Summer Camp 2023 Courses

Register

Registration opens January 21 at 9:00am via UltraCamp.

CRAFTY SCIENCE & SPORTS

Making slime and exercise time! Join Mark Day Teachers Hannah Reilly and Sasha Petrova for this fun-filled crafty science and sports camp. Each morning, students will participate in outdoor games for a variety of interests and skill development including soccer, basketball, flag football and more. In the afternoon, slime, cloud dough, ice cream and more are on the menu as we explore the wild and wacky world of kitchen science. Students will be led through each experiment and introduced to the science context, helping us understand the why behind the wow!

Grades: 1-4
Dates: June 20-23 / June 26-30
Instructors: Hannah Reilly, Sasha Petrova

SUMMER TINKERING

An immersive, five-day building experience that springs out of Mark Day School’s long standing collaboration with the world-renowned Tinkering School in San Francisco, this program seeks to empower students by introducing them to real tools and challenging them with these four goals:

1. Make mistakes and learn from them
2. Build something bigger than themselves
3. Collaborate and make new friends
4. Try harder than usual

Each week-long session at Summer Tinkering at Mark Day is a student-centered experience during which students imagine, design and build incredible large scale creations out of wood under the watchful guidance of caring and experienced Mark Day faculty and staff. We have sessions for 7-11 year olds (and one special session for 10-13 year olds!) Each week begins with a surprise theme that provides the structure and story for the week. Past themes have included Harry Potter, where students designed and built the Hogwarts Express steam train, and Pirates where students spent the week building a GIANT pirate ship and an island to hide their treasure on!

Camp runs from 9:00am-3:00pm each day. Drop off is 8:45-9:00am. Pick up is 3:00-3:15pm. Extended care available as well.

Camp fee assistance is available for Summer Tinkering at Mark Day School. We offer assistance on a pay-what-you-can basis while funds last. All families will have the option to request camp fee assistance during the registration process in UltraCamp.

Legal Disclaimer: Tinkering School provides professional development training for Mark Day staff, and includes the camp in its website and marketing materials, but the Mark Day camp is operated entirely by Mark Day School, who assumes all legal responsibility. No legal oversight is provided by Tinkering School or the Institute for Applied Tinkering.

Ages: 10-13 (session 1)/ 7-11 (sessions 2, 3, and 4).
Dates: June 26-30 / July 3-7 / July 10-14 / July 17-21
Instructors: Tatian Greenleaf, David St. Martin

VOLLEYBALL

Sparks of Marin Volleyball takes the energy and excitement of this great team sport and puts it all together into one fun-filled summer camp. All aspects of the game are taught through drills and games that focus on passing, setting, hitting and serving. This co-ed program is designed for the beginner player and will incorporate essential life-lessons such as teamwork and sportsmanship. Players will also enjoy walking trips to the Terra Linda Pool to cool off at the end of the day. Former volleyball champ Lynn Stein, along with support staff Keira Engdahl, Shivali Sangar, and Mark Day alum Maya Doerr will assist each athlete in developing the fundamental skills to help develop the whole player.

Grades: 2-5
Dates: June 20-23 / July 10-14
Instructors: Keira Engdahl, Shivali Sanger, Maya Doerr

HOOPZONE

HoopZone is back at Mark Day! HoopZone is designed for students to have fun while learning the fundamentals of basketball. Passing, shooting, dribbling, pivoting, and defense strategies will be covered, as players are coached through drills and scrimmage games. Emphasis is on effort, teamwork, skill development and fun. Players will also enjoy walking trips to the Terra Linda Pool to cool off at the end of the day. Lewis Usher is a skilled player and an enthusiastic and dynamic coach. For over 20 years, Lewis has taught after-school basketball and soccer classes in Marin schools, and he has been a director and coach with Dave Fromer Soccer. Lewis also coaches with Corte Madera Park and Rec and provides individual skill and team training and sports birthday parties. Lewis grew up playing basketball and soccer in his beautiful native country of Belize, Central America. 

Grades: 1-5
Dates: June 20-23 / June 26-30 / July 3-7
Instructors: Isaiah Usher

KID STOCK

At KidStock, we devote all three weeks of our summer day camps to putting on a show! Campers receive parts during the first few days, then work to develop their characters, master their dances and perfect their featured singing parts. Between workshops, campers have plenty of time for free play, as well as making new friends! On the second to last day of camp, it's showtime--complete with lights, costumes and professional sound. Family and friends are invited to watch as the campers reveal the product of their hard work. On the final day, a talent show gives kids the chance to display new-found confidence to friends new and old.

In our performing arts programs, every child receives a part in the play, and we challenge all our students to grow and learn as they help tell the story and make new friends.

Grades: K-8
Dates: June 20-23 / June 26-30 / July 3-7
Instructors: Kid Stock Staff

CAMPS BY TINKERTECH

Design by Animation: Learn STEM skills through hands-on projects in this new STEM camp at Mark Day School. Through fun mini challenges and projects students learn design, story telling and animation techniques. This week, we focus on building puppets, automatons and create stop motion animation mini movies.

Be a Robot Programmer: Join this dynamic camp to discover how to build robots and program them to do fun challenges. Learn the circuitry behind them, build a simple bot and then program educational robots to do what you want them to do.

Fun with Robots: What is a robot? How can you build one? Learn to build with Lego WeDo robotic kits, program Ozobot robots and more in this dynamic camp that is perfect for aspiring engineers and programmers.

Middle School by Design: Learn manufacturing and entrepreneurship skills through hands-on projects in this new STEM camp for students ages 12-14 that will help them prepare for future careers in industry. Through fun mini challenges and projects students learn digital design software to create their own unique designs. 

Robotics and AI: Learn STEM skills through hands-on robotics projects in this new STEM camp for students ages 12-14. Through fun mini challenges and projects students learn basic programming and circuit building to bring their ideas to life. This week, we focus on learning about robotics by building interactive designs using the micro:bit and robotics kits and build models to explore the world of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Grades: 1-8
Dates: 

• June 20-23
  • StopMotion Animation (9:00am-12:00pm); grades 2-5
  • Middle School Design Camp (9:00am-3:00pm); grades 6-8
• July 10-14
  • Fun with Robots (9:00am-12:00pm); grades 1-2
  • Be a Robot Programmer (9:00am-12:00pm); grades 3-5
  • Robotics & AI (9:00am-3:00pm); grades 6-8

Instructors: Emma Lefley

ROCK BAND ACADEMY

Rock out your summer days with other young musicians! Learn to play your favorite current songs or write an original tune. Maybe this is the place to start a band? For existing bands, this is a great way to keep your band going strong over the summer. 

This camp is a great place to be for students who want to learn about studio recording techniques. Students will get the opportunity to record music just as their favorite musicians would in a real recording studio! In addition to rehearsing their songs, students will learn all about instruments, mixing and using effects, as well as all the preparation necessary to make a good recording. At the end of the week, students will receive a professional quality demo of all their recorded songs.

Vocalists and all instruments are welcome!

Grades: 4-6
Dates: June 26-30 / July 10-14 / July 17-21
Instructors: Brian Wilkerson

CREATIVE WRITING BOOT CAMP

All writing is creative, isn't it? All writers need to learn skills and practice their craft regularly. Join Ms. Kirk for a morning workshop that will leave you feeling equipped and inspired. The day will begin with exercises and prompts tailored to your skill level, ones that will prepare you for the challenges of academic writing. You’ll learn everything from proper punctuation and how to choose the perfect word, to responding thoughtfully to a question or prompt in paragraph or essay form. The second half of class is all about choosing what’s right and fun for you to pursue as a writer. Poetry? Personal Essay? Article? Short story? Finding the right medium will help you develop your unique voice and make excellent use of your imagination, which is always in need of its own “boot camp”! Writers will set goals and receive daily feedback from Ms. Kirk.

Grades: 5-8
Dates: June 20-23 / June 26-30
Instructors: Dana Kirk