Our Traditional Camps thrill campers and spark a sense of wonder with classic outdoor games, inspired arts and crafts, and inventive STEM activities all day long. Water days and/or pool time ensure campers can beat the heat or build their aquatics skills. And every Friday, campers and their families can look forward to an exciting celebration of kids’ achievements that week!
YMCA Arlington Traditional Camps
WEEK 1: UNDER THE SEA
Sabastian new what he meant when he said…”Look at the world around you… right here on the ocean floor!” Kids can dive in to their love of sea animals and plants, while learning about how they can help protect the oceans.
WEEK 2: JUNGLE SAFARI
What’s that hiding behind the bush that is so cleverly camouflaged? What’s that sound? Come learn about the cool animals that make the jungle their habitat and, these creatures need to eat. The jungle habitat is an awesome place with many ecosystems coexisting. Using animal crafts, jungle-themed games and other resources, campers will learn about animal conservation, ecosystems and habitats.
WEEK 3: RED, WHITE & Y
Discover the land we call home! We will celebrate everything red, white and blue, from hometown heroes to exploring the American frontier. The United States boasts a rich tapestry of peoples, cultures and regions that makes it unique and spectacular!
WEEK 4: UNDER THE BIG TOP
Come one, come all, the circus is in town! Campers can step right up and try their hand at being a clown, magician, or ringmaster. Imagination, creativity, and take the center ring as kids fun creating carnival games, face-painting, juggling, and more, and at the end of the week, they’ll put on a big-top-style show!
WEEK 5: RECYCLEMANIA
We’re going recycling-crazy! This week we will be reducing and reusing—let your imagination take the reins and create a robot from a shoebox or a volcano from a water bottle and just imagine what you could create from some buttons and a soda can… Many of our creations this week will be submitted to the YMCA’s Annual Thingamajig Invention Convention.
WEEK 6: IT’S A THINGAMAJIG
Got a kid who’s excited about science, technology, engineering and math? Unleash their inner innovator so they can conduct hands-on experiments, make mechanisms and create concoctions to better understand the world around us. The Y’s annual Thingamajig challenges children to build their S.T.E.A.M. skills as they invent solutions to everyday problems using only what can be re-purposed around them. Junior and Senior campers can even attend and compete in the 29th Annual YMCA Thingamajig Invention Convention.
WEEK 7: CAPTAIN Y
Its a bird…it’s a plane…it’s Captain Y and the Super Heroes! Grab your capes, shields, and masks and get ready to show your true strength this week. Buckle up because you are traveling to another dimension!