There’s a Camp for Everything From : A to ZOO : Trends: Specialized summer programs cater to children’s interests in everything from sports to money management. But computers are passe.

Summer camp used to be simple. The kids went off for a week to Camp Cowabunga, where they learned to swim, paddle a canoe and make potholders.

Now most head for day camp as Mom and Dad head for work. Camp might be anything from an intensive week of gymnastics instruction to a two-week crash course in drama ending with a production of “Peter Pan.”

Summer camp has changed with the times. With increasing numbers of two-income families, more day camps have sprung up not only to provide summer fun but also to fill a need for summertime day care.

Also, more camps are specializing. By the end of a week, Junior may not know a paddle from a potholder, but his tennis strokes could zing with precision.

In Ventura, the city’s recreation department took the lead when it started offering specialized camps five years ago. A budding tennis great can get two weeks’ worth of instruction and play for $120. Other weeklong sports camps offered by the city include volleyball, gymnastics, fitness and soccer. Not to mention beach camp--complete with sailing, windsurfing and volleyball.

If your kid isn’t a sports nut, he can plunge into arts, dance and nature camps, or the popular “Camp Combo,” which combines them all.

Travel camp buses kids daily to spots such as Universal Studios and the Santa Barbara Zoo. If roughing it sounds appealing, residence camp offers a five-day stay in cabins near Lake Cachuma in Santa Barbara County for $165.

The biggest hit is “Camp MTV,” a mixture of music, theater and visual arts. Working two weeks under the direction of artist Caryn Cheney and musician Jan Palmer, 30 children, 7 to 12 years old, will produce “Snow White” this summer. They’ll rehearse daily, prepare sets from old refrigerator cartons and help make costumes.

The specialized camps--which originated because parents no longer have the time to shuttle their children to lessons in one thing and another--fill up fast. Registration this year opens April 28.

Activities start at 9 a.m., “and parents get there at 7 a.m.,” said Jenise Heck-Rosene, senior recreation leader for the camps. “A lot of parents say they wish they could go.”

The camps run from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., from June 18 through Aug. 24. Kids frequently migrate from camp to camp all summer, spending a week at one camp and the next week at another.

Other Ventura County communities also offer daylong camps to accommodate working parents. Some are an extension of after-school programs, such as those offered by the Boys and Girls Clubs, but with a few added treats for summer fun.

At $45 a week, Oxnard’s Camp Serendipity is the most inexpensive. The children swim, do arts and crafts, play sports and learn about drama. Boys and girls learn how to bake bread, prepare Italian and Mexican dishes and put together Mulligan stew.

Once a month, they visit Disneyland or Knott’s Berry Farm. Each week, they’re off to ride horses, stroll around the Santa Barbara Zoo or play miniature golf.

“For 90% of them, it’s their first time horseback riding,” said Michelle Izay, recreation supervisor for the city.

The Conejo Recreation and Park District in Thousand Oaks also offers a special day camp for emotionally or physically disabled children. Twelve children, ages 6 to 12, spend four days paddling around a pool, playing ball and, in general, doing what other kids do at summer camp.

“A lot of them are in wheelchairs,” said Cindy Rocklein, recreation director for the therapeutic camp. “They play volleyball with a beach ball. Volunteers help move their arms. Nobody sits around.”

Now that the children of baby boomers are swelling the camp-age population, more kids than ever are going to camp, according to Gary Abell, spokesman for the American Camping Assn. in Indianapolis. Five years ago, 4 million children across the country struck off for overnight or day camp. Last year, the number was up to 5 million.

Water sports, wilderness and fitness camps are big. But computer camp is history, according to Abell. Computers are more accessible now; they’re used in schools, and the novelty has worn off.

In Thousand Oaks, Mitch Leichter first opened his Young Set Club to day campers seven years ago. The five-acre grounds include an Olympic-size swimming pool, a clubhouse with video games and an archery range--all in a rustic setting frequented by rabbits, squirrels and deer.

“It’s the last of the dinosaurs in Thousand Oaks,” Leichter said.

The camp is a big operation. About 150 to 200 kids are enrolled at a cost of $85 a week. An equal number drop in for swimming lessons daily. Leichter has a full-time staff of 25 to 35 counselors and 10 water instructors.

His campers take jaunts to Magic Mountain or Knott’s Berry Farm. They go horseback riding. They compete in creative songfests once a week for the most energetic and inspired performances.

But the high point is an overnight camp-out on the grounds--complete with a visit from the legendary creature “Uncle Gor,” an escaped “gorilla that supposedly lives nearby.”

“We light a bonfire to welcome Uncle Gor,” Leichter said. When the creature appears, the children throw bananas at him. They top off the evening with a barbecue and roasted marshmallows.

Leichter likes to think of himself as doing a bit of social work in addition to providing a healthy play environment. He recruited males for half his counseling positions because about half of his children come from broken homes.

“They don’t have a daddy figure,” he said.”

Not all camps are geared toward day care. Not all are affordable.

If your kid is into lions, lizards and lemurs, you might try zoo camp in Santa Barbara. Kids 3 to 11 years old can attend camp at the Santa Barbara Zoo from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Under supervision, they can fondle a snake and mingle with birds, goats, rabbits and other animals.

The highlight of zoo camp is a camp-out and nighttime safari through the zoo grounds. During the day the children also learn crafts, games and songs--most of them revolving around animals and nature. It costs $20 a day, or $80 to $90 a week.

For overnight campers, the choices are slim in Ventura County. The YMCA and other groups, such as Easter Seals, Scouts and Campfire, send kids to overnight camps outside the county, in Lake Cachuma, Big Bear, Santa Catalina Island or Frazier Park.

But a few specialized camps in the Ojai area take boarders. The theme at Tecuya Shores, a Girl Scout camp near Oakview, is water sports--windsurfing, snorkeling and boogie-boarding.

For nine nights, the girls--fifth-graders and older--sleep on cots outside. When they’re waterlogged, they can go horseback riding. The sessions, at $270, are popular, and already they are nearly full for this summer.

By far the most expensive overnight camp is at the Ojai Valley School, a 79-year-old boarding school offering a summer program that combines academics and recreation.

“Mom and Dad pick our camp,” said Gary Gartrell, director of the summer program.

The camp draws mostly from Los Angeles, although its day camp attracts local residents, Gartrell said. The cost is $2,825 for six weeks of resident camp--or $1,670 for three weeks.

DAY CAMPSA ROUNDUP

Day camps in Ventura County include:

CAMARILLO

* Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park District; starting June 18, two day camps for kids 5 to 8 years, and 9 to 12 years. Runs from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Offers swimming, games, crafts, nature and a weekly excursion. Cost, $95 per two-week session. Call 482-1996.

FILLMORE

* City of Fillmore Recreation Department; summer playground program at Sespe School beginning mid-June. Runs 1 to 5 p.m. for kindergarten through sixth grade. No cost.

MOORPARK

City of Moorpark Community services Department; day camp June 18 through Aug. 31 for kids in kindergarten through sixth grade. Runs 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Outdoor activities. Cost, $80 a week. Call 529-6864.

OJAI

City of Ojai Recreation Department; two four-week programs, beginning June 18 and July 23. For children first grade through sixth. Runs 1 to 4:30 p.m. Offers swimming, sports and crafts. Cost, $40 for four weeks. Call 646-1872.

Camp Ramah; Jewish resident camp for third grade up to 11th grade. One or four-week sessions run June 26 through Aug. 27. Offers Hebrew study, swimming, sports, crafts. Cost, $350 for one week, $1,395 for four weeks. Call 646-4301.

Girl Scouts; nine-day overnight camp, Tecuya Shores, at the Arnaz Program Center near Oakview for fifth grade and older. Six sessions from June 25 through Aug. 24. Specializing in water sports. Cost, $270. Also overnight camp in Frazier Park. Day camp at Arnaz runs one week, June 18-22, for kindergarten through sixth grade. Camp runs 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Focus on world issues with crafts, sports and games. Cost $25. Call 564-4848.

OXNARD

Girl Scouts; one week of day camp, July 9-13, at Sea Air Park for kindergarten through sixth grade. Camp runs 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Focus on world holidays, crafts, sports and games. Cost, $30. Call 564-4848.

SANTA PAULA

City of Santa Paula Recreation Department; starting June 25, seven-week summer playground activities at four locations, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., for first through sixth grade. No cost. Call 933-4226.

SIMI VALLEY

Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District; two day camps at Rancho Simi Park and Sequoia Park, running June 25 through Aug. 31. Operates 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. plus extended care. Offers swimming, arts and crafts, sports, fishing, field trips. Cost, $65. Call 584-4400.

Girl Scouts; one week of day camp, July 16-20, at Santa Susana Park for kindergarten through sixth grade. Camp runs 2 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., focus on old-time country days, crafts, sports and games. Cost, $28. Call 564-4848.

THOUSAND OAKS

Conejo Recreation and Park District; starting June 18, two all-day outdoor day camps for ages 6 to 14. Cost, $60 a week. Also sports camps for basketball and soccer. Cost, $50-$59. Recreational day camp Aug. 13-17 for disabled children, ages 6 to 13 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Call 495-6471.

Young Set Club; day camp June 18 through Aug. 31 for ages 5 to 14. From 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Activities include swimming, horseback riding, archery, games, crafts and overnights on the grounds. Cost, $85 a week. Call 495-2104.

VENTURA

City of Ventura Recreation Department; day camp June 18 through Aug. 24. One-week or two-week sessions specializing in such things as soccer, nature, gymnastics, tennis, arts, volleyball, beach sports and travel. Age range varies from 6 to 14, depending on activity. Cost varies, but about $80 a week. Call 658-4726.

YMCA; from June 18 through Aug. 31, two day camp programs for first through fifth grade, and sixth through eighth grade. Runs 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with extended care. Offers swimming, games, crafts and outing. Cost, $80 a week. Also offers one-week overnight camps. Call 642-2131.