Camps

The University of North Texas is a public university that hosts a variety of on-campus performing arts shows, sports, and special events open to the general public.

Located in the Environmental Education, Science, and Technology Building, the Elm Fork Education Center offers educational programs and summer camps that teach children environmental decision-making and responsible environmental stewardship. For more information, visit www.efec.unt.edu.

The school's Sky Theater planetarium presents a variety of programs for schools and the general public. For more information, visit www.skytheater.unt.edu.

The university also offers counseling services for children, adolescents, teens, and families through its Child and Family Resource Clinic.

The Frontiers of Flight Museum is a thrill for little airplane fans, and it does a great job of explaining the role the Dallas/Fort Worth area has played in the unfolding global aviation story, from the Wright Brothers to space exploration.

Displays include a World War I Sopwith "Pup" biplane, as well as hundreds of models, uniforms, decorations, engines, and propellers.

The Museum offers a wide variety of educational programs all year long. On the second Tuesday of each month (except July and August), kids can meet and chat with "Orville Wright," and hear about that first flight.

Week-long summer camp programs are offered to kids in grades three to six. Check the website for dates, and register early.

Children's birthday parties can be held at the museum; call for details.

Family Membership is $75/year.

The Language Institute of Dallas International School offers summer enrichment camps in foreign languages, creative arts, and science.

Studio Arts Dallas offers art classes for children ages two and up, including drawing, cartooning, scupture, and popular classes "just for boys" and "just for girls." Toddlers can also register for Mommy (or Daddy) and Me classes. Summer camps are available for kids and teens.

Children ages five and up can plan birthday parties with an artistic flair. Parents supply the cake and guests; the studio supplies an art project and an instructor.

Utilizing fun classes, imaginative teachers, and creative materials, Abrakadoodle inspires the artist in every child. The program meets both the National and State Standards for visual arts education. Classes are developmentally appropriate and introduce kids to color, texture, shape, and creativity.

Classes are held at various locations throughout the north Dallas suburbs. Call for current pricing and class locations.

Birthday Party packages are available, and include a visit from Splat, the Abrakadoodle stuffed toy mascot, arty gift bags for all the children, a special arty gift for the birthday child, and a Remarkable Art Activity Abrakadoodle-style that lasts about one hour. At the end, artwork is framed for each child to take home as a treasured keepsake.

Located inside Everybody Fits, Cathryn Sullivan's Acting for Film offers intimate acting classes, workshops, and summer camps.

Search for day camps, sleep-aways, family camps, teen tours, camp jobs, special needs, national and international adventures... even weight loss and military camps!

Write to kidscamps.com at 500 NE Spanish River Boulevard, Boca Raton, Florida, 33431, or email the address above.

CampDepot.com is a search engine for summer camps, offering more than 14,000 camp listings that parents can search by zip code, specialty, location, activity, etc.

Congregation Beth Torah is a Conservative synagogue serving the Jewish community of Richardson, Plano, north Dallas, Allen, Frisco, McKinney, and other areas throughout the Metroplex.

Children age one to five can participate in the preschool program. A Parent & Child program for 12 to 18 month-olds is offered several times throughout the school year.

A summer camp program is also available.

The winner of our 2008 Parents' Picks quest to find the best artsy class for little kids in Dallas-Fort Worth, Van Grow offers fine art instruction for ages two through adult. The studio offers classes and lessons in the basics of art such as drawing, painting, and sculpture.

In addition to year-round pottery painting, Van Grow also offers fine arts classes in fall and spring sessions for kids ages two and up, as well as Saturday workshops, holiday day camps, and summer camps with week-long themed classes.

Birthday parties and parents' night out are also available.

Located inside Everybody Fits, Cathryn Sullivan's Acting for Film offers intimate acting classes, workshops, and summer camps.

A workout facility that keeps everyone in the family occupied with activities, the Coppell Aquatic and Recreation Center has a lot to offer.

For the kids, the pool schedule offers swimming lessons year round. The big draw is the huge indoor slide. Operating hours, however, vary seasonally, so call before heading out.

The smaller fish in your family can enjoy the kiddie pool, complete with shooting water and overhead buckets. This pool is less than a foot deep and is perfect for those just wanting to splash and play. The indoor pools are open year round.

The rec center also features a complete workout facility and a basketball gym. Several group exercise classes are offered.

During the summer months, the outdoor pools are a gathering place for families. Three separate pools offer a cool playground retreat in the Texas heat. Complete with powerful water guns and a jungle gym, the kiddie pool depth ranges from one to three feet. Remarkably, this pool continues to have the coolest water temperature, even in August.

The jumbo slide and adjoining pool, with a challenging rope and inflatable mushroom course, are geared for the older kids. There is a height restriction for the slide.

Convenient family restrooms, large enough for changing clothes, are located at both pool sites, indoor and outdoor.

This isn't just a Coppell gatheri