Looking for a way to tire the kiddos out over the holidays?  Need to get errands done?  Look no further!  Sign her up for an intensive swimming and art experience with the Holiday Swim and Arts Camp at Chicago Blue Dolphins!

Our camp will run from Wednesday January 2nd to Saturday January 5th from 9:00am to 3:00pm for kids between ages 4-10 years.  Please contact us to inquire about after care until 5:00pm.

We will break the kids up by age ranges, roughly 4-6 and 7-10, to keep the content and skill requirements appropriate for the age of your child.

We’ll include mid-session and end-of-session snacks for the kids each day; children should bring a lunch.  The cost is $325 per child.  Smiles and giggles included for no extra charge.

Register by December 14th and get $25.00 off using discount code HOLIDAY18!

Part 1:  Acting

The first part of our Holiday Camp will be an acting and theater workshop that will allow your child to explore these arts in an intensive way through the week.

Class Description

Theatre is a fantastic way to help kids develop their creativity and build up their confidence. It is also an excellent way to develop good teamwork and collaborative habits. In these classes we will introduce the kids to the basics of acting and improv through a range of activities and games.

Ages 4-6

In this class, the kids will learn the basics of improv and creating a character through various play based activities. Children will learn how to present themselves in front of an audience, how to create exciting characters, and how to work together in improvisational games. We will focus on play to bring out each child’s creative genius and build up their confidence by having a ton of fun pretending to be someone else.

Ages 7-10

In this class we will focus on learning acting skills through improvisation. Children will learn how to create strong characters and work with each other through improv games and short scenes. Learning improv skills is a fantastic way to stretch anyone’s ability to think quickly and creatively. Kids will play games targeted at bringing out their silliness and creativity throughout the week and learn the guiding principles of effective improv and stage presence.

Instructor Bio

Jesse Debolt graduated from the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film in Lincoln Nebraska with a Bachelor’s Degree in Directing, Management, and Performance. Since graduating, she has been traveling around the country doing theatre work. Recently, she completed a tour with the National Theatre for Children performing for middle schools across the country.

Before moving to Chicago, Jesse spent 2017 working with New Stage Theatre in Jackson, Mississippi. The most rewarding part of her job there was acting in three touring children’s shows around the state as well as teaching acting classes to 1st grade through high school students. Jesse has also taught workshops on devised theatre, stage combat, and Shakespeare to high school students.

Part 2:  Swimming

Track 1:  Learn-to-Swim Lessons and Free Time

For those children who are timid in the water or in the process of learning the basics, we’ll do an intensive learn-to-swim program during the week.  We’ll work on water comfort, safety, and the basics of swimming on the front and back.  Having lots of time in the pool during the week has proven an effective way of speeding up progress.  The camp is a great way for your kiddo to get a head start on swimming for vacations and summer camps in 2017.  As an added bonus, our positive, patient, and knowledgeable instructors will make it fun for your child and start her on a lifetime enjoyment of the water.  Bonus!

Track 2:  Stroke Improvement Lessons and Free Time

For those who have learned the four competitive strokes or are in the process of learning them, we’ll take a major step forward during the course of the week.  We’ll spend one day on each of the four strokes (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly) to make a major impact on the strokes.  Using underwater and above water video and other technology at the Swim Studio, we can help your aspiring swimmer understand visually and kinesthetically what she needs to do to improve.  This immersion format has proved to be effective and fun for the kids in prior holiday swim camp runs.  By reducing the time between lessons, we can more easily move your child’s skill set forward.

Structure and Schedule

We’ll mix instruction with free time and games with purpose to help teach, review, and reinforce.  The basic format for each day will be:

• 9:00-9:30 am — All-Camp Meeting
• 9:30-10:30am — Theater Workshop Part #1
• 10:30-10:45am — Break
• 10:45-11:45pm — Theater Workshop Part #2
• 11:45-12:45pm — Lunch and Decompression Break
• 12:45-2:45pm — Swim Lesson and Free Time
• 2:45-3:00 pm — Dry Off, Change, Snack, and Pick Up

Our Stroke Improvement track will have a little bit more instruction because the kids are used to working on the strokes.

Don’t worry about the cold weather!  Our pool room is warm and our pool water is kept at a cozy 90 degrees.  To keep the camp super fun (and to wear the kids out — shhhhhhh), we’ve included some free play time for the kids in the package.  We’ll finish each pool session with toys, games, and, of course, our Endless Pool currents on turbo!

Camp Registration