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Last-Minute Guide to Summer Day Camps and Kids Activities

By  Carla Zanoni and Andrea Swalec | July 12, 2012 7:27am 

The Bucky Dent Baseball School holds weekly day camp clincis on Randall’s Island between July 30 and Aug. 17, 2012.
The Bucky Dent Baseball School holds weekly day camp clincis on Randall’s Island between July 30 and Aug. 17, 2012.
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Bucky Dent

NEW YORK CITY — For some, summer plans for kids are well on their way. But for others, the hunt for what to do has just begun.

The good news is, it's not too late to get a start on summer fun. 

DNAinfo.com New York has a round up of last-minute day camps and classes kids and parents can enroll in through the summer for a reprieve from the dog days of summer.   

Land Yoga Mini Camp

2116 Frederick Douglass Blvd. 

Little yogis can practice their sun salutations at Land Yoga Mini Camp in Harlem every Tuesday and Thursday through Aug. 23. Parents can sign up for the rest of the summer, a weeks’s worth of classes, or just give the studio 24 hours notice for kids ages 4 to 10 to enjoy a two-and-a-half hour class. 

The classes help children explore their bodies through poses, creativity, strength, concentration and balance as they participate in a yoga practice that involves art, music and games. 

"Each week your child will experience a different yoga adventure," the organizers wrote on their website. 

$990 for the summer, $130 per week. Parents are asked to pack a light snack. 

Uptown Soccer Academy

Dyckman Fields, Inwood Hill Park

Kids will score big when they play soccer at the Uptown Soccer Academy in Inwood Hill Park, which has been bringing football fun to the park since 2009. 

Soccer coach David Sykes teaches kids 7 to 14 fancy footwork while "encouraging health education and service learning amongst young people."

"Our goal is to inspire not only great soccer players, but also educated and active members of the community," organizers said. 

The free camp runs Monday through Thursday, from July 12 to Aug. 20, at Dyckman Fields in Inwood Hill Park. 

The camp focuses on building participants' soccer skills and fitness levels, but also encourages involvement in various educational and service learning projects. Past projects have included photography workshops, park cleanups, video projects and health education workshops. 

For more information and to register, contact uptownsoccer@gmail.com or call 347-749-3120. 

New York Botanical Garden

Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, 2900 Southern Blvd.

The three-day camp options hosted by the New York Botanical Garden sold out weeks ago, but the garden still has fun options throughout the week. 

Kids learn about nature at the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden while climbing the Boulder Maze, playing with a Touch Tank to watch thirsty plants grow, and playing scientist at an indoor laboratory loaded with microscopes and other fun tools.

Parents and children are invited to attend together between 1:30 and 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, or over the weekend between 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.

Garden Admission is $20 for adults, $8 for children ages 2-12, and free for children younger than 2.

Isadora Duncan Children’s Dance Classes

Fort Tryon Park at Broadway and Dongan Place

Kids get their groove on in Fort Tryon Park as certified dance instructor and company member of The Isadora Duncan Dance Company Morgana Rose teaches the Duncan method of dance.

Duncan, who many consider the creator of modern dance, incorporates natural movements like skipping, running and leaping, making it perfect for children.

Parents are asked to supervise their children ages 4 to 10 years old and be sure kids arrive wearing comfortable footwear that is flexible and easy to move in (ballet slippers, sandals or sneakers are ideal).

Thursdays and Saturdays through Aug. 25, from 10-11 a.m.

Free. Call 212-726-1388 for more information.

Ice Skating in Flushing, Queens

Grand Central Parkway, Whitestone Expressway bet. 111th St. and College Point Blvd., Park Drive E.

Kids who dream of one day becoming Michelle Kwan and Johnny Weir can hone their axels, lutzes and split jumps this summer at World Ice Arena in Flushing, Queens.

The program runs each week through Aug. 17, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and is suitable for beginners and more advanced skaters alike, skating school director Lauren Hunt said.

"Skaters will have all summer to practice their jumps," she explained.

The camp is focused on ice skating, but has games, arts and crafts, and outdoor time, too.

Prices range from $75 per half day to $3,300 for the full camp. Parents who enroll kids for skate camp on the same day are subject to a $15 extra fee. 

Southeast Bronx Neighborhood Centers Incorporated

955 Tinton Ave., Bronx

Several heat waves have already baked New York this season, but summer is only getting started.

Just in time, the Southeast Bronx Neighborhood Centers Incorporated is offering a summer-full of activities to cool off and have fun.

Activities for the summer program for kids aged 5 to 12 include trips to parks, gym time, relay races, and trips to museums and plays, coordinator Michelle Beverhoudt said.

"We have fun. We're in the sun and the sprinklers when it's too hot outside," she said.

The program, which aims to be educational as well as a good time, runs through Aug. 24, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and costs $425. 

Bucky Dent Baseball School, Randall’s Island

East River and Harlem River 

Take the kids out to the ballgame on Randall’s Island at the Bucky Dent Baseball School. 

Girls and boys ages 7 to 18 learn the basics of America’s pastime, fielding grounders, shagging fly balls, hitting off tees and playing games in age-appropriate groups to round out their skills, organizers said. 

Best of all, the online deal site Living Social is offering a special this week where kids get one week’s worth of camp for $185 — less than half the normal price of $395. 

Camps are offered July 30-Aug. 3, Aug. 6-10, or Aug. 13-17, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.