There are more entertaining summer camps for your kids than Camp Granada

by Eduardo de la Garza

With apologies to Allan Sherman and his song “Hello Mother Hello Father (A Letter from Camp Granada)

Hello mother, hello father,

Here I am at Camp Granada.

Camp is very, very boring.

But the counselors say we’ll go out if it stops raining.

All the counselors

Hate the campers,

And they’re always

Outside smoking.

The coaches

Don’t want no sissies,

So they have us all inside reading Ulysses.

My bunkmate

Won’t stop talking

About the CEC newsletter.

He showed it

To his parents,

But they’d already paid for a stay in Camp Granada.

Dearest mother, dearest father,

I’m reading

This newsletter.

Did you know the

Camps sound more fun …

Then this crummy summer camp in Camp Granada?

I’m attaching

Some of these listings.

Please read them at your leisure.

I’m sure we’ll

Talk about it

When this camp is closed for being unsafe to humans.

Houston Arboretum & Nature Center

Register your kids for fun-filled, week-long camps that explore the natural world through active, hands-on indoor and outdoor adventures at the 155-acre nature sanctuary. Summer Camps run June 5-August 11 and are available for kids ages 4-12. After Camps, where kids enjoy outdoor nature walks, games, or time on the Nature Playscape and indoor activities like crafts, board games, and card games are for kids ages 5-12. Camps offered include Swamp Rompers, Beak Week, Staying Alive, City Critters, and Living on the Edge. Many camps are either sold out or on waitlist only, so go to the Houston Arboretum Summer Camp page soon.

Houston Audubon

Get wild about Texas and discover the amazing diversity of wildlife found deep in the heart of this great state at the Edith Moore Sanctuary or get your child hooked on all things hawk, eagle, owl and falcon at the Raptor and Education Center. The Edith Moore Sanctuary offers different camps from June12-Aug.11 with these themes: Animal Superhero Camp, Into the WILD Camp, Nature Detective Camp, WILD Art, On the Brink! Camp for kids ages 6-13. The Raptor and Education Center offers Raptors Rock from July 5-7 for kids ages 8-12 and are perfect for campers who want to interact with raptors at the Center and participate in outdoor activities and go on nature hikes.

Blackwood Educational Land Institute

Blackwood’s Nature Camp offers week-long overnight camps in six sessions from June 11-July 28 for kids ages 8-14. Campers enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking, swimming (swim test required), paddle boarding, archery, and forest games. They take classes like natural dyeing, cane-pole fishing, and cooking. They learn about wildlife in workshops hosted by local experts. Campers learn about nature, animals, sportsmanship, camaraderie, explore the wilderness, and discover what secrets and wisdom the forest has to tell.

Hope Farms

Summer Farm Camp at Hope Farms is designed for kids in kindergarten through high school. Sessions are offered from June 5-29. Kids can learn to care for the environment by learning how to plant, grow, and harvest produce to enjoy the healthy snacks they’ve grown. Cost includes snacks, supplies and materials. Email ashly@recipe4success.org to register.

Artist Boat

Artist Boat in Galveston offers Summer Eco-Art Camps for kids ages 5-10 and Summer Eco Camps for kids ages 11-15. Summer Eco-Art Camp comes in 11 sessions from May 29-Aug.11 with themes for each session including Whale of a Time, Keep Our Seas Plastic Free, Paint Like Van Gogh, Shark Tales, Turtle Time, and Gulf Coast Mania. Summer Eco Camps is offered in five sessions from June 5-Aug.4 where campers explore the wetland environment around Galveston Bay, learn hand-building in clay, watercolor painting, sketching, acrylic painting, and crafting with natural objects found in nature.

Houston Zoo

Camp Zoofari from the Houston Zoo gives kids ages 6-12 a chance to explore the Zoo, meet animals, and make new friends while learning about wildlife and how to protect them. Camp Zoofari has eight sessions from June 5-Aug.4 and all access camp for campers ages 10-12 from Aug.7-11. Activities are tailored to a camper’s age. Campers can interact directly with a variety of Zoo staff, meet animals up close, explore staff-only areas, and more.

Delores Fenwick Nature Center

In Pearland’s Delores Fenwick Nature Center, kids ages 6-10 can participate in Camp KIA (Kids In Action). The Center offers a safe, supportive environment where campers feel comfortable trying new activities and building new skills. Each camp session will include one field trip and a pool day. Kids ages 11-14 can enroll in Camp Mahalo where they can develop skills that last a lifetime, build confidence in their own abilities, and enhance their motivation to make things happen. Call the Center at 281-652-1960 for more information.