From camps and clubs to interactive spaces and special activities, our programs are designed to keep kids curious, creative, and engaged all year long.
Whether it’s spending a day at a Creative Camp, joining a monthly Kids Club Program, or exploring hands-on spaces like the Imagination Station at the CK Museum and the Discovery Den at Ridge House Museum, kids of all ages can discover, play, and learn in exciting new ways.
Spark your child’s imagination!
From PA Day adventures to week-long summer experiences, Chatham-Kent’s Creative Camps are all about art, fun, and making new friends. Each program offers hands-on activities that inspire curiosity and creativity in a safe, welcoming space.
Chatham-Kent’s Kids Club Programs offer free, hands-on activities each month that bring children and families together to learn, play, and explore at our local museums. From seasonal crafts to unique themed projects, there’s always something new to discover.
Unleash your creativity at the After School Arts Hub!
Dive into a world of imagination with drawing, painting, printmaking, and clay sculpting in our fully equipped art studio. Designed for kids aged 7 and up, this hands-on program lets young artists explore various mediums, express themselves, and develop new skills—all while having fun. All materials are provided; just bring your creativity and a paint shirt!
Let your kids’ imagination grow in our fun-filled, interactive, totally hands-on, innovative, and creative space at Ridge House Museum. Have fun with the whole family while exploring the history of Ridge House.
From light-up tables to magnet walls, there is much to keep everyone engaged with each visit. Enjoy time together in this natural-themed space by making new monthly crafts and playing with different building materials and games. Features include a magnetic wall, light tables, craft tables, games and a kitchen playset.
Let your child’s imagination grow in our fun-filled, interactive, totally hands-on, innovative, and creative space located on the second floor of the Chatham-Kent Museum. Have fun with the whole family while exploring the history of Chatham-Kent.
Drop in and design a masterpiece on our giant LiteBrite, get loud as you play with our percussion wall, or try your hand at window art. With so many options, the Imagination Station has something fun for everyone, including adults! Features include a giant lite brite, percussion wall, Lego/Duplo wall, toddler play panels, craft tables, puzzles, and building materials.
Get moving and join the fun!
Chatham-Kent’s Recreation Programs make it easy to stay active and have fun at any age. From preschool play and school-age camps to swimming, fitness, and inclusive activities, there’s something for everyone. Splash at the pool, join a PA Day adventure, or try a class—you’ll find plenty of ways to connect, learn, and play all year long.
Help us protect your child from the sun by teaching them how to appropriately apply sunscreen. Please apply the first coat of sunscreen in the morning and teach your child how to reapply. Please send a labelled bottle of sunscreen with your child so camp staff can remind them to reapply throughout the day.
Stay-n-Play starts at 8:30 am. Doors will open at 8:15 am daily providing parents the time to sign in their child. Camp ends at 4:30 pm. The extended hours of 8:00 am – 5:00 pm are available for an additional $25 a week.
KIDventure start at 8:30 am. Doors will open at 8:15 am daily providing parents the time to sign in their child. Camp ends at 5:00 pm. The extended hours of 8:00 am – 5:30 pm are available for an additional $25 a week.
Parents are expected to pick up their child on time or additional fees may apply
Dip your brushes, pinch a little clay, get a little messy – come and play! Explore the Elements of Design with tons of art materials, cool techniques, and your imagination! This hands-on workshop for K-Grade 2 includes stations for painting, drawing, clay, and printmaking.
Have you ever dug just below the topsoil and found clay? Maybe you’ve even dug up a pottery shard that was once part of an ancient clay cooking pot or storage jar? Clay is found all over the world and is composed of minerals found in the Earth’s crust. In this workshop, experience the age-old art of pinch pots and coil pots, and add embellishments for fun!
View a funny short by the Aardman Animators and watch how the sculptors manipulate the clay to bring the animal characters and birds to life. Student’s will shape and hollow out clay forms and properly reattach segments as they construct an animal in clay.
Make a musical Clay Ocarina! Belonging to the Chinese and Mesoamerican cultures, this wind instrument is formed by hollowing a clay ball to make a chamber. The addition of a mouthpiece and a blowhole gives your Ocarina a voice. Add more holes in the clay body to create different tones – this exciting activity takes patience and following instructions closely.
You Need Pollinators! One out of every three bites of food is the result of birds, bats, bees, butterflies, beetles, and other small mammals pollinating plants and sustaining our ecosystems! Draw a pollinator – monarch, bee, etc., on paper, then recreate it on a clay tile by shaping and attaching clay segments. Bring your pollinator to life by adding details and pressing textured stamps into the clay.
“Bee” the change you want to see in the world. Try a radical craft! Design a stamp that illustrates the importance of pollinators for our food security. Carve the lines, ink your block, and print onto cardstock. Make multiples and share the message!
Scientists depend on artists’ drawings and paintings of plants to study growth and changes in plants, their habitats and communities and their effects on human health. The artist observes, analyzes and emphasizes the important characteristics of a plant, detailing veins, flowers, fruit and seeds. Work from examples and experiment with water washes, wet on wet, salting techniques, and wax resist.
How does art enrich our lives? Analyze an artwork from TAG’s permanent collection. How do images influence our ideas and views? Students will mix the primary colours to create a colour wheel and discover how artists use “play” and experimentation to express feelings and ideas as they create an acrylic painting on canvas.
NOTE: Please book clay workshops well in advance and allow three weeks for kiln firing. Thick clay may explode in the kiln, and pieces that are not well attached or too thin may chip/fall off.
There are three ways to register for any of our camps or recreation programs:
Payments can be made with VISA, MasterCard or American Express. Cheques are accepted for in-person registration.
Each day your child will be met with an enthusiastic camp leader who will create an environment that is fun and exciting, while also promoting a love of learning through the arts and history. Each member of our camp team is certified in Standard First Aid and CPR.
You can rest assured that your child is in good hands and will have a blast at any of our camp program locations.
For some children, being in an all-day camp program can be a big adjustment, and we want to make sure that your child is ready. To help you determine if your child is ready for camp, we have provided some indicators:
If your child is six years of age or older and meets all of these criteria, we feel confident in their ability to successfully participate in our camp programs.
All programs have a minimum number of registrants to run. Unless otherwise stated the number of participants required for any summer camp program is six (6).
Payments can be made with VISA, MasterCard or American Express. Cheques are accepted for in-person registration.
Full payment of camp fees must be made at the time of registration. Please keep a copy of your receipt. Duplicate receipts will only be printed upon request and at $10 per request.
All programs and services are subject to change without notice. While we make every effort to provide you with accurate information regarding our programs, sometimes cancellations and changes are required.
If the program is cancelled by municipal staff – full refund.
If the participant is withdrawn from the program at the request of municipal staff – a refund equivalent to the unused portion of the program.
Withdrawal from the program minimum 24-hours prior to start of program– refund of 50%.
Withdrawal from a program due to medical reasons after the start of the program – a prorated refund will be issued only with a doctor’s note being provided before the end of the program. $10.00 administration fee applicable for refund.
Withdrawal from a program after the start or end of the program – sorry, no refund.*
*Processing a refund by cheque takes a net 30 days.
*Debit/Credit refunds can be completed virtually or in person.
Credits available upon request. Once credit is requested, no refund is applicable.