I know. Your über-organized friends have had their kids’ summers mapped out since February, while you’ve been focused on a jillion other things. Now school’s almost out and you’re coming up for air, wondering if you’ve waited too long to get your kids into any decent summer programs.

It’s going to be okay. Better than okay, in fact! I’m here to reassure you that there are still spots open at many of Austin’s best-run, most creative and fun-filled camps. The Alt Ed Austin summer camp directory is a hand-picked list of smaller (and often more affordable) programs run by some of the best educators and kid wranglers around. It has something for everyone: from preschoolers to older teens, from the bookish to outdoorsy, from technophiles to free-spirited artists to eco-activists.

Here’s a sampling of the activities your kids could delve into with fellow campers this summer:

astronomy
building, woodworking, and tinkering
claymation
creative writing
creek and aquifer exploration
farming
fashion and sewing
green technologies
language immersion
music journalism
parkour and playground games
permaculture
puzzles and brainteasers
songwriting
visual and performing arts of all kinds
wilderness survival skills

So head on over to our alternative camp directory and snap up some of those open spots for your kids. Then breathe. And breathe some more. It’s going to be a good summer.

Teri