Junior Chefs Kitchen is enriching young lives through an adventure in culinary and nutrition education. We are so fortunate to work with a Registered Dietitian who helps guide our curriculum, recipes and more with evidence-based nutrition information.Β
Our Camp gives your child the opportunity to have fun and explore cooking in a clean, safe environment. The curriculum will reflect our daily classes and be a mixture of cooking (and cleaning) and will revolve around an interactive theme with different lesson plans that will keep your child engaged. On any given day, your child might take a cooking class, prepare a meal for someone in need, meet a chef, learn about the history of various foods and cultures, arts and crafts, create their own recipe, get a little physical activity at nearby Jonquil park, and occasionally go on a field trip to visit a professional kitchen!
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π₯ Fully prepare & eat two recipes each day for our Full Day Campers
π₯ Crafts galore
πΆ Movement activities to get the squiggles out
π Games from our childhood - heads up 7 up?!
π Board Games for a little friendly competition
π Whole fruit snack + lunch provided
π₯© Daily trip to nearby Jonquil Park
π Field trips to local restaurants for kitchen tours. Stay tuned for our Summer Camp 2026 field trips!
π§ Chicago Chef collaborations & guest appearances
π Fully licensed & CPR / First Aid certified staff
π Fostering a Growth Mindset, teamwork, making friends and trying new foods!
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π₯¦ Full Day 9am - 3pm: $650 per week
π₯ Full Day Drop In $140
π Half Day 9am - 12pm: $350 per week
π Half Day Drop In: $75
π January 15 β Camp Themes & Details Released
π February 1 β Early Registration Opens (Returning Campers & Current Winter Families)
π February 7 - Registration opens to general public
π March 31 - Early Bird Promotion Ends
π April 15 - Recipes published
π June 1 - Field Trips Announced
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Early Bird Pricing Discount of 10% runs through 3/31. Use Code: JCKEARLYBIRD2026 - sign up now, we will sell out & have limited room!
After-Care is available from 3-5pm for an additional $20 per day per child. Must be purchased at time of registration or no later than 1 week prior to the start of camp.
Ages 4+ for Camp > Kids will be grouped by age brackets.
Siblings get 10% off
Lunch & Snack Included - just bring a labeled water bottle & tupperware to pack-up leftovers in an eco-friendly way! Feel free to pack a NUTΒ FREE Snack if you have a super selective eater, although we always create kid-friendly backups to ensure children are well fed!
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π₯ Week of June 8th: Breakfast Beats
π₯ Week of June 15th: Around the World
πΆ Week of June 22nd: Taste of Chicago
π Week of June 29th: All American Eats
π Week of July 6th: Pizza, Pasta & Bread, Oh My!
π Week of July 13th: Bake it 'til you Make it
π₯© Week of July 20th: All American Eats
π Week of July 27th: Breakfast Beats
π§ Week of August 3rd: Around the World
π Week of August 10th: Taste of Chicago
π Week of August 17th: Bake it 'til you Make It
π₯¦ Week of August 24th: Pizza, Pasta & Bread, Oh My!
π§ Week of August 31st: Bake it 'til you Make It
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Sharing some of our fave highlights from last Summer on IG: Summer House, Geja's Cafe, DeNucci's
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*9:00 - 9:15am: arrival, morning activity
*9:15 - 9:30am: morning meeting
*9:30 - 10:00am: food craft / science experiment
*10:00 - 11:00am: Recipe #1 (or AM Field Trip on Thursdays)
*11:00 - 11:30am: Lunch (kids will eat their creation; if they're not a fan, we have sandwiches, fruit/veggie as a secondary offering)
*11:30 - 12:00pm: clean up & get ready for the park (bathroom break, apply sunscreen)
*12:00 - 1:00pm: Park Time
*1:00 - 1:30pm: Reading, Games
*1:30 - 2:30pm: Recipe #2
*2:30 - 3:00pm: Clean up, pack up!
*3:00 - 5:00pm: Aftercare (Recipe #3 + more games & fun!)
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For our West Loop location exclusively, our age group 9+ will have their own designated classroom to get even more culinary training for their advanced age group. Please note this is limited to 10 kids per week to give an immersive experience. Any questions on the space & how it will flow, see this previous newsletter & follow along on Instagram.
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Not seeing a specific day your school is closed?? Contact Us and weβre happy to help coordinate logistics.
Check out our Instagram Page for the latest glimpse into what our campers have been up to!
Sign Up Today - Limited Spots!
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π Refer a Friend to JCK Summer Camp 2026!
Love Junior Chefs Kitchen? Share the fun with friends and family β and earn credit toward future camps!
Hereβs how it works:
π Spread the Word: Share this link with friends via email, school WhatsApp chats, text threads, or social media.
π§ New Camper Registers: When your friend signs up for Summer Camp and is new to JCK, they must enter your name in the βHow Did You Hear About Us?β section at checkout.β‘οΈ This step is required for the referral to count.
π³ Earn Camp Credit: For each new camper you refer, youβll receive a $15 credit toward a future Summer Camp or Day Off Camp.
A few helpful notes:
Once a referred camper is fully registered, your credit will be securely stored in our system. Weβll email you by 6/8/26 to confirm how many credits youβve earned.
Credits will be applied to future camp purchases.
Referral credits expire 12/31/2026.
Maximum of 10 referral credits per family.
β¨ Why share? Our camps fill quickly, and nothing beats experiencing JCK with friends!
The more friends you refer, the more you save!
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**I want to caveat that we are not a feeding school. Just like when you pack their lunch at school and it comes back half eaten or they get hot-lunch at school and you have no idea what they ate (hint, it's croutons and cheese), please trust us that we have offered a variety of food but cannot force them to eat. My kids are ravenous after camp so please pack a snack in the car if your kid might fall into this category. K, love you bye. π
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