Nestled in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains in Central Connecticut, Buck's Rock is a freedom-of-choice, non-competitive haven where artists ranging in ages from 11 to 16 (going into grades 6th-11th grades) are free to choose their own visual and performing arts projects and activities. Campers are given the freedom to make their own choices in a day, leading them to discover new art forms and engage in hands-on, experiential learning. Working artists and teachers offer world-class instruction in over 30 different arts, including dance, glassblowing, improv, weaving, lighting design, ceramics, and much more. In an environment where they are trusted to take responsibility for their own creative lives, campers flourish and grow into confident young people filled with the potential to make great change in the world.
Watch our video! https://youtu.be/d1VpY3HsPuk
EXPLO is a unique, immersive summer program for 12-14 year-olds (grades 6-8) offering 2-week residential and day programs at Wellesley College. Custom-build your summer fun, from creative workshops to evening events, weekend trips, and more. Join a glow stick party. Go to Six Flags. Experience indoor skydiving. Try your hand at comedy. See what it’s like to be an aeronautical engineer. Play soccer (football) with friends from around the country—and world. See what it’s like to be a doctor, fashion designer, engineer, pastry chef, and more.
Spark your future. Shine bright. Founded in 1976 as a nonprofit startup out of MIT, EXPLO has brought together over 90,000 young people from 101 countries. Our alumni go on to do big things—they found startups like Instagram and nonprofits for climate resilience and youth empowerment, win Grammy and Tony awards, become influential NASA scientists, and more.
America’s Top Teen-Only Summer Camp. The Camp is located in New York State only 2.5 hours from New York City. Campers ages 12-17 have the option of an affordable 2, 4, 6, 8 or 10 week session. Our Campers come from all over the USA and abroad with a variety of interests. Nestled comfortably on 200 pristine acres in the Catskill Mountains, French Woods Sports and Arts Center offers the perfect balance of Summer Camp in the mountains with clean living and modern facilities. We offer a fully elective program, which allows campers to choose from traditional and not-so-traditional summer camp activities. Exceptional programs are offered in Sports, Arts, Extreme Sports, Circus, Rock Music, Digital Music Production, Ropes and Challenge Course/Climbing Wall, Dance, Water Sports, Video, DJ and Radio, Theater, Technology, Communications, Magic, Cooking, Role Playing Games, and Equestrian. All this and more rolled up together into one incredible Summer Camp experience! With outstanding modern facilities unequaled in camping, strong elective program options and a highly qualified experienced staff in a safe, supportive, supervised and age appropriate environment.
Email: nigel@fwsportsarts.com Phone: 607-637-2267
WATCH OUR VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LavWdD_u-nA
Independent Lake Camp
Independent Lake Camp is a premier overnight summer camp in the Poconos for ages 6-17 offering an impressive array of activities rich with integrity due to top-notch facilities and talented staff.
Established over 30 years ago, ILC is dedicated to celebrating diversity, promoting creativity, and empowering individual growth with our individualized, elective scheduling. Campers will learn worthwhile skills in 2-8 week sessions while making everlasting memories & friends. Each camper chooses from: Circus, Trapeze, Sports, Fitness, Archery, Art, Theatre, Dance, Magic, Music, Recording Studio, Skatepark, Digital Arts, Moviemaking, RPG, Rocketry, Climbing Wall, High Ropes, Water-ski, Wakeboard, Lake, Pool, Horseback, Nature & more.
2026 Dates:
Session 1 (3-weeks): June 21 - July 11
Session 2 (3-weeks): July 12 - August 1
Session 3 (2-weeks): August 2 - August 15
Rookie Week: August 17 - August 22
Contact: info@independentlake.com | 1-800-399-2267
A small, inclusive camp community, led by a staff of experienced, professional instructors and mature dorm counselors. 3:1 camper/staff ratio. Located at Tilton School in Tilton, NH, a compact and modern campus perfect for an overnight camp community. Maine Arts Camp has exclusive use of the facility, which includes many visual arts & dance studios, a theater, a film photography lab, classrooms for filmmaking, writing, along with several dorms for living spaces. Tilton School also has a variety of outdoor spaces for individual sports and more.
*2 or 4 week sessions in July.
*Dorm living and food service at Tilton School.
*Overnight camp for ages 9-16 – non-competitive and nurturing.
*Limited enrollment of 90 campers – lots of personal attention.
*Experienced teachers and professionals leading most activities
Maine College of Art & Design Pre-College Program
Immerse yourself in three weeks of creativity, collaboration, and college-level artistic exploration.
Our Pre-College program is your chance to refine your skills, build your portfolio, and experience life as an art and design student—all while earning college credit.
Whether you're preparing for a future in the arts or looking to challenge yourself in a professional studio environment, this program will give you the tools and confidence to take the next step.
NUVU
NuVu Summer is a hands-on STEM and arts program for middle and high school students. We use a studio model to foster teamwork, innovation, and technical skills, catalyzing students to gain lifelong skills, from creative problem-solving to collaboration with industry experts — all while tackling challenges that matter.
Our students tackle real-world problems through exciting hands-on studios like Bot V Bot, Fashion Tech, Tiny House, Battlebotics, AR Worldcraft, Rocket Car Racers, AI Movie Making, Exploration Rovers, Treehouse Architecture, Super Splash Lab, and more.
NuVu offers two programs, conveniently located in Central Square in Cambridge:
Middle school program at NuVu High School for ages 11-13
High school program at MIT Design Studios for ages 14-18
Each two-week session focuses on projects rooted in design, technology, art, and engineering, guided by expert coaches from Harvard, MIT, and RISD.
NuVu offers discounts for multiple session sign-ups, siblings, and returning students.
Plugged In Program is a Needham-based non-profit that offers young people an outlet to participate in music education while engaging in philanthropic efforts. We meet musicians where they are, welcoming students of all skill levels and abilities to join us. Through polishing their performance and songwriting abilities, students leave as more assured musicians with a keen sense of how their art is of value to their local communities.
Music That Matters is our in-person summer day camp with band class, songwriting, recording a song, music video, workshops, offsite events, and performance opportunities. Each session ends with a benefit concert that raises money for a charitable organization chosen by the students. An extended day is available. Students are grouped into bands by age, skill level, and musical interest. Other classes include Youth Rock Band, private music lessons, and virtual STEM in Music like Digital Audio Production, Creating Music With Coding, and more. Youtube
Whether you attend RISD Pre-College in person or virtually, you’ll follow a college-level curriculum led by accomplished teaching artists. Learn alongside a community of talented students who will inspire you to push your limits and produce your best work.
The RISD Pre-College on-campus option offers rising high school juniors and seniors the chance to experience life as a RISD undergrad in Providence, RI. For five weeks you’ll follow a college-level curriculum with day-long studio classes, critiques, and projects. You'll work alongside hundreds of other creative, highly motivated students from around the world who will challenge, inspire, and encourage you to push your limits and produce your best work. In this immersive setting, you’ll live like a RISD student, access renowned resources and instructors, strengthen your portfolio, and forever change the way you approach art and design.
RISD Pre-College Online offers intensive, collegiate-level courses for students in grades 10–12 (or the equivalent). You’ll join students from around the world in online studio classes and critiques led by accomplished professional artists, with access to virtual events and workshops. With a commitment of two days of classes each week and flexibility to complete your assignments, you can have time to work or pursue other interests while developing your skills, building a portfolio, and preparing to study art or design in college.
Connect: Instagram | Facebook | Youtube | TikTok
Contact: precollege@risd.edu
SCAD pre-college programs
Start your SCAD journey early with a pre-college program! Explore new avenues of artistic development and spark your imagination at The University for Creative Careers. SCAD offers pre-college programs during the summer and throughout the year for high school students of all ages to pursue art and design disciplines while working alongside peers from all over the world — and offer ideal opportunities for artists at all levels to create, learn, and grow.
Watch our video here!
School of Fashion Design Pre-college Program in Fashion Design
Our program, specifically for high school students, provides an introduction to the fashion design process, from conception to garment completion. The curriculum is a taste of SFD’s adult Certificate program and is taught by our expert faculty. If you are interested in fashion, fashion art, (or fashion sketching) and sewing as a hobby or are considering post-secondary fashion degree programs, this is the program for you!
Our curriculum is designed to take you from design to finished product with no prior experience necessary.
Students will learn:
How to take measurements
The safe and correct operation of an industrial sewing machine
Textiles and materials sourcing
Design development
Pattern manipulation
Sewing and garment construction skills
Design theory
Fashion terminology
Inspiration sourcing
Fashion garment sketching
The Story School
The Story School is an educational nonprofit live-action role-play summer camp located in the woods of Nature’s Classroom in Charlton, MA. Our unique approach uses role-playing and storytelling to motivate, educate, and transform campers. A trained staff of educators, game designers, and counselors immerses campers ages 8-17 in an epic adventure drawn from history, mythology, and literature (they live out a story they will read about in school).
By day, our campers battle fantastical monsters, solve interactive STEM puzzles, and live the tenets of a hero (courage, honor, and empathy). By night, our campers play board games, gather around campfires, and build crafts with their roommates, forging friendships that last a lifetime. In an open community embracing neurodiverse and LGBTQ+ campers, The Story School weaves together social education, leadership training, and hands-on learning into the fabric of our fantastical adventures. Spend your summer in a story and discover the hero within!
Three Overnight Camp Experiences to choose from:
Camp Fable: all ages (8 - 17) available in 2, 4, and 6-week sessions
Camp Grimoire: teen camp (14 - 17) curated one-week experience specifically for older campers
Counselor-In-Training program: for ages 15 - 17 available in 3, 5, and 7-week sessions
Watch our Video here
Third Space Kitchen
Cooking Camp for KIDS (6-11y) and TEENS (11-16y) at Third Space Kitchen
Where Young Chefs Belong. Where Skills Stick. Where Summer Tastes Better.
If you’re looking for a culinary program that’s truly hands-on, skill-building, and taught by real chefs—Third Space Kitchen stands apart from every other summer option in Massachusetts.
Operating in professional teaching kitchens in Newton and Groton, Third Space Kitchen offers small-group, weeklong culinary programs designed by trained Chef Instructors who understand how kids learn, experiment, and grow. Our name comes from the concept of a “third space” — a welcoming home-away-from-home where creativity, confidence, and community thrive.
Students spend each day cooking from-scratch recipes, building real technique, practicing kitchen safety, and tasting everything they make. With daily samples, recipe packets, and age-based instruction, campers leave the week more confident, more independent, and excited to cook for their families.
Professional Chef Instructors. Every curriculum is intentionally planned by culinary educators — not summer staff.
Small class sizes. Real mentorship, real feedback, real learning.
Real kitchens, real skills. Chef knives, equipment experience, and hands-on cooking every day.
Nut-free kitchen. Peanut- and tree nut–free environment (coconut products used).
Age-grouped learning. Typically 6–10 and 11–16 in separate kitchens for safety and focus.
Lunch and snacks included. Campers enjoy the meals they cook together.
A true community.
2/16-2/20 February Vacation Program
3/16-3/20 March Vacation Program
4/20-4/24 April Vacation Program
6/1-8/28 Summer Programs, weekly including: Taste the Tropics, Hibachi & Beyond, Italian Cucina, Rise & Shine Breakfast, Food Lab, and Mind of a Baker
Contact: info@thirdspacekitchen.com 978-272-1052 | Facebook | Instagram
Cambridge/Boston-area accessible. Multiple locations. Easy drop-off.
Wellesley Theatre Project
Wellesley Theatre Project is a nationally recognized, award winning, nonprofit arts academy offering year round classes and productions for students 4 years through 12th grade. Join us this summer for a wide range of summer camps for both beginners and experienced stage performers - including Production Camps: Shrek The Musical KIDS, Cinderella, Rock of Ages, Footloose and A Chorus Line. From audition preparation to Opening Night, all students will learn what it takes to produce a stage show. Each camp will conclude with performances of a fully realized production professionally produced and ticketed for the public. WTP also offers specialty one week camps!
Contact: info@wellesleytheatreproject.org | 781-235-1550
