Ultimate Guide to San Diego Summer Camps 2021

Encore Creative Arts & Enrichment Camp

After months at home, now your kids can experience this fun summer program in San Diego. Encore Creative Arts & Enrichment Camp is hosted in a gated, 30,000 sq. ft. campus which includes indoor and outdoor facilities. A low camper to staff ratio allow for a camp community with security. Many hands-on experiences, educational opportunities, arts and much more are offered. As one of the few camps fully operating in 2020 we are guaranteeing a full in-person 2021 program. No mask requirements. There's a camp for every kid's interest!

Programs Include:

Athletics (Archery, Badminton, Field Hockey, much more)
Space Camp
Musical Theater
DJ School
Survivor
Hip Hop Dance
Film Making
Crazy Geology
Guitar & Piano
Culinary Arts
Mad Scientist
Walking with Dinosaurs
Arts & Crafts
Comic Book / Anime
Hands on Photography
Archeology & Anthropology

Camp dates: Jun. 14–Aug. 27

Ages: 4–13 (CIT 14+)

Hours: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. & 3:15-5:15 p.m.

Special promotion: Use code REDTRI5021 for $50 off any camp!

Online: encorecreativeartscamp.com

Camp Jaycee Summer Camps

Camp Jaycee at the Lawrence Family JCC offers a safe and happy place that you can count on. Their ACA-accredited camp features camp types covering a wide range of interests, including traditional, sports, theatre, and much more for toddlers to teenagers. Nobody knows for sure what this coming summer will look like, but you can rest assured that Camp Jaycee will be the place your kids can go for a summer filled with adventure, friends, and memories!

Summer camp kicks off Jun. 14–Aug. 27 for kids ages 18 months to grade 11.

Use code "REDTRI" to waive the JCC membership registration fee.

Online: campjaycee.com/at-a-glance

Yoga Rascals Summer Camps

Young yogis can "om" their way to a relaxing summer vacation with Yoga Rascals! Camps are led by Yoga Rascals’ founder Sünje O’Clancy, who seeks to “create an atmosphere of kindness, inclusion, and mutual respect where everyone feels appreciated.” Kids will practice a variety of yoga poses, learn to balance, greet the sun on mountaintops and use their breath to teach them to relax and feel calm and peaceful. Campers will also enjoy yoga games, yoga stories and a yoga nap, as well as arts and crafts, creating a journal and more.

Yoga Rascals yoga camps are offered at two locations: La Mesa Community Center and Leo Carillo Ranch. Click the links for dates, more details and to sign up.

Online: yogarascals.com/summercamp

Birch Aquarium's In-Person & Virtual Summer Camps

This summer Birch Aquarium is offering both in-person and virtual summer camps for kids entering grades K-5. Explore underwater worlds and meet amazing ocean creatures in these week-long camps where campers will play games, create fun crafts, engage in science activities, and of course, get up close with aquarium animals, live or online.

Registration begins April 12.

Online: aquarium.ucsd.edu/experiences/programs/summer-camps

Helen Woodward Animal Center

Critter Camp is the perfect animal adventure for your kids to put some magic into their summer break this year. They’ll enjoy some extraordinary encounters with various charming critters each day, get creative with crafts to take home, and discover their skills with activities and games bound to forge new friendships. Summer Critter Camp has two themes that alternate each week including “Adventure with Animals” and “The Magical World of Animals.”Come to both or just one, either way you’re bound to have fun! Daily sign ups available, plus extended care hours, discounts, scholarships, and lunch options.

Mon.–Fri., Jun. 7–Aug. 27

Preschool–6th grade

Online: animalcenter.org/programs-services/education/summer-critter-camp

Padres Baseball & Softball Camps

This camp will really knock it out of the park for your little sluggers. The San Diego Padres baseball camps include an official Padres baseball camp uniform, a virtual meet and greet with a current or former Padres player or coach as well as an autograph from a current or former Padres player or coach. The five day camp features baseball instruction, competitions and games. Camp sessions are offered at multiple locations throughout San Diego, so you can select the camp nearest you.

Ages: 4-12

Camps run Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Jun. 14-Aug. 13

The Padres also offer two softball camps in July designed for girls ages 6-10.

Online: mlb.com/padres/community/play/camps

Little Fish Comic Book Studio In-Person & Virtual Camps

Pre-teen and teen artists will relish the chance to attend an in-person or online summer camp offered by Little Fish Comic Book Studio. Their specialized, highly-engaging camp experiences are available in-studio as well as via Zoom. Students will create characters and comics, pencil, ink and color their own comic pages and more. Materials are included in camp cost.

In-studio camps run 9 a.m.-3 p.m. and the Studio provides snacks, but students need to bring a lunch.

​Virtual camps run 9 a.m.-noon

Online: lilfish.us/camps

Mad Science Camp

Kids can become junior scientists for the summer and have so much fun that they’ll forget they’re learning! Checkmate Chess, NASA Space Academy, and Crazy-Chem Works are just a few of the fantastic summer camp themes offered by Mad Science.

Mad Science camps take place throughout San Diego County at various recreation centers. Visit the website to pick the best location for your family. The sessions run weekly and typically occur in 3-hour increments. While prices vary by session and location, a week-long camp experience tends to cost around $150 per camper.

Online: sandiego.madscience.org

Outpost Summer Camps

Outpost summer camps are 100% outdoors and 100% unplugged. If your kiddos want a traditional summer experience that includes hiking, tree forts, and endless adventures in nature, check out Outpost Summer Camp. They offer programs for kids entering grades K-5 (Day Camp) and grades 6-9 (Senior Outpost), with four separate two-week sessions running from June through August.

All three Outpost programs are located at Canyonside Community Park next to the Los Penasquitos Preserve. There will be 12 campers per group with 2-3 staff for the entire session. Outpost offers, "Our staff and campers really get to know each other–it’s this feeling of belonging that makes the Outpost experience so special for everyone involved!"

Online: outpostsummercamps.com

Sugar Sweet Farm Summer Camps

Located in a picturesque setting in Encinitas, Sugar Sweet Farm is an ideal landscape for learning. With a mission of connecting children to nature through farm-based education, Sugar Sweet Farm has served thousands of local children through farm tours, parties, and camps. Each day on the farm brings new lessons for ever-changing exploration and fun. Campers grow, learn and play through creative, hands-on projects, hikes with llamas, horseback rides, crafts, games, gardening, hanging out with and caring for the animals, gathering eggs, swimming and much more.

Camps offered on Mon., Tues., Weds. & Thurs. Jun. 21-Aug. 18 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. for ages 6-12. After Care is available from 2-4 p.m.

Cost: $120 Per Day; $10 off Early Bird Discount Available until April 1st; Enter code: EARLYBIRD at checkout

Online: sugarsweetfarm.com/farm-camps

Summer Camps at the Museum of Photographic Arts

Photo Explorer summer camp is for kids in 4th-6th grade. Campers will discover the hidden worlds of Balboa Park and see the sights through the lens of a camera. Join MOPA on an adventure that will lead us through Spanish village, cactus garden, palm canyon and much more! Programs like these are important to help youth exhibit higher levels of confidence, and they encourage an interest in being creative.

*Cameras are provided, but campers are welcome to bring their own camera with an SD memory card if they'd like.

Teaching Artist: Megan Swiertz

Camp dates: Jun. 21-25

Online: mopa.org/educate/summer-camps