Summer camp offerings abound at local colleges for K-12
Writer / Tia Nielsen
Photos / Submitted
What can the children do this summer? Where can you find useful and valuable ways to fill their days? All this…and it needs to be fun too! One option for those who quickly tire of lazy days is to pursue specialized camps at local colleges.
This summer could find your children reveling in discovery learning at Franklin College or the UIndy. You could tap into myriad types of summer STEM learning camps taught by faculty and adjunct professors or take intriguing classes at Franklin College taught by highly skilled high school teachers.
Additionally for college students, UIndy, the nickname for the University of Indianapolis, offers over 200 summer school classes. Available to UIndy and guest college students alike, these courses help students seeking to graduate in four years or those who want an enriched curriculum. Guest college students can view TransferIN.net to see if the courses transfer to their particular school. No doubt, check with your college registrar for final approval.
FRANKLIN COLLEGE
Johnson County’s own Franklin College offers “Kids on Campus.” In a single week, June 27 to July 1, six class timeslots are offered over the course of each day. Each class meets daily for one hour that week. Students can sign up for one-time period, two, three or up to six. The more classes selected, the more the price per class drops. Lunch is optional.
“Kids on Campus” is geared toward students entering grades 1-8 this fall. Students build their own summer camp experience by choosing classes based on things they are interested in. The “Kids on Campus” classes appear to be popular as the program is in its 11th year. (FYI: The program is not easily found from the homepage of the college website. To make it easy, use this link: bit.ly/franklincollege_kidscamp.)
Past topics included Can You Dig It: All About Worms, Get Electric, Outrageous Roller Coasters, Android Development for Beginners, Field Day, Harry Potter Potions, World Traveler and the Imaginary World of Cartooning! Each class runs one hour all five days of the camp, so your young learners can delight in many topics during the week.
The website says their “goal is to develop and expand students’ interests, stimulate creativity and provide unique learning opportunities on the Franklin College Campus. All of our instructors are educators in local schools. Each has completed an application process to be chosen to engage students through experiential learning.”
Online registration opens April 4 and runs through June 17. Early Bird pricing goes through May 23. Camp costs vary by the number of classes taken. A single morning or afternoon class is $69. Three classes are $129, which is $43 per class. If you choose to have your child attend all day, six classes are $199 total. That is a modest educational investment and is a fun way to add to your child’s development.
“Kids on Campus” offers half- and full-paid scholarships. Applications are being accepted through May 22. The process begins with approval by the student’s school counselor, then is returned to the college for consideration. Awarded applicants will be notified by May 29.
Camp Schedule
8:10-8:25 drop-off
8:30-9:30 Class 1
9:40-10:40 Class 2
10:50-11:50 Class 3
11:55-12:25 Lunch
12:30-1:30 Class 4
1:40-2:40 Class 5
2:50-3:50 Class 6
After camp care for the week is available from 3:50-5 p.m. for an additional $30. A snack and drink are included in the fee.
UINDY
Just a short 10-minute drive north of County Line Road is a university that is a gem of the southside.
UIndy has been growing its summer programs for years. Their approach is two-pronged. Two summer sessions of college classes are offered plus four types of summer day camps for the community, particularly Grades 1-12 learners. The day camps and costs vary by length. The website yields all the details.
Recent hire Rachelle Merkel Diaz, UIndy’s first Director of Summer Programs, has organized day camps around community interests. The four core camp types are Sports, Performing and Fine Arts, Academic and Enrichment.
SPORTS CAMPS range from basketball, lacrosse and soccer to volleyball, wrestling and swimming. There is also Football Senior Prospect Camp for high school seniors. Paul Corsaro, the UIndy Boys Assistant Basketball Coach, will be leading the basketball camps. Corsaro is a bit of a local sports hero as he holds six scoring records — yes, six — at his high school alma mater Roncalli. No one has yet to best his record as all-time career scoring king. He definitely knows how to hit free throws too. If you have a budding basketball player son, Corsaro may be the coach he could benefit from.
PERFORMING and FINE ARTS CAMPS offer musicians, particularly lovers of jazz or vocalists, rare opportunities to take classes with some of the best in the area. UIndy’s jazz program is nationally renowned. Both instrumental and vocal arts will be taught as well as chamber music for grades 9 and up through adult singers. Two theater camps are offered, one for ages 10-14 and the second for grades 9-12. Your budding performers can gain acting skills as well as a greater love of how communication works.
ACADEMIC CAMPS will fuel the love of learning in your child. One example is “Math Beyond Numbers.” Grades 6-8 will discover how much our society depends on mathematics applications in daily life. And since math is not a fully set field, discoveries are still happening. Hands-on explorations will be emphasized. High school writers may flourish in the five-day writers workshop. Students will live on campus and nurture their creative writing and critiquing skills.
ENRICHMENT CAMPS
The latest offerings can be found online.
Details can be found at uindy.edu/summer.
The summer atmosphere on these college campuses inspires exploration and fresh learning opportunities. And you can have peace of mind while your children experience remarkable times this summer.
