Iowa City Summer Camps Guide

Welcome to Iowa City Moms’ Blog’s guide to summer camps in the Iowa City area! When school is out for the summer, parents need a safe place for their kids to learn, explore, make memories, and try new things. Of course, kids just want to have fun! Luckily, everyone can get what they need when you find that perfect summer camp for your child. This guide features premier summer camp options brought to you by our local camp sponsors. (If you are interested in promoting your camp programs please email us. We’d love to talk to you!)

Discover some of the unique, challenging, and delightful summer camps that Iowa City has to offer. We hope you find just what you’re looking for!

WALKING STICK ADVENTURES

Camp Name

Tipi Tales – Magnificent Mammals 

Type

Nature Storytelling Camp (day camp)

Dates/Time

June 13, 20, 27 July 11
8:30-10:30 a.m. 

Age Range

Ages 6-7 

 

Campers gather in the tipi for a story, participate in a hands-on field activity, and end with a natural snack.

319-329-9821

CAMP WYOMING

Type

Christian Overnight Summer Camp 

Dates/Time

Week-long and partial-week sessions begin June 18 and continue until August 5 

Age Range

Grades K-12 

Camp Wyoming is a Christian Summer Camp located in Jones County, Iowa, just 60 miles from Iowa City. We offer a variety of summer camp programs for school age kids, including weekend camps where young kids can come with a parent, partial-week camps where campers can stay for just a few days, and week-long camps for kids in grades 2-12. Some of our camp activities include swimming, kayaking, arts & crafts, bubble soccer, archery, canoeing, sling shots, caving, worship, Bible studies, and more! Choose from traditional camp programs or come to theme camps like Music, Arts, & Drama, Sports, and Extreme Adventure. We provide fun, safe, and affordable programs that allow campers to get outdoors, make new friends, try new things, and grow in their relationship with God.

563-488-3893

IOWA CITY PARKS & RECREATION SUMMER CAMPS

Camp Name

Camp Lightning, Camp Thunder, or STEAM Camp 

Type

Mixed recreation programming, weekly themes, and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) day camps

Dates/Time

Camps run weekly starting on June 12 and ending August 11.
9 a.m.-4 p.m. with optional supervised play from 7:30-9 a.m. and 4-5:30 p.m. at no additional cost

Age Range

Camp Thunder: Grades K-3
Camp Lightning: Grades 4-6
STEAM Camp: Grades K-6 

 

Camps Thunder and Lightning will offer mixed recreation programming with themes for each week.

STEAM camp will focus on subjects related to Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math.

To learn more about our camp offerings and download a registration form visit www.icgov.org/camps.

319-356-5100

KIRKWOOD INTERACTIVE CAMPS FOR KIDS

Camp Name

Kirkwood K.I.C.K 

Type

STEM, Computers, Arts, Career Prep, Culinary  (daycamps)

Dates/Time

June, July, August 

Age Range

Ages 8 to 15 

Kirkwood Interactive Camps for Kids are exciting and educational summer camps for youth ages 8-15. KICK camps are designed around career exploration, and provide fun, hands-on activities that promise to develop and build key skills for future success.

319-398-1278

Kirkwood Community College
(Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Campuses)

YMCA CAMP WAPSIE

Type

Traditional Overnight and Day Camps.
Also year round Family Camps and Seasonal Camper Programs.

Dates/Time

June 11-August 12
Camp Wapsie operates year round programs as well. 

Age Range

Going into 1st grade – High School 

Founded in 1918, YMCA Camp Wapsie is a traditional summer camp serving the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City areas. Camp Wapsie’s coed summer camp programs serve boys and girls ages 6-18 in our overnight and day camp program. Camp also serves youth of all ages through our year-round retreats, season camps, and family programs.

Camp Wapsie supports young people build the character values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility. With a deep tradition in camping, Wapsie strives to instill these underlying principles into each camper during their time at camp. Here at YMCA Camp Wapsie, we are for Youth Development, Healthy Living, and Social Development.

YMCA Camp Wapsie is an accredited camp of the ACA, (American Camp Association). ACA camps participate in a voluntary and rigorous review of more than 300 unique national standards, designed to ensure a well-supervised, positive environment with controlled boundaries and organized programs.

319-435-2577

WILLOWWIND SUMMER PROGRAM

Type

Science, Nature, Art, Drama and more (day camps)

Dates/Time

June 5th – August 4th  
8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. 
Before and after camp care is available from 7:30-8:30 a.m. and 3:30-6:00 p.m.

Age Range

Preschool through 8th grade 

 

Unique learning experiences, small multi-age classrooms, experienced educators, and a culture of caring are characteristics that set Willowwind apart from other programs. Our summer classes engage students in exciting, hands-on, experiential learning. Classes are organized in five multi-age groups based the grade your child will be going into next school year: preschool (ages 3-5), kindergarten, 1-2nd grade, 3-6th, and 6-8th. Class sizes of 10-16 students ensure each child gets individual attention and is able to take an active role in camp.

319-338-6061

IOWA CHILDREN'S MUSEUM

Camp Name

See website for a full list of camp names, themes, and details!  

Type

Show choir, theater, STEAM, art, aviation, science, and more!

Dates/Time

Camps are offered weekly from June 12 – August 11.
Choose between the AM Session, PM Session, or all-day option, as well as extended care opportunities from 8-9 AM, and 4-5:30 PM.

Age Range

Kinder Camps are for children ages 4 – 5.
Day Camps are for children that are currently in Kindergarten through 5th grade.
Summer Camps are for children who have completed Kindergarten through 5th grade.

 

Get the most out of no-school days with Camps at The Iowa Children’s Museum! Whether it’s a one-day camp during the school year or a week-long camp during the summer, campers participate in exciting educational activities, explore the museum’s exceptional exhibits, and experience just how fun active learning can be!

Register early for these unique educational experiences led by skilled museum PLAYologist Educators.

Each camp is designed to appeal to kids of diverse skill levels and a wide range of ages.

319-625-6255

INDIAN CREEK NATURE CENTER

Camp Name

Trail Trekkers (preschool) and Creek Camp (K-6) 

Type

Nature, outdoor skills, adventure, spelunking, aquatics, and more!
One-day experiences, four-day camps, weeklong camps, and overnights available.

Dates/Time

June through August
Half day, full day, overnight, and wrap-around care options available. 

Age Range

Ages 4-5, and K-6th grade options available

 

Who knew learning could be so much fun? At Creek Camp, your child will be guided by naturalists and experienced interns as they explore the outdoors, learn about wildlife, enjoy unstructured play, practice outdoor skills, observe the wonder of nature and enjoy the beauty of the outdoors. Children will create memories while they learn and even get a little dirty, too. Creek Camp will help foster in your child a connection to the outdoors that lasts a lifetime!

319-362-0664

CAMP TANAGER

Type

Sports, Geography and Travel, Arts, Fun and Games, Space, Swimming, Archery, Sensory/Messy Play, Music, Themes (Jedi training, decades, zombie, Nerf, etc.)

Dates/Time

June 12 – August 11 

Age Range

Ages 6-12
Explorers (Grades 1-3) Adventurers (Grades 4-6) 

 

Large private 40 acre summer camp with heated outdoor pool, indoor/outdoor basketball courts, gaga ball, kickball field, art house, archery range. STEM programming, environmental education, trails and creek. Supervised by trained professional staff. Excellent camper:staff ratios.

319-286-4510

CORALVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY

Camp Name

Coralville Public Library Summer Reading Program 

Type

Summer Reading Program 

Dates/Time

June-July on your own time
See calendar for weekly programs and events for specific ages. 

Age Range

All ages 

 

Children sign up and receive an activity sheet that encourages them to read and be read to throughout the summer. Activities also provide opportunities to play, discover, create, try new things, and learn more about using the library. When children complete their activity sheet, they receive a prize. See the calendar for weekly events for specific ages. The library has reading programs for all ages, from babies to adults.

319-248-1850

CAMP LIBERTY

Type

Nature, overnight camp

Dates/Time

June – August

Age Range

Grades 2-12

 

Camp like a Girl Scout at Camp Liberty! New memories, friends, and adventures await every camper, whether she attends a full-week or weekend session. Camp provides every girl with the opportunity to experience classic camp activities like hiking, canoeing, swimming, archery, and more.

800-798-0833

SCATTERGOOD SUMMER PROGRAMS

Type

Farm, ceramics, culinary experiences

Dates/Time

June 19 – August 5
9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Additional care until 4 p.m. optional

Age Range

Preschool-8th Grade

 

Scattergood Friends School is a boarding and day high school located on 126 rural acres in the greater Iowa City area. Our campus features a working organic farm, restored prairie, pastures, and pond. These living laboratories hold extraordinary opportunities for students from Iowa and around the world to grow as individuals, thinkers, and doers through inquiry and project-based learning. 

This summer, your child will develop their passion for art and explore ceramics with a professional artist and learn about sustainable organic farming, livestock care, and delicious farm-to-table food.  Students will experience a traditional summer day camp program that instills the values of community, cooperation, responsibility, and independence. 

319-643-7600

SYLVAN STEM Camps

Type

STEM: Engineering, Robotics, Coding

Dates/Time

8 a.m.-10 a.m.
June 26-30
July 10-14
July 24-28
July 31-August 4
August 7-11

Age Range

Engineering: Grades 1-3
Robotics: Grades 2-6
Coding: Grades 2-8

 

Engineering Camp:

Learn the basic principles behind physical science and simple machines: gears, wheels, axles, levers and pulleys. Design models based on themes (think cars, ships, and all things that go!) Course has over 36 hours of material, so kids can come one time or multiple times and never repeat a lesson!

Robotics Camp:

A lively course of building and programming robots using LEGO. Your budding engineer will have a blast using their imagination to bring LEGO creations to life by coding them to the computer and watching them go! Course has over 36 hours of material, so kids can come one time or multiple times and never repeat a lesson!

Coding Camp: 

Your child will be introduced to programming through video game creation and animation design. Get familiar designing 2D video games from start to finish, including animated players, and sound effects! This program is an advanced introduction to basic programming skills. Kids will have a blast designing intricate video games, animations, and special effects. In JavaScript Coding: they will learn to code in JavaScript as they solve fun puzzles! The kids will build their own projects, stories, and an awesome portfolio of JavaScript games including Snake, Breakout, Pong, and Geometry Dash. In Python Coding: kids learn to code in Python! Kids will learn Python syntax and programming logic as they solve fun puzzles. They’ll build their own projects, stories, and an awesome portfolio of Python games, including Connect 4, Snake, and Tetris. This camp is best for kids with some coding experience.

 

319-341-9343

Want to be a part of our Summer Camp Guide?

We want to show our readers all the great camps available right here in the Iowa City area. Partnering with us allows your business greater visibility with a large targeted market of local families. Join us and help enrich the lives of Iowa City kids!

Lianna
Lianna is a homesteading mama of three: a sparkly seven-year-old daughter, a joyful five-year-old boy, and a confident three-year-old boy. After graduating from the University of Iowa’s college of education, she started Wondergarten Early Enrichment Home, a multi-age, play-based early childhood program. A self-proclaimed Queen Dabbler, she has a long list of hobbies (from gardening and canning to sewing and painting), and doesn’t mind being only mediocre at all of them. She lives with her husband, mother, three kiddos, dog, cat, rabbits, dwarf goats, and chickens on an acreage in the country. The Cornally family spends their time talking about education, learning how to grow and preserve their own food, and romping around in their woods.

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