Summer camps keep kids engaged, creative and out of the house!
After a year of keeping the kids shuttered inside followed by a year of school that fluctuated between in-person and remote, children and parents alike are clamoring for time with their friends. This summer, try a camp program designed to help kids get engaged, creative and social.
It’s not just about parents finally getting some time to themselves. (Although it’s not not about parents finally getting some time to themselves, either.) These types of programs are engineered to stave off the “summer slide,” a nickname for educational regression that takes place outside of dedicated educational time. It can also help kids foster lifelong appreciation for cultural amenities in their community.
“Camps are an extension of our museum galleries and spaces. They’re an opportunity to take classroom concepts and experience them in a real, tangible way—seeing a chemical reaction rather than reading about it, watching matter change forms before your eyes, letting learning exist off the page,” says Cody Hefner, vice president of Marketing and Communications at the Cincinnati Museum Center and National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. “While no kid wants to volunteer for more schoolwork—especially over the summer—camps help keep their minds active and avoid the summer brain drain by engaging them in fun, playful learning activities.”
Here are a few suggestions for summer camps in your area to keep everyone in the house happy this summer. Don’t wait; summer camps fill up fast and you might end up on a waiting list.
According to the museum center, it has a camp for every kid. Its camps come with a variety of different themes, from paleontology and environmental science to space and Harry Potter.
Designed for children ages 5–15, with an advanced offering at the end of the summer for more experienced campers ages 10–17, each camp week concludes with weekend performances for friends and family.
Cincinnati Ballet Summer Programs
The ballet offers a variety of camps for dancers of different ages. The Youth Summer Intensive (9 and up) introduces aspiring dancers to intensive summer training in a fun and nurturing environment. And with its three divisions, students can study at a pace that works for them. Children 4–8 can attend Kids Dance Camp, a creative exploration of dance, music and art. Each week-long experience explores an overall theme through ballet classes and activities led by professional faculty.
