Camps at The Little Bits Workshop are a collage of creativity, ingenuity, learning, upcycled projects, outdoor explorations and fun with friends. The underlying theme of each camp is to learn the necessary skills to create useful beauty and to be good stewards of the natural beauty all around us.
We are a bunch of nurturing, creative moms & “mums” who love teaching kids to use their hands, not just their thumbs!! Our goal is to develop independent and confident MAKERS who have skills for life so they don't bring their pants home from college to be hemmed!!! We believe they should be able to DO IT THEMSELVES!
CAMPS
2018 Summer Camp Registration is NOW OPEN!
June 25 OPEF BASE CAMP
The Good
Guerilla Artist
July 2: OPEF BASE CAMP
The Good
Guerilla Artist
LAZY SUMMER
CRAFTERNOONS
Working Parents,
So far, we’ve added 3 weeks of Extended Camp Days
June 11-29
Afternoon programs will be less structured with lots of self-directed projects to keep your kids busy and outdoors (weather permitting). Games, sketch books, beach stone painting, a weaving station and a basket of scraps and recyclables to build with. Many of our former Little Bits students have grown up into very crafty and responsible teenagers who we have enlisted. Every Crafternoon will be overseen by one of our adult instructors.
This summer we will offer 3 weeks of MakerNature Camps that will be held in the Thatcher Woods Pavilion located in River Forest just west of Thatcher Avenue and north of Chicago Avenue.
MakerNature Camps are a partnership between The Little Bits Workshop and Forest Preserve of Cook County’s Trailside Museum of Natural History.
June 11-15 Yard to Table, 9am-noon, ages 7-13
Thatcher Woods
EXTENDED CAMP DAYS+$195 till 5:00pm, sibling discounts
INSPIRED BY THE DIRT CURE: Even if kids have a small yard or just a balcony, they can still have a home garden! Campers will build various containers and a small raised garden bed to take home and tend to, full of veggies, fruit and herbs. The Trailside Naturalists will make science come alive with a full STEAM program: the chromatography of chlorophyll, insect metamorphosis and plant dissection. Kids will also go home with a worm bin to make compost! $250, sibling discounts apply
REGISTER HERE (If you are extending the day for this camp, send your kids with lunch, we’ll hike down the path to Trailside for a picnic each day, then finish the afternoon at The Little Bits Workshop, 411 Park, RF which is a 6 block walk, good for kids to do on a summer day!)
Full
EXTENDED CAMP DAYS+$95 till 5:00pm is still open
June 18-22 Backyard Camper, 9am - 3pm ages 6-13
Thatcher Woods
What could be more fun that pitching a tent and sleeping in the back yard with friends! Did you know studies have shown that being outside directly on the earth strengthens our immune systems and lengthens attention spans? So every Backyard Camper will get to make their very own REAL TENT or TEEPEE! Kids entering 1st - 3rd will make teepees in the morning and 4th-7th will work on tents the afternoon. Meanwhile, the Trailside team will lead hikes, take them kayaking and go pond dipping. Campers 10 and up will do archery. $325, sibling discounts apply, Extend the days till 5:30pm for $95 per child REGISTER HERE
June 25-29 Harnessing the Wind and Sun,
9am - noon ages 7+
Thatcher Woods
EXTENDED CAMP DAYS+$195 till 5:00pm, sibling discounts
Let’s go fly a kite!! In the spirit of Alexander Calder, campers will create wind powered mobiles, sew and fly kites and learn about the power of wind energy. The Trailside Naturalists will show kids how to make a weather station, do solar powered experiments, monitor temperatures in the forest and maybe even a write little wind haiku. The Thatcher Woods Pavilion has a large field perfect for running and flying campers’ inventions. $250, sibling discounts apply REGISTER HERE
(If you are extending the day for this camp, send your kids with lunch, we’ll hike down the path to Trailside for a picnic each day, then finish the afternoon at The Little Bits Workshop, 411 Park, RF which is a 6 block walk, good for kids to do on a summer day!)
2018 Maker Camps:
Camps below are at The Little Bits Workshop,
411 Park Ave, River Forest
June 4-8 Summer Cottage Camp ages 7+ 9am-noon
The Little Bits Cottage is one of our very favorite projects and back by popular demand! Campers will build 3 rooms and an attic, then decorate, furnish and embellish them. We repurpose many items from the recycle bin into the most adorable and surprising mini household items. This is a classic project that we never get tired of!
$269, sibling discounts apply REGISTER HERE
June 11-15 Camp Runway ages 10+
9am - 2pm
EXTENDED CAMP DAYS+$75 till 5:00pm, sibling discounts
Kids will make and show their own outfit from start to finish while learning how to read a pattern and implement all the instructions. Patterns are included in the camp fee. Materials are not part of the camp fee. Prior to camp, girls can come to the studio to get measured and pick up a shopping list. $325, sibling discounts apply REGISTER HERE
June 18-22 Jr. Camp Runway ages 8-9
9am-noon
EXTENDED CAMP DAYS+$195 till 5:00pm, sibling discounts
For the beginner fashionista! Campers will learn the basics of hand sewing, how to run a sewing machine and how to cut out a simple pattern. What is seam allowance? How to sew a straight line? How to thread a machine? Campers will create a simple sundress, skirt and small accessories to be shown off on the last day when friends and parents are invited to attend a FASHION SHOW! $250, sibling discounts apply REGISTER HERE
June 25-29 Mural Camp, ages 9-High School
9am-noon
EXTENDED CAMP DAYS+$195 till 5:00pm, sibling discounts
Join Molly Burns, former art teacher at Hatch Elementary in Oak Park, for a week of mural painting along Central Ave. capturing River Forest’s architectural gems.
$250, sibling discounts apply REGISTER HERE
July 2,3,5,6 Sew Sweet, ages 6+
9am-noon
Let them SEW cake! And maybe even a cookie or two. During this short holiday week kids will sew two sweet projects. $200, sibling discounts apply REGISTER HERE
July 9-13 Mural Camp:
The Butterfly and Beyond, ages 7+
9am-noon
Last year, Jean Bacom lead a team to create a GORGEOUS Butterfly mural, this year we will build on the same style and continue up and down the street using the same aboriginal styled dot art to make flowers, smaller butterflies and a swirly, whimsical garden. Join Jean again to grow this beautiful paint garden. $250, sibling discounts apply REGISTER HERE
4 spots left July 9-13 Sew Boho ages 8+ 9am-noon
Campers will jazz up their rooms with extremely colorful Bohemian styled pillow shams and pillows that incorporate sewing in zippers, buttons and beads. And any boho room should have some bunting too!
$250, sibling discounts apply REGISTER HERE
July 16-20 Summer Cottage Camp ages 7+ 9am-noon
The Little Bits Cottage is one of our very favorite projects and back by popular demand! Campers will build 3 rooms and an attic, then decorate, furnish and embellish them. We repurpose many items from the recycle bin into the most adorable and surprising mini household items. This is a classic project that we never get tired of!
$269, sibling discounts apply REGISTER HERE
July 16-20 Fine Art for the Forest ages 9-17 9am-2pm
Calling young artists! Join us for a special camp put on jointly by the Forest Preserves of Cook County and Little Bits Workshop. This is a juried camp for highly talented young artists who love to paint birds, mammals, wild flowers, insects and landscapes. Each camper will paint one large trail sign for Thatcher Woods that will be permanently installed along the trail system to guide hikers and inform them of the specific habitats that they are observing.
No Fee, Scholarship based. Applicants must submit a cover letter and 6 color copies (no originals) of their artwork to: The Little Bits Workshop, 411 Park, River Forest, IL 60305. Must be submitted by May 31, 2018. Twelve applicants will be accepted into this camp. CLICK HERE to download application (Print and send application with samples)
July 23-27 Extreme Knit/Crochet ages 7+ 9am-noon
Campers will learn how to knit and crochet a botanical bouquet! Flowers of all shapes and sizes can be used to embellish anything from flipflops to gifts to headbands or arrange them all in a vase!
$250, sibling discounts apply REGISTER HERE
July 23-27 Wood Crafter ages 8+ 9am-noon
Each camper will build, paint , embellish and tile a beautiful mosaic end table useful for a front porch, entryway or sunroom....anywhere that needs a splash of happy color! $275 REGISTER HERE
July 30-August 3 Jr. Camp Runway ages 8+
9am-noon
For the beginner fashionista! Campers will learn the basics of hand sewing, how to run a sewing machine and how to cut out a simple pattern. What is seam allowance? How to sew a straight line? How to thread a machine? Campers will create a simple sundress, skirt and small accessories to be shown off on the last day when friends and parents are invited to attend a FASHION SHOW! $250, sibling discounts apply REGISTER HERE
August 6-10 Camp Runway ages 10+
9am - 2pm
Kids will make and show their own outfit from start to finish while learning how to read a pattern and implement all the instructions. Patterns are included in the camp fee. Materials are not part of the camp fee. Prior to camp, girls can come to the studio to get measured and pick up a shopping list. $325, sibling discounts apply REGISTER HERE
August 13-17 Paper Mache Magic ages 6+
9am-noon
Campers will create an enchanted castle fit for fairies and gnomes. Our instructor, Molly Burns is the beloved former art teacher at Hatch in Oak Park. Her boundless creative energy will inspire kids to create their absolute best! $250, sibling discounts apply
REGISTER HERE
Jr. Camp Runway 2017
