Summer's Almost Here, and So Is Camp Galileo 2012

The school year is winding down, summer vacation is just about here, and my son's already asking when he's going to Camp Galileo! Camp Galileo, an art, science, and outdoors day camp, is one of the most popular camps in Marin and the San Francisco Bay Area. My son attended Camp Galileo last summer, and he had an amazing summer camp experience. He absolutely loved the camp staff, and they really seemed to care about him too. No wonder he wants to go back so badly.

This year he'll be in the Supernovas, which is the group for children entering 3rd through 5th grade. Other groups are Nebulas (preschool and entering kindergarten) and Stars (entering 1st and 2nd grade). Each week-long camp session has its own creative them designed to spark campers' imaginations. This year he's chosen "Leonardo's Apprentice: Renaissance Art and Inventions," which sounds like a lot of fun. Other themes this summer include "Galileo Olympics: Greek Art and the Science of the Games", "Celebrate the Golden Gate: San Francisco Art and Bridge Engineering", and "Galileo Rocks! The Art and Science of Music".

Camp Galileo's science curriculum is developed in partnership with the Tech Museum in San Jose, and will feature activities such as building an actual suspension bridge during the Golden Gate Bridge session. The camp's art curriculum is a product of their partnership with San Francisco's de Young Museum, and includes, for example, learning about Renaissance painter Andrea Mantegna and how to paint realistic clouds. The outdoor curriculum at Camp Galileo is a mix of active games and crafts developed in conjunction with Klutz, and include team games that teach communication, cooperation, and problem solving, and individual crafts and actvities like juggling and origami.

Camp Galileo's Marin County programs take place on the campus of Marin Country Day School, located at 5221 Paradise Drive in Corte Madera. Space is still available for some sessions, so visit www.galileo-learning.com to learn nore.

Note: My son's week last summer at Camp Galileo was provided to us for free for review purposes, however, all opinions expressed are our own.