Campers practice engineering and math in hands-on activities at the Science Museum of Virginia. (Photo courtesy Science Museum of Virginia)
After a school year packed with tasks, assignments and extracurriculars, many children and teens would rather enjoy themselves during summer break than worry about their classes or grades. But if lessons or projects are packaged into a week away from home with new friends, fun experiences and hands-on learning, kids can have a transformative experience with lifelong effects.
“We know positioning summer camp as educational isn’t the most appealing to children. They want to be sure they can have fun,” says Jennifer Guild, communications director at the Science Museum of Virginia. “But caregivers should feel confident that Science Museum camps are both. Campers absolutely will come home bragging about the new STEM [science, technology, engineering and math] facts they learned and will also be excited about how they learned them.”
The definition of an “educational camp” is broad and by no means limited to academic or classroom-based learning. Research shows that attending almost any camp can be a valuable growth experience, whether that involves learning to code or learning to kayak. Organizations in the Richmond region offer dozens of camps across a broad range of topics, so there’s sure to be one that aligns with a student’s interest, offers engaging activities in an interesting environment and lets them shine.
Inspiring and Immersive
Plenty of summer camps fit the traditional framework of outdoor activities, campfires, cabins and the like. But camps themed around a particular academic subject have the added benefit of immersing students in that topic outside of a classroom setting.
The Science Museum of Virginia offers day camps for children in grades one through six with demonstrations encompassing chemistry, natural sciences, engineering and more. “The Science Museum wants to inspire people, to expose them to something small that serves as the spark that develops into a desire to learn more,” Guild says. “We’re here to build up people’s curiosity and empower them with STEM knowledge so they can use it to enrich their lives.”
The Science Museum’s camp programming is suitable for children up to age 12. Older students are then offered free membership to The MiX, an adolescent-exclusive makerspace with media-editing software, 3D printers, and other tools and equipment, as well as guided workshops.
“We’ve had staff over the years who once had a membership to The MiX and loved the Science Museum so much, they came back as employees. The MiX isn’t a traditional summer camp experience, but it is perfect for a summer activity for teens,” Guild says.
Guild also notes that the Museums for All program for EBT cardholders offers the benefits of museum membership at a discounted rate, and families in the program can apply for a scholarship covering a free week of camp.
At Club SciKidz, which hosts camps for kids in pre-K through eighth grade at Millwood School in Midlothian and St. Christopher’s School in Henrico, children and their families can choose from over 35 science-themed camps, all of which include four hands-on lab activities per day.
Dr. Abhi Rathi, the owner of Club SciKidz and Doodle Dynamo camps, says, “We have more broad science camps, such as ‘Junior Scientist,’ for campers who are interested in exploring all areas of STEM. And we have some fun character-based camps, such as ‘Pokemon Professors’ and ’American Doll Adventures’ to introduce campers to science in a themed and approachable way.”
Founded in 2018, the Richmond Debate Institute is Virginia’s largest summer camp focused on speech and debate. More than 1,000 middle and high school students have graduated from its day and residential programs since its founding.
The Richmond Debate Institute teaches public speaking skills to middle and high school students. (Photo courtesy Richmond Debate Institute)
“What sets us apart is our immersive approach. Students spend a week engaging in public speaking drills, exploring lessons on important societal topics and participating in live mock debates to prepare for a competition held at the end of the week,” says Phyl Demetriou, executive director of the Richmond Debate Institute. Many attendees had little to no experience with debate before attending RDI but emerged from their week of camp with a brand-new array of skills.
Mythik Camps, inspired by author Rick Riordan’s beloved “Percy Jackson Chronicles” books, provide summer experiences themed around storytelling, literature and mythology. The organization is based in Brooklyn, New York, but offers camps across the mid-Atlantic. In the Richmond region, Camp Half-Blood, a day program at Forest Hill Park, welcomes rising second through sixth grade students.
“Camp Half-Blood blends inquiry, literacy and learning with action-packed storytelling in a unique experience for our demigod campers. [They] come away from the summer with a new fondness for reading, storytelling and exploration,” says Lainey Harrison, the customer relations manager at Mythik Camps.
Learning by Doing
Spending time away from home reinforces students’ independence, responsibility, confidence and problem-solving skills, according to research published in the Journal of Youth Development. Educational, interest-based camps are a good way to lay a bit more groundwork for a child’s future — or rather, for the child to lay their own groundwork.
“Summer camps like ours provide a great opportunity for students to explore various STEM fields at an early age,” says Rathi about Club SciKidz. “The hands-on nature of classroom teaching allows them to learn through doing, helping to overcome fears and inhibitions associated with these subjects. This approach inspires and motivates them to pursue careers in STEM fields.”
Demetriou notes the importance of project-based learning to Richmond Debate Institute’s approach. Schools don’t often have the resources or time to add PBL activities such as STEM projects or debate to their curriculum during the academic year. Camps such as RDI can fill this gap, giving students the opportunity to dive more deeply into what they enjoy while maintaining a full load at school. “Educational summer camps provide a unique opportunity for students to discover new interests, develop mastery and even form a sense of identity,” he says.
Teamwork is a common theme in summer programming. Activities encourage campers to collaborate and employ their subject-specific knowledge and critical thinking skills to find solutions or win challenges.
“Last year when we did battle bots in The Forge, the kids got so excited that staff told us they could hear cheering across the entire building,” says Drew Hodge, the Science Museum of Virginia’s assistant director of education. “The campers had to work collaboratively in teams to build a robot out of Legos, then they had to code the robot to respond to commands. ... They got so into that activity!”
At Camp Half Blood, kids’ summer experiences are themed around storytelling, literature and mythology. (Photo courtesy Mythik Camps)
Harrison says of Mythik Camps’ programming, “We receive feedback every year from parents elated that their children have ’finally found their people,’ other kids who can repeat back the 12 Olympians in under 10 seconds, demigods who have been play sword-fighting their whole lives, kids who thrive in a tabletop role-playing game where they get to explore the power of teamwork.”
Happy (Former) Campers
While attendees age out of summer camp eventually, the effects stick with them. Some studies show that camp alumni and counselors have reported a stronger appreciation for diversity, better leisure skills and a willingness to try new things. Whether a child stays with their camp-based interest later in life or finds a new passion, those psychological and interpersonal benefits of summer camp stick with them.
“Our camps give perfect classroom teaching experience to our counselors,” Rathi says. She remembers a counselor who didn’t care for teaching when she began working for the camp. “After three years she decided to become a teacher, and now she is a full-time teacher in a public school.”
At RDI, Demetriou notes that many camp staff are program alumni who return during the summer to mentor younger students and share their passion. “Many of our alumni now attend prestigious universities such as Yale, Columbia and Oxford, with some of our earliest graduates pursuing advanced degrees in law or Ph.D. programs.
“While many students passionate about speech and debate go on to careers in government, business and law, our alumni represent a wide range of fields, including medicine, engineering and education,” he adds.
Harrison notes that a counselor turned camp leader at Camp Half-Blood pivoted from her initial career interest in accounting because of her summer experiences. “[Working] with us reinvigorated her interest in literature and led her to change course and pursue a career in teaching,” she says.
The Richmond region offers a wealth of educational summer programs for children and teens ranging from the arts to zoology. No matter a student’s interests, parents and caregivers can be certain that their child will have a fantastic summer.
