Cleveland's Micro Camps Offer Daily Summer Fun

A mix-and-match mashup of bite-sized summer camp opportunities introduced 10-year-old twins Eva and Marina Kellis to sewing — homemade pajama pants and all — along with baking (“It’s so my thing,” says Marina) and chess, where Eva earned bracelets for winning moves. “I’m a collector,” she says.

Their mom, Mary Vouyiouklis-Kellis, also tossed in a nature-art camp for the girls, who attend Gilmour Academy and have been camp regulars since kindergarten. Last summer, her daughters said, “Mom, we don’t want to do the same thing every week.”

So rather than six weeks of day camp, she incorporated shorter, micro experiences into the stretch.

The micro camps were like sample-sized treats.

“It broke up the summer and gave them something to look forward to during specific weeks,” says Vouyiouklis-Kellis, a busy parent and doctor who juggles summer like many working families: by scheduling camps to bridge gaps between vacations and other activities.

For the Conway family, weeklong programs like speech and debate camp or books and bikes at Laurel School offer academic scoops in a summer-fun way without a huge commitment.

“The snippets are good because the kids try something new, they make new friends and every summer there’s something new to explore,” says Courtney Conway, who builds summers full of weeklong camps that allow her to drop off all three kids in one location for different programs.

“I can find something for everyone,” she says.

 A Smorgasbord

Single-serving experiences are a low-stakes way for kids to satisfy curiosity, dive deeper into a special interest or take part in a 101 intro “test drive.”  

“I call it a smorgasbord of camps,” says Rhonda Rickelman, director of auxiliary programming at Gilmour Academy. “We have kids who try the arts, theater, sports or maybe they’ve never done anything with robotics and they decide to try coding.”

Bethany Beshire’s 10-year-old son tried a few hours of archery during a one-off Cleveland Metroparks camp. She’s been designing summers packed with outdoor experiences for children across the region for 19 years as a senior manager of center operations.

“We can encourage and motivate kids to try just about anything for one day,” says Beshire, adding that short programs can unlock new passions. Her son discovered he was a natural at archery, and now he has his own set and practices at home.

Campers can check out a variety of one-day programs, including paddle sports, fly fishing, mountain biking, rock climbing, creek walking and hiking — in total, 150 camps to try across the Metroparks’ five nature centers.

“There are opportunities to scaffold once they make that introductory connection,” says Beshire, adding that quick hits can also stoke an appetite for more time outdoors.

Just as important is when kids try an activity and realize it’s not what they had in mind. Rather than invest in equipment, time and energy figuring out the “long way,” a short-term camp provides a way to check out year-round activities in a low-key environment.

Summer at Laurel director Andrea DiSalvo points to a speech and debate camp. Without committing to the school-year team that travels, students from any school can test their comfort zone. This flexibility allowed Conway “nudge” her daughter into trying it.

“If a kid finds out something is not his or her thing, two weeks could feel like torture,” says Rickelman.

Read the fine print, camp organizers advise. And let the kids weigh in, at least a bit.

“Don’t just pick whatever fits into the schedule,” says Rickelman. “That’s not fair to the kids. Ask them: What do you want to try? What do you want to get better at?”

 Middle Ground

At Laurel School, girls’ preferences help inform the camp lineup with fresh takes on finance, wellness, cooking and more, including a camp centered on dolls, a new-this-year Taylor Swift camp for super fans and the return of favorites, including Girls with Bikes and Books Camp.

Laurel and others are also rolling out more camps for middle-school-aged kids and teens, DiSalvo says. For example, the Gator Fix-It and Finance program is packed with practical skills — “things we’ve gotten away from in schools.”

Great Lakes Science Center is also reaching the middle school audience this summer with deep-dive robotics and space programs that parents can stack for four weeks of camp or sign up for a la carte.

Rather than aging out of science center camps after sixth grade, a fresh menu of camps are “based on a need in the community,” says Victoria Joslin, camps manager. Robotics camps for this age group can be feeders for internships, she adds.

The Cleveland Museum of Art expanded its summer 2026 programming to ages 5 to 16 for summer 2026. It’s the first time it will offer the six one-week programs to teens.

“There are so many pressures that pre-teens and teens face, and art is a really nice outlet,” says Paula Jackson, manager of youth and family engagement.

Its summer theme aligns with the Martin Puryear exhibition with a focus on craftsmanship, nature and sculpture. Age groups are split up and get a behind-the-scenes look at the museum.

“We bring authentic artifacts into the classroom they can handle and see up close out of the case,” Jackson says of this “one-on-one time with an object.” It could be a gauntlet or an Egyptian figurine.

Kids can immerse themselves in art for a week or take multiple sessions if they get hooked. Jackson has watched many campers grow from hesitant to mini docents giving their families tours.

“Some continue art after the program and others who weren’t so sure start carrying a sketchbook around with them,” she says.

Micro camps have a macro social impact, introducing kids who share interests, helping playdates materialize and relationships grow.

What Marina Kellis learned about branching out into new camp topics: “Just go for it. You never know what you’ll learn until you try.”  

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