Make this Summer Totally Awesome
Find a camp where your kids can learn while having fun.
Once sunlight stretches into the evening, and outdoor temps warm up, a bunch of fun events emerge. Looking for activities to keep kids busy and engaged so they don’t fall into a lazy slump during their summer break? Whether it’s a day or overnight camp – or something the whole family can enjoy – here are some options.
“Enrolling your child in a summer camp will still enforce a sense of structure and rules to be followed,” says Lakiesha Russell, a counselor with a private practice (The EVOLVING Chair) in Milwaukee who sends her own kids to day camps each summer. And you can’t put a price on social interaction, which all camps provide. “Being able to interact with children will also increase your child’s ability to be self-aware on how others are feeling,” she says.
Not sure what day camp is best? Start with your child’s interests. “Have a conversation with your children about their interests and strengths and look for a summer camp that can increase their confidence in what they enjoy,” says Russell.
Focused on the intersection between art and nature, day camps at the 40-acre Lynden Sculpture Garden – 50 outdoor sculptures woven into a natural landscape
– are for ages 20 months to 15 years old. “We have several guest artists this summer at Lynden, including choreographer Reggie Wilson and textile artist Arianne King Comer, who will be working with campers during their residencies,” says executive director Polly Morris. Kids will hatch and raise chickens, build rafts to float across the pond, and record discoveries in accordion books, prints and sculptures. Camps are as short as three days and as long as five.
The Milwaukee Art Museum’s summer camps are also very hands-on. Every week is a different topic – perfect for kids or teens who already have a passion when it comes to creating art. For example, the week of June 25-28 is “Photographing Nature,” while July 23-26 is “Exploring Printmaking” and clay art is the focus July 30-Aug. 2 (“Creating With Clay”). The weeks are broken up into half-days, with 6- to 10-year-olds meeting from