Now that it’s June and school is almost out, families with children are likely breathing a collective sigh of relief as they switch off Google Classroom (or whatever distance-learning platform their children have relied on these past two months) and get ready to embrace those long, lazy days of summer.
But if your kid is anything like our active, outgoing 10-year-old, facing two or more hot months of anticipated social distancing without the usual playdates, day camps and flights to visit faraway family can hardly be called a summer “break” for her or for us, her working-from-home parents. A little daily structure, some movement and creativity, and safe social interaction with new friends would go a long way toward a more harmonious home life.
Enter Sacramento Theatre Company’s Act*Dance*Sing Camps. While many local summer camps have had to cancel due to ongoing social distancing ordinances, STC has put its popular camps online, offering eight weeks of virtual performing arts sessions for children in first through eighth grades.
From June 8 through July 31, STC’s School of the Arts camps take place via Zoom, Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to noon. Each session (including two two-week sessions) has a different theme, so that campers who enroll in more than one session can learn new songs, scenes and dances. Among the offerings: Rock ‘N’ Roll Forever, The Wonderful World of Dahl, Monsters and Mayhem, Exploring Enchanted Lands and Way Out West. Taught by theater professionals, the camps are upbeat and experiential, and no performing arts experience is necessary. A one-week session costs $125, a two-week session $250.
Got a high schooler at home? STC also offers two two-week virtual camps for older students: High School Musical Theatre (July 6–17) and High School Shakespeare (July 20–31). These camps run Monday–Friday, 1 to 4 p.m. (so your teen can sleep in!) and cost $150 each.
For more information on STC’s Act*Dance*Sing virtual summer camps or to enroll, click here.
