Some years I’m on top of it, some years it sneaks up on me.
Summer activities for the boys.
This year summer tiptoed up behind me, threw a sack over my head, and proceeded to beat me senseless with a catalog of summer camps that were full. Sometimes summer can be a real bully.
As I stumble towards the school year finish line, I’ll be searching out activities to add to the eight I shared last year.
Help a mom out and share your faves. If I don’t get a plan going here shortly it’ll be a loooong summer.
quick surfing. I can vouch for the moviemaking. haven’t tried the others. Good luck! Maria
NIU has a bunch of camps
http://www.niu.edu/clasep/Camps/
Digital moviemaking for youths. scroll down to camps for teens and kids 10-12
http://chicagofilmmakers.org/cf/classes
ID tech camps
http://www.idtech.com/locations/illinois-summer-camps/evanston/id-tech-northwestern-university/
gamebuilder video game creation
http://www.activelearningcamps.com/detailscamp.php?cpid=3
Turn your bedroom/playroom into a Rube Goldberg machine
(And I just saw the article! Hope you enjoy that new 3D printed house. We (readers) know how much you love moving.
When my 2 gifted sons were in elementary school (nearly 2 decades ago!) technology was not omnipresent like it is now. I had to resort to hands on challenges. One of my neighbors ran an electronics repair shop from her garage and would often give us items that could not be fixed. I laid a tarp out on the floor with several egg cartons, and an assortment of screwdrivers and safety glasses.
Not only did the disassembly of these units build manual dexterity, patience, and classification skills as they sorted parts that seemed to be related, it answered many of their “how does it work” questions and spurred “what if” questions. Luckily, another neighbor was an electronic test engineer who readily discussed the latest finds with the boys!
Later, as a Director for Camp Invention, I saw kids get excited taking random gadgets apart and trying to reconstruct a new contraption from the parts! Cheap and easy suggestion. Hope it helps.
MeetUp Tuesday, June 3rd 9:30 a.m. at Le Peep’s Grill in Frisco for Guiding Gifted Children. We’ll be talking about ideas and sharing resources. Join us!