Summer is approaching, and so is Summer vacation. As a former teacher, I can tell you that summer can do some damage to your child's skills. Every year the kids come back to school with lower reading and math abilities than they left with the previous year.
The reasons will be obvious to most parents who have themselves spent their summers watching TV, hanging out with friends and avoiding anything remotely academic. Of course, there were always a few kids who did not suffer from the summer effect. These were the kids whose parents were on top of making sure the kids' time was programmed and that their summer experiences would actually add to what they learned in the previous school year.
With that in mind, my friends and I have been discussing all of the stimulating and interesting summer camp options that are available these days around Howard County and Baltimore Maryland. Please drop me a comment if you know of ones that I missed. I am only listing camps that I have first-hand knowledge of.
2) Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth Summer Camp - Great offerings for gifted and talented kids around Maryland including classes in Baltimore and Sandy Spring Friends School. Students must be specially admitted to the program before they can attend the summer camps, and that won't be possible for kids who aren't advanced in academics. CTY camps are renowned in the USA and we're lucky to have them right in our back yard.
3) Camp Invention - This is a really cool idea for kids in grades 1 to 6.
4) Howard Community College - These are very popular summer camps--popular like a rock star concert--the registration begins and ten minutes later it's "sold out"...Check out the options. They are very good.
5) Anne Arundel Community College - Kids in college! (Need I say more?)
6) Imagination Stage - This Bethesda, MD venue is a promising place for fun and creative learning. This is definitely not in Howard County or even Baltimore, but if you happen to work out that way in Montgomery County, definitely consider sending your kids there for a week or two. If Imagination Stage is out of range, you'll want to check out Howard County Art's Council Center for the Arts--they have all sorts of art camps, including acting.
7) Circus School - This is great fun. Run by a former Ringling Brother's clown. Gymnastics, juggling, tight rope walking, Aerial fabrics, unicycles and more. I can't think of anything more fun than that.
8) Walters Art Gallery - The Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore has summer camps! Sold by the week, these camps are very interesting for kids first grade and older. This looks like a wonderful experience!
9) Columbia Academy Columbia Maryland has some wonderful summer camps for all ages of kids.
10) Camp IO- Yoga and science camp in Columbia, MD for kids ages 6-11. $280/week (as of June 2014). This camp looks great for boys and girls who love science and need more balance in their lives-mandalas and model rockets, a brilliant combination!
11) Howard County Conservancy has some great camps. They are nature themed and take place in Woodstock, MD and Elkridge, MD.
12) Parkour For Kids - In Baltimore. Urban climbing and jumping for kids. This is just unbelievable. It makes me wish I were a kid again!
13) ID Summer Camps - Computer programming camps for kids and teens. In College Park and Towson.
14) Howard County Parks and Recreation - Affordable and interesting camps for younger and older kids.
15) Howard County Public Schools - Want to learn Chinese this summer? How about a biomedical skills camp? Only at HCPSS!
16) Great Adventure Lab STEM Summer Camps - Science camps! Looks like they have some terrific programs for the nerds of our future! :-)
17) Karate Camp - Wilde Lake Karate would be a great place to learn martial arts this summer. Check it out!
18) Columbia Association - Columbia Association offers many nature and art camps that I have heard good things about.
19) CC Arts / Toby's Dinner Theater camp - Great way to get into some great acting skills.
The reasons will be obvious to most parents who have themselves spent their summers watching TV, hanging out with friends and avoiding anything remotely academic. Of course, there were always a few kids who did not suffer from the summer effect. These were the kids whose parents were on top of making sure the kids' time was programmed and that their summer experiences would actually add to what they learned in the previous school year.
With that in mind, my friends and I have been discussing all of the stimulating and interesting summer camp options that are available these days around Howard County and Baltimore Maryland. Please drop me a comment if you know of ones that I missed. I am only listing camps that I have first-hand knowledge of.
1) Glenelg Country School - In Ellicott City, this school has some amazing choices for summer learning fun including in theater, math, dance, robotics and sports. One of my favorites is yoga camp by soil sound. I highly recommend checking out their offerings. This is a wonderful place in the forest in the more rural part of Howard County.
2) Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth Summer Camp - Great offerings for gifted and talented kids around Maryland including classes in Baltimore and Sandy Spring Friends School. Students must be specially admitted to the program before they can attend the summer camps, and that won't be possible for kids who aren't advanced in academics. CTY camps are renowned in the USA and we're lucky to have them right in our back yard.
3) Camp Invention - This is a really cool idea for kids in grades 1 to 6.
4) Howard Community College - These are very popular summer camps--popular like a rock star concert--the registration begins and ten minutes later it's "sold out"...Check out the options. They are very good.
5) Anne Arundel Community College - Kids in college! (Need I say more?)
6) Imagination Stage - This Bethesda, MD venue is a promising place for fun and creative learning. This is definitely not in Howard County or even Baltimore, but if you happen to work out that way in Montgomery County, definitely consider sending your kids there for a week or two. If Imagination Stage is out of range, you'll want to check out Howard County Art's Council Center for the Arts--they have all sorts of art camps, including acting.
7) Circus School - This is great fun. Run by a former Ringling Brother's clown. Gymnastics, juggling, tight rope walking, Aerial fabrics, unicycles and more. I can't think of anything more fun than that.
8) Walters Art Gallery - The Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore has summer camps! Sold by the week, these camps are very interesting for kids first grade and older. This looks like a wonderful experience!
9) Columbia Academy Columbia Maryland has some wonderful summer camps for all ages of kids.
| Great Summer Camps in Central Maryland |
11) Howard County Conservancy has some great camps. They are nature themed and take place in Woodstock, MD and Elkridge, MD.
12) Parkour For Kids - In Baltimore. Urban climbing and jumping for kids. This is just unbelievable. It makes me wish I were a kid again!
13) ID Summer Camps - Computer programming camps for kids and teens. In College Park and Towson.
14) Howard County Parks and Recreation - Affordable and interesting camps for younger and older kids.
15) Howard County Public Schools - Want to learn Chinese this summer? How about a biomedical skills camp? Only at HCPSS!
16) Great Adventure Lab STEM Summer Camps - Science camps! Looks like they have some terrific programs for the nerds of our future! :-)
17) Karate Camp - Wilde Lake Karate would be a great place to learn martial arts this summer. Check it out!
18) Columbia Association - Columbia Association offers many nature and art camps that I have heard good things about.
19) CC Arts / Toby's Dinner Theater camp - Great way to get into some great acting skills.
