Remember the elation you felt as a child when the final seconds to summer break started and all the you time started? I spent many summers milling about my neighborhood riding my bike, throwing a ball against the garage, and doing all the things kids do when there isn't a rigid structure. To be honest, a lot of that time was not spent constructively. We used to look at summer as a time to unwind, to throw caution to the wind and forget our worries for three months sans deadlines and homework.
But the summer can be much more than that. It can be a bridge to learning something new or trying out a skill you wish to develop before crossing the bridge into your next grade level. Among those moments of downtime, my mom invested in my interests and ultimately helped to shape my future by signing me up for a summer art camp.
While my friends were whiling away the hours kicking a soccer ball around or shooting hoops, I reported to a well lit elementary school art classroom devoid of the bustling masses. We gathered in the art room where the afternoon summer sun streamed in to illuminate my paper like a golden papyrus. It was here that I practiced painting and drawing to my heart's content against an easel caked in paint, like graffiti of past artists who had been there before me .
I remember it being quiet and peaceful but also incredibly challenging in that this was the first time I got to tell the teacher what I wanted to create. I wasn't doing an assignment that twenty other students were making in an art factory but applying what I knew and liked in a creative endeavor of my own, one on one with a real artist. That summer really shaped me into considering that art for me could be more than just a creative outlet but a job I would enjoy.
Yes, the summer can be a chance for our children to express their individuality and creativity. It can be a chance to delve into the things that they feel defines them as a person. If your kids are into technology like mine are, there are opportunities in the summer to learn skills that children of the future should know. The trick is, finding something that doesn't have them staring at a screen all summer playing video games. What if you could instead channel that interest and give them the opportunity to make an app or video game of their own design?
Enter iD Tech Camp, a summer technology camp for kids ages 6-18 with 180 locations across the US including camps right here in Pennsylvania which include Villanova, WCU, and UPenn campuses. At iD Tech, they offer day and overnight summer camps for aspiring programmers, app developers, video game designers, engineers, filmmakers, photographers, and more. iD Tech Camp gives our children a chance to learn the skills they will need to have to progress advancements in technology for the next generation of learners.
iD Tech has specific programs for girls, teens, tweens, and young learners. Courses are led by tech-savvy, adult-only staff in a fun, energetic and experiential environments. In addition to providing entertaining and age-appropriate activities, their STEM summer camps are loaded with original, real-world curriculum and professional software.
Popular classes include Programming and App Development, Robotics Engineering, Game Design and Game Development, Web Design/Photography, Film/Video, and 3D Modeling/3D Printing. If you have a child who endlessly talks about Minecraft, you can get them to apply all their research to the creation of their own map in the Brick Busters: Minecraft Game Design class or have them take a Web Design and Photography class so they can build an online portfolio of their work.
Worried if your child is getting the most out of their summer? With personalized, hands-on instruction for all skill levels and small class sizes of just eight students per instructor, ID Tech Camps anticipate that their students will become the world’s next creators of innovative technology.
If you'd like to unlock the potential in your STEM student, you can register for a week of summer camp and use this code DADNCHARGE17 to receive $75 off your registration. Sign up now as spots are quickly filling up and turn this summer into an unforgettable experience with iD Tech Summer Camps.
This post was sponsored by iD Tech Summer Camp and I received compensation for this post. All opinions expressed are solely my own.
No comments:
Post a Comment