April 21, 2008

Happy Campers

Day Classes and Camps for Kids

If making one more thing out of gimp sends your kids into despair, forgo the traditional camp in favor of a class that’s as short and sweet as they are.

Chef
Sign them up for a week or more at Create-a-Cook (53 Winchester Street, Newton; 617-795-2223). Half-day (ages 7 to 10) and full-day (ages 11 to 14) programs offer cooking classes in Italian gourmet, French, vegetarian, and more.

Rocker
DayJams Rock Music Day Camp (Solomon Schechter Day School, 125 Wells Avenue, Newton; 800-295-5956) offers kids (ages 8 to 15) a week of instruction with an instrument of choice (guitar, drums, voice, horns, or keyboard). They’ll form bands, attend classes, write songs, and perform in a concert.

Rider
Send your little cowgirl or boy (ages 6 to 12) to Volo Farm horsemanship camp (84 Powers Road, Westford; 978-692-7060) to learn how to ride and care for a horse. Activities include bareback riding, mounted games, and trail riding. Yeehaw!

Thespian
Starlets (ages 7 to 12) can join Revels (St. John’s Church, 80 Mount Auburn Street, Watertown; 617-972-8300 ext. 26), a performance company that celebrates different cultures with traditional arts and seasonal rituals. They’ll learn songs, Morris dancing, and acting.

Builder
Kids (ages 7 to 17) can take Legos and K’Nex to a new level at GreenApple Campus (Franklin W. Olin College, Olin Way, Needham; 877-735-4550), where they can build and race monster trucks and robots.

CREATE
Vacation Week Adventures
What: Drop-in workshops teach printmaking, calligraphy, and stamping.
Why: Write on.
When: Tues.-Fri., 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Where: Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave., Fenway (617-267-9300).

SAIL
Princess Cruise
What: Dine, sing, and dance with fairy-tale heroines on a harbor cruise.
Why: Get the royal treatment.
When: Sat., 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Where: Spirit of Boston, at Seaport World Trade Center Marine Terminal, Seaport District. Tickets at 866-310-2469 or online at pyireservations.com.

SEE
Pinocchio
What: Operatic story of the wooden puppet who wants to be a boy.
Why: Everybody nose.
When: Sat., noon & 2 p.m.
Where: The Boston Conservatory, Seully Hall, 8 The Fenway, Fenway (617-912-9240).