Camps warm up as schools wind down

Kris Hill

Friday, May 18, 2001 | 4:16 a.m.

Children are counting down the days until school ends, and many are also counting down the days until they head off to summer camp.

A number of residential and day camps are offered by a variety of agencies, organizations and local governments for Las Vegas Valley youth.

The Clark County Parks and Recreation Department offers three weeklong resident camps for children ages 8 to 15 at Camp Lee Canyon in the Mount Charleston area. It also offers arts, science, and outdoor adventure residential camps, as well as a variety of day programs. For more information, call 455-8200.

Youth sports camps, drop-in day programs for children and other specialty camps are offered by the Henderson Parks and Recreation Department. For more information call 565-0188.

Children in Boulder City can participate in the city's Summer Park Safekey day program for youth ages 5 to 12. It runs June 11 to Aug. 10 and costs $480, which includes field trips, arts and crafts, among other activities. For more information call the city's Recreation Division at 293-9256.

The North Las Vegas Parks and Recreation department offers a day camp that begins June 11 and ends Aug. 10 and will include arts and crafts, field trips, games, sports and more. It will cost $55 per week and financial aid is available. For more information call 633-1600.

Camp Invention will be hosted at five Las Vegas schools this summer. Participants in the weeklong science day camp will take things apart to make their own inventions and make plastic, among other science-oriented activities. It costs $175. For more information log on to www.invent.org.

Children with asthma are invited to attend Camp Superkids, which runs Aug. 3-5 and is sponsored by the American Lung Association of Nevada. For more information call 431-6333.

Children and adults alike who want to become Internet-savvy can head to the Doolittle Leisure Access Place this summer and take classes. All ages and skill levels are welcome to use the computers. For more information call 229-6374.

Camp Las Vegas will be mobile this summer, with kids to be picked up by vans at their homes. While riding in the vans, campers will watch interactive programs and games. In addition, participants in the two-week programs will play sports, put on skits, make arts and crafts, and do other activities. For more information call 212-KIDS or log onto www.camplasvegas.com.

For those looking for a camp experience with a religious flavor, the Jewish Community Center offers Camp K'helah at the Hebrew Academy in Summerlin. Participants will get all of the usual camp fare, but they will also learn about Jewish and Israeli culture from visiting Israeli counselors. It's a day program that starts June 25 and runs through Aug. 17 and is open to children in preschool up through 10th grade. For more information call 794-0090.

The YMCA offers day camps at its branches throughout the valley, including specialty programs such as sports or technology camps. For more information about YMCA programs call the northeast extension at 387-9622, the northwest location at 240-9622, or the Bennett Family YMCA at 877-9622.

Imprints Day School, a private school in Las Vegas, is offering its first comprehensive summer program. Participants in the school's summer day program will learn about the history and development of Southern Nevada from June 11 to Aug. 24. Call 270-2077.

Children up to 12 years old can participate in local Children's World summer program, Fun Fest, which will include explorations into music, sports and theater, in addition to the usual summer camp fare. For more information call 898-3007.

These are just a sampling of the summer residential and day camp programs offered by local organizations. Parents can sign their children up for any program at the numbers provided.