Your child will create and build with friends while using their own imagination and toys. This camp is a great way to introduce young kids to STEM while enjoying the relaxed atmosphere of camp. Campers will be able to build with a variety of toys and materials every day—inside and outside. We will encourage campers to use their problem-solving skills to build as a team. Art projects will be focused on architecture, design, and the creativity behind building. Full day campers will swim at Chatham University two times during the week of their camp.

Superheroes of all shapes, sizes, and galaxies unite at Ellis Summer Camp to save the world. Campers will explore their own superpowers, make superhero costumes, and explore the Ellis grounds as they band together to make the world a better place. Full day campers will swim at Chatham University two times during the week of their camp.

An exploration of famous fairy tales and legends from different parts of the world awaits at Ellis Summer Camp. Campers will focus on various fairy tales and legends each day, learn how they differ from country to country, and create art based on various aspects of each story. Full day campers will swim at Chatham University two times during the week of their camp.

What happens when kids are free to stretch themselves and their imaginations? Their inventiveness and creativity expand and explode! In the Create It camp, kids will explore the reaches of their creative power by testing their abilities via exciting design thinking and construction activities. Campers will transform into mini-makers and engineers as they build structures, craft in collaboration, and tinker with a multitude of materials. Campers will also swim at Chatham University three times during the week of their camp.

Is your child’s biggest role model Wonder Woman one week and Batman the next? At our Up, Up, and Away! camp, campers will immerse themselves in the world of superheroes as they invent their own fantastical characters, design gadgets and gizmos for their utility belts, and create a mask to conceal their real identity from the outside world. Whether they’re racing through an obstacle course to avoid villains or imagining their supernatural abilities, your child will experience art, music, movement, and science through the lens of their favorite superheroes. Campers will also swim at Chatham University three times during the week of their camp.

When it’s storytime at your house, does your kid tend to grab not one, but four books for you to read? If so, your budding bookworm will fit right in at our Story Adventures camp. In this camp, your child’s favorite literary characters will come to life through acting, dance, art, and animation. Campers will reimagine endings to beloved stories and put themselves in characters’ shoes as they dress up, play make-believe, and create their own renditions of classic tales. Campers will also swim at Chatham University three times during the week of their camp.

This camp is for any girl that wants to feel empowered and stronger in mind, body, and spirit. No prior experience is required. No matter if they are all-star athletes or have never done a single push up or sit up, our staff will meet them right where they are and support them every step of the way. Girls will learn how to approach new challenges and obstacles safely while having fun doing it.

This one-and-a-half day session develops the next generation of young philanthropists by showing students how they can affect change in their local community. Through this program—which includes actual grantmaking to local nonprofits—students will explore how they can make a difference by donating money, their time, and their voice while developing their own set of philanthropic values. With professional guidance from The Pittsburgh Foundation, the session begins by teaching students about the areas of greatest need in our region as well as philanthropic best practices. In the afternoon of day one, that learning is enriched with hands-on site visits to local nonprofit organizations. At the end of the session, students will decide as a group how to allocate their funds to local nonprofits and how to maximize the impact of their gift through civic engagement and volunteerism, with the goal of making giving back a part of their lives long after the camp has concluded. 

Note: Registration fees will be allocated by students to the nonprofits participating in the program. Additional donations are welcome but not required.

A former Rutger Sports International Coach, IUP graduate/field hockey player, and Ellis’ Head Varsity Field Hockey Coach, Amanda Rose (Coach Rose), will be leading our summer Field Hockey Camp. Welcoming beginners and varsity players, Coach Rose will enhance players' skill levels with collegiate level coaching including defensive, offensive, and goalie training. Concentrated sessions will be focused on individuals. With a limited number of slots available, our camp is available to all players in the Pittsburgh area.

This camp is for any girl that wants to feel empowered and stronger in mind, body, and spirit. No prior experience is required. No matter if they are all-star athletes or have never done a single push up or sit up, our staff will meet them right where they are and support them every step of the way. Girls will learn how to approach new challenges and obstacles safely while having fun doing it.