Art&Seek Jr. is one mom‘s quest to find activities to end the seemingly endless chorus of the “I’m Bored Blues” while having fun herself. Impossible you say? Check back on Tuesdays for kid-friendly events that are fun for adults, too.

Okay, so after I finished last week’s Junior on camps a TON more summer camps for kids got added to the Art&Seek calendar. Isn’t that just the way it always goes?

I know more than a few of you out there are still desperately searching for ideas to keep the munchkins occupied this summer; no doubt this is definitely a topic worth repeating. To make it easy-peezy, the camps are sorted into categories.

Art

You can Splat! Squish! Swirl! this summer at the Nasher Sculpture Center. (photo: Nasher Sculpture Center)

KidzArt is offering week-long, 1/2 day camps ( 9 a.m. – 1 pm., and 1:30- 5:30 p.m.) for kids 2-18. During the camps students will create works of art using many different mediums, but more importantly they’ll learn to “think outside the box,” take risks, and have fun with their artwork. The classes start this Monday and run through the week of July 21.

The Kimbell Museum is offering an awesome camp centered around its Samurai: Armor exhibition currently on display. During the course of 5 afternoons campers ages 6–12 will participate in studio-art projects, gallery tours, and other activities that highlight themes central to samurai culture. The fun happens the week of July  14.

Don’t ask me how it’s possible, but the Nasher Sculpture Center still has a few openings for its Nasher Kids Camp.This year it’s all about SPLAT! SQUISH! And SWIRL! as little campers discover the different ways art is made. They’ll learn about the sculpture at the garden and the methods and materials used to create the works through stories, games and hand-on art projects. The Nasher camps are very popular, so if you’re interested you’d better act quickly.

Theater and Dance

Students ages 8-18 can come to Artes de la Rosa in Fort Worth for their Summer Arts Camp.  This awesome camp includes dance, acting and visual arts classes from the area’s top instructors. Artwork created by the students will be displayed in the Galeria de la Rosa, and acting and dancing talents will be brought to the stage at the Rose Marine Theater in the final production on June 29. Classes are Monday-Friday from 12:30-5:30 p.m. with a dress rehearsal on Saturday, June 28 and a performance on June 29. You’d better hurry if you want this camp, the deadline to apply is June 6th and space is limited so don’t delay!

Be creative this summer! (photo: Artes de la Rosa)

And speaking of acting, Fort Worth institution Stage West, is also offering theater camps for little thespians of all ages. My favorites are the Despicable Me Camp where kids ages 6-12 get to decide the next chapter for Gru and the loveable minions; and the Shakespeare for Teens Camp, an unconventional exploration of the Bard that incorporates cell phones. Both of these camps build to a final performance at the end of the week.

Got a kid that needs to move? Check out the Hip Hop Camp at the Kidd Springs Recreation Center in Oak Cliff. The 7-week camp meets once a week (from June 10-July 24) and culminates with a performance. There are two sections– Kids ages 6-8 meet Tuesdays and kids 9-12 meet Thursdays.

Science and Nature

The Rory Meyers Children’s Garden at the Dallas Arboretum has a boatload of neato-torpedo science-based camps that are really fun. Check out the CSI (Cool Science Investigation) Lab Camp where kiddos get to experiment with volcanoes, and design a flying rocket, or the Creature Feature Camp where the itty bitties in pre-k and kindergarten get to meet snakes, bunnies, turtles and lizards. Their daily animal investigations are accompanied by music activities, rhymes and riddles, and of course, play.

And speaking of animals, Texas Discovery Garden’s  popular Backyard Buddies Camp is back. During this 5-day camp kids learn more about the critters found in their own back yards. They’ll go on a safari to discover new creatures and take a trip to the Children’s Aquarium to meet their animals.

Therese Powell is an Art&Seek calendar coordinator and KERA-TV producer. She spends most of her free time seeking out adventures for her 9-year-old daughter, Rose. Tell us about your ideas for quirky kid adventures by leaving a comment. Or e-mail Therese at [email protected].