Check the City of San Jose's website for information about Fish Camp starting on April 27, 2012.  The City is proud to provide this camp, which is located in the Sierras, near Yosemite National Park. 

The Parks and Recreation has a wonderfully dedicated staff.  In the past, my kids have enjoyed summer camps and afterschool programs.  The kids love the wonderful staff in the Parks and Recreation Department because though they are strict, they definitely make the activities fun.  One of the counselors at the afterschool programs even invented a new wheelchair game to teach kids about compassion for other kids.

If you are thinking about camping this summer, definitely check out http://www.sanjoseca.gov/prns/familycamp/ for important deadlines for getting a spot on the campgrounds this summer!

Here is another source for summer camps! The City of San Jose's Parks and Recreation Department provides year-round activities for our citizens.  You can find many diverse activities for adults, teens, and children. Many parents, however, eagerly look forward to the summer guide for their school-aged children!  Of special interest are the weekly summer camps. 

If you have a child who is interested in athletics, check out the Skyhawks camps. These camps include not only the perennial favorites like soccer, basketball, and baseball, but you may also find some unique sports like archery!  If you have a child who is interested in art, you may find classes in cartooning, sculpture, painting, etc. There are dance classes, too (ballet, jazz, hip hop, hula, etc.).  I even found a class combining dance and martial arts called capoeira!

Whiz, bang, POP!  These are some of the sounds you will  hear when you attend a Mad Science camp this summer.

Mad Science makes science accessible to kids who love the question, "Why?"  This summer, visit some of our City's wonderful community centers for some fun and instructive camps involving biology, chemistry, physics, robotics, or aeronautics. Bugs, plants, physical reactions, robots, or space flight are some of the more intriguing camps your avid young scientist will enjoy.

San Jose's Parks and Recreation Department provides a rich and diverse menu of programs each season. This summer, check out the following Community Centers for Mad Science programs:

Almaden Community Center (Don't forget to check out the Library!)

Camden Community Center

Evergreen Community Center

Willow Glen Community Center

At the Library, Mad Science instructors come with their white lab coats and their boundless enthusiasm for science. Energetic and engaging, these instructors have the best rapport with children!

Mad Science also provides really fun afterschool programs. Ask your school's home and school club if they can help arrange for one of these programs. Kids will enjoy them, guaranteed!

Future blogs will discuss some of the other wonderful summer camps at the City's Parks and Recreation Department.