Summer Camps: Patch Picks

Every Thursday, Patch will run a weekly feature called Patch Picks, highlighting editor and reader picks of great local businesses, destinations, services, organizations, ways to spend a day off, and more.  

You’ll find useful lists to help you, your family, friends, and significant others find the best places for everything from Sunday brunch to New Year’s Eve celebrations, pumpkin patches, date night destinations, florists, girlfriend nights out, kids party places, parks and more.

For this week, we've got our eyes on warmer weather and fun kids activities with our picks for best area summer camps.

1. Lemont Park District, 16028 127th St.

The offers a variety of summer camp programs for students ages 5 to 16.

Ages 6 through 12 can attend Centennial Day Camp, full of arts and crafts, sports, field trips, team building and swimming in Centennial Pool.

The Park District’s Camp BLAST for ages 6 to 12 offers social and team building sports, arts and crafts, cook outs, field trips, swimming and a daily swim lesson.
Students ages 12 to 15 interested in becoming a camp counselor can take part in the Counselor in Training program and learn from experienced counselors how to plan and lead daily activities, assist counselors on a field trip, and learn basic first aid and safety lessons.

Visit the Lemont Park District website at for more information.

2. Safety Village, 55 Stephen St.

The Lemont Park District and Lemont Junior Woman's Club join together to offer Safety Village Camp for kids in kindergarten through third grade. Participants learn safety lessons through hands-on practice, repetition, games and activities in a controlled environment. Registration will begin at the Lemont Park District this spring.

3. Allegro Music & Dance Academy, 315 Canal St.

offers a variety of summer dance and music camps for for students in pre-school through freshman in high school. The academy also has locations in Bolingbrook and Lockport. Call the office at 1-877-ULEARN3 or visit www.allegro-academy.com for more information.

4. First Church of the Nazarene, 12725 Bell Road

Summer day camps for ages 3 to 10 will offer a wide range of age specific games and group activities. Visit www.nazarenerecreation.com for more information.

5, Champions Summer Day Camp, held at Highland Elementary, 3935 Highland Ave. in Downers Grove

For students in kindergarten through sixth grade, every day starts a new activity and every week starts a new theme, so participants can sign up for the whole summer or come as often as is convenient. For more information, visit www.discoverchampions.com.