School will be out soon and kids are super excited about that; parents not so much. You have to find somewhere for them to go during the day while you continue to work. I remember as a kid my mom always had my brother and I into some kind of summer classes. We took tennis, swimming, soccer, baseball,  and dance lessons. We did sewing classes (yes my brother too), art classes and academic classes as well. So that got me to thinking about what summer camps were out there these days for kids. The camps I found will keep their little brains working and keep them from getting bored too.

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    YMCA

    The YMCA doesn't just 'baby sit' your kids they teach them: Caring, Honesty, Respect and Responsibility. There are lots of activities like leadership development, sports, swimming, arts & crafts, and even some field trips. The day camp is open to members and non-members ages 5-12 years old. Both the North and South locations will have summer day camps. The cost is $140 per week for non-members/$70 per week for members. It is Monday-Friday from 7:30am - 6pm. There is also a $25 registration fee, $10 for camp T-shirt and $5 field trip fee. You can rest assured your kids will be well taken care of and that they are having fun.

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    AISD Summer Playground Program

    The Playground Program has structured games, arts & crafts, gym games and more. There will be 3 sessions throughout the summer and registration is currently open; in person or online. Session I is June 10-28 and is $71; Session II is July 1-26 and is $87; Session III runs July 29- August 16 and is $71. Field trip fees are not included but a summer camp t-shirt is included as is breakfast and lunch. The program is open to children ages 6-13 Monday - Friday from 7:30 am- 5:30 pm. Multiple convenient program locations include:Chavez South Park Rec. Center, Cobb Rec. Center, G.V. Daniels Rec. Center, Jackson Elementary, Rose Rec. Center and the Sears Rec. Center. Contact325-676-6217 for more information.

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    ACU

    ACU is offering multiple camps covering leadership, sports and academics. The Leadership Camp provides leadership training experience for kids entering 1st grade - college freshman. There are 5 classes offered in this camp. Kid Quest (1st-3rd), Learning to Lead (4th-6th), MPulse (7th-9th) Kadesh Life Camp for high school & Cross Training for (8th-college freshman). The weekly courses are divided by age groups and range from $210- $525. Classes begin as early as June 9th and continue through July 27th. Then there is the Champions Sports Camp that works on skills development, leadership training, and spiritual mentoring for ages 5 -18. These courses are also divided by age and sport with the exception of Camp Wildcat which is a multi-sport camp. There are camps for baseball, basketball, football, soccer, softball, tennis, volleyball and track & field. These are available to individuals as well as teams in some cases.  All taking place on the ACU campus. Prices vary per sport but start as low as $75. Then for those who want to work the brain a little there is the academic camp known as The Summer Academy. This is for students entering 10th - 12th grades. It is hosted by the ACU honors college and taught by university professors. Campers can receive up to 4 hours of college credit by joining this camp. There were 3 offerings in this camp but one of those has already closed due to maximum capacity. The two remaining sessions include Session I and Session II. Session I is a 2 week course running June 9th - 22nd for incoming Jr.'s & Sr.'s, worth 4 college credit hours and is $1699. Session II is a 1 week course beginning June 16th, for incoming freshman - seniors, worth 1 hour college credit and is $699. For more details on these 3 camps being offered please follow the links below or contact 1-888-266-CAMP.

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    Abilene Zoo

    The Abilene Zoo has some fun classes coming up for the summer for all ages, including pre-schoolers. (Classes are for the grade the student will be entering) For pre-school (need to be potty trained) there are 3 different classes.  Buggy Down:  June 10-14 or July 22-26;  No Place Like Home: June 24-28 or August 5-9; and  Night and Day: July 8-12. Camp time is 9a -12p and is $75 members/$85 non-members.  For kindergarten - 1st grade it'sInto the Woods:  August 12-16 camp times 9a - 2:30p and is $120 members/$140 non-members. Grades 2 - 3 the classes include: Tiny Terrors:  June 17-21 or July 29-August 2; Chomp: June 24-28 or August 5-9 and Around the World:  July 15-19. Camp times 9a - 2:30p. $120 members/$140 non-members. 4th and 5th grade has 2 classes. Zoo School: July 8-12 or August 12-16 and Wildlife Detective: July 29-August 2. Camp times 9a - 2:30p. $120 members/$140 non-members. Finally for 6th and 7th graders it's Zoo Careers. July 1-3 from 9-2:30. $75 members/$85 non-members. Plus, the zoo also has After-camp care available until 5:15 for those attending full day camps for an extra $10 per day.

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