Youth welcome to free Hobbit Immersion Camp

MIDDLETOWN » Local middleschoolers can take part in a free summer camp experience: The Hobbit Immersion Camp, a guided, in-depth exploration of J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic fantasy story, The Hobbit. Participants read through the book in two weeks, taking part in live daily large-group online class sessions alongside hundreds of other kids throughout the country, with more than 60 chapters Local participants will gather at the Russell Library for discussion, crafts, and interactive reading fun. The Hobbit Immersion Camp runs from July 10 – 21.

According to a press release: “The camp is primarily a nationwide initiative organized by Signum University and is open to any library or group around the world. Signum is an online institution devoted to making education accessible and affordable and connecting a community of academics and literature enthusiasts offering Master’s coursework and many free programs exploring works of imaginative literature (science fiction, fantasy, fairy tales, etc.). Signum runs a wide array of public education programs through its My thg ard Institute, which has specialized in innovative online teaching on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien for six years. Signum and Myth gard were founded by Corey Olsen, author of Exploring J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and host of Tolkien Professor podcast, which has engaged a growing worldwide audience of Tolkien enthusiasts for almost a decade. In the Hobbit Immersion Camp, Signum is finally expanding its public educational programs to children.

“The Hobbit Camp’s innovative design provides interactive environment that allows middle schoolers everywhere to delve deeply into Tolkien’s remarkable story,” the release continues. “The camp combines the accessibility and convenience of an online course with the personal engagement of a local smallgroup environment. During the two weeks of the camp, Signum will broadcast daily a one-hour online class session which all students in the program are welcome to attend live. These large-group sessions will be taught by D Mae Binkley, an Alaskan middle school teacher whose highly popular classes on Tolkien’s literature in her own school inspired the formation of the Hobbit Immersion Camp. Students attending these sessions live will have the chance to get their own questions answered during the sessions, as they watch and listen to Binkley’s presentation. Students unable to attend the sessions live will have access to audio and video recordings, so they don’t miss anything.”

In addition to the online class sessions, the c Camp will also feature local chapters where students can get together with their peers, talk about the book and their reactions and experiences and take part in supervised craft projects and Tolkien-themed fun.

Signum has partnered with Middletown’s Russell Library for the Hobbit camp this year. To sign up, contact the Russell Library at 123 Broad Street, Middletown, at 860-347-2528. For infomation about the Hobbit camp, send an email to Signum’s camp organizers at camp@signumu.org.