Skip to content

RIVER FOREST, IL

Oak Park River Forest Summer Day Camp

REGISTER NOW

Here, we put kids in charge.

Preposterous? Possibly. Effective? You betcha.

When you trust kids, they trust themselves. For 43 years, we’ve put kids in charge of their own learning experience. As they try, fail, and learn on their own, they learn to trust their own judgment, and tackle the challenges of an ever changing world with creativity and confidence.

Campers choose minute to minute from a variety of activities. They’ll decide what they want to do, and for how long. Our job is to get out of their way, cheerlead creative risks, and provide just enough guidance to make sure nobody does anything totally* senseless.

*Totally senseless: By our definition, mistakes aren’t senseless. They’re how you learn.

Buy any number of days. Use them any time. Get refunds for unused days.

You can buy a Day Pass here and 22 there, or go for the whole shebang with a Summer Pass. You don’t even have to tell us when you’re going to show up (or pretend like you know when you’re going to show up). If you have unused passes left over, we’ll automatically refund them in full at summer’s end.

Lunch, snacks, and all hours, 8am–6pm, included.

Camp Details

DATES

Jun 12 - Aug 11

NOTES

Closed July 4th

HOURS

8am to 6pm

AGES

4-12

ADDRESS

St. Vincent Ferrer School
1515 Lathrop Ave.,
River Forest, IL 60305

CALL/TEXT

(773) 295-4866

Activities for Every Interest

In the early morning and late afternoon, campers ramp up and wind down with recreational choices. For the bulk of the day, children will choose from the activities listed below. While we can’t say exactly what the day will look like, one thing is for sure: The campers are in control.

animation_bear

MEDIA LAB

Campers will use scaffolded coding apps to build & play games on iPads. They'll also have the ability to produce stop-motion shorts on our custom animation stations, create music, or remix their favorite song.
dance_Perform_stage

THE STAGE

Children will jump into the spotlight for dancing games and karaoke. Or spend time filming short movies in front of custom backdrops, or record your favorite TikTok dances with friends!
kinder_sewing

SEWING SALON

Hand & machine sewing are available for campers of all ages. Children will also have options for embroidery & creating other artistic flare.
specials_boy3

WEEKLY SPECIALS

Additional activities to spice up the regular lineup. Each day we'll have either a recreational showstopper such as a giant inflatable, a workshop like dance, or a live show like a magician. 2023 weekly schedule coming soon!
breadmaking1_web-309

BAKERY

Experienced bakers & professional taste-testers unite to experiment with different bread recipes & creations. Kids choose from a variety of fillings, spices, & add-ons to customize the flavors before & after they bake.
gaga_girl

SPORTS & REC

Campers and staff join together to play soccer, gaga, capture the flag, or whatever games children are interested in that day.
maker_boys

MAKERY

Imagination is the limit on what campers will create with a mix of maker kits, crafts, and art supplies.
waterslide_3 (5)

WATER PLAY

When the weather gets hot, we'll cool down with water games & activities such as water tag, sprinklers, or an inflatable slip n' slide (space & local water restrictions permitting).
piethrowing_8

S&K TRADITIONS

Our 43+ year-long camp traditions continue with games such as Finding Chuckie (a beloved, mini rubber chicken), and Friday Pieday–where campers & staff can celebrate the end of the week with a whipped cream pie to the face.

Testimonials From Our Summer Camps in Chicago

My son loves Steve & Kate's! He started going there when he was 4 and though I was initially worried about how he'd do in the new environment everyone was so supporting and helpful that he did just fine. He's now 6 and is eager to get back there as soon as he can. I love that they promote self-exploration. He's come home with superhero masks and capes he made himself as well with a new found knowledge of checkers and chess. I also like that they rally all together every morning and value equity and diversity. There is a lot of kindness and support at Steve & Kates, which helps teach my son the type of values I want him to have as he grows.
Monica S.

(S&K parent)

My 6-year old went to Steve & Kate's in Oakland this summer and I don't know who loved it more, me or her! She loved seeing many familiar faces from school and other camps she's been to (unplanned), the food (!), the activities (like making her own video with friends, learning to knit, baking bread) and the freedom to roam and make decisions for herself.
Jessica G.

(S&K parent)

The staff was really wonderful at the Chicago-Lakeview location. They were all highly personable and warm with our children. I always appreciated hearing how much they enjoyed spending the day with our kids. They made me feel like my kids were part of a family.
Amy S.

Fees

Maybe you’re the type who likes to plan ahead. Maybe you’re not. Either way, we’ve structured our fees to work around your calendar–whether you’re making it up on the fly or trying to crack the color code of a multi-tab Excel spreadsheet.

 

Buy any number of Day Passes or a Summer Pass, and use them whenever you’d like during the summer. You don’t even need to let us know when you plan to join–just show up! If for any reason your plans change, we’ll automatically refund your unused Passes in-full at summer’s end.

We also offer need-based financial aid to qualifying families. Learn more or submit an application, here.

All fees include lunch, snacks and all hours 8:00am to 6:00pm. 

Fee includes lunch, snacks, activities and all hours 8:00am to 6:00pm.

  • Buy any number of Day Passes and use them anytime
  • Upgrade to a Summer Pass at any time by purchasing 30 Day Passes per a given child
  • Unused Day Passes are automatically refunded in mid September

Fee includes lunch, snacks, activities and all hours 8:00am to 6:00pm.

  • One fee covers the entire summer–that’s up to 44 days of camp in Oak Park River Forest!
  • If you purchase a Summer Pass and use less than 30 days of camp, we’ll calculate what you would have paid at the Day Pass rate and refund you the difference automatically in mid September

STAFF

Tireless child advocates, who balance structure and guidance with staying out of campers’ ways. All staff members are background checked and trained in CPR & first-aid.

FOOD

We provide daily lunch options from a rotating variety of local restaurants and caterers. We’ll also offer an array of snacks for kids to nosh on throughout the day. Check out the daily menu below.

S&K Events

Join us at an upcoming event! Our virtual Information Sessions are a great place to learn the basics on camp. We’ll give a quick presentation and overview on our program, and then answer any questions you have!

Please note that Information Sessions are open to all Steve & Kate’s Camps, and are not specific to any given location. We’ll also plan local events & opportunities to meet your team prior to camp. Check them out below and we hope to see you soon!

Local Events

Details About Camp in Oak Park River Forest

Daily Express Check In & Wellness Survey

Staff and campers will complete a wellness survey and/or other screenings to identify any potential health concerns before arriving to camp each day.

Virtual Camp Orientation & Drop-off/Pick-Up Procedures

Virtual Camp Orientation: Once we get closer to summer, we’ll email registered families a link to our virtual, camp orientation. This will provide important information such as camp drop-off & pick-up procedures, how to check-in and check-out of camp each day, what to bring (and not bring), and a few more camp details.

Daily Menu

VG= Vegetarian , VV= Vegan , GF= Gluten Free , DF= Dairy Free , SF= Soy Free , EF= Egg Free

No items contain nuts or nut products. However, some may have been prepared in areas that also produce items with nuts.

MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY

Contact Us

We would love to help you learn more about our program and at the same time learn more about you and your camper. Get in touch!

Best-of-Marin-Hall-of-Fame-flooring-400b3456-1 file2 Make-it-Better-2018 11ad5c_96c507ee9a5d4e27808c938832ab5575_mv2-copy_adobespark Best-Of-san-gabriel-valley

AND DOZENS MORE!

Stay In The Know

Be the first to know about site updates, events, registration specials, & more!

"*" indicates required fields