It’s good to be a kid in Central Oregon during the summer

(Last updated 4.4.22)
From forest school to acting classes and cycling programs to paddle clinics, the summer months are the perfect time for kids of all ages to find a new passion or fully embrace the awesomeness that is Bend.

Tumalo Creek Kayak & Canoe Paddle Sport Adventure Camp (above picture)
For kids who just can’t decide, Tumalo Creek offers a paddlesports adventure week, which includes a day of standup paddleboarding, kayaking, rafting, and kayak sailing. Your child will learn about cooperation and team building in an active and engaged environment, while gaining a greater appreciation for Central Oregon waterways. To learn more or to register your youngster for one of the four-day camps click here.

Free Spirit Yoga + Fitness + Play
Kids (age 4-12) will have a blast playing in Free Spirit’s incredible ninja warrior or yoga camps this summer. Their week-long, half-day camps are the perfect opportunity for your kids to meet other Ninja Warrior enthusiasts, build important movement skills, and have a ton of fun. Kiddos can climb their bouldering walls, run the obstacle course, slide down into the foam pit and make it up the warped wall! Plus, campers will be getting outside every day on the grassy areas around the Old Mill District!

Bend Forest School
Bend Forest School has a goal of bringing innate “natural wildness” back into the lives of our young children. Inspired by the European model of Waldkindergartens – all outside, all weather, early childhood programs – Bend Forest School has created an inclusive nature immersion early childhood program that provides children with the opportunity for adult supported uninterrupted and unstructured play time in nature. For children ages 3-5, the Bend Forest School’s summer session typically starts at the end of June.

Bend Parks and Rec Summer Programs
Summer programs run from mid-June into September and include youth activities, summer camp and childcare, arts, fitness, swimming, sports and outdoor recreation. Offerings are expected to be largely comparable to pre-pandemic programs with some capacity adjustments and protocols. “Welcoming summer and recreation opportunities that can mark the season with new experiences, gained skills, new friendships and other memories is something we’re looking forward to,” said Sue Boettner, recreation services manager.

R.A.D. Camps
Recreation. Adventure. Development. RAD Camps offers summer camp youth programs in Bend, Oregon that give kids ages 7-17 the opportunity to explore over 50 unique summer locations in the pristine forests and mountains of Central Oregon while learning about their natural surroundings. Their summer programs emphasize fun, free play, camaraderie, and an appreciation for our natural world.

Bend Endurance Academy
The Bend Endurance Academy’s mission is to promote healthy living through active, outdoor experiences. They emphasize teamwork, personal growth and community responsibility. Founded in 2009, BEA features development programs for youth and juniors in rock climbing, cycling and youth, juniors and adults in Nordic skiing.

Mt. Bachelor Sports Education Foundation
The Mt. Bachelor Sports Education Foundation creates opportunities through competitive snow sports programs to support athletes in achieving their individual athletic, academic, and personal goals. MBSEF, which traces its roots back to the Bend Skyliners club that originated in the 1920s, offers alpine, Nordic, snowboarding, freeride ski and cycling programs.

Bend Science Station
The Bend Science Station on the campus of OSU-Cascades annually provides high-quality, laboratory-based science education for more than 7,000 students and their teachers in Central Oregon. They open minds and open doors, empowering young scientists to change lives, including their own. The Bend Science Station runs camps for children who have completed first grade and above. View all of their summer camp options here.

BEAT Children’s Theatre
Home to summer camps, classes and improve classes, the BEAT Children’s Theatre empowers local youth by fostering creativity, collaboration and self-confidence. BEAT offers instruction in all aspects of the theater, including set painting, dancing and singing, as well as acting classes. Classes are primarily held at the BEAT Children’s Theatre studio in SE Bend, but Redmond sessions are available.