Abu Dhabi's Coolest Holiday Camps to Attend in Winter 2019-2020
Published 13 December 2019 at 19:00
Tickikids Blog Abu Dhabi > After-School Activities > Abu Dhabi's Coolest Holiday Camps to Attend in Winter 2019-2020
Abu Dhabi with its vast range of children's activities on offer is always a whirlwind but even more so this winter, with holiday camps ranging from space science, arts & crafts and sports sessions to foreign language and STEM for 3 to 18 year olds. It is important to support each child in striking a successful balance between academic and leisure activities. With the winter school holidays beginning soon, TickiKids investigates which camps are the best around. The emphasis, as elsewhere at TickiKids, is on variety, inclusion, and to encourage kids to explore new activities, cultivate new interests and develop a variety of skills.
My First Gym
Photo Credit: My First Gym
When you find a children's centre that is raved about by the locals you know it is going to be a part and parcel of the school holiday calendar. For the current winter holiday period, My First Gym has picked three themes – winter sports, game shows and job force – and developed a series of fun team games to develop young pupils mentally and physically. Their facilities and coaches are ace! Your kids will be particularly enamoured of an abundance of engaging holiday activities such as rides, karate, gymnastics, fitness, dance, arts & crafts and loads of winter themed games.
Dates: 15th December 2019 – 2nd January 2020;
Timing: Sunday – Thursday 9am – 2pm;
Ages: 3 – 15;
Fees: AED 200 per day, AED 900 for a 5-day camp, AED 1700 for a 10-day camp;
Contact details: +971 2 444 3560 or +971 2 679 0299, email: contact@myfirstgym.com;
Locations:
- Delma Street, Opposite Zayed Educational Camp;
- 15th Street, Abu Dhabi Ladies Club.
Programmers Zone
Photo Credit: Programmers Zone
The programming training centre Programmers Zone in Abu Dhabi will once again be running the winter holiday camps, this year even bigger and better than before with an array of 3-week courses for young programming enthusiasts from 9 and older. Children will love 3D designing experience, bringing to life character animation. Also on the winter holiday programme is a child-friendly Web Development camp that offers step by step learning on how to create the perfect web page layout, producing content for different websites alongside CSS.
The campers will learn a new programming language, unlock their inner software engineers, acquire skill in developing programmes from the ground up and explore the potential of new technologies. These camps will also show your kids how to apply those skills through various mini projects and the results of which the youngsters will present to their peers and parents at the end of the camp.
Dates: 15th December 2019 – 2nd January 2020;
Timing: Sunday – Thursday 10am – 5pm;
Ages: 9+
Fees: AED 950;
Contact details: +971 56 112 5070, registration via email contact@programmerszone.ae;
Location: twofour54 building 6, Floor No. 10, Office 1004A.
French Winter Camp
Photo Credit: Alliance Française
Nothing compares to the fairytale of France, especially over the winter holidays. And to really imbibe a festive French atmosphere look no further than French Winter Camp for kids by the worldwide Alliance Française network in Abu Dhabi. From discovering traditions and customs of the countries with cold snowy winters, experiencing the magic of Christmas holidays to celebrating New Year, your kids will have it all to themselves in a pure French language. Whether your child is a beginner or is well on the road to mastering the French language, opting for the French winter camp would be a perfect choice to make on their behalf. The campers will be involved in a variety of sporting and fun activities such as culinary, visual arts, crafts, shows, songs, dances, virtual reality and much more. The more wondrous winter holiday camp would be hard to find.
Dates:
- 15th – 19th December 2019: Discovery of the Far North Countries;
- 22nd – 26th December 2019: Discover the magic of Christmas in France;
- 29 December 2019 – 2 January 2020: New Year's festivities.
Timing: 9am – 3pm;
Ages: 4 – 10;
Fees: from 180 AED per day (snack is included);
Location: Alliance Française Abu Dhabi, Al Bateen Street, Exit Street 19, Opposite Al Ittihad School, Abu Dhabi.
Laboxatory Space Camps
Video Credit: Laboxatory
Just once or twice in our country's life a thunderbolt strikes, when something so significant happens that it may shape the rest of our lives. So it was for Abu Dhabi, the day when in 2018 the UAE Space Agency launched Space Science Academy for children and teens, sponsored by a global incubator for start-ups, the USA aerospace company, a technology service company and a technology-enabled education company researching artificial intelligence. Involving Laboxatory, a startup endorsed by the UAE Space Agency, under supervised mentorship from the first Korean astronaut Dr. Soyeon Yi., they have designed a truly unique programme for youngsters to educate a new generation of enthusiastic space scientists and prepare youths to become the future leaders of the space industry. Meanwhile, because they have a delightful way of explaining and showing the fundamentals of natural science to students rather than having them just read about it, they whole process of studying is oddly enjoyable.
For this year's winter school holidays, Laboxatory offers four fun-filled, interactive and highly educational camps to explore the world of space science, robotics, coding, 3D printing and entrepreneurship which be held at Krypto Labs located in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi. There is something for everyone, from Laboxatory Drone Academy Camp, Laboxatory Spacepreneur (Space Entrepreneur) Academy Camp to Laboxatory Space Academy, and Laboxatory Crash Course Space Robotics.
More intriguingly still, after completing the camp programme each participating child receives a Laboxatory certificate co-accredited by the UAE Space Agency and signed personally by General Director of the UAE Space Agency.
Dates:
- 15th December – 19th December 2019: Drone Academy, Spacepreneur Academy; Crash Course Space Robotics Academy Session 1; Space Academy Session 1;
- 22nd December – 26th December: Crash Course Space Robotics Academy Session 2; Space Academy Session 2;
Timing: 10am – 2pm; 3pm – 6pm subject to the camp;
Ages: 8 – 13, 14 – 18;
Fees: AED 1499 or AED 2899 subject to the camp;
Location: Krypto Labs, Masdar City.
Mdd Winter Camp
Photo Credit: Mdd Juniors
Established in 2013, Mdd Training and Consultancy is going from strength to strength, building on its reputation as a forward thinking educational entity with passionate teachers that focus on a child's creativity and cognitive development through engaging mental Maths, Lego robotics, crafts and language programmes.
The curriculum of the winter holiday camp is reassuringly practical. Forget what you thought you knew about Maths. At Mdd Juniors, inspired by an ancient Japanese teaching technique, their tutors use abacus, a calculating tool, to teach students the art of quick mental Maths. Using a combination of Lego and technologies, your little ones will discover a fun and engaging way to learn robotics, fundamentals of coding, physical science and Mathematics.
Dates: 15th December 2019 – 2nd January 2020;
Timing: Sunday to Thursday 10am – 2pm;
Ages: 5 – 14;
Fees: 2,800 AED for 3 weeks, 1,000 AED for 1 week, 220 AED for 1 day. If you enrol siblings you have a chance to get a special discount;
Location: 1602 Tower D – ADCP Towers, Electra Street, Abu Dhabi.
Kids Weekend Camp at Saadiyat Rotana
Photo Credit: Saadiyat Rotana
Exciting time at Saadiyat Rotana Resort & Villas, as every Friday and Saturday is hosts imaginative weekend camps filled with creative adventures to foster a sense of wonder and curiosity. Young participants aged 4 to 12 are invited to take part in a variety of entertaining activities. The kids happily throw themselves into everything that's on offer: sports, arts & crafts, entertainment, fun educational and environmental activities. While the kids are enjoying their adventures, parents can relax at the resort with beach and pool access.
Timing: Fridays – Saturdays 9am – 5pm;
Ages: 4 – 12;
Fees:
- AED 200 per day; AED 300 for two days including breakfast and lunch;
Beach and pool access for the parents:
- One day: AED 600 per day for two adult including food and drinks;
Location: Saadiyat Island Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi.
Adventure Winter Camp
Photo Credit: Adventure Zone
A dedicated safe indoor play centre Adventure Zone offers a jam-packed 5-day Adventure Winter Camp with an impressive range of fun activities. What could be more exciting for active kids than treasure hunt, wall climbing or boy scout? Supervised by certified instructors, it's suitable for all fitness levels.
Dates: 15th December 2019 – 3rd January 2020;
Timing: 10am – 2pm;
Locations:
- Adventure Zone Dalma Mall, Musaffah, ICAD, Abu Dhabi;
- Adventure Zone Yas Mall, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.
By Anna Khan