June 13-17 & August 1-5, grades K-5

Tennis pro Mark Haffner has been running a tennis camp at Shady Side for more than seven years. Campers will learn basic front-hand and backhand skills, practice serves, learn game strategy and have a blast with the best kids' tennis coach around!

June 13-17, grades 2-6

SSA varsity basketball coaches David Vadnais and Kyle Smith welcome all future hoops stars for a week of fun and training. From shooting and ball-handling to defense and strategy, coaches and staff will work with kids on fundamental skills and situational game-play.

August 8-12, grades K-8

SSA prep hockey coaches and current/past players lead two simultaneous ice hockey camps in our McKnight Hockey Center. The beginners' camp focuses on the fundamental skills necessary to play hockey. The advanced camp focuses on conditioning, strength and refinement of skills for the more experienced player. Players must provide their own equipment: helmet with full face mask, should pads, elbow pads, hockey gloves, hockey pants, hockey jock, shin pads, skates and a stick.

June 13-17, grades K-5

If you just can't wait to be a star, take the stage with some singing, dancing and acting! Taught by SSA drama staff, students will create a set, make their own costumes, learn some songs and dances, and perform for an audience of friends and family on the last day of the camp.

Passport to Mindfulness I, June 13-17, grades K-5

Campers will experientially "travel" to 10 different countries from India to Peru while trying a variety of contemplative practices. Folk tales, art projects, nature walks, yoga, cuisine from different countries and music are just some of the activities involved! This is a truly unique camp combining world cultures, art and fun learning!

Passport to Mindfulness II, August 1-5, grades K-5

Passport to Mindfulness II has the same hybrid of wellness, social engagement, world cultures and contemplative art as Passport I, but explores 10 different countries.  Each camp combines a fun blend of mindfulness, crafts, games, songs and even a daily international cooking activity for snack time.

Aug. 8-12, grades K-5

In this unique camp, students journey inward to work on self-regulation and social-emotional learning as well as outward to play with nature and art. While having fun at the intersection or mindfulness and sustainability, campers will enjoy games, songs, cooking, STEAM experiments and opportunities to take advantage of the special environmental spaces on campus.

Aug. 1-5 and Aug. 8-12, grades K-5

This multi-sport camp offers basic guided instruction and semi-competitive play in sports including tennis, soccer, basketball and track & field. Recreational sports such as kickball, dodgeball and volleyball will complement “training” sessions. All campers will get a chance to relax and recuperate in our beautiful indoor pool.

June 13-17, grades K-2

Overcome a series of challenges using basic materials, simple machines, tips from famous inventors and most important of all – your mind! Create catapults and forts, build shelters and bridges, and learn about density.  While Thomas Edison said "invention is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration," this program is 100% FUN!

June 13-17, grades 3-5

From decoding messages to peering through night-vision goggles, campers will check out our spy-tech equipment and detective gear! Step into the shoes of a detective as we uncover the science involved in evidence gathering and analysis.  Then we turn to the world of robotics, and you will make your own take-home robot! We will investigate robotic fundamentals with curious robots, learn about the history and current field of robots, explore robot design and build our own!

August 1-5, grades K-2

Miss Manners might not approve, but your child definitely will! Yuckology Camp is a week of learning about our gross bodily functions. Learn about burping, boogers, excrement, gas, saliva and germs, and investigate the brain, cells, heart, organs and blood.

August 1-5, grades 3-5

From our Earth's atmosphere to the outer reaches of our solar system, this hands-on program sends participants on a quest for exploration!  Comets, planets, stars and more are all waiting to be discovered.  Learn about the four forces of flight, the challenges of space travel, and participate in a rocket launch! Throughout the week, we'll also put our goggles on and explore chemical reactions, bubbling flasks of fog and more!

August 8-12, grades K-2

Have you ever wondered what's below our feet and what's miles above our heads?  In this exciting program, you will dig in to Earth science!  Earth's layers are introduced with a spotlight on its outer rocky layer and campers will try out tools that meteorologists use to measure weather.  Then, we go to infinity and beyond! Campers impersonate the planets to compare their sizes and distances from the sun, recreate a solar and lunar eclipse, and become particles on a voyage into a planet's core.

August 8-12, grades 3-5

Overcome a series of engineering challenges using LEGO bricks, simple machines, tips from famous inventors and most important of all – your mind!   Create catapults and forts, build shelters and bridges, and learn about density.  Engineers shape the world and this camp will help get you ready to take on bigger projects!

Mad Science of Pittsburgh is a leading science enrichment provider. They deliver unique, hands-on science experiences for children through after-school programs, birthday parties, workshops, special events and summer camps. Their innovative programs are as entertaining as they are educational, and we are excited to partner with them for Summer 2022!

Summer Focus on Reading is an elementary language arts class that builds upon and encourages students' love for reading and storytelling at each grade level. Students will seek to address "summer reading loss" through daily reading and written response, which helps significantly with reading comprehension and vocabulary growth. Students read books from Shady Side Academy's summer reading lists and other age-appropriate library selections. The selected books provide opportunities to discuss the literary elements of setting, characters and plot. Students learn to discern a story’s main ideas and to discover literary signposts that point to significant moments within the narrative. Since the focus of each six-week session is on a specific book or readings; writing will be focused on identification of literary elements, signposts, and summaries. These are hands-on courses that meet students at their current level and help prepare them for the challenges of the school year ahead.

Elementary math classes are hands-on, skills-based, engaging courses that meet students at their current level and help prepare them for the challenges of the next school year. Through projects, play and problem-solving activities, students bolster their math skills and passion for the subject.

We recommend enrolling your child in the course most closely aligned with the math course he or she will be taking in the 2022-2023 school year. For most students this is their grade level for the 2022-2023 year.