Summer has arrived in the Abingtons, and with it comes a wide variety of day camps for both children and teens. Below are just some of the area’s offerings. For updates, visit theabingtonjournal.com.

Arts and theater programs

• The Bands at Keystone College will host three summer music camps, available to all high school and college students, and adults of any age. The Low Brass Camp will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. July 6-7. The first two days of the camps are free and there will be a $25 charge for students wishing to attend the third day. Students will receive expert instruction in trombone, tuba/euphonium and tenor/barisax saxophone.

• The Keystone College Jazz Ensemble Experience will take place from 7-9 p.m. July 13, July 27, Aug. 3 and Aug. 10. Participants will rehearse and perform with the Keystone College Jazz Ensemble. All jazz musicians and vocalists are welcome. The camp is free of charge.

• The Woodwind Camp will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. August 8-9. Students will receive expert instruction from musicians who specialize in the flute, clarinet, double reed instruments, and saxophone. There is a $25 fee for the first day and the second day is free upon completion of the first.

To register or obtain more information about any of the Keystone camps, e-mail Keystone Director of Bands Jeffrey Tylutki at jeffrey.tylutki@keystone.edu, call 570-945-8599, or visit keystone.edu/bandsatKC.

Nature camps

• The Lackawanna College Environmental Education Center (LCEEC), 93 MacKenzie Road, Covington Township, offers summer day camps focused on connecting children to nature.

The week-long camps take place at the 211-acre facility with rich flora and fauna, forested areas, a stream, a marsh, meadows, instructional gardens and indoor and outdoor classroom space. Campers will spend time exploring natural habitats while experienced staff guide them through innovative experiential activities including hiking, stream and forest ecology, environmental activities, nature based art projects and more.

For more information or to register, call the LCEEC at 570-842-1506 or email wheelerm@lackawanna.edu.

• New this summer at the LCEEC is a camp college course. High school students interested in getting a jump-start on their college career can register for an eight-day Physical Geography field course. This three-credit course, designed for ages 14 to 18, will immerse students in a variety of earth science topics. Completion of the course earns students three credits towards their Environmental Science degree, which are transferrable within Lackawanna College or to other institutions.

For more information or to register, call 570-842-1506 or email wheelerm@lackawanna.edu.

Special needs friendly

• Camp Create is a specialized themed day camp designed to engage children with special needs, including physical, cognitive and behavioral challenges. It offers a unique blend of art and theatre instruction with consideration for individual needs and interests and is a mix of fun and learning, focusing on what each camper can do.

Two weeks of Camp Create are offered, each with a unique theme: “Mermaids, Pirates and Treasure, Oh My!” from Aug. 8 to 12 and “Star Tours…May the force (of space) be with you!” Aug. 15 to 19. Camp Create runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. each week.

Tuition is $25 per week and scholarships are available. For more information, call 570-586-8099 or email allabouttheatre@gmail.com.

Sports camps

• Clarks Summit University will host several sports camps designed to improve athletic skills and grow personal spiritual character and led by university coaches and athletes:

Big Blue Basketball Camp: June 27 to 30, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. for grades 5-8 and 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. for grades 2-4.

Lady Defender Basketball Camp: July 3 through 8 for female athletes entering grades 8-12.

Defender Soccer Camp, July 31 through Aug. 5 for athletes entering grades 9-12.

Big Blue Soccer Camp, Aug. 8 through 12, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. for grades K5-3 and 1 to 4 p.m. for grades 4-8.

Themed day camps

• Comm Camp is a six-week, themed day camp for children in pre-kindergarten through seventh grade. It is structured so the kids have fun, make friends and learn together in a safe and supervised environment. Each week’s activities will revolve around a new theme:

Week 1 (June 27-July 1): “Imagine That! A Dinosaur”

Week 2 (July 5-8): “Red, White & Blue”

Week 3 (July 11-15): “Comm Camp Olympics”

Week 4 (July 18-22): “Circus” Week

Week 5 (July 25-29): “Dig Deep!”

Week 6 (Aug. 1-5): “Time Travel Magic”

The fee for regular camp, which runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday, is $110 per camper. Extended camp is offered from 1 to 3 p.m. at a cost of $45 for the week and a new Extended Afternoon Program from 1 to 5 p.m. is available for $75 per week. Early Camp from 8 to 9 a.m. is $20 per week. A Counselor-In-Training Program for children in grades 8, 9 and 10 is available at a cost of $120 per week or a maximum of $360 for four or more weeks.

Planned field trips include visits to The Lands at Hillside Farm Dairy, Manning’s Farm Dairy and Fuller’s Overlook Farm.

For more information, visit waverlycomm.org or call 570-586-8191, extension 2.

Religious camps

Launch, July 11 through 15 at Clarks Summit University, is designed to prepare junior high students, those entering grades 6-8, with the skills and knowledge from a biblical perspective to address four big questions facing them. Register by July 6.

Clarks Summit University’s Teen Leadership Conference is a week-long experience for high school students who want to be leaders in their churches, schools and communities. Students will join hundreds of students from across the country in high-energy, God-centered worship, pointed leadership challenges, one-on-one and small group ministry that is focused on evaluating their leadership skills and walk with God. Participants can choose from two weeks: July 18-23 or July 25-30.

Young athletes practice their new skills at a previous year’s Big Blue Soccer Camp at Summit University of Pennsylvania. This year’s camp will be held from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. for students in kindergarten through third grade and from 1 to 4 p.m. for those in fourth through eighth grade from Aug. 8 through 12.
http://www.theabingtonjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_ABJ-Camps-Guide-1.jpg.optimal.jpgYoung athletes practice their new skills at a previous year’s Big Blue Soccer Camp at Summit University of Pennsylvania. This year’s camp will be held from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. for students in kindergarten through third grade and from 1 to 4 p.m. for those in fourth through eighth grade from Aug. 8 through 12. Submitted photo

Griffin Turock performed as a superhero during last year’s Camp Create play at the Waverly Community House.
http://www.theabingtonjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_ABJ-Camps-Guide-2.jpg.optimal.jpgGriffin Turock performed as a superhero during last year’s Camp Create play at the Waverly Community House. Elizabeth Baumeister file photo | Abington Journal

Camper Emily Wheeler, holds a slug she found while investigating the forest floor, during Lackawanna College Environmental Education Centers A Closer Look Summer Day Camp in 2015.
http://www.theabingtonjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_ABJ-Camps-Guide-3.jpg.optimal.jpgCamper Emily Wheeler, holds a slug she found while investigating the forest floor, during Lackawanna College Environmental Education Centers A Closer Look Summer Day Camp in 2015. Submitted photo

Compiled by Elizabeth Baumeister

ebaumeister@timesleader.com

Have something to add?

If you are in charge of a non-profit day camp-like summer program for children or teens in the Abington area that you would like to see added to this list, email your submission to news@s24528.p831.sites.pressdns.com or mail it to the Abington Journal, 211 S. State St., Clarks Summit, PA, 18414.

Reach Elizabeth Baumeister at 570-704-3943 or on Twitter @AbingtonJournal.