Into the Wild
Telluride Ski Resort's Kids Snow Camp offers an alternative to ski school for ages 5–10, with both indoor and outdoor activities. There's also Kids Happy Hour, where snacks, craft projects and other activities keep ages 3–12 busy from 3:30 to 5 daily. (Reservations are recommended for Snow Camp and required for Happy Hour.) And the whole family will love a twirl around an ice rink or sledding down Firecracker Hill.
January through April, keep those growing noggins in learning mode via Snow & Avalanche Science education at Keystone Science School in Keystone. Kids will get the scoop on snowpack and avalanche science as they spend their days studying the wintry wonderland around them.
Animal lovers will want to attend the Winter Safari Camp at the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance. Children in kindergarten through fourth grade will take off on a day of adventure filled with animal experiences and interactive zoo expeditions. They’ll also strap on their thinking caps to help solve real-world challenges faced by zookeepers.
Family Affairs
Perfect your downward-facing dog as a fam during a yoga session at Eldorado Mountain Yoga in Boulder. The Sunday morning family program is filled with yoga, music, art and meditation in a breathtaking mountain setting.
Stop into a Colorado state park visitor center to check out Family Activity Backpack stuffed with fun finds like bug boxes, binoculars and guide books with suggested activities to enhance your visit. Keep your eyes on the skies to see wintering bald eagles at North Sterling State Park in Sterling, or glide along snow-shrouded Nordic skiing trails at Navajo State Park near Arboles.
Sharpen your brood’s slope skills at Loveland Ski Area with a personalized private family lesson. Up to four family members age 7 or older (one must be an adult) can learn how to schuss down the slopes together during a three-hour lesson for first-timers. At Tennessee Pass Nordic Center near Leadville, your crew can snowshoe or cross-country ski for high-elevation fun and almost-too-perfect views. Families with older kids might enjoy a stay at the center's on-site yurts, accessed by a 1.3-mile snowshoe or ski into the backcountry.
Sporty Fun
Kids can burn off some energy indoors at CityROCK Climbing Center in Colorado Springs. They even offer a kid-friendly caving area and an adaptive program for climbers 8 and up.
Your kid can make like a swashbuckler during the Winter Fencing Camp offered by the Cheyenne Fencing Society & Modern Pentathlon Center of Denver. A typical day includes fencing practice sessions focusing on skills like bladework and footwork, along with skill-building games and activities.
Make time for Woodward Copper at Copper Mountain Resort, where aspiring half-pipe stars can practice their boarding and biking skills or bounce on Olympic-grade trampolines inside the massive action-sports facility.
Artsy Activities
Your pint-size chef can put all of that time watching Food Network to good use at the French Kitchen Culinary Center in Colorado Springs. Classes for ages 13–16 require adult supervision and teach skills like sautéing and chopping.
Bring your future aerialists and jugglers to Fort Collins Circus Center to learn the arts of fabrics, slacklining, trapeze and so much more. In addition to full-day workshops, you'll also find special events like masquerade balls with dance lessons and performances.
Get your budding artist to a visual arts or ceramics class at the Arvada Center near Denver. In ceramics workshops, kids ages 6 and up can learn how to throw pottery and create masterpieces you’ll be proud to display on the mantel, while those who are at least 9 can illustrate their own anime and manga in cartooning classes.
