By Susan Fong
Are you looking for activities for your youngsters this summer? Several organizations and educational institutions can provide opportunities for both fun and education. Parents can rest easy that there will be interesting and helpful activities for their kids and teens in nurturing, caring environments.
Brother Rice High School (the Crusaders),10001 S. Pulaski Rd., contact the main office with questions, (773) 429-4300, www.brotherrice.org.
For nearly 65 years, Brother Rice High School has been preparing young men for adulthood. The 22.5 acre school is a diverse, Catholic Christian community, committed to preparing young men for college and the process of life-long learning. Exceptionalism is the theme at Brother Rice, whether it is from its students, parents, families, staff, or alumni. All activities and classes are focused on creating a sense of community.
Summer camps run from Monday, June 12, through Thursday, July 27. Brother Rice’s summer programs provide three types of camps: 4 academic, 3 activity, and 16 sports camps. Some sample activities from each category include writing, journalism, and math; band, esports, and sports broadcasting; and baseball, golf, and hockey. Camps are run by faculty, staff, students, and coaching staff. There also are camps for first through eighth graders. Costs vary based on each individual camp. All activities take place on campus. Students can join their friends for a lot of summer fun.
Brother Rice summer camps are an excellent opportunity for prospective students to visit the campus and get a glimpse into what it is like to be a Crusader. Visit and sign up through brotherrice.org/summercamps.
De La Salle Institute academic and sports camps, 3434 S. Michigan Ave., (312) 842-7355, [email protected]; dls.org/summer.
Want to keep your grade school student busy in June and July? De La Salle Institute, a coed Catholic college prep high school, offers a wide variety of academic and sports camps to exercise the mind and body. Whether your child wants to build their math skills, learn how to be a forensic investigator, develop business skills, play a sport, or try something new, the De La Salle academic and sports camps are a great way for students to spend the summer.
Current De La Salle faculty and staff members lead four- or five-day academic sessions featuring algebra fundamentals, mock trial, forensic science, psychology, intro to business, journalism, robotics, chess, and more. De La Salle sports camps offer a wide variety of options for children in second through eighth grades, depending upon the sport. These include football, baseball, wrestling, cheer, lacrosse, softball, basketball, boxing, golf, soccer, tennis, track and field, and volleyball. The De La Salle varsity coaching staff runs the sports camps, stressing fundamentals as well as the skills and techniques needed to succeed in all facets of sport.
De La Salle summer camps also provide a great opportunity for your middle school student to learn more about the high school environment and what it takes to succeed. Camps run from Tuesday, June 20, through Friday, July 28. For a complete list of camp descriptions, dates, or general questions, call, email, or visit the website.
Intercultural Montessori, Chicago Campus, 114 S. Racine Ave., or Oak Park Campus, 301 S. Ridgeland Ave. Oak Park, IL, [email protected], (312) 265-1514.
Experience all summer has to offer in Intercultural Montessori’s unique multicultural, multilingual environment. Intercultural Montessori Language School in the West Loop and Oak Park is offering an all-day summer camp for children ages three through eighth grade. The camp will run from Tuesday, June 13, through Friday, Aug. 18.
Early childhood camp themes include ecosystems, art and music, the human body, and gardening. Elementary campers will try out sports, sculpting, science, rock climbing, and marine life, with the opportunity to take a field trip often. Trips include Lake Michigan, the Ice Cream Museum, the Shedd Aquarium, the Lincoln Park Zoo, and even the Japanese Embassy.
Expect your camper to have plenty of fun in the sun, tons of hands-on activities, and memories that will last a lifetime. Before care, half-day, and after care options are available. Sign up for the whole summer, or choose your camps by the week. Register before Friday, April 28, to receive the early registration discount.
Enroll at www.interculturalmontessori.org/summer.
National Kidney Foundation of Illinois, 215 W. Illinois St. Ste. 1C, (312) 312-1500
From Sunday, July 2, through Saturday, July 7, youngsters ages 7-to-15 are invited to attend the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois’ Kidney Camp. This overnight camp is devoted to providing a fun and safe environment for youth living with kidney disease and/or a kidney transplant.
Kidney Camp is free of charge and is held at YMCA Camp Duncan in Ingleside, IL. The week-long event offers children a traditional camp experience while under the supervision of trained renal medical professionals. Campers can engage in activities such as swimming, boating, a high ropes course, arts and crafts, horseback riding, and team building.
Since the camp’s inception in 2004, hundreds of kids have been given the opportunity to attend Kidney Camp and connect with peers who have similar conditions, at no cost to their family.
Many children with kidney disease are unable to travel and participate in certain activities due to their health. Kidney Camp enables kids to be independent, build confidence and forge new friendships, and have a unique camp experience while continuing to receive medical treatment. To learn more about Kidney Camp or to register, visit nkfi.org/kidney-camp.
Saint Ignatius College Prep Pack Camps, 1076 W. Roosevelt Rd., (312) 421-5900.
Saint Ignatius College Prep staff are excited to offer a variety of engaging summer courses and camps for both prospective and current students. Whether your student is interested in global affairs, sports, science, or beyond there is a place for your student with the Wolfpack this summer.
Saint Ignatius offers two three-week sessions from Monday, June 12, to Friday, June 30, and Monday, July 10, to Friday, July 28, with courses and camps running throughout this time frame.
Detailed information about courses and camps can be found on the specific program pages at www.ignatius.org/student-life/summer-programs. Many courses and camps fill quickly. All academic and most co-curricular offerings are filled on a first-come, first-served basis, so Saint Ignatius encourages early registration in order to have the best opportunity to take the courses or camps you select.
For fifth grade through eighth grade students, the summer programming is scheduled so that students have the opportunity to take academic courses and camps in the morning (8 a.m. to noon), have a lunch break, and then participate in athletic and co-curricular camps in the afternoon (typically 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.).
This schedule allows for a balanced day of learning and enrichment, and also provides students with the full Ignatius experience. Saint Ignatius staff recognize that learning and growth occur both in and out of the classroom and designed the summer programs to reflect this belief. Parents and guardians are encouraged to build a schedule of courses and camps that are most interesting and exciting for your student.
Sean Phillips Soccer Summer 2023, Sean Phillips Soccer, (312) 848-6106, www.seanphillipssoccer.com. Registration is open. For more information or registration, go to [email protected], or www.seanphillipssoccer.com/day-camps/
Spend time learning from championship winning soccer coaches and players. University of Illinois Chicago Head Men’s Soccer Coach Sean Phillips has 20 years of collegiate coaching experience at the Division 1 level and over 20 years of coaching and operating soccer camps for players of all ages and levels.
Sean Phillips Soccer Day Camp, held each summer since 2006 on the South Campus Fields of UIC, is designed for boys and girls ages four through 14. Half day, 9 a.m. to noon, and full day options, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., are available. Early drop-off and late pick-up options are also available. Teaching is done through technical training, games-based activities such as soccer tennis, and small and larger side games throughout the day with the mindset that the game belongs to the kids.
Sean Phillips Soccer Camp Shutout Roadshow is designed for boys and girls ages ten through 18 who want to receive specialized goalkeeper training in an environment that is proven to produce successful goalkeepers at all levels. Coaches Sean Phillips and Stan Anderson have contributed to the success of male and female goalkeepers at the youth, high school, collegiate, professional, and international levels.
Sean Phillips Soccer College Prep Camp is designed for high school and junior college age young men only. Participants are exposed to collegiate level training and evaluated by the UIC men’s soccer staff as well as other Chicago area coaches across all levels of college soccer. Past events have had coaches from Division 1, 2, 3, NAIA, and Junior College levels.
Soccer Association for Youth (SAY) of Chicago, www.sayofchicago.com
Online enrollment is now open for one of Chicago’s most popular summer soccer leagues. Established in 1999, SAY of Chicago is a volunteer-run, not-for-profit, co-ed recreational youth soccer organization dedicated to “kids having fun.” It is a part of a national organization dedicated to providing an affordable, safe, and enriching environment in which youngsters, ages four through 15, learn the basics of the game, as well as the merits of teamwork and good sportsmanship.
Celebrating its 24th year, SAY serves more than 450 children from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds throughout the city. It is part of a national organization with chapters in all states. The season runs from mid-June through mid-August.
SAY is a recreational league and is divided into five different co-ed age divisions: U5, U7, U9, U12, and U15. All divisions will play two games per week on Tuesdays and Fridays at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) turfed fields located on 14th and Morgan Streets; these fields are considered some of the best in the city.
Early bird registration, which ends Monday, May 15, is $135 (for U5 and U7) and $150 (for U9, U12 and U15). Fees include eight weeks of soccer (weather permitting), team uniform, player photo, awards, and referees (for U9, U12, and U15). All divisions are expected to fill up quickly; if interested, you are urged to sign up as soon as possible on the SAY of Chicago website.
SAY is solely run and operated 100% by parent volunteers to accomplish its mission. Also through the generous support of sponsors, it is able to provide a well-run, enriching program and one of the most inclusive and affordable summer sports programs in the nation. Volunteer opportunities include coach, assistant coach, and team manager.
Summer Lab at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, 1362 E. 59th St., (773) 834-7766, www.summerlab.org.
Summer Lab enrollment is open to nursery through grade eight students. Classes are as follows. Session I: Tuesday, June 20, through Friday, June 30; Session II: Wednesday, July 5, through Friday, July 14; and Session III: Monday, July 17, through Friday, July 28.
At Summer Lab, teachers know that learning is a year-round experience that can and does take many forms. Summer Lab builds on over 70 years of summer programming at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, bringing together the resources and faculty of the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools with exciting programs offered by experts from across the city. All of this takes place in and around a university setting that enriches youngsters’ summer fun in many ways.
In an environment that focuses on kids, Summer Lab students and campers make new friends, learn new skills, connect, play, make art, explore the environment, and perform. The programs are fun and designed to inspire curiosity, creativity, and confidence in each child.
At Summer Lab, the love of learning never goes on vacation.