Summer of the Arts brings out the best

Ettie Zaklos, Founder & Director

In June, we launched our milestone 20th year of the Summer of the Arts. More than 200 children joined us for our six-week camp of “Storybook Summer" fun for children ages 18 months to 8 years. Each week of camp focused on a different genre of stories, from adventure novels to mysteries to comic books. In addition to an extensive hands-on camp curriculum, campers also enjoyed diverse specials. Camp is a time for us to really get creative and out-of-the-box with our activities and it always includes highlights like a field trip off campus for our older campers or a visit from the Naples Fire Department to spray us with water from their fire hoses!

In week No. 1, "Enchanted Adventures," campers tackled exciting challenges such as Rapunzel’s Tower STEM challenge and crafted fairy tale gardens. Every week, campers took a deep dive into a famous author who specialized in the genre of the week. In week No. 2, “Time Traveling Tales,” campers traveled back to medieval times to create quill and ink drawings and cook up "Queen Cakes," ending the week with a grand “King of the Castle” Father’s Day celebration. Week No. 3’s “Whodunit Wonders” had campers solving puzzles, making invisible ink art and enjoying an inflatable fun day.

Session two of SOTA (week No. 4) started with a “Galactic Explorers” theme where campers "traveled" via stories to other planets, crafted their own moon sand and raced each other in a tough asteroid toss competition. In week No. 5, “Epic Expeditions,” campers solved pirate STEM challenges, cooked up Rice Krispie treasure chests and built their own safari diorama. Finally, our week No. 6 “Comic Craze” invited campers to design superheroes, explore optical illusions and celebrate an incredible summer with a mini golf field trip. On the last day of camp, we enjoyed a superhero Shabbat celebration and a visit from the Kona Ice Truck!

Summer of the Arts isn’t just about weekly themes and activities. It's about creating a space where children can really shine. I am always amazed at how summer camp brings out the best in every child. The sense of play and adventure at this time of year really gives kids a chance to just be themselves without academic pressure.

The best part of Summer of the Arts is the community we have built. So many campers and alumni return year after year, and forming special friendships and incredible connections is just magical. It is a delight to be able to gift our children with camp memories that will last them all year long and beyond.

This summer, we also celebrated a whopping four nominations in the 2024 Naples Choice Awards: Best Preschool, Best Childcare, Best After School/Summer Camp Program and Best Learning/Tutoring Center. This is the 12th year in a row that The Jay and Patty Baker Preschool of the Arts has been nominated for these prestigious awards. We are humbled and grateful for the support and trust of our incredible community!

Interested in learning more? Join our Preschool of the Arts family to start your child on a lifelong educational journey! Please visit our website at NaplesPreschooloftheArts.com or call us at 239-263-2620.

Summer of the Arts’ 20th year!

Over 200 children were joyfully welcomed to the 20th year of Summer of the Arts, for a summer of fun, friendship and exploration