Best Summer Camps In Augusta

Summer is just around the corner, and while kids are looking forward to getting out of school, some parents are not as thrilled, as now they have to find things for their kids to do.

Fortunately, the city of Augusta has a wide variety of summer camps for kids with a wide variety of interests.The Augusta Recreation Department  will be offering an “Extreme Adventure Camp,” designed for young teens ages 12—15 and will provide a variety of places and activities for them to enjoy, things such as working with a fly fishing guide on how to tie flies and the art of casting, or how about a hiking trip to Mt. Pisgah and while there  working with a mycologist (a mushroom guru) who will teach such skills as familiarizing the kids of dangers and edibles in the wild or working with one of our Maine Wardens and learning GPS skills as well as a river trip from Sidney to Augusta and a flat water canoe or kayak trip on Cobbossecontee.

The camp runs in four sessions: July 8-12, July 15-19, July 22-26 and July 29-Aug.2, with a different adventure every week. The cost is $125 per week, or $110 per week per child if two or more register at the same time, the deadline to register is June 28, and space is limited to 8 participants per week. To register, stop by the Buker Community Center located at 22 Armory St. in Augusta Monday—Friday from 7:30am—4:30pm.

If hoops is more of your child’s thing, there will be a basketball camp for boys  in grades 2-6 from July 8-12 at the Buker Community Center. The camp, which costs $40 for residents and $50 for non-residents runs from 8 a.m. to noon each day.

There will be a girls basketball camp for kids in grades 2-6 from July 29-Aug. 2 from 8 a.m. to noon at the Buker Community Center. The cost is the same as the boys camp. Drop by the community center to register for both the boys and girls camps.

Campers will learn the fundamentals of individual and team basketball with emphasis on individual offensive moves, individual and team defensive moves. Campers will also work on ball handling, shooting, passing and gain the knowledge to improve their game.

Kids interested in robotics will enjoy the 2013 Robotics Summer Camp at the community center. Learn about robotics and engineering and how they help people solve problems.

It will be held in three sessions, a beginner group from July 1-5 (the camp does not meet on July 4), a mixed group from July 8-12 and an advanced group from July 15-19. The beginner camp is open to boys and girls ages 9-12 with no previous experience needed. The mixed session is open to kids from ages 9-14 and will mix beginners and more advanced kids. The advanced session is open to ages 10-14 and campers must have already attended a robotics camp or have been a member of a FIRST LEGO League Team. The cost is $215 per child for the beginner session and $265 per child for the other two sessions. Come by the recreation office in the community center for more information.

Karen Ramsay Photography, in conjunction with the Augusta Recreation Deepartment will be holding a digital photography camp for kids in fourth grade and up from June 24-27 from 9-11:30 a.m. at the Ramsay Studio on 69 Green St. in Augusta (parents will need to transport their children to and from studio and field trip location.). The cost is $125 before June 14 and $140 after that date.

Participants will learn the basics of photography and how to better use their own digital cameras. Each day, students will have a shooting assignment.

Students will take walking expeditions and a field trip to Vaughn Woods or the Arboretum. Some of their images will be printed and made into a photo book. They will be shown how to turn their pictures into gifts for family and friends.

Campers will need to provide their own digital camera. They do not need to be fancy, a point and shoot camera is great. Register at the community center or by emailing Karen at info@kramsayphoto.com.

There are more programs available. For more information on any of the department’s programs, visit their website.