What can kids do this summer in Tuscaloosa? Camps offer activities

With the end of the school year and summer vacation just around the corner, some parents may be wondering: What is there to do in Tuscaloosa during the summer?

Tuscaloosa has several summer camp options, including camps offered by the Tuscaloosa County Park and Recreation Authority, the Kentuck Art Center, Theater Tuscaloosa, the YMCA, and the University of Alabama.

PARAKids summer day camp

The Tuscaloosa County Park and Recreation Authority is offering summer camp for children from May 30 through August 8.

The camp, held every weekday from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., is for students attending kindergarten through sixth grade.

The Belk, Faucett, Miller, Phelps, and Tingle Activity Centers will host the camp. Campers will swim, visit indoor and outdoor playgrounds, and hike through park green spaces and nature trails. Excursions are also on the program.

The cost is $105 per week for PARA members or $135 for non-members, with a $25 registration fee that covers administrative costs and a camp T-shirt.

For more information or to register, visit www.tcpara.org/programs/parakids/camps/summercamp.

Kentucky Art Center

The Kentuck Art Center, 503 Main Ave. in Northport, has several camps for kids interested in discovering their artistic talents. More information about each of the following camps is available at www.kentuck.org/workshops.

The summer camp for aspiring artists meets once a week, from June 6 to July 26. Designed for children ages 8 to 16, the camp covers what it takes to be an artist, from coming up with ideas for artwork to making art. and display their finished artwork. Campers will host their own art show showcasing their creations at Kentuck’s Teer Gallery during Art Night on August 3.
The Summer Clay Camp allows students to create functional and/or sculptural works of art. Students are instructed in every step of the ceramics process, from making to glazing and decorating their work. Techniques include plate building, squeezing, coiling, stamping, and more. The camp has four separate sessions, each starting at 9am, in June and July for children ages 6 to 9 and ages 10 to 12.
The Art Exploration Summer Camp is for students ages 7-12 to show off their artistic muscles and learn fundamental skills for a variety of artistic mediums, including watercolor, pencil, charcoal, and acrylic painting. Using these materials, students learn about making portraits, still lifes and landscapes. The camp will be held from 9-11 a.m. June 26-29 for children ages 7-9 and from 9-11 a.m. July 17-20 for children ages 10-12.
The Teen Summer Camp: Meme Mugs gives students the chance to bring their favorite internet memes to life. Students learn how to transfer their memes from paper prints to clay molds using a simple trace-and-imprint technique. Students can then finish their designs with the glazes provided. The camp is for students aged 13 to 16.

ProjectBroadway

Theater Tuscaloosa is offering Project Broadway, a workshop for teens, June 5-9 at the Sandra Hall Ray Fine Arts Center at Shelton State Community College, 9500 Old Greensboro Road.

Campers teamed up with theater professionals to create a Broadway-style musical that they write, rehearse and perform in just one week. Project Broadway meets every day from 1 to 5 p.m., with a final public performance at the Bean-Brown Theater at 6 p.m. on June 9.

The cost of the camp is $300, which includes two show tickets and a camp T-shirt. Enrollment is limited to 40 students. Entrants must be 13 to 19 years old by June 5.

For more information or to register, visit www.theatretusc.com or call 205-391-2277.

Camps of the University of Alabama

UA offers a wide variety of summer camps focusing on arts, writing, sports, and more.

For a list of all summer camps and registration information, visit the UA Youth Programs website.

Here’s a sampling of UA’s offerings:

The Marillyn A. Hewson Cybersecurity Summer Camp for grades 7-12 is designed to inspire participants for careers in cybersecurity or other science, technology, engineering, and math, or STEM disciplines. At the heart of the program is the National Youth Cyber Defense Competition, the nation’s largest cyber defense competition that puts high school and high school students in charge of securing virtual networks.
Fossil Camp for grades 4-7 provides an introduction to ancient life by exploring real fossils, searching for rocks and minerals, and much more. Every day, campers learn about a new subject, meet with paleontologists, and explore sites in Tuscaloosa County in search of fossils.
The Minerva Young Women’s Business Summer Program is a week-long residential camp for emerging female high school students to encourage and develop their leadership skills and introduce them to business as a major career path, with an emphasis on areas where women are underrepresented , including leadership. During the week, students will participate in sessions with Culverhouse College of Business faculty and staff, learn about career opportunities in business, build leadership and communication skills, complete a service project, and take field trips for experiential learning. Students will also experience campus life and connect with like-minded women interested in business.
Swim to the Top takes place at the YMCA’s summer camp in June on Monday through Thursday mornings. Swim to the Top offers quality swimming lessons, physical education, arts and academic enrichment activities. Swim instructors, physical educators, and teachers from UA, the Tuscaloosa County School System, and Tuscaloosa City Schools work with children.

PARAKids summer day camp

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