Well, if you haven’t made plans already, might I suggest enrolling them in one or more arts camps this summer?

Almost every arts organization in Polk County is hosting a summer camp this year, and at reasonable prices too. I’m most familiar with Polk Museum of Art’s Summer Art Camp, which offers four two-week long session with classes in all the traditional media and a few non-traditional ones as well! But I was checking out this summer’s edition of Art-i-Facts, and saw that there are quite a few options out there for kids who are into the arts.

For example, if your child is into the visual arts and you live in or are visiting East Polk County (you know, the side closer to the famous mouse), the Lake Wales Art Center will be offering ArtsCamp! with small classes in painting collage, clay and more.

Florida Dance Theatre will be hosting several weeks worth of classes for students of all levels. Summer Youth Dance Camp is divided into two divisions, ages 4-6, and ages 6-10. For older or more advanced students, they offer the Summer Dance Intensive, two solid weeks of dance class, 5 hours per day! They’re also offering a small selection of evening classes for June and July. I’ll be there on Thursday nights for Beginning Modern!

Maybe your child has a flair for the dramatic (and really which child doesn’t? Especially when they MUST HAVE something). If that’s the case, Lakeland Community Theatre and Theatre Winter Haven are both offering performance oriented options. Lakeland Community Theatre will host Summer Camp for grades 1 -8, a workshop for grades 8 -12, and the Starfish Circus Camp for ages 6-18! Theatre Winter Haven’s Musical Camp Theatre for ages 8 -17 will feature School House Rock, Jr. and will end with two performaces.

You can’t mention “kids” and “summer camp” in the same sentence without mentioning Explorations V. This year’s X-treme Destinations Summer Camp for ages 5-12 is themed by the week and is sure to offer lots of excitement.

Florida Air Museum hosts aviation themed summer camps for ages 7-18, and one of them even allows the kids a chance to get behind the controls for an actual flight with a certified flight instructor! And Polk Community College will offer Kids at College classes on both the Lakeland and Winter Haven campuses.

Whew! What a list! There’s no shortage of things to do around here. Pick up a copy of Art-i-Facts magazine at any of our local arts organizations, or just read the online version for more details, not only about the summer camps, but also about EVERYTHING art related that’s happening this summer.