The calendar has flipped to February which means students everywhere are turning their thoughts to February vacation.
On the other hand, there are parents who won’t be able to drop their kids off at school for a week and will have to find something else to occupy the youngsters’ time.
Well, the Insider is here to help. We poked around to find some of the February vacation camps offered in the capital area.
Theatre Camp
The Community Players of Concord will hold its Children’s Theatre Project Winter Vacation Theatre Camp from Feb. 23 to 28. This camp offers young actors ages 8-14 the chance to be involved in a musical production without the stress of auditioning. Campers will spend a week making friends, learning theatre skills, and rehearsing a production to be performed at week’s end. All registered campers will appear in the show, though if there are actors interested in a specific part, they may audition for that part if they choose. Camp begins with a 2.5-hour read and sing-through on Feb. 23 from 1 to 3:30 p.m. followed by sessions of 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday, all at the Players’ studio in East Concord. Lights, props, costumes, sound and set are moved to Pembroke Academy’s theatre on Thursday afternoon to prepare for the final full day of rehearsals there on Friday, with a pizza party for dinner, followed by the free performance for family and friends at 6:30 p.m. This year’s camp will feature a production of Dear Edwina, Jr., a heartwarming musical about the joys of growing up, from the creators of Junie B. Jones, The Musical. Written in a “show within a show” format, the story follows the adventure of plucky advice-give-extraordinaire, Edwina Spoonapple, as she directs the neighborhood kids in a series of buoyant production numbers for Edwin’s latest edition of her weekly “Advice-a-Palooza.” The songs are clever, catchy and touching, with many fun roles for girls and boys. Registration costs $200 for Players members or $215 for nonmembers, and partial financial aid is available through the Jakob Murray Lange Memorial Scholarship Fund for students with demonstrated need. For further information, contact Director Braz at karen.braz@comcast.net or visit communityplayersofconcord.org/childrens-theater/february-school-vacation-theatre-camp.
February Vacation Adventures
Children in third through fifth grades can attend the Concord Parks and Rec Department’s adventure days on Feb. 25 to 27 from 8 to 4:30 p.m. Each day is a different activity ($55 residents, $65 nonresident) or you can sign up for all three ($135 resident, $145 nonresident).
Tuesday is a trip to Fun City in Goffstown, an indoor trampoline park with foam pit, dodgeball, bumper ball, climbing wall and more. If you have special jump socks, please bring them. A waiver must be signed in advance. Drop off will be at the City-Wide Community Center.
Wednesday will be snow tubing at Pats Peak. There may also be some ice skating, making of snow people, sledding or a snow ball fight. Drop off will be at the Merrimack Lodge at White Park.
Thursday will be a trip to Fun Spot the world’s largest arcade. There is also bowling. Lunch will be provided this day. Drop off will be at the City-Wide Community Center.
The deadline to sign up is Feb. 14 through the Concord Parks and Rec; call 225-8690.
ConcordTV
Campers ages 11 to 15 will be introduced to the basic concepts of video production and given the opportunity to create their own videos and short films. Topics include video cameras, video editing, creating studio shows, green screens, scriptwriting and more. It will run from Feb. 24 to 28 from 12:30 to 5 p.m. daily. It will be held in the ConcordTV studio at Concord High School. Cost is $125 for residents, $135 for non-residents. Sign up through the Concord Parks and Rec; call 225-8690.
YMCA
The YMCA camp is open to children in kindergarten through fifth grades. Each day will have highlights such as rock climbing, swimming, field trips and playing in the new Kidzone Indoor Playground. You can sign up for the whole week ($168 YMCA members, $188 nonmembers) or pick your days ($55/$65).
The camps run from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 24 to 28. All field trips will leave by 9:45 a.m. and return no later than 3:30 p.m.
The schedule differs slightly for two age brackets. For the kindergarten through second- grade group, Monday will be Superhero Day (dress up), Tuesday is tubing at Pats Peak, Wednesday is a trip to Concord Sports Center, and Thursday will be Cupcake Wars Competition. For the third- through fifth-grade group Monday starts with a trip to Concord Sports Center, Tuesday is Star Wars Day (dress up), Wednesday is Cupcake Wars and Thursday is tubing at Pats Peak. Both will have a Winter Luau on Friday with instructions to bring something to tie-dye. It will also be a dress-up day and swim day.
Children will need to bring winter clothing and boots (especially for the tubing days), sneakers, lunch, snack and a water bottle.
The deadline to register is Feb. 14.
For more information, contact Topher Bishop at 290-7001 or visit concordymca.org.
Slopeside
Pats Peak Ski area offers two weeks of three-day vacation “Bear Camps” beginning Feb. 17 or Feb. 24. The camp is for ages 6 to 14 of all abilities.
Cost is $330 for camp, lunch and lift tickets; $270 for camp and lunch (for a season pass holder); or $426 for camp, lunch, lift tickets and equipment rental.
For more information, visit patspeak.com/Lessons-Rentals/Kids-Programs.aspx or call the snow school 428-3245.
Baseball camp
Concord Sports Center will have a four-day baseball camp for children ages 7 to 12. Each day will start with a warm-up, followed by a topic of the day (fielding and throwing, pitching, hitting, playing the game) and conclude with competitive drills.
Campers should bring water, snack, a glove, athletic shoes without spikes and a bat (though extra bats are at the facility, too).
The camp runs from 9 a.m. to noon Monday through Thursday. Cost is $150 for the week.
For more information, visit concordsportscenter.com.
The Place Studio and Gallery
During school vacation week the Place Studio and Gallery will offer drop-in art-making and with a two-for-one studio sitting fees (a value up to $10). All of our regular drop-in activities will be available, including canvas, glass and ceramic painting, decoupage and alcohol inks. Hours will be Monday through Saturday, noon to 6 p.m. from Feb. 24 to 29. No registration is required during scheduled hours but call ahead if arriving after 5 p.m. as it may close an hour early if no one is seated for art-making.
For more information, call 369-4906.
Evo Rock
Kid’s Fun Days are designed around school holidays and days off from school to provide a great activity for kids. They’ll be totally psyched reaching the top of 40-foot walls, playing games and learning new skills. Kids, ages 6 to 12, enjoy the physical benefits of climbing while getting plenty of social interaction. Dates will be Feb. 24 to 28 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. First child costs $45 with additional siblings for $40 per day. Early drop-off and late pick are available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with an additional cost of $10 per hour.
For more information, visit evorock.com/concord-nh/kids.
