Over 140 Summer Camps and Programs In and Around Ventura County!!

Calvary Community Church K-5 Conejo Valley "Adventure Weeks" Summer Camp 6/17 to 8/9!

Looking for a summer camp within range of Ventura County? Here's a list of over 140 summer day camps and residential camps and programs in the area. Actually, there are hundreds and hundreds of individual camps available. We've attempted to categorize the camps into 3 main groups; Traditional/Learning, Sports and Music/Arts, though many camps cover many fun activities all in one.

Know of more? Submit them here!

No doubt there will be some typos/errors on this list, so let us know if you find one.

Sports Camps (Camps primarily sports focused)

1. Advantage Basketball Camps, Ballhandling and Shooting Camp in Agoura, Calabasas, www.advantagebasketball.com or 310.903.6473
2. Airealistic Circus Summer Camp in Ventura for ages 6 to 17 www.venturacircus.com/summercamp.html
3. Aloha Beach and Surf Camps for ages 5 to 15, www.alohabeachcamp.com or 818.932.4600
4. All Stars Athletics Baseball Camps in Newbury Park allstarsathletics.com
5. America's Baseball Camps ages 8 to 18 in Santa Barbara in July, www.baseballcamps.com or 800.222.8152
6. American Hapkido Martial Arts Camp in Moorpark www.americanhapkido.com/index.cfm?page=17
7. AYSO Summer Camps in Camarillo, Newbury Park, Moorpark, Oxnard and Thousand Oaks www.ayso.org/camps/day_camps/register.aspx
8. Brit-West Soccer Camps in Thousand Oaks and Malibu britwestsoccer.com/camps-registration.html
9. California Cartwheel Center in Newbury Park, 1-week, half day summer camps, ages 4-12, www.californiacartwheelcenter.com/camp or 805.499.5228
10. Cal Lutheran Summer Sports Camps in Thousand Oaks includes football, soccer, volleyball and water polo. Visit www.clusports.com/pages/camps to learn more
11. Camarillo Springs Golf Course Summer Camp for age 6 to 15 in June through August www.camarillospringsgolf.com/summer_golf_camp.html
12. California Heat Volleyball Club Summer Camps for 8 to 16 year olds in Camarillo www.californiaheatvbc.com/Summer-Camps.html
13. Channel Islands Harbor Summer Junior Lifeguard Program and Youth Watersports Camp www.channelislandsharbor.org/thingstodo/educational_programs.htm
14. Elite 9 Baseball Camp in Newbury Park in June, ages 7-12 www.elitenine.com/camp-schedule
15. Elvenstar Equestrian Day Camp day camps in Moorpark June to August ages 7+ elvenstar.com/riding-academy/specialty-programs/day-camps-2/ 805.529.2800
16. Fieldstone Riding Club Summer Camp in Moorpark 9am to 4pm M-F horseback riding www.fieldstoneridingclub.com/Site/Summer_Camp.html or 805.529.9474
17. FitTennis Tennis & Swim Summer Camp at Sunset Hills Country Club in Thousand Oaks, ages 4 to 16, June to Aug, fittennis.net/summer-camp or 818.975.0348
18. Fitness by the Sea Summer Camp in Malibu 6/12 to 8/23 www.fitnessbythesea.com/enrollment-info
19. Flight Tyme Speed Camps in Ventura in June-July www.flight-tyme.net
20. Foxfield Resident Horse Training Summer Camp in Lake Sherwood for girls ages 9 to 16, June thru Aug, www.foxfieldhorsebackridingcamp.com or 805.495.5515
21. Gold Coast Gymnastics Club Camps in Ventura Jun to Aug  www.goldcoastgymnasticsclub.com or 805.658.2825
22. Jason Flame's Tang Soo Do Summer Camp June to August in Moorpark www.tsdukarate.com/index.cfm?page=19
23. Leo Carillo State Beach Junior Lifeguard Program and Surf Camp ages 9-15 Jul/Aug www.leojgs.com/programs
24. LU-DAWG Baseball Camp at CLU, 1 week camps Jun-Aug, ages 6-14, www.ludawg.com or 805.493.3398
25. Lu Dog Basketball Camps at CLU, kingsmenbasketball.com/index.html
26. Malibu Baseball Camp at Pepperdine age 7 to 14, residential and day camps June to Aug www.malibubaseballcamp.com or 310.506.4404
27. Malibu Makos Surf Camp in Zuma www.malibumakos.com or 310.317.12

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Oceanfront Marina Park in the Ventura Keys Has a Zip Line Among Other Features

There's nothing not to like about Marina Park, located at the south end of Pierpont Boulevard in Ventura (near the intersection of Pierpont and Coral Street). Oceanfront, protected by a rock jetty, restrooms, showers, playground, grassy area, free parking and, last but not least the San Salvador boat with attached zip line. Kids of all ages have a great time at this great park in Ventura.

The "San Salvador" at Marina Park

Getting a little push on the zip line

Zipping along on the zip line

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Mountains Restoration Trust Preserves Land in the Santa Monica Mountains

Based in Calabasas, Mountains Restoration Trust (MRT) is a non-profit land trust dedicated to preserving natural land in the Santa Monica Mountains, a range transversing from Griffith Park to Point Mugu in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. through restoration, education and land acquisition. MRT was founded in 1981.

Restoration projects are a top priority for MRT. Non-native plant invasion has been occurring in the fragile ecology of the Santa Monica Mountains since early explorers arrived with mustard seeds to mark their trails. Non-native grasses, trees and plants have found a similar home far from their lands of origin, and are a threat to native plants and animals.

Non-native, invasive crayfish in Malibu Creek eat native amphibians and fish, wrecking havoc on the creek's ecosystem. Volunteers have removed over 11,000 crayfish from the creek! MRT encourages volunteers every Thursday through Saturday to help remove these crayfish. I signed up with my kids and it certainly was fun, interesting and rewarding!

We learned how to tell a male from a female crayfish from the biologist volunteer.After retrieving the crayfish from traps set by MRT staff, my kids helped measure their length for a long-term study.

The kids had a blast. Sign up to help at www.mountainstrust.org/restoration/crayfishremoval.html.

In addition to restoration projects, MRT hosts nature walks, rattlesnake avoidance training, youth naturalist programs, summer camps, senior programs and more.

To learn more, visit www.mountainstrust.org or call 818.591.1701.

Visit to the New "Make Meaning" Store at The Oaks Mall in Thousand Oaks is Fun!

Make Meaning opened at The Oaks Shopping Mall on Monday, February 2013. Located in the outdoor shops area of the mall, upper level, south side, first store outside of the mall, Make Meaning offers seven creative experiences, including customized soap, candles, paper, ceramics, glass, jewelry and cake decorating.

This is quite a large store, open, light and airy, with an upbeat atmosphere. We stopped by over the weekend and checked it out. My son picked out a froggy piggy bank and the store was buzzing with others busy creating their own items.

The staff are called Associate Creativity Enthusiasts (ACE's), there to help you through the process. And that they were. I was able to just walk in and they kind of took over with my son while enjoyed watching him in his creative efforts. And they took care of the prep and the mess.

My son's froggy piggy bank masterpiece in it final stages. Make Meaning glazes it and fires it, then you pick it up in 4 days.

Neat selection of supplies to individualize your cake!

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Gull Wings Children's Museum Unveils Colorful Piece by Local Artist Chuck Trunks

The Gull Wings Children's Museum, located at 418 W. Fourth Street in Downtown Oxnard, is the only museum in Ventura County geared solely towards kids. Gull Wings recently commissioned Camarillo artist Chuck Trunks to create art that reflects the education and creativity spawned by the interactive exhibits within the museum. Trunks presented this colorful piece that is now prominently displayed on the walls of the museum.

You can proudly wear it on shirts and other items by visiting Trunks' online store at www.printfection.com/attractiveabstracts/Gull-Wings/_s_529645. A portion of proceeds will be donated to Gull Wings! Read more on Trunks' blog at chucktrunks.blogspot.com.

Chuck Trunks in Gull Wings Gift Shop (Photo Credit: Claudia Pardo)If you've never taken your young kids to Gull Wings, do it! Gull Wings is a very low key, interactive place where within the span of an hour they can dress like firefighters, explore a space shuttle, play around in a car, build LEGOs, role play in a kitchen, touch sea stars, learn about the human body, see lizards and snakes and the list goes on. My sons brought a 1st grader friend last weekend and he had a BLAST! Learn more at www.gullwings.org.

Would You Like Slides with That? Fast Food Places in Ventura County with Play Areas!

Sometimes it's fun to take the kids out where you know they'll be able to burn off some steam after their chicken nuggets and fries. Mind you, my kids much prefer going to a park to play, but sometimes it is nice to eat and play at these (mostly) indoor play areas.

Here are places to eat (notably nearly all fast food) that have play areas.  You may want to call first to confirm as I don't want to be blamed if I made a mistake :> Know of other places?  Well then, give me the scoop (the news, not the fries).

McDonalds Locations with Play Areas

• 1650 Arneill Road, Camarillo (805.987.1115)
• 1730 North Moorpark Road, Thousand Oaks (805.777.9162)
• 501 New Los Angeles Avenue, Moorpark (805.532.2043)
• 3120 South Saviers Road, Oxnard (805.486.1245)
• 401 West Channel Islands Blvd., Port Hueneme (805.985.3298)
• 138 E. Harvard Blvd., Santa Paula (805.525.1980)
• 1495 East Los Angeles Street, Simi Valley (805.527.9975)
• 2375 Tapo Street, Simi Valley (805.526.2222)

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Fun for the Kids at Local Ventura County Shopping Malls

Shop and plop yourself down while your kids get entertained or, better yet, entertain themselves.  Here is a roundup of kids' activities and play areas at local shopping malls.  In addition to these ongoing activities, seasonal/holiday events are posted regularly here on Conejo Valley Guide.

The Lakes at Thousand Oaks offers a kids' club on selected Wednesday mornings.  The Lakes has nicely appointed outdoor playground with swings, slide and sandbox, large grassy area, two lakes and waterfall.

Janss Marketplace in Thousand Oaks has Kids Fun Zone arts and crafts on the last Saturday of the month.  There is a small outdoor kids play area for the little ones and an impressive outdoor water fountain, as well as the Regency movie theaters.

The Commons in Calabasas offers a Kids Club for kids 10 and under on Tuesday nights at 6pm as well as an Edwards Theater.

Simi Valley Town Center has has a small outdoor kids play area, nice koi pond, dragon structure and $2 mini train rides.

The Oaks in Thousand Oaks offers an indoor kids play area for small kids, has a brand new Muvico movie theater, Build-a-Bear and a Kids Club that meets the first Thursday of each month.

Pacific View Mall in Ventura has a nice kids' play area near the food court as well as Hummy's Play World drop-off center for kids ages 3 to 10.

Camarillo Premium Outlets expanded by 220,000 sq ft in April 2009 with The Promenade, which has a Spanish style courtyard area.  Separating the Outlet from The Promenade are the Edwards Theaters. No kids area or kids club however.

The Promenade at Westlake does not have a kids play area but they do have several nice fountains, live music on most summer weekends, movie theaters (soon to be Cinepolis) and a koi pond.

The Village at Dos Vientos Ranch (formerly Paraiso Town Center) in Newbury Parkhas a nice little playground and grassy area with a pond and bridge.

Lakeshore Learning in Ventura is a great store to buy learning toys and products for kids.  It offers free crafts every Saturday from 11am to 3pm.

Malibu Country Mart has a nice outdoor kids' playground area with an added bonus of seeing a celeb or two (or at least their nannies with their kids).

Tooth Fairy Wisdom From My 6 Year Old

This past Saturday night, my 6 year old lost his first tooth. It was a momentous, proud occasion for him. A coming of age. Yet another major event in the "firsts" of a 6 year old's life that up to that point includes things like first burp, first giggle, first solid food, first words, first steps, first day at preschool and first day of kindergarten.

But losing that first tooth is different from all of these other firsts because it involves "losing" something for the first time. And in turn, this loss is parlayed into something bigger, better and more exciting...a visit from "The Tooth Fairy."

And so yesterday, when I received my wife's emailed picture of my newly toothless little guy, that my next step was to create a Tooth Fairy certificate to accompany the next morning's under-pillow excitement. Been there, done that. I don't recall such fanfare when I was a kid. But my wife is really into this stuff.

Losing your first truth is an exciting time indeed, an experience shared with the entire family. The cheers, hugs, smiles, knuckle bumps and high fives ensued when they got home. And later that night at bedtime my wife gave him careful instructions for proper placement of the

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Child Car Booster Seat Laws in California are Changing on January 1, 2012

Something to be aware of for next year. Earlier this month Governor Brown signed into law SB 929 to change child booster seat requirements and align them with National Highway Transportation Safety Administration standards effective January 1, 2012.

Current law requires children in the State of California under age 6 or under 60 pounds to be seated in a child restraint seat (e.g. booster seat).

The new law changes this requirement to children under 8 years of age, unless they are 4' 9" or taller.

As a father of kids in this age range, I do think this new law makes sense. The lap belt is supposed to cross the hip area, not lie across the tummy, while the shoulder belt should lie across the chest, not hike up the neck. We've experimented and without the booster seats my kids are simply not fully protected and the belt could do some major damage to their small bodies if not situated correctly.

This law is interesting in that it takes away the weight parameter and replaces it with height. Your kid is "off the hook" if they are 4' 9" or taller before the age of 8. Jersey Shore "celebrity" Snooki Polizzi is 4' 9" tall at the age of 23. If she were just slightly shorter perhaps it would be in her interest to use a booster seat in her car.

I digress. It is interesting how laws vary state by state on this issue. The majority of states require kids 7 and under to sit in booster seats, yet it is currently perfectly legal for a 4 year old to use an adult seat belt in the state of Florida, while Arizona and South Dakota allows 5 year olds to wear adult seat belts. At the other extreme, kids under age 9 in Wyoming all must be in kid seats.

Check out www.iihs.org/laws/mapchildrestraintagerequirements.aspx for well organized information regarding child seat belt laws by state.

Curious Five Year Old Asks Serious Questions About Santa Claus

Originally published in December 2010

We've seen Santa in six different locations so far this holiday season and will probably see him another six times before we approach 2011. Here is a conversation I had about Santa with my five year old tonight.

My 5 year old: How come there are so many Santa Clauses?

Me: He drives all over town to meet all the kids before Xmas.

Him: Does Santa Claus have a lot of brothers?

Me: I don't think so. He has a lot of elf helpers though at the North Pole.

Him: I think Santa has brothers that help him. (pause) How does he get to everyone's house in the whole wide world?

Me: His reindeer are really, really fast.

Him: How come we can't seem him?

Me: Because they are REALLY fast and you are asleep when he comes.

Him: How many Santa Clauses are there?

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Persistence Pays Off! You Can Do Anything!

Love this. Cute kid is a bit tongue tied but eventually succeeds in getting his point across! Speaking of kids, here are hundreds of kid activities, kid events and kids eat free deals around Thousand Oaks, Conejo Valley, Ventura County and surrounding areas!

Interesting and Amazing Facts and Tidbits About LEGO® Blocks

My kids are LEGO® fanatics and I'm constantly being nagged for new LEGO sets. Our house must have thousands of dollars of them. So recently we visited the only LEGO store within an hour range of the Conejo Valley, at the Glendale Galleria. To make it a full day, we stopped by the Los Angeles Zoo and Griffith Park for mini-train rides. Needless to say, they loved the LEGO store and we spent quite a bit of time exploring.

Some amazing facts about LEGO bricks and products (Source: Lego.com):

• There are over 915 million ways to combine 6 8-stud LEGO bricks. Go try it for yourself! The exact number of combinations is 915,103,765.
• The LEGO Group made over 31 billion LEGO elements in 2010, or 1,000 per second.
• There are over 3,900 LEGO elements and 58 different LEGO colors.
• Over 400 million children and adults will play with LEGO bricks this year.
• Laid end to end, the LEGO bricks sold in one year would circle the earth 10 times.
• With over 300 million tires produced each year, LEGO is the world's largest tire maker.
• Nearly half a TRILLION LEGO elements have been manufactured over the years.
• Over the years, an estimated 4 BILLION LEGO minifigures have been produced, making them the world's largest population group!
• There are 4 LEGOLAND® parks in the world, including Denmark, England, California and Germany. A new LEGOLAND, the largest ever, will open in Florida (midway between Tampa and Orlando) in mid-October 2011! A 6th park is planned in Malaysia in 2012.
• Our "local" LEGOLAND here in Carlsbad, California opened in 1999 using 35 million LEGO brocks in the park's 15,000 LEGO models.

The name LEGO originated in 1934 when Ole Kirk Kristiansen took the Danish words LEG GODT "play well" and created the name that has become a household word. The LEGO Group is very protective of its brand...they require the following:

• LEGO should always be written in capital letters.
• LEGO must not be used as a generic term or in the plural (e.g. LEGOs).
• When used as part of a noun, LEGO must not appear on its own (e.g. LEGO bricks).

ROCK ON, LEGO!

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Local Thousand Oaks Moms Create Service-Learning Summer Camp That is Fun-Filled and Community Inspired

Thousand Oaks locals, Meredith Madnick Cornelius and Anne Byer Marquart decided to create a summer camp focused on service-learning after they wanted to send their own children to one and realized there were none available for younger children.

From that realization, Camp Helping Hands™ (CHH) was born. CHH is a co-ed summer day camp for kids ages six to 13 with service-learning as its core theme.  Service-learning emphasizes both service and learning and requires participants to use their knowledge and skills to address real-life needs in their own communities.  

At Camp Helping Hands, campers will do just this by following the four phases of the service-learning process: investigation, planning, taking action, and reflection. When campers are led through this collaborative process, they share and invest their ideas and skills and feel truly committed to the project and to making a difference. Local organizations from the community will join as service partners, and local college students will lead the groups as CHH counselors.  

The theme for 2011 is “Living: Our Place in the World,” and the three-week session will be hosted at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks.  During week one, CHH campers will work with Waste Management to see firsthand how a landfill can be transformed into a pollinator garden. After a brief facility tour, which includes an up-close visit with Avian Entertainment falconers and their bir

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An Angel Watching Over

Guest post from one of my favorite local bloggers, Leslie Rosenthal, who grew up in Agoura and now resides in the San Fernando Valley. She is a single mom who writes in a way that I think any parent can really relate to.  Check out her blog at www.leslierosenthal.wordpress.com.

There’s a line in the movie Rocky V where Rocky talks about Mickey being an angel watching over his shoulder and  there is a flashback scene where Mickey says, “If you ever get hurt and you feel that you’re goin’ down this little angel is gonna whisper in your ear. It’s gonna say, ‘Get up you son of a bitch ‘cause Mickey loves you.’ “

I know this because I have seen every Rocky movie  about a zillion times and if you know me, you know that I am a hard-core Rocky addict.

The movie series Rocky is a classic underdog tale where incredible people come into Rocky’s life and make a difference forever.  Mickey, Apollo, Adrian….to name a few.  Perhaps that is why I like it so much. The notion of people making a difference in one’s life.

As you all know, my daughter and Coach Wooden had a special relationship which I have chronicled here before.   It would give me great joy to think that perhaps he is whispering in her ear his infinite wisdom on a daily basis; “Be quick, but don’t hurry.”  Or perhaps he is just reminding her how to tie her shoe laces the right way…or his way.

Today, I think that angel of Coach Wooden might have been present.

I took Shayna out to an unexpected lunch today to where else…yes, our favorite neighborhood coffee shop, VIP’s.  Also known as Coach Wooden’s favorite coffee shop.

It was quiet there and we had the place almost to ourselves. Karen, our favorite server was there and she knew right away what Shayna would want because it was after 12 noon, which is Shayna’s cut off time from cheese eggs and turns into time for a Patty Melt.

When the yummy Patty Melt arrived on rye bread, I had a feeling something might happen. Something big. Something that would make this meal one we would never forget. Shayna just might lose that loose tooth – which would be her first tooth ever.

A few bites in, it happened. Just like I thought. I looked over and the tooth was officially “snaggled” and there was some blood in her mouth. I didn’t say a word to her. I waited. Quietly. Patiently as she chewed on that meat.  And then it happened!

“MOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!”  I turned casually to her as she screamed,  “MY

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Teletubbies Dance Video: Walk it Out

I sat my 3 year old on the computer to check out some Spongebob videos when all of a sudden this loud hip-hop music comes outta nowhere.  I look down and see Teletubbies moving and grooving in front of him. We got a good laugh out of it. Then I notice the video has over 10 MILLION views!  Wow, is it the Teletubbies or the music!!??  Hmmm...