If your childcare plans have changed, online summer camp might be just the thing to keep your kids busy, entertained, and safe this season.
This year's crisis has caused most things to move online—work, school, grocery shopping, even birthday parties and playdates. Most schools, in fact, will remain closed for the rest of the academic year and some summer camps have already stated they won't open for the 2020 season. But that doesn't mean your summer plans have gone completely out the window. Since mask-wearing, frequent hand-washing, and social distancing remain the best ways to decrease your family's chances of getting the coronavirus, virtual summer camp might be just the thing to help your kids stay safe and have some fun.
These 10 free programs—many of which, by the way, are traditional summer camps that have simply shifted online—will allow your kids to stay engaged, entertained, and busy while you work from home the next couple months. While school's out, your kids can still have the opportunity to meet some new friends and socialize—albeit virtually. And, who knows, maybe your child will find—and love—a summer camp online that they never would have been able to attend in person. It may not be the summer you envisioned, but you can still make the best of it. Here are some virtual summer camp options to check out with your kids:
1. Camp Wonderopolis
Fun for kids of all ages, Camp Wonderopolis offers fun, free STEAM—science, technology, engineering, arts, and math—programs. How does a hot air balloon fly? Why does slime feel so gooey? How does a crane work? These are just a few of the things your child can explore this summer.
2. The Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami
From June to August, kids ages 6 through 13 can enjoy mixed media, painting, drawing, and textile art classes via Zoom through The Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami. Families in the area can even pick up art supplies curbside before class.
3. Camp Supernow
Kids ages 5 to 11 can join a virtual "cabin" at Camp Supernow where they'll be paired with a counselor and other campers from across the country for an hour of crafts and activities on Zoom. Each session lasts two weeks and costs $199 per camper, but you can enjoy a free trial day to see if your kid's into it first!
4. Varsity Tutors
Why not use the time at home to have your child learn a new language, solve brain teasers, or even practice their creative writing. Tailored for specific grade levels—kindergarten and up—your kid can enjoy week-long camps in pretty much any subject that interests them with Varsity Tutors.
5. Happy Camper Live
From sports and arts and crafts to photography and magic, Happy Camper Live will give your kiddo a real camp feel at home—there's even a virtual campfire! You can stock up on some camp gear ahead of time to really make your child feel like they're at camp.
6. PBS Kids
The PBS Kids for Parents site offers up free age-by-age tips, crafts, games, and activities to get you through summer. You can search by your child's age and the area you'd like to work on to find the best options—and, yes, some of the activities will include characters like Daniel Tiger and Elmo.
7. DIY Summer Camp
Kids at any skill level can use the DIY's app to enjoy virtual classes like, "Photography," Become a Music Star," "Build Anything With Lego," and "Drawing Bootcamp." With a 14-day free trial, unlimited access to all of DIY's content, and even offline activities to try, your child's sure to find something they like.
8. iD Tech
If you've got an older kid at home who's super tech-savvy, then iD Tech’s virtual classes might be right up their alley. These classes—mostly for kids 7 and up—teach computer animation, app building, and your kid can even learn how to design for Minecraft. This camp's not free, but once you pay for one child, a sibling or friend can join for free!
9. K12 Inc. Summer Camp
Your high school student might be over the days of typical summer camp, but there are still free opportunities for them to get off the couch and be a little more selective with their screen time. K12 Inc. Summer Camp offers tuition-free, career-oriented summer courses in coding, video game design and programming, business and marketing, health care, and more—some of which will even earn students high school credit.
10. Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets' "Start with a Book" program is free and sort of an online book club for kids ages 6 and up. With 24 topics—including dinosaurs, time travel, and sports—to choose from, your child will be matched with the books to check out as well as corresponding activities, apps, and ideas to keep the fun going after the book's done.
