Our children spend the school year learning the basics, but summer vacation offers the chance to hone their skills in an area they love. Budding inventors, future Broadway stars and young environmentalists can pursue their passion close to home this summer. No matter where your child’s interests lie, chances are there’s an Eden Prairie summer camp that fits the bill. 

A Show-stopping Week
First Act Theatre Camp at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres
501 W. 78th St., Chanhassen
952.934.1552
Dates: Weeklong sessions run through mid-June to first week of August
Cost: $225 for one week of half-day sessions; $450 for Teen Intensive Camp (one week of daylong sessions)
Registration: Online registration began February 1 and is open until all sessions are full.
What to expect: Learn about voice, movement, costumes, scenery, stage make-up and more from professional members of the Chanhassen acting company and staff. Children and teens are divided according to age (8 to 18), and the camp provides something for all experience levels, from newbies to stars. View clips of the camp experience at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres.

Rock-and-Roll Summer
School of Rock Summer Camps
6585 Edenvale Blvd. Ste. 100B, Eden Prairie
952.934.7625
Dates: Weeklong sessions offered mid-June through mid-August
Cost: $400 per week
Registration: Download summer camp registration information and forms.
What to expect: The Eden Prairie School of Rock offers weeklong summer camps covering a variety of topics, ranging from beginning guitar to songwriting. A performance camp provides young musicians with the chance to form a band, learn a set-list and play in front of a screaming crowd at the end of the week.

Explore the Natural World
Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Summer Programs
3675 Arboretum Dr., Chaska
952.443.1422
Dates: One-, two- or three-day camps are offered throughout the summer.
Cost: Summer programs, $25 to $154, depending on program; Children’s Garden, $85 to $190, depending on session. (Discounted prices are available for arboretum members.)
Registration: Registration opened in January, and is available online or by calling 952.443.1422.
What to expect: Whether your little camper loves plants, science, nature, art or food, the arboretum has a program to thrill. Camps are offered for children ages 4–14, and they’re focused on letting children explore the world around them. Cooking camps will have children experimenting in the kitchen, and a new camp, called Arboretum Adventures, focuses on unstructured nature play allowing children to use their imagination as they hike through the arboretum.
If you’d like an excuse to trot on out to the arboretum all summer, get your children involved with the 2010 Summer Children’s Garden. Children will be involved with the garden throughout the season, from planting the seeds in May to celebrating its harvest in August.