Malibu kids make a splash with Summer Camp Adventures

By Barbara Burke · Mon Aug 17 2026

From animals, art, and outdoor adventures to surfing at Zuma Beach and giving back to the community, summer camps offered children opportunities to learn, build confidence, and make

As summer winds down and Malibu families prepare for the start of a new school year, local children are looking back on a season filled with adventure, learning and new experiences. From surfing and marine education at Zuma Beach to hands-on activities, animal encounters and field trips, Malibu’s summer camps provided children with opportunities to explore, build confidence, give back to their community and, most importantly, have fun.

Summer’s last splash — Children’s Life Saving Foundation’s Coastal Eco-Mariners Surf Camp for underserved children in Los Angeles

At Zuma Beach, the Children’s Lifesaving Foundation provided underserved children from Boys & Girls Clubs all overLos Angeles with a free experience at the beach. The children were given great lifeguard-supervised surfing and boogie board lessons and learned about the natural marine environment. 

“One of the campers shared with us that he had never seen the ocean or been on the beach before,” said Francesca McCaffery, CLF’s Executive Director, who founded the organization in 1993. “Our beach camp is an amazing, impactful experience — this program offers an unparalleled, lasting dose of self-esteem, access to marine education in a fun, engaging way and, importantly, it provides a genuine respite from city life.”

The camp includes professional surf experience from Pelican Ocean Therapy and bright, compassionate counselors, McCaffery explained, adding that CLF also provides children with outdoor educational field trips to amazing natural locations, such as Topanga State Park and Malibu Lagoon State Park and Watershed. 

Such camp experiences offered by CLF are due to the generosity of the City of Malibu, California Natural Resources Agency, Mountains Recreation & Conservation Authority, LAUSD, Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsay Horvath, the Kiwanis and Rotary Clubs of Santa Monica, private charity foundations and individual donors, she noted, adding “We could not do all the wonderful work we do without the wonderful Malibu community members and Hollywood friends who support our mission, including Dick & Arlene Van Dyke, Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, Rick and Barbara Springfield, Malibu City Councilmembers and many others.” 

Boys & Girls Club of Malibu offered more summer fun

Things have been very busy for kids aged 4 to 17 who attended the Malibu Boys & Girls Camp at Webster Elementary School.  The weeks-long camp ended on Aug. 7, because public school in Malibu will commence on Aug. 20. The Malibu Times caught up with Camp Director Tyler Hawkins to learn about all the exciting things the campers enjoyed. 

“We have had so much fun at camp this summer!” Hawkins exclaimed. “Big Heart Ranch visited several times and brought all sorts of animals such as goats and mini-horses. The kids also thoroughly enjoyed gardening with Big Heart Ranch: Members had the opportunity to make homemade herbal tea bags using fresh herbs harvested straight from the garden.”

A total of 80 kids registered over the summer, although they did not all attend at once, Hawkins explained. “Every morning, the elementary campers came in and did a morning connection and an introduction to what activities they were going to do during the day," he said. "Then, the students were divided into groups and went through various rotations, often including arts and crafts, a lot of STEM programming and activities with our frequent visitors. The California Wildlife organization visited the kids and they thoroughly enjoyed those activities.”

With the support of a grant from the City of Malibu, Big Heart Ranch’s visiting with the summer campers is only one of the nonprofit’s outreaches, with Executive Director Denise DeGarmo noting that during the school year, Big Heart helps children plant butterfly gardens and the organization also helps people of all ages who are seeking peace, purpose and connection, interact with more than 80 animals at its ranch.

Elementary students also participated in the Manners Matter program, which taught them basic manners and etiquette and, as always, The Boys & Girls Club focused on the importance of being kind.  

Hawkins also noted that Pepperdine brought the students basketball activities and they have participated in water days and movie days on Fridays. 

The teens also spread positivity by writing encouraging chalk messages at the peace dock, sharing kindness with the community, and taking a scenic nature walk to slow down, explore the outdoors, and learn new things about local wildlife. Participating in community service, the teens handmade heating pads for seniors in Oxnard and dropped them off to spread warmth and joy.

“The teen center went on two major field trips each week, sometimes to the beach and they also have other exciting places such as Medieval Times and Knotts Berry Farm,” Hawkins added. 

On the last day of camp, Aug. 7, there will be a big party, and volunteers from Big Heart Ranch will guide the attendees in making delicious salads, and then the campers will visit with the animals, one of their favorite activities. For more information about upcoming camps, email TylerHawkins@bgcmalibu.org or visit the website for the Boys & Girls Club of Malibu at bgcmalibu.org. 

As summer nears its end and the school year beckons, many Malibu kids enjoyed making lifelong memories at summer camps and, with the support of many Malibuites, CLF ensured that many kids who do not usually get to go to beach camp made their last splash at Zuma Beach.