Class Descriptions

Our sports classes offer campers the opportunity to learn and build camaraderie through active play. Through a variety of sports, exercise, and dance, we will foster health, fitness, and teamwork. Campers should come to class prepared with appropriate attire and footwear.

Advanced Recess

Don’t care what you do as long as you can get out and run around? This class is for you! Bring back school recess favorites like four-square, tag, and dodgeball, as well as new favorites like pickleball. This class will have you on your feet and out in the summer sun. Wear tennis shoes with non-marking soles.

Basketball

You’ll focus on learning and developing fundamental basketball skills through a variety of fun drills, games, and scrimmages. Practice shooting form, dribbling, and passing, as well as offensive and defensive footwork and principles. Wear tennis shoes with non-marking soles.

Disc Sports

Ultimate Frisbee is an exciting non-contact team sport that is played by thousands around the world. Learn tips and techniques for throwing and catching, as well as teamwork and strategy. Then master the art of throwing at our rooftop Disc Golf targets. Cleats are optional.

Fitness Studio

Our fitness class is all about having fun while learning proper exercise technique, strengthening your body, and improving cardiovascular conditioning. You will also learn about current nutrition guidelines and ways to incorporate balanced eating habits and exercise into daily life to help stay strong, committed, and healthy.

Net Sports

Enjoy summertime favorites such as volleyball, badminton, and tennis. Practice serving, rallying, and spiking as you challenge each other’s teams. Then grab a racquet and practice your swing in badminton and pickleball, either pairing up in doubles or on your own. This class will occur both inside and outside. Requires tennis shoes with non-marking soles.

Soccer

Build your skills in the world’s favorite sport! Practice standard moves and learn new strategies to use during scrimmages. This class will occur outside, rain or shine. Cleats are optional.

Urban Hiking

Often referred to as the Emerald City, Seattle is an urban gem full of hidden natural oases, sweeping vistas, historic landmarks, and amazing art installations. Whether you are local or a new visitor, discover how Seattle is best explored by foot. This class is a great opportunity to connect with friends, enjoy the Seattle summer, and discover the physical and mental benefits that a simple walk provides.

Yoga Studio

This class is about exploring flexibility, strength, and relaxation. Practicing yoga postures can create stronger focus, better sleep, and a happier mindset. We will laugh, move, stretch, and breathe while studying proper alignment, anatomy, and how to better connect with our bodies.

English Language Learners are welcome to enroll in any of our Summer Camp classes, unless a class description requires native English proficiency. Classes listed below are specifically for ELL students who wish to improve English language skills. Our camp is integrated, therefore international campers must have at least one year of English instruction and be able to understand basic instruction.

ELL Speaking & Conversation

In this class, you will work on pronunciation, enunciation, and projection. Over two weeks, build confidence using English in everyday situations through discussions, role-plays, and interactive activities with classmates. The goal is to develop clear communication, listening, and expressing your ideas in a supportive environment. Classes may be divided into proficiency levels depending on enrollment.

ELL Reading & Writing

Develop your English vocabulary through reading, and then practice expressing your thoughts clearly and eloquently through writing. Our instructors will begin with the basics and guide you through the rules of English composition. Review phonetics, spelling, and grammar, while also building your vocabulary. Read news articles and short stories to find inspiration for written assignments, and complete an individual written piece at the end of two weeks. Classes may be divided into proficiency levels depending on enrollment.

This class is perfect for anyone willing to try new things. Learn to create expressive and original movement through improvisational exploration to the rhythms of jazz, blues, and hip-hop! Learn how to develop and create dances that are fun, meaningful, and unique through articulated exploration of shape, line, and form. If you can move, you can dance! Join us! No previous dance experience required

Digital Music

Immerse yourself in the vibrant rhythms of digital music! Discover the magic of crafting tunes through digital mastery. From honing your composition skills to experimenting with sound manipulation, you'll journey through a symphony of creativity. Unleash your musical flair and compose beats that resonate with your unique style.

Improv Theater

Improvisation (or improv) is the ability to perform or deliver on the spot—a useful skill in many aspects of life! In this class, explore the basics of improv through exercises in agreement, commitment, spontaneity, and listening. Test your creativity as you build confidence.

Intro to Theater

Learn about the exciting world of theater through the power of acting and performance! Explore the essentials of performance, from expressive body language to emotive voice modulation. Engage in exciting activities and games to unleash your creativity and build confidence on stage. At the end of the session, you will stage a performance for the rest of camp!

Guitar

Although these are not formal lessons, this class will allow you to practice and develop your music performance skills. Play a duet with a friend, learn a new chord, or start a group band. We’ll explore different genres, arrangements, and styles, so you can explore what appeals to you.

Rhythm & Percussion

Explore rhythm and creativity through a variety of drums and handheld percussion instruments. Develop skills through rhythm games, ensemble performances, and creating your own instruments from recycled materials. Whether you're a rhythm pro or just getting started, you'll have a blast making music... and some serious noise!

Sketch Comedy

This high-energy sketch comedy class encourages you to write, perform, and collaborate in a fun and supportive setting. Create original comedic scenes, develop memorable characters, and experiment with timing, exaggeration, and improvisation. Through group work and guided practice, you will build confidence, creativity, and teamwork while discovering what makes audiences laugh. This class encourages playful risk-taking and culminates in polished sketches that you are proud to share.

Stage Combat

Step into the world of stage combat and safely bring action-packed fights to life on stage. Practice carefully choreographed and controlled punches, falls, and dramatic reactions that appear intense when correctly performed. Build strength, coordination, and confidence as you discover how to use movement and storytelling to make every moment feel real to an audience. By the end of the class, you will perform thrilling and believable scenes that show your power and precision.

Brain Science – Psych 101

Explore how your brain works and affects behavior, thoughts, and emotions. Investigate memory, perception, and decision-making as you learn about brain structure, neurons, and chemistry. How does your brain make you who you are, and how is your friend’s brain different from yours? Build critical thinking skills and understand how your brain shapes your thoughts and perceptions.

DIY Chemistry

You CAN try this at home! Explore the basics of chemistry using common household materials. Explore pH with cabbage juice, make polymers with glue, and generate heat with baking soda. Home chemistry experiments are lots of fun, and also a great way to begin understanding fundamental concepts in physical, analytic, and inorganic chemistry.

DIY Robots

This class teaches you how to plan and create battery-powered machines that accomplish a specific task. Explore electronics and engineering as you build and program machines that move and operate based on your instructions. Get ready to use your creativity and ingenuity to convert used toys into moving machines, or create code to program your robot.

Makerspace

What do you want to make today? From hand crafting to technology driven tools, turn your ideas into creations. Design, build, and test hands-on projects as you experiment with prototyping, engineering, and digital fabrication. Collaborate with friends, learn to work safely, and problem solve as you bring your creation to life.

Marine Biology

Marine ecosystems are rapidly changing due to pollution, global warming, and human consumption. In this class, we will study the biodiversity of marine life and how climate change is affecting coral reefs and the pH of the ocean. Our proximity to the Puget Sound will also allow us to explore our own shores during low tide!

Math: Just for Fun

Whether you’re looking to get a jump start on middle school math or just trying to keep current with your studies, this class will challenge you to ground basic skills in visual models and physical manipulatives. We will define a variable, balance equations, combine like terms, find the area, volume, and surface area of shapes, identify patterns, and much more.

Personal Finance

Let’s learn about money! This class will help you understand the basic personal finance concepts and how they can be applied to create goals, form healthy habits, and make better decisions in high school and beyond. By the end of this course, you will be able to create a budget, understand financial vocabulary, and make decisions on future financial goals.

Urban Gardening

Trace the food we eat from the soil to the plate. Get your hands dirty in the Northwest School’s own Urban Farm and Garden, then wash up and head into the dining room to enjoy the “fruits” of your labor. Explore urban farms and food deserts and discover the ideal soil and water conditions for growing delicious, healthy food in a city.

Wildlife of Seattle

Wildlife is all around us, even in the heart of the city. Taking advantage of our urban campus, explore plant and animal life here in our own backyard. Survey the birds and insects that call Seattle home, learn the difference between a maple and an alder, and seek out local green spaces. Experiment with different ways of viewing wildlife populations as you get to know our wild city neighbors

Leadership for Social Justice

Learn to build relationships as a platform for our leadership development. How can we become better collaborators, better community builders, and better facilitators? Through field trips and guests, along with a variety of fun and engaging activities, this is the perfect place to find tools to "be the change you want to see in the world."

Board Games

Can life skills and insights into the human condition be learned through board games? In this class, we will explore the techniques needed to be a successful board game player. We'll play some of the most popular board games of all time in the United States with others and learn to strategize, cooperate, make deals, and have fun.

Animation

Enter an animation studio and bring characters, worlds, and ideas to life on screen. You will use timing, movement, and visual expression to create digital illustration or stop-motion animation . Explore various means of storyboarding, design, and simple visual effects to shape your story. By the end of the class, you will complete a short animation that showcases your imagination and growing skills.

Black & White Film Photography

Learn photography the old-school way! Use your own 35mm manual camera, or one of ours, to master basic functions to capture an image and then develop photos in our professional dark room.

Ceramics: Hand Building

Take a lump of clay and turn it into art! Explore how to design and build with clay through clay-handling techniques, like coil building and slab work. Your finished product may be a sculpture or a useful item, but it will be messy and fun.

Ceramics: Advanced, Wheel Throwing

Do you have some ceramics experience, and want to take your art to the next level on the ceramics wheel? Learn how to center clay on the wheel, throw it into simple forms, and use tools to trim and shape your cylinders, bowls, or plates. Due to the physical nature of using a ceramics wheel, this class is recommended for campers who are at least 48” tall.

Comic, Anime, & Cartoon Drawing

From character design to visual storytelling, explore the world of graphic novel and comic book illustration. Develop your own style as you experiment with various media and composition. From dynamic superheroes to adorable anime, celebrate the fusion of art and storytelling.

Digital Photography

Explore professional digital photography by taking outdoor pictures, and then transforming the images in the lab. Practice learning how to take a good photo wherever you are, regardless of the environment, then learn how to use editing to improve the image. We recommend bringing your own digital camera, although some devices are available for in-class use.

Digital Storytelling

Combine photography, creative writing, journalism, and publishing to share your story. Write text, capture eye-catching images, plan a layout, and find your voice. Explore well-known or secret areas around Seattle as you craft stories about places. Create a digital work of art to show who you are, where you are from, and how you see your community.

Drawing

Learn the basics of line, shape, form, and texture that make drawing a unique form of self-expression. Using a variety of media – graphite, charcoal, ink, and colored pencil – practice observing and capturing the world around you on paper. Create still-lifes, landscapes, animal sketches, and self-portraits as you build your drawing skills. All levels of drawing experience are welcome.

Filmmaking Studio

Lights, camera, action! If you can imagine it, you can bring your imagination to life through film. We’ll learn to express ideas in pictures and words while discussing storyboarding, scriptwriting, scenic layout, and more. Turn your story from ideas into film.

Jewelry Making Studio

Learn how to create unique and wearable works of art. Start with learning how to use general tools of the trade: chain nose and needle nose pliers, jump rings and wire cutters. Then add additional features and clasps to make bracelets, earrings, pins, necklaces, and rings. Use polymer clay, assorted beads, colored wire, and paper quill to create multiple jewelry designs.

Mixed Media Art

Combine a variety of procedures and materials into your next visual art masterpiece. Techniques will include collage, printing, manual cut and paste, and transfers. Use paint, glue, photography, fibers, found objects, and drawing supplies. Develop your personal style as you practice and learn how various elements interact with each other.

Painting Studio: Acrylics

Explore fundamental concepts with paint and brush. Focus on color theory, brush handling, and composition through acrylics. Draw inspiration from still life, natural landscapes, and your imagination! You will work predominantly with acrylic paint on canvas paper, canvas board, and stretched canvas.

Painting Studio: Watercolor

Explore fundamental concepts with paint and brush using water-soluble media, including watercolor, ink, and aquarelle pencils on paper. Learn how to create richly colored works by managing timing and drying stages, instead of washed-out “watery” pictures . You will practice mixing, washing, and layering color to create both abstract and realistic images.

Printmaking Studio

This class is all about the art of multiples! Learn the process of designing, creating, and running prints on paper and on fabric, using block printing, screen printing, and other techniques. Experiment with relief printing, textures, precision cutting skills, and balancing positive and negative space. Embrace the unexpected results that make each print unique, while creating a collection of multiple prints.

Sewing Studio

Create, alter, upcycle, or re-style. Personalize your style and repurpose found fabrics and thrift-store finds into something cool and uniquely you. Whether you design clothes, creatures, or a new bag, practice the foundational sewing skills of measuring, cutting, stitching, and finishing. Use a combination of hand and machine sewing to create unique and personal designs.

Stained Glass Studio

Learn to design magnificent pieces under the guidance of a professional stained-glass artist. Choose from a variety of patterns, cut and grind glass shapes, work with lead-free solder, and create a one-of-a-kind piece that will fill any space with color and light.

Board Games

Can board games teach us life skills and provide insight into the human condition? Explore techniques to be a successful board game player, and play popular board games with others, as you learn to strategize, cooperate, make deals, and have fun.

Creative Writing

Dive into an enchanting world of storytelling, explore diverse genres, build essential writing skills, and unleash your creativity. Let your imagination flow as you give voice to stories and other creative expressions within you. This class is designed for campers who are native English Speakers, have Advanced ELL skills, or have spent at least one year attending school in the US.

Black & White Film Photography
Brain Science - Psych 101
DIY Robots
Drawing
ELL: Reading & Writing
Filmmaking
Intro to Theater
Net Sports
Personal Finance
Printmaking Studio
Soccer
Stained Glass
Urban Gardening

Board Games
Comic, Anime & Cartoon Drawing
Digital Photography
ELL: Reading & Writing
Filmmaking
Improv Theater
Marine Biology
Math: Just for Fun
Painting: Acrylics
Rhythm & Percussion
Stained Glass
Urban Hiking
Yoga

Advanced Recess
Animation
Board Games
Ceramics - Hand Building
Dance & Movement
Digital Storytelling
Drawing
ELL: Speaking & Conversation
Fitness Studio
Makerspace
Mixed Media Art
Music: Guitar
Sketch Comedy
Wildlife of Seattle

Basketball
Ceramics - Wheel
Digital Music
Digital Photography
Disc Sports
DIY Chemistry
ELL: Speaking & Conversation
Jewelry Making
Makerspace
Painting: Watercolor
Sewing Studio
Stage Combat
Writers' Workshop: Creative Writing