Looking for a fun way for your kids to spend their summer vacation? How about a week or two at college? Many community colleges are bringing camps and workshops to their campuses across the country, allowing future college students of all ages the chance to dabble in technology, theatre and a host of sports. The offerings vary in terms of length of time, cost and curriculum, allowing students from a wide range of interests to pursue a new hobby or hone their skills at a current discipline. This article will highlight some of the community college programs available this summer across the country.
Bringing the Arts and Physical Education to New Mexico Kids
Clovis Community College has plenty to offer kids on break this summer at their CCC Kid's College. The school provides a range of classes in their summer outreach program, including science, arts and crafts and physical education. Students can create their own volcano while learning about the different rock that is created during an eruption. They can build bird houses to decorate their backyards. They can develop skills in tennis, bowling and volleyball. CCC offers some of the best – and most creative – courses for kids in New Mexico beginning at age five.
Kid's College Director Judith Spillane told cnjonline.com, "We wanted to offer both educational and physical educational programs. All of the classes have education and skills components, including our athletic programs."
Registration is currently underway at Clovis Community College and will continue until the courses are filled up. Students will be assigned spots in classes on a first come, first served basis. In addition to the basic classes available on the Clovis campus, the school is also hoping to provide a Playa Festival in cooperation with Ogallala Commons, a network that offers both leadership and educational training. Playa Festival would cover a broad range of topics, from wetlands to animals. The program requires the registration of at least 20 students between the ages of 11 and 12 to hold the event, which is scheduled for early July.
College for Kids Comes to California
At Merced College in California, kids also have the opportunity to explore subjects like theatre, choir and a variety of sports. The Merced College Community Services College for Kids is now accepting registrations for their courses slated to begin the first of June. According to the college website, subjects available for exploration include children's choir, science and theatre. Sports camps available through the college include archery, rock climbing and karate, as well as the popular standbys like tennis, football and basketball. The college also provides a variety of art opportunities, including drawing, mosaics and pottery.
The courses each cost $60, which can be a hardship for some California families who would like their children to participate in the program. The Merced Sun-Star reports that the college has been quite busy raising money for scholarships to help needy students afford the classes. Between the Community Foundation of Merced and the Educational Employee's Credit Union, hundreds of students will now be able to attend the summer college programs on scholarship.
Computers and Culinary Arts Come to New York
Westchester Community College in New York also has plenty to keep kids busy throughout the summer months, with course offerings that include computers, culinary arts and science. Art classes offered by Westchester include drawing and painting, sculpture and jewelry and fashion sketching. The art classes are available through the Center for the Arts in White Plains. At the Peekskill Center for the Digital Arts, students can dabble in graphic design, 3D animation and multimedia storytelling. Extension centers at Ossining and Mt. Vernon include science classes and culinary arts.
Classes at all four locations are touted as educational and affordable, according to the college website. Instructors make the classes interesting, educational and fun for students of all ages. Registration is currently underway for the entire course list and classes will be available on a first come, first served basis.
More Kids' Classes in New York
Westchester Community College is not the only campus in New York opening up to kids of all ages during the summer months. Hudson Valley Community College also provides a wealth of educational and enrichment opportunities through their Kids on Campus program. The college offers a wealth of athletic camps that include basketball, softball, soccer and tennis. The school also offers a technology enrichment program that includes interesting subjects like robotics, physics and neurogenesis.
Theatre workshops teach students the basics of character development, vocal performance and even script writing. The circus workshop teaches children about acrobatics, juggling and clown performing. Hudson Valley also offers a Summer Academy with courses geared to specific age groups in subjects like writing and illustrating books, cooking and dance.
The summer program has been going strong at Hudson Valley Community College for two decades, according to the college website. Registration is currently underway for all of the classes in the program, and those who visit the website can get plenty of information about each class, including a comprehensive course description, schedule of events and cost for the class.
Summer is a time to broaden your mind and take full advantage of extra educational opportunities available. No matter what your area of interest might be, there is probably a college summer program waiting to help you delve into your topic in greater detail. To find a summer program in your area, contact your local community college to see what might be available.
