It’s gone by many names in its lifetime, but the drama-oriented day camp run by Children’s Musical Theater of San Jose, like the organization itself, offers some of the best training for kids who live and breathe theater. Offering classes for preschoolers all the way up through teens, CMT’s summer camps take place on local school campuses and culminate in a performance.

Organized by the learning-oriented Camp Galileo, the Tech Museum’s summer camp programs are structured for older kids. Kids grades four through eight can have a fun yet challenging summer with educational classes in science and technology. This summer’s programs include a animal M.D. program specializing in veterinary science, 3D printing and digital design.

Minutes from Saratoga, Cupertino and Santa Clara in West San Jose, Studio 10 Dance offers Dance Arts Day Camps for ages 5-12 offer new creative themes each week and provides a well-rounded curriculum that emphasizes movement, choreography, improvisation and performance. ---> Summer In10sives for Teens and Adults includes Ballet, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Contemporary & Lyrical All in 1-week! With over 16 hours of training in one week, 4-day Summer Intensives provide the opportunity for dancers to take their abilities to the next level.

For newcomers or well-seasoned volleyball players looking to sharpen their skills for high school tryouts, City Beach volleyball camp is the perfect fit. Camps are available throughout the summer for boys and girls for indoor and outdoor volleyball.

No, band camp wasn’t just a vehicle for a bawdy one-liner that far outlived the teen comedy it was spawned from. Band camp really does exist, and it’s serious business for those who attend.San Jose Jazz Band Camp celebrates 20 years of music education and celebration for Silicon Valley youth. For musically inclined children, the more-than-well-respected San Jose Jazz organization offers a month of training sessions and instruction from well-credentialed instructors.

Already a popular sleep-away science camp for local school districts, Walden West holds summer day camp sessions that include one overnight stay. Summer sessions are broken up by age range and involve traditional camp activities like archery, hiking and swimming. For older kids, Walden West also includes a Leader In Training program for ages 13-15, perfect for students looking to score some community service hours for future college apps, or those who are thinking ahead to the hiring process for camp counselors and are looking to get a leg up on the competition.

Operated by YMCA, Camp Campbell in Boulder Creek offers an authentic summer-camp experience. Sing-alongs, games and maybe even a bonfire or two are to be expected during a week at Camp Campbell.

The Silicon Valley YMCA’s day camps are a quick fix for busy parents. With 11 locations across the valley, and all except one offering a day camp program during normal school hours, kids can never complain that they’re bored. Staff keeps them busy with field trips, park outings, games and crafts.

The name’s a mouthful, but the Academic Summer Day Camp is one of Sacred Heart’s standout services. Each summer, the community service organization runs a day camp for kids from lower-income families that aims to put them ahead of the curve. Attendees get to get a leg up on the next school year in a more relaxed setting, and also indulge in the usual lazy-days activities like field trips, games, and afternoon snacks.

iD Tech Camp focuses on video game design, code apps, robot construction, website design and more. Tech Campers are immersed into the STEM field on some of California's leading universities including: Stanford, UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz, learning the skills needed for today's growing technological field's and careers.

Legos aren’t just for pediatricians’ offices and jamming up the vacuum cleaner. There are entire summer camps built around them now, and some of them are right here in the Bay Area. Tech Know-How camp hosts sessions devoted entirely to Lego construction, going beyond the green pegboard and moving up to full-scale robotic models.