade will develop deep relationships with peers, counselors and campers all while gaining valuable leadership experiences.
Steve & Kate’s Camp (Berkeley at The Berkeley School; Oakland at Park Day School)
This multi-disciplinary camp has a unique child-driven agenda and a parent-friendly schedule. Kids plan their own day; attending whichever activities interest them. These activities include; style, film and animation, breadmaking, dance, coding and robotics, sports, and more. Extra staff guide the youngest campers through their day. No sessions are required and you can switch locations as needed. (There are also locations in the North Bay, San Francisco, the South Bay, and the Peninsula.)
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Hours: 7:30am to 6pm; LUNCH PROVIDED
Price: $95/day; 5-days or more $85/day; 20-days or more $75/day. $2,625 gives you unlimited access for the summer.
Happy parent testimonial:
“My son had the most amazing summer at Steve & Kate's at Park Day School. We initially signed him up for four weeks but he insisted on another four weeks as he absolutely loved it.
At Steve & Kate's he could decide what he wanted to do – whether it be making stop-motion movies, hanging out in the lounge, playing on the weekly apparatus, or making bread – he determined what he wanted to do at his pace. He came home each day with stories of meeting new kids, trying new things and and most of all how much fun he had. He really bonded with a couple counselors whose enthusiasm and love of kids was obvious.
And best of all? I could drop him off and pick him up whenever it suited us so if he was tired he could sleep in without the panic of not being somewhere on time. And the fact that they provide lunch? I would have paid double for that! His favorite days were Italian days and Mexican days – I think the kid was better fed at camp than at home! What a great organization – I have to say I am super impressed by how well they run it – they really do deliver on their promise – they do have it right on all accounts – my kid was safe and happy and had a terrific summer – what more can a parent ask, right?”
~ Victoria, mom to camper Oliver
Thanks again to Steve and Kate's Camp for sponsoring this post today. Go check 'em out!
[Photos provided by Steve and Kate's Camp and used with permission]
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