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SANTA CRUZ, CA

Santa Cruz Summer Day Camp

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Thank you for joining us at camp! Summer camp has now ended for 2023. Sign up to be notified when we open camp next!

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 5 - Aug 4

NOTES

*Information from Summer 2023 and subject to change for 2024

HOURS

8:00 am - 6:00 pm

AGES

4–12

ADDRESS

Spring Hill School
250 California St,
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

CALL/TEXT

831-271-6229

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.

STOP-MOTION ANIMATION

Kids bring their stories to life in the Media Lab, as they create stop-motion “shorts” filmed on our custom-built animation stages designed to frame sets perfectly.
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SEWING SALON

Campers of all ages design their own clothing & adornments using customized patterns & challenges. They’ll make items like bags, clothing, & accessories through a mix of hand & machine sewing.
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CODING

Learn hands-on coding concepts on time-controlled iPads in the Media Lab. Our curated apps utilize drag-and-drop platforms to cater to early & advanced readers, while gamifying the learning process to entice new users.
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THE STAGE

Enjoy motion-based games like Switch & Just Dance, plus new karaoke systems, back drops, & party props. Whether it’s expressing themselves through song & dance, or acting out a play, if they can dream it, they can do it!
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ROBOTICS

Within the Media Lab, campers have access to the latest in robotic equipment to promote learning & problem-solving. This space has both guided activities & self-directed games & tools like robot landscapes & custom mazes.
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BAKERY

A beloved space where baking enthusiasts & taste-testers unite to experiment with recipes. Choosing from a variety of fillings, spices, & add-ons, campers explore new flavors or customize creations to suit their individual tastes.
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TINKER LAB

Explore creativity through crafts, inventor kits, & even 3D pens, to construct take-home projects or collaborate on large-scale builds. Our hand-selected STEAM-based materials are designed to foster curiosity & exploration.
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S&K TRADITIONS

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

Each site is filled with a core set of athletic equipment that utilizes & complements the unique spaces & interests of its campers. Kids & staff band together to exercise, play sports, design games & obstacle courses, & more!
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WEEKLY SPECIALS

Each day, campers delight in a unique, show-stopping special activity. These could include movement classes, workshops, performances, local speakers, or more! Summer 2024 activities coming this spring.
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WATER PLAY

Games and activities like water tag, inflatable slip n’ slides, & giant sprinklers make for unforgettable water-adventures on hot summer days (space and local water restrictions permitting).
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LOUNGE

A communal place to socialize & play with a wonderland of indoor games like foosball & marble mazes. In our quiet corner, campers unplug with sensory objects, puzzles, fidget toys, & a library of books for all ages.

Testimonials From Our Summer Camps in the South Bay

My daughter attends this location and the campus director and his staff go out of their way to accommodate your want/ needs for your child. The camp has plenty of cool activities for your child to do each day and provide snacks and food for the kids. Lots to choose from. Would definitely recommend this camp!
J.G.

(S&K parent)

I highly recommend Steve and Kate's, and if you are going to do it, have them go for at least 2 weeks, if not more. The activities, like badges, game shows, etc that they do build up over time and the kids get to understand the ins and outs and love it. Great, great camp.
Larissa F.

(S&K parent)

What truly impressed me is that almost all of the staff knew my son and his interests by the end of the first week, simply because of the interaction that he was able to have by trying out new activities.
He was so excited to go back and be able to have the freedom to explore the activities at his pace and even tried out sewing, making superhero capes and masks! I never thought my extremely active 8 year old would want to sew. We've been so happy with how Steve and Kate's has been run at this site and especially with Jaimey for making the overall experience so fun for our oldest guy. The staff is all really fun too and everyday I hear stories about them and how "cool" they are. Because apparently, your mom is no longer cool when you are an 8 year old boy. Ha.
Jessica K.

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. 

Includes: Lunch, snacks, activities, and all hours, 8am–6pm

  • 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

Includes: Lunch, snacks, activities, and all hours, 8am–6pm

  • One fee covers the entire summer–that’s up to 44 days of camp in Santa Cruz!
  • 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.

Details About Camp in Santa Cruz

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

Check out our virtual camp orientation for everything you need to know before your first day of camp, coming this spring. 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 food items provided by camp contain nuts or nut products. However, some products may have been packaged or prepared in a facility that has nut products and may be labeled “may contain 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.

Best-of-Marin-Hall-of-Fame-flooring-400b3456 (1) Top 6 Summer Camps in North America Make it Better 2018 Boston Parents Paper Family Favorite Best Of san gabriel valley

AND DOZENS MORE!

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