SPECIALTY PROGRAMS
Camp Shalom would not be complete without its circus stars, theater performers, and future engineers. Our specialty programs allow your camper to focus on a favorite activity. Some specialty campers also get to go swimming (Musical Theater, Sports & Swim campers only) and participate in all-camp traditions such as Camp Shalom’s morning song session. Campers in Sababa (grades 6-8th) and Sports & Swimming specialties will also attend on-site all camp event each week.
Habima Hess Circus and STEAM Programming spend time focusing on their specialty programming and do not partake in swimming during the week.
All programs below are the grade your camper in entering in the Fall of 2023.
Age Groups & Available Camp Programs
- Kindergarteners – Yeledim
- 1st graders – Sabra, Focused Programs, Specialty Programs
- 2nd & 3rd graders – Yalla, Focused Programs, Specialty Programs
- 4th & 5th graders – Kadima, Specialty Programs
- 6th-8th graders – Sababa, Specialty Programs
- 9th-10th graders – Yoetz (Counselor in Training)
Dates & Times
Monday June 12th – Friday, August 18th
No Camp Tuesday, July 4th
Camp hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00am-4:00pm.
Extended Care is available Monday-Friday from 4:00-6:00pm.
Visit our Registration Information page for more information.
Questions? Contact camp@jvalley.org
Each STEAM specialty camp is one week long.
Week 1 (June 12-16): Creature Creator Robotics & Pokemania Camp
In this camp, Children will begin to explore the world of robotics as they build simple animal models that teach the fundamentals of robotic design. Students will learn about gear ratio, sensors, simple machines, and programming as they build insects, dolphins, gorillas, and much more. Your child is sure to have a wild time as they build, learn, and play. Along With that kids will explore the world of Pokemon during Snapology’s Pokemania Camp! Build with Pokémon® minifigures and create projects from the game like Pokéballs, training gyms, and even your own new generation of Pokémon. Kids will learn about real world science as they create habitats for Pokémon, they will study architecture as they build homes for characters, and they will explore creativity and socialization with each project. Campers will have a blast becoming the best Pokémon trainer ever!
Week 2 (June 19-23): Bot Builders with Cubelets® & Science of SuperPowers
Robotics using cubes… young kids will explore the basic components of robotics by playing with modular cubes known as Cubelets®! Each way your student snaps the cubes together will create a unique robot, but what matters most is when your student figures out the perfect robot recipe to solve a challenge. They will work in small teams to figure out how to create lighthouses, vehicles, astrobots, animals, and so much more. Is your student ready to tinker, design, predict and play all day with Snapology! Along with that, campers will learn about the science behind their favorite heroes’ and villains’ powers as they build super cool LEGO® projects! Study STEM subjects such as gravity, forces, motion, as they learn about flight, superhero vehicles, super villain strength, and why these characters fascinate us all. Build with LEGO® bricks, learn about science, and interact with friends in this awesome hands-on summer camp is all about superheroes and all about fun!
Week 3 (June 26-30): Fun with Engineering (Gadgets & Contraptions) & LEGO Jedi Adventure- Star Wars
This camp will give your student the tools they need to understand mechanical movement and the importance of simple machines using LEGO® engineering kits. They will see these moving parts up-close as they follow instructions to build various machines like battle tops, spin art design, rubber band car, Go Kart and many more. They will use the models to develop new design ideas, test out physics concepts, and even play games with their partners and classmates. This program is sure to spark their engineering interests!! Along with engineering children will also explore the world of transportation and city building structures using tons of LEGO parts. They will build models of their favorite forms of transportation as they learn about energy, wheels and axles, air resistance, and more. They will also learn about the history and modern use of these vehicles and apply this knowledge to their builds.
Week 4 (July 3-7*, No Camp Tuesday, July 4th): Snapology Scientists: Space, Slime & Sports & Fun Games
Is your child a super scientist? Allow your child to cultivate a love of science and experience different domains of science and nature through this interactive, hands-on Summer Camp. Campers will learn about various aspects of science while participating in projects based on space, chemistry, animals, earth science, and even sports! LEGO® building, slime making, and challenging activities to get kids up and moving around will be a must. No Camp Tuesday, July 4th.
Week 5 (July 10-14): LEGO® City (Planes, Trains, Automobiles) & Awesome Adventure Robotics
In LEGO® city camp, children will explore the world of transportation and city building structures using tons of LEGO® parts. They will build models of their favorite forms of transportation as they learn about energy, wheels and axles, air resistance, and more. They will also learn about the history and modern use of these vehicles and apply this knowledge to their builds. Children will have a fantasy adventure of a week! Along with that kids will learn about LEGO® Robotics through this fantastic and interactive Snapology class! Kids will have a blast building robotic vehicles, flowers, drill machines and many more and learn coding using WeDo Robotics. Kids will learn about gear ratio, sensors, programming, and pulleys, as they create fun projects using LEGO® bricks and technology. Join the fun!
Week 6 (July 17-21): LEGO® Spinning Science & Wizards, Castles, & Quests
In the spinning science camp, let’s build battle tops with LEGO® technic bricks, build arenas to spin Ninjago spinners, construct our own fidget spinners, and even make a swing ride! So much fun in this all new creative camp. Later in the afternoon, Kids will enter the world of wizards and knights in this Wizarding Snapology Camp, amazing wizards and royals. In this camp, students will be inundated by magical places like Hogwarts, while they create castles, crests, and use their own imagination to create secret rooms, a coat of arms, mix their own potions, and have a fantasy adventure of a week!
Week 7 (July 24-28): GameBots Robotics & LEGO® Mining & Building (Minecraft® Inspired)
Robotics & Minecraft… What a fun camp…Calling all gamers and robotics fans! You’ll have a blast creating robotic games you can play in this interactive Snapology camp! Campers will take part in friendly competitions, as they make robotic hockey players, ring toss games, go karts, etc. Get ready to compete to see if you and your robot are GameBots Masters! Later in the afternoon, travel to the Nether with Snapology, but watch out for those creepers! Come join us as we bring Minecraft® to life using LEGO® bricks. Create your own world, including animals, creepers and your very own Minecraft® character. If you like Minecraft, you’ll LOVE this!
Week 8 (July 31 – August 4): STEAM Survivor Challenge and LEGO® Character Creation
Are you ready for a challenge? Snapology’s S.T.E.A.M. Survivor program will put your students’ design, building, and critical thinking skills to the test! They will be given daily challenges for which they must design functional solutions with their teammate using tons of LEGO® parts! They will earn Survivor Bucks when they perform well and be able to use those survivor bucks to purchase supplies or prizes throughout the camp. The goal of this program is to encourage our students to carefully work through the engineering design process to see how often they can design with a purpose. Along with this, they will spend the week with their favorite character! Superhero, Minecraft, Among Us, Pokémon, Angry Birds, and more will be brought to life using tons of LEGO® bricks. Our campers will have fun to build and talk about their creativity.
Week 9 (August 7-11): Amazing LEGO® Race & Animation Movie Making
Get ready for an Amazing LEGO® Race around the world! Campers will learn about countries and cultures while never leaving Snapology. Architecture, traditions, language, and weather are some of the topics we cover in a hands-on way through LEGO® building, engineering, and creativity. Campers will explore a new country each day in an exciting trip around the globe to make this the best summer ever! Later, campers will produce their own animated movie using LEGO® bricks and mini-figures. Young filmmakers will write scripts, build sets, film scenes, edit, add dialogue, and select music and sound effects to make the perfect movie. Self-confidence is heightened as campers watch their ideas come to life when they watch the movie at the end!
REGISTER HERE for Summer 2023
Visit our Registration Information page for more information.
Each STEAM specialty camp is one week long.
Week 1 (June 12-16): Real World & Incredible Invention Robotics using WeDo & Scratch Programming
In this camp, students interested in technology will create robotic models inspired by real life robotic technologies using LEGO® WeDo Robotic kit. Students will learn about gear ratio, sensors, simple machines, and programming as they build alarm devices, earthquake detectors, robotic arms, and much more. They will also learn a little about the process real inventors go through to create new inventions while they design, build, and program robotic machines to solve problems. They will learn scratch programming as coding to see how things move around. Your child will have a blast exploring the world of robotic technologies as they build, learn, and play.
Week 2 (June 19-23): Responsive Robotics with Cubelets® & Escape Snapology
Robotics using Cubelets®… Something new to learn!! In this challenge-oriented program, your student will explore the basic components of robotics by playing with modular cubes known as Cubelets®! Each way your student snaps the cubes together will create a unique robot, but what matters most is when your student figures out the perfect robot recipe to solve a challenge. They will work with a partner to figure out how to create lighthouses, vehicles, astrobots, animals, and so much more. Is your student ready to tinker, design, predict, code and play all day with Snapology! Along with that, can you break the secret codes to “Escape” Snapology? Join us for a unique STEM-based escape room summer camp adventure! Hurry, your team has 45 minutes to discover clues, solve puzzles, answer riddles, and manipulate contraptions in order to complete tasks to ultimately unlock the door to escape Snapology! Campers will join forces using science, math, and critical thinking skills, as they work to solve problems and escape! Games, LEGO® building projects, and creative play will be mixed into this amazing week of fun too!
Week 3 (June 26-June 30): Video Game Design & Animation Studio Movie Making
Game on guys, Snapology’s Video Game Design Camp is a winner! Design your own video game from start to finish on laptops like a true programmer in this camp. Create characters, program levels, and design enemies to make the game tricky for players. If you love video games and want to get a peek into how video game designers program games, this is the ultimate summer camp for you! Along with that, Campers will produce their own animated movie using LEGO® bricks and minifigures. Young filmmakers will write scripts, build sets, film scenes, edit, add dialogue, and select music and sound effects to make the perfect movie. Self-confidence is heightened as campers watch their ideas come to life when camp concludes with a big Snapology movie premiere viewing party!
Week 4 (July 3-7*, No Camp Tuesday, July 4th): Jedi Masters Space Wars: Building & Robotics Using Scratch Programming
Robotics inspired by Star Wars® and space travel…yes! Embark on an adventure of building and programming functional robots using LEGO® bricks and technology in this super-fun Snapology Summer Camp. Bond over your love of Star Wars® as you build LEGO® projects based on your favorite characters, and construct and code robots to make them function. Make a Mars Rover, a Moon Base, an X wing and more awesome Star Wars®-inspired spaceships and vehicles. May the force be with you! No Camp Tuesday, July 4th.
Week 5 (July 10-14): Amusement Park Adventure Engineering & Amazing LEGO® Race
Go on an adventure in engineering as you learn to construct an amusement park with LEGO® technic bricks, motors, and more STEM materials. From roller coasters to go karts, pirate ship rides, and bumper cars, this is an awesome camp in building and fun! Along with this, Get ready for an Amazing LEGO® Race around the world! Campers will learn about countries and cultures while never leaving Snapology. Architecture, traditions, language, and weather are some of the topics we cover in a hands-on way through LEGO® building, engineering, and creativity. Campers will explore a new country each day in an exciting trip around the globe to make this the best summer ever!
Week 6 (July 17-21): STEM Challenges & Combat Robots
Do you think you can build the strongest robot to win a head-to-head combat mission? Let’s find out in Snapology’s Combat Robots camp! Campers will learn engineering strategies for building sturdy structures using LEGO® Technic bricks, motors, receivers and remote control. Kids will battle their bots in friendly competitions and learn how to maneuver their bot perfectly. Campers will have a blast playing robot football, having robot races, taking part in obstacle courses, and completing the hoop challenge in this fun robotics camp! They should be prepared to have tons of fun building and playing fun games. Later, they will be given daily challenges for which they must design functional solutions with their teammate using tons of LEGO® bricks!
Week 7 (July 24-28): Minecraft® Makers & Battle and AttackBots Robotics Using Scratch Programming
In this exciting camp, students will build a variety of military-inspired robotic models. Children will learn about sensors, gears, pulleys, and programming as they create robotic catapults, crossbows, battleships, tanks and much more! Your child is sure to have fun as they build, learn, and play. Later, they will travel to the Nether with Snapology, but watch out for those creepers! This summer camp brings Minecraft® to life combining LEGO® bricks and the game! Each day campers will work on awesome activities that will allow them to create their own 3D Minecraft® world with bricks, including animals, creepers, and Minecraft® characters and they will produce their own animated Minecraft® movie using LEGO® bricks.
Week 8 (July 31 – August 4): Video Gamers Guide to Camp & Mega Machine Robotics Using WeDo System & Scratch Programming
Indulge your child’s gaming obsession in real life at this hands-on, creative Snapology camp. It’s all about games, games, games, and we will use LEGO® bricks to recreate some of your child’s favorites! Roblox-lovers will enjoy recreating their favorite “obbies.” Fortnite fans will jump at the chance to build island scenes, maps, and more. Minecraft enthusiasts will use LEGO bricks to craft their own world. Plus, Super Mario, Sonic, and Pokemon projects will keep the kids entertained. Campers will also enjoy mini games and challenges related to these super-popular video games throughout the week. Along with that, in Snapology’s Mega Machine Robotics, your child will create some of their favorite motorized vehicles and machines! Students will learn about gear ratio, sensors, pulleys, cranks, and programming as they build trucks, space rovers, helicopters, and much more. Your child is sure to have fun as they build, learn and play.
REGISTER HERE for Summer 2023
Visit our Registration Information page for more information.
Circus Camp returns for summer 2023 with 888 Monkeys! Two Exciting Sessions!
Come one, come all!! It’s… Circus Time! Join us in a two-week session of Circus Arts. The first week of each session will focus on skill building in the following areas: Partner Acrobatics, Tumbling, Aerial, Ball Ball and Rope Walking, many forms of manipulative miscellanea (a.k.a., juggling), Physical Comedy, and other circus skills. For the second week we will focus on act and show creation. After one week of exploring circus disciplines, campers choose their favorite activities to focus on. As such, campers have a strong voice and personal connection with regard to content and an opportunity to work collaboratively towards a common goal. See you at the circus with our friends from 888 Monkeys!
No two days (much less, two sessions) are ever alike, so sign up for both and let campers deep dive into multiple disciplines. One session may be aerials and wire walking, the next may be juggling and comedy. No matter what circus skills campers choose, coaches/mentors will stress the intangibles, such as: the link between daily practice and improvement, personal bests, non-linear growth/progress, collaboration, and celebrating small victories.
Session 1: 7/10 – 7/21 (two-week session)
Session 2: 7/24 – 8/4 (two-week session)
Camp hours are 9:00am-4:00pm. Extended Care is available 4:00-6:00pm.
REGISTER HERE for Summer 2023
Visit our Registration Information page for more information.
Each session of Musical Theater specialty camp is two weeks long.
In just two weeks, campers will become cast members, designers, and dancers! Campers will form an ensemble as they take on the challenge of producing an original musical with their newly form company. Show off your creative talents and sing, dance, and act your way to stardom with a final performance where you can invite your family and friends to attend on Friday, June 23 & Friday, July 7.
Session 1 (June 12-23, 2023)
Session 2 (June 26-July 7, 2023*)
Musical Theater campers will swim in the JCC’s heated outdoor pool once during their session, supervised by certified lifeguards and camp staff.
Camp hours are 9:00am-4:00pm. Extended Care is available 4:00-6:00pm.
REGISTER HERE for Summer 2023
Visit our Registration Information page for more information.
*Camp Shalom will be CLOSED Tuesday, July 4th.
Campers will experience a variety of their favorite traditional sports like basketball and soccer and will also enjoy new and invented games and activities. Practice teamwork and collaboration through fun and healthy competition on the field, at the courts, and poolside in the JCC’s heated outdoor swimming pool! We will swim at least 3 days per week. This group will have plenty of time for recreational swimming and lots of wet and wild fun.
Each Sports & Swimming specialty camp session is one week long. Sessions run every week from June 12 – August 4*
Camp hours are 9:00am-4:00pm. Extended Care is available 4:00-6:00pm.
REGISTER HERE for Summer 2023
Visit our Registration Information page for more information.
*Camp Shalom will be CLOSED Tuesday, July 4th.