Arts and Entertainment

Penn State summer camps spark creativity for kids

University Park, Pa. -- As summer sets in and the end of the school year approaches, now is the perfect time to prepare for learning and fun at Penn State's Summer Youth Camps. Starting in June, Penn State faculty, staff and graduate students will lead several camps on the University Park campus that can help children make new friends, discover exciting things and develop their skills in a structured environment.

While many camps are now filled, there are a number of programs that are still available, including:

Architecture and Landscape Architecture Camp, which allows campers to participate in the kinds of activities that take place in a university’s professional design program. Located at the Penn State Stuckeman School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, this camp offers hands-on building and model-making activities. Campers also will get to take a field trip to Fallingwater, the famous house near Somerset, Pa., designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Music Camp, which focuses on experiences in band, orchestra, choir, jazz and piano. Campers can get instruction in conducting, performing, listening, sight-singing and music theory and are expected to perform in an end-of-the-week performance. This camp gives students a chance to see what it’s like to be a professional musician.

Cooking Camp, which is designed to teach preteens about healthy cooking and eating habits. Campers will learn basic cooking techniques that encourage a healthy lifestyle, using fruits, vegetables, spices and other good food choices. The camp ends with a private reception that’s planned and executed completely by the kid chefs.

Weather Camp, which allows campers to discover how to use forecast models to make predictions, launch a weather balloon, present their own TV forecast and much more. This camp is organized by Penn State’s Department of Meteorology, and gives participants a glimpse at all the careers associated with meteorology.

Communications Camps, which give campers hands-on experiences with careers in film or journalism. Participants will get the chance to write stories for print or electronic media and use cameras to create photo-essays or broadcasts. Staff and counselors are either educators in their fields or undergraduate/graduate students enrolled in related majors.

For information on remaining Penn State summer camp availability, visit the Penn State Youth website at http://www.outreach.psu.edu/youth online.

Penn State Summer Youth Camps are part of Penn State Conferences and Institutes. Conferences plans and manages more than 300 programs each year that represent the diversity and strength of Penn State’s academic colleges and provide opportunities for many individuals to learn about the latest scholarship, research and developments in their fields or participate in enriching learning experiences. Conferences is part of Penn State Outreach, the largest unified outreach organization in American higher education. Penn State Outreach serves more than 5 million people each year, delivering more than 2,000 programs to people in all 67 Pennsylvania counties, all 50 states and 114 countries worldwide.

 

Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

Last Updated June 8, 2011