The Sidwell summer camps at the Sidwell Friends School are really great summer camps, especially for little ones!
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I can't sing enough praises for the Cleveland Park Club camp, run by Rives Carroll, Katie Miner, and a cadre of highly energetic middle school CITs. My boys possess very different temperaments, energy levels, and interests, but both of them (now 6 and almost 9) are keen for another summer of morning jump-roping, outdoor play, arts and crafts, singing, skits, swimming, summer friends, and traditions they have enjoyed for years. While the camp ends early (1pm), particularly for working professionals, we have never regretted our decision to line up extra child care in the summer so our children can attend this wonderful camp. Our older son has dabbled with a few of the other camps on your list, but the CPC camp is by far his favorite. It's a low-key and relatively unstructured camp, rich in outdoor play, traditions, and community: http://clevelandparkclub.org/en/Camp.html
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Thinking ahead, the Cleveland Park Camp is a sure winner for kids ages 5-9 years old. It is a neighborhood institution offering kids opportunities to do an assortment of activities from tag to swimming to art projects. As the brochure aptly states "the informal program combines old-fashioned, self-directed play and organized hands-on activities. My two older kids have participated in this camp and my 5 year (soon to be 6) is signed up for this summer. He loves it!
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I would strongly recommend the Cleveland Park Club camp. It is a well run, low key experience with swimming that is popular with the children in the neighborhood. Both of my daughters went there for a number of years, and they always enjoyed it.
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My kids also did the Cleveland Park Club summer camp. I really liked that too.
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My 8 year old twins went to Lowell summer camp when they were 4 and 5 and loved it. They have a swimming pool and provided a structured swim class each day. I truly believe out of all the swim lessons we put our children in, they made breakthroughs at Lowell with their swimming because of the skilled instructors there. And, today they swim competitively. Outside of the swimming, it is a great camp program, especially for young campers -- lots of indoor and outdoor activities to keep them occupied.
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Our granddaughter who lives in Winchester, VA has gone to the Cleveland Park Camp for a week while visiting us. She has had a great time each year. She is now 7. After camp we arranged swimming lessons at the Club pool. Each week of the summer has a different focus which keeps the program fresh and fun.
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Have you also considered Lowell? My 4-year-old and his friends were very happy in the pre-primary program there last year. There are full- and half-day options at that age and two three-weeks sessions, so there's some flexibility. (We did the full day.) Bonus: the pool is on site and indoors, so they have swimming every day. Now sure how "instructive" the lessons are, but they seemed to have fun. Click here for the website.
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My grandchildren have been going to CASA at Sheridan for repeated summers and love it: http://www.casaatsheridan.org
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My 22 year old son went to Beauvoir and has been a summer camp counselor for the past 5 years in the Science program for 6 year olds. The Beauvoir facility is wonderful, the director of the camp is a Beauvoir teacher, the kids swim almost every day weather permitting and they are served lunch. Whenever I have gone over there, the kids look happy and engaged.
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Our kids loved Beauvoir at that age, and went for several years. It's a really nice camp.
They also loved Levine summer music camp, and being able to play all the instruments and put on a show at the end. Sally Menel is great.
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My daughters have done most of the camps on your list. Levine is amazing, and I also can't speak highly enough about Beauvoir (swimming program, too).
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Our daughter has gone to the National Zoo day camp for the past two summers and loved it.
Last year we sent our just-4-year-old son to Head First (www.playheadfirst.com), and we're sending him again this summer. He loved it, and so did we. They had all the activities that we and our son wanted -- basketball, soccer, swimming, crafts, etc. and even, to our surprise, a little values/ responsibility education thrown in for good measure, which was very well done and not pedantic. Equally, or maybe even more, important, we thought that it was extremely well run and that the counselors were terrific. Last year we went to the Bethesda location, as he wasn't old enough for the St. Alban's one (which has a 5-year-old minimum), but this year we're sending him to the St. Alban's location.
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Fillmore Arts Camp It is an excellent camp. They also have swimming. If your daughter enjoys art, this is the place!
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My son loves Lowell. It is not that far and it has a pool: Lowell summer camp.
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We have done Headfirst, Beauvoir and Silver Stars. We love Headfirst. Beauvoir is pretty good and we also really enjoyed Silver Stars.
A lot of teens want to go to summer camp and their parents also like the idea. I know that most of those teens want to go because they want to enjoy new experiences but aside from that the most important thing is that they will learn more than what they expect. If you ask me they will really get a hand full of what they want in a military school.
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