Learning can be fun with WSU summer programs for kids

Children usually do not learn as much during the summer months as they do when they are in school, and some stop learning altogether. To combat that, Wright State is hosting  programs during the summer to keep kids engaged in learning.

Discovery 2016 and Camp Odyssey are programs that of nine, week-long sessions for kids in kindergarten to grade nine. During these programs, kids can choose one class per week and focus on a particular subject. The program lasts from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. with the option of extended care available for parents who have to work. The registration deadline for the first session beginning on June 6 is June 1 at noon. Space in these sessions are limited.

Discovery or Odyssey Camp students can sign up for one class weekly designed to educate in fun ways, with classes like “Mummy Mysteries,”  to teach on Ancient Egypt and “Zombies and Math.” There are even classes with pop culture themes, like “Harry Potter” or “Star Wars,” and with such a variety that students will not have to take the same class twice.

“We offer 13 different classes each week for a total of 9 weeks and none of the classes repeat, so for week two, there is a whole new list of classes that they can take,” Assistant Director of the Office of Pre-College Programs Elizabeth Turner said. “Last week, maybe they did a science class, but next week, maybe the want to do an art class, a culture class or a math class. They can switch around the different subjects they’re learning.”

For children in grades six through 12, there are also Residential Academic Enrichment Camps and Institutes, which are week-long programs that allow students to stay on campus and focus learning in a specific field of study with subjects ranging from Performance Theater to Architectural Engineering.

Exploring STEMM is a program that gives students in grades seven through nine the option to explore fields in Science, Technology, Engineering, Math and Medicine. These programs are two days and one night and are very popular, according to Turner.

“We get rave reviews for it,” Turner said. “In fact, it’s already filled to capacity and the waiting list is maxed out.”

These programs, according to Turner, help turn younger students on to learning and help the university engage with future college students, which helps with retention once they become adults.

“Every year we have staff and instructors that have attended the program,” Turner said. “Now it’s been around so long that we have parents that attended the program that want their kids to be apart of it as well, or we get alumni that want their kids to experience the university.”

More information on Discovery camps and other programs can be found at www.wright.edu/precollege and parents with specific questions can call the Office of Pre-College Programs at (937) 775-3135.

WSU students interested in working for these programs can apply early next year for Summer 2017.