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Putting a “KICK” into Summer for Area Kids

By May 4, 2009January 16th, 2019No Comments

Focused camps at Kirkwood grow in interest while opening doors to careers and learning

This summer, some area young people will put their video games aside and possibly discover the thrills of on-stage acting. Others may explore their future careers in engineering, medicine or archeology. Their friends could be nearby, discovering they have talents in baking, jazz music or crime scene investigation.

This wide spectrum of possibilities is all in one summer place: Kirkwood Community College. The Kirkwood Continuing Education program is once again offering a series of “KICK” camps, the Kirkwood Interactive Camps for Kids brings together creative outlets for youngsters ages 9 to 15. The camp activities have expanded and refined their focus for 2009, with several program additions and popular events repeated through the summer.

The KICK camps have found a home throughout the Kirkwood main campus, with music rooms, culinary kitchens and performance spaces devoted to these learning/fun mixtures from June into August. College officials have also made extra resources available, providing scholarships for eligible students and families in order to expand opportunities for area youth.

Kirkwood Executive Director of Continuing Education Programs, Kim Johnson calls the KICK camps “the right project at the right time” for a key age group.

“Since we tried out this summer learning idea last year, the feedback and interest has been tremendous. We got the idea for this a few years ago when we noticed a rich set of choices for little kids and a host of opportunities for later teenagers. But there was that group somewhere between daycare and driver’s education that needed more choices. We think these programs are the right fit for this fun age group,” Johnson said.

Another key element to the summer camp events is an ability to consider activities and learning as future career choices. Many of the programs focus on such promising job avenues as engineering, medicine, biotechnology and other science fields. Johnson calls that the “not-so-hidden message” within the activities.

“This aspect of the camps has been greeted with much enthusiasm from many corners of the community. Our school administrators, area business partners and parents alike appreciate that kids can build rich, eye-opening experiences into their summers. Then they could remember those good times a few years later when they get job-shadowing, internship and part-time work experiences. It’s never too early to let kids know the opportunities that are possible right here in Iowa,’ she added.

The Kirkwood KICK Camps are grouped into several themes:

• “Be a Star” camps focus on creative and performing arts. A series of “Exploring Jobs in the Theatre” camps will give young people a taste of on-stage acting, set design and other technical aspects of creating live entertainment events. Other camps will teach photography, fashion design, creative writing and visual arts. Another popular favorite returning in the summer of 2009 is the Middle School Summer Jazz Band Camp. Produced in cooperation with 88.3 KCCK-FM, youngsters will be able to try big-band arrangements and gain insights into music history while preparing for a full-fledged concert performance at the end of the session.

• For the “Gamers and Geeks” series, students will be able to create video games, build Web sites, engineer robotic devices and even build and maintain their own personal computer. A LEGO Robotics Camp session has proven so popular that it will be offered in three summer sessions: June 22-26, July 6-10, and August 3-7. The Video Game Making Camp has also expanded into six summer sessions: June 22-26, July 6-10, July 13-17, July 20-24, July 27-31, and August 3-7.

• An entire series of camps will open young minds to “Health, Science and Other Stuff that Rocks!” Programs include a “Blue’s Anatomy: Health Careers” camp, which will let young people imagine a future life in medicine, dentistry, emergency care and vision services. Through in-class activities and field trips to meet current professions, kids can discover the many aspects of the health care field. Two sessions are held: June 15-19, and Aug. 3-7. Other sessions will explore the careers of “Crime Scene Investigators” and athletic trainers in “The Science of Athletes.”

• “Nuts & Bolts & Moving Parts” camps will provide hands-on experiences for young people who like to get involved in a hands-on way. An “Air School” will give students an opportunity to learn the science of flight and practice their learning with flight simulators and a visit to the Eastern Iowa Airport. Other camps will feature building rockets, robotic devices and creating 3-D models. Still others will give students direct experience with welding and woodworking.
For interested students with limited financial resources, Kirkwood Community College has committed $10,000 in tuition assistance for families to make participation in the KICK summer camps possible. Interested persons can find out more on the Kirkwood Web site: www.kirkwood.edu/kick ; or by calling (319) 398-5529.

A complete catalog of KICK summer camp offerings is also available upon request by calling the same number.