Howard County Summer Camps

Well, it's January, so it must be time to figure out summer camps for the kids. Howard County and the surrounding region are blessed with a ton of camp and activity options for all ages, but it can be overwhelming to sort through them all, and the really good ones fill up fast.

The best local guide I've found is in the Maryland Family magazine. There you'll find scores of camps and summer programs, sorted into eight categories: academic, arts, general day camps, preschoolers, outdoor adventures, special needs, residential, and sports.

We've had more than ten years of experience of finding camps or summer programs for my daughter and friends and here are several we can recommend:

The Columbia Center for Theatrical Arts runs several Performing Arts Camps through the summer. The kids and counselors do a pretty amazing job of of putting together a full show in just two or three weeks. Camp details and registration will be available next week, says their website.

Earth Treks has several different climbing and kayaking camps for different age groups. Some of the camps are run out of Timonium which means the kids are on buses from the Columbia location, but our daughter enjoyed it enough to repeat if for several years. Registration is open now.

The Howard Community College Kids on Campus program offers an impressive variety of one-week programs from June 22 - August 7. The Kids on Campus printed catalog is available now; course information will be online January 23. Registration opens February 10.

For this summer, I'm hunting for local tennis camps and welcome any suggestions.