Time To Plan Summer Fun Around Town

Camp W offers creative and athletic programs for boys and girls between ages 4-14 years old, which include flag football, floor hockey, karate, volleyball, arts and crafts, puppet making, cartooning, dance, and more.  Photo/Facebook/Camp W Day Camp

By Janee Law
jlaw@longislandergroup.com

In the midst of frigid temperatures and snowy weather, it’s never too early to start planning for summer fun. Camps within the Town of Huntington are offering a variety of programs this summer to help develop and expand athletic, intellectual and creative skill set in children and teens.

Camp Invention
Fort Salonga Elementary School
39 Sunken Meadow Road, Fort Salonga
Campinvention.org
Camp Invention will be bringing its “Fast Forward” camp program to Fort Salonga Elementary School this upcoming summer, where students will participate in problem solving, collaboration, and the use of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The summer program is of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting creativity, advancing the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship and recognizing inventors and invention. Students entering kindergarten through sixth grade will get to experience the weeklong adventure through hands-on programs. This includes programs like the Robotic Pet Vet, Mod My Mini Mansion, the Optibot, and Stick To It. Campers will bring their “smart” home to life with smart furniture and eco-smart energy; design a robotic dog and diagnose puppy problems; explore sensors by designing tracks for an Optibot, a robot that senses dark and light surfaces; and build Cake Catapults. The program runs from June 25-29, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. and costs $265. For more info, visit Campinvention.org.

Camp W
Birchwood Intermediate School
121 Wolf Hill Road, Melville
631-692-6222
Campwdaycamp.com
Camp W has been offering a variety of activities and creative fun since Owner and Director Evan Wofsy first opened it back in June 2015. The camp based out of Birchwood Intermediate School in Melville and makes full use of the school’s more than 7 acres of land by offering athletic programs, including soccer, softball, karate and more, for boys and girls between ages 4-14 years old. The camp also provides creative arts, academic tutoring and special events. A dozen classrooms in the school also host creative arts programs including arts and crafts, puppet making, cartooning, dance, music, drama, and jewelry design; and other unique activities like rocketry, cooking, Lego design, plastic model making, comic book creation, camp newspaper and more. Wofsy said that a new program they will be introducing this year are trips for campers in sixth, seventh and eighth grade, where every Wednesday afternoon they will venture to various places including Island Rock, Bounce! Trampoline Sports and Laser Kingdom. Sessions range from two weeks to eight weeks and run June 25-Aug. 17. For more information, or to register, visit Campwdaycamp.com.

Kenwal Day Camp
100 Drexel Ave., Melville
631-694-3399
Kenwaldaycamp.com
Kenwal Day Camp spans 20 acres of land offering a variety of activities, from an archery range, inflatable water park, and go-karts and a speedway, and fields that tailor to an array of sports. Other activities include mini golf, arts & crafts, theater, dance, rope rappelling and karate. Open since 1957, the camp has expanded its services by also offering its “Extreme Teens” program, which is a travel program for kids in grades 7-11. Camp sessions start from three weeks and can go up to eight weeks from June 25-Aug. 17. Cost depends on age of camper and number of weeks they will be attending. To register, visit Kenwaldaycamp.com.

St. Anthony’s Friars Summer Camp
275 Wolf Hill Road, South Huntington
Friarsummercamp.org
St. Anthony’s High School began Friars Summer Camp in 1990 as a means to introduce young athletes to the coaching staff, facilities and programs at the high school and to help students develop their skills. The camp offers a variety of sports for both boys and girls, which include football, volleyball, soccer, lacrosse, rowing, cheerleading and wrestling. In addition, the camp also offers intellectual and creative services with its academic and art programs. It’s academic program offers courses like AP biology prep, experimental design and analysis and an ELA enrichment workshop. Last year, the camp implemented its new virtual 3D cadaver table for an anatomy course, offered through its academic camp. For those interested in the arts, Friars camp has got it covered, offering theater, bagpiping, highland drumming and sports media camp. There are a variety of camp bundles, including the Scholar-Athlete Camp Package, which is a four-week academic program and one sports camp for $550. Parents can register for various sessions that take place in June, July and August by visiting Friarsummercamp.org.

Usdan Summer Camp For The Arts
185 Colonial Springs Road, Wheatley Heights
631-643-7900
Usdan.org
Every camper who attends Usdan Summer Camp For The Arts will be guided on a path of individual and creative growth. With nearly 70 classes and over 1,500 students each summer, the camp offers programs for children ages 4-18, which include music, dance, visual arts, creative writing, and theater arts. Built in 1968 by the late Andrew McKinley, the nonprofit’s 140-acre campus is equipped with three stages, a 900-seat indoor/outdoor amphitheater and more than 70 studios. It’s seven-week session starts from June 25 to Aug. 10. Other sessions include a four-week, June 25-July 20; a two-week, July 9-20; and a three-week, July 23-Aug. 10. Those who register on or before Jan. 31 will get $100 off tuition. To register, or learn more, visit Usdan.org.