The early bird may catch the worm, but somehow thinking ahead to the sizzling days of summer when spring showers are falling doesn’t always happen. Besides, in the midst of busy school schedules, you may have been dreaming about the lazy, “schedule-free” days of summer. But, once summer hits, there will be that day when you wake up in a frenzy realizing: We never signed up for camp! Is it too late? Did those early birds get all the good worms?!?

Not to fret! There are plenty of great summer camps that accept registrations well into the summer. Some even offer drop-in or daily programs for those days the kids need a fun change of pace. Contact specific camps directly for current availability and schedules.

Mountain and Sea Adventures
at the Back Bay in Newport Beach offers camps that focus on environmental awareness with kayaking, tidepool visits, crafts and science activities. Walk-in sign-ups are usually available for the week-long sessions. They also offer week-long, overnight camps on Catalina Island. mountainandsea.org,
(310) 427-7846

Newport Beach Tennis Club’s
Swing & Splash
offers weekly and daily combination tennis and swim programs throughout the summer. nbtcjuniortennis.com, (949) 644-0050

Rockreation
in Costa Mesa offers week-long rock climbing camps for adventurous children aged 7 to 14. rockreation.com, (714) 556-7625

The brand-new Marriott Renaissance Club Sport in Aliso Viejo offers weekly and daily sports/fitness camps filled with games, swimming, yoga, basketball and more.
renaissanceclubsport.com, (949) 362-5708

JCC (The Jewish Community Center)
in Irvine accepts registration throughout the summer for their Camp Haverim which includes swimming, crafts, sports, science, cooking and more. jccoc.org, (949) 435-3400

Impulse Dance Productions
in Aliso Viejo offers fun-filled, themed dance camps such as: Princess Camp, Fame OC and Happy Groovin’ Feet.
impulsedanceproductions.com,
(949) 831-8589

Mission: Renaissance Fine Art Classes in both Irvine and Laguna Niguel offer week-long art camps and weekly art lessons for your budding artists. fineartclasses.com, (800) 430-4ART

Waterworks Aquatics
in Irvine offers week-long swim camps that teach children swimming skills and diving techniques along with fun pool games.
waterworksswim.com, (949) 450-0777

Team OC
in Costa Mesa offers themed camps including: Gymnastics-Olympics, Pop Star, Luau and many more throughout the summer. Drop-in sign-ups are open, based upon availability. teamocfun.com, (714) 444-1144

Camp James
in Irvine offers all the traditional summer camp activities with arts, crafts, sports, games and waterslide fun. campjames.com,
(949) 585-0464

National Gymnastics
in Aliso Viejo offers gymnastic camps full of tumbling, bouncing and fun. Drop-in sign-ups are usually available. ngtc.com,
(949) 831-7300

Play-Well TEKnologies
offers camps to inspire future engineers such as: Engineering with Legos, Junkyard Challenge and Bash’em Bots in Irvine, Newport Beach and Huntington Beach. play-well.org, (562) 673-7529

Movies By Kids
offers week-long camps throughout Orange County that teach children hands-on moviemaking and animation techniques to create their own movies. moviesbykids.com,
(949) 548-5424

The Gourmet Child
offers international-themed four-day cooking camps at the Huntington Beach Library for your little chefs du jour. thegourmetchild.com,
(714) 849-9164

Vans Skatepark
at the Block at Orange offers week-long camps focused on developing skateboarding skills on an indoor, small-scale street course. vans.com/skateparks, (714) 769-3800

Mark Cresse School of Baseball
offers training on baseball fundamentals and improving basic baseball skills with individualized instruction and team games in a fun environment for all skill levels in Huntington Beach, Irvine, Costa Mesa and Aliso Viejo. markcresse.com, (714) 892-6145

Kids Art
in Mission Viejo offers weekly camps focusing on cartooning, anime, portraiture or sculpture in addition to their regular weekly art classes which also are available throughout the summer. kidsartclasses.com,
(949) 454-9555

US Sports Camps
offers Nike Sports camps focusing on tennis, golf, softball, volleyball and more in Irvine (and around the U.S.) to help children become better, more inspired athletes.
ussportscamps.com, (800) NIKE-CAMP

Irvine Fine Arts Center
offers two-week art camps for children ages 6-11, one-week Art-rageous camps for teens, and Super Saturday drop-in art camps (first come, first served, up to 20 children) throughout the summer.
cityofirvine.org/depts/cs/finearts,
(949) 724-6880

Destination Science
offers week-long, hands-on, science-themed camps that prove “Science Rocks!” Locations throughout Orange County.
destinationscience.org, (888) 909-2822

Elite Soccer League
offers week-long soccer camps full of scrimmages and training skill sessions in Aliso Viejo and San Juan Capistrano. Here, both new and experienced players can prepare for the fall soccer season. elitesoccerleague.com, (949) 468-0086

For Your Imagination
in Newport Beach offers integrated computer, art and literature classes in month-long (once-a-week) sessions throughout the summer, in addition to their new classes: “Read, Write, Wow!” and “Brain Boosters.”
fyi-foryourimagination.com, (949) 640-4394

Lightning Lacrosse Camps
offers a one-week lacrosse camp to help young athletes at all levels (ages 8-18) improve their skills and learn the game. The girls’ camp will be held in July and the boys’ camp will be held in August.
lightninglax.com, (877) 812-2219

CampNewport.com
will link you to a variety of entertaining camps offered throughout Newport Beach, including: Sports, cheerleading, cooking, art, filmmaking, surfing, technology and more!

Still haven’t found
what you’re looking for?

Don’t forget to check with your City’s
Recreation Department, School
District or local YMCA (ymca.net) for class offerings. Many cities and YMCAs
offer daily drop-in programs as well as
week-long camps and classes