Boston's Best Summer Day Camps

Summer day camps are an outstanding way to enrich a child's vacation. It also gives parents a chance to work or run errands knowing that their kids are doing something memorable. Boston has a huge number of day camps and enrichment programs throughout the city. There is something for every budget and every kid thanks to extensive programs aimed at keeping kids out of trouble and active during the summer months.

Camp Joy
1483 Tremont St.
Roxbury Crossing, MA 02120
(617) 635-4920
www.cityofboston.gov

The Boston Centers for Youth and Families provides a hugely beneficial opportunity for children with disabilities. Camp Joy accepts kids from ages 3 all the way to 22 for their summer camp program. It has been serving Boston for more than half a century. The program is affordable and includes transportation, socializing, activities, games and meals. Campers must be Boston residents to qualify for the program. Children without disabilities between the ages of 2 and 7 can attend Camp Joy, which provides a nice opportunity for siblings of disabled children to attend camp with their loved ones.

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Mass Audubon is a wonderful organization focused on wildlife conservation–particularly that of birds. It offers 17-day camps all over Massachusetts with six in the Boston area alone. The Boston Nature Center day camps are located in Mattapan and West Roxbury. The Mattapan camp is situated on a 67-acre wildlife sanctuary with a conservation center. Kids will spend most of their time exploring and learning there. The Roxbury Camp takes place on the 117-acre campus of West Roxbury Latin. Both camps have a focus on nature and the outdoors, though the West Roxbury camp includes some time inside the school.

Summer Science Weeks are brief educational day camps at the Harvard Museum of Natural History. Every summer has multiple science weeks, all with a different theme. The themes include botany, prehistory, Native American technology, exploration and a few ocean themes. Weeks will include educational exercises with staff, time in the museum and games. All told, kids spend a few hours a day at camp for one week learning about a field that interests them.

Camp Thoreau is a character-building camp just outside of Boston in Concord. It is all about fostering hobbies, friendships and a love for nature without the competitive aspects of many other camps. Kids from all over are invited to join the hundreds of children that attend every summer. There are different tracks for different age groups–each encouraging one of five core values. The values are friendship, responsibility, teamwork, respect and risk taking.

SmartSummers is a program run by Brookline Adult and Community Education. It offers several different tracks from all day to afternoon options. Focuses include culinary arts, theater arts, fine arts, games, books, science and cyber technology. There are lots of different themes all summer long, so every kid can find something enjoyable. Kids will remain active and engaged no matter which topic or time of day they attend.

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