Division of Continual Learning
2008 Camp Courses: Grade 6 and Up
Alt Radio (ALT) New
Thanks to the Internet (and of course, Nobel Laureate, Al Gore) anybody with an Internet connection, a computer, a microphone, various software programs, a library of sound effects, and a dream can be the host of his or her own radio show. Look no further than iTunes to find a plethora of news, music, talk, and comedy radio shows. Don’t have a dream? Don’t worry; you can borrow one of ours. And the best part is that the FCC can’t censor your work. (But since it’s our camp, we can and will, so let’s keep it rated PG.)
Alt 'Zine! (ZNE) New
Want to put your writing skills to work? Are you a poet, a fiction writer, a movie critic? Or do you just have something to say that you want to share with the world? Do you like to cut pictures from magazines or books and create new stories about them? Hone your skills and learn how to layout an alternative ‘zine and publish it so that everyone in your community or school can see it.
Animation (ANI)
At the dawn of time, early humans drew pictures to represent what they saw everyday. Those were mostly cave drawings of wooly mammoths and dinosaurs. (OK, maybe not dinosaurs) Things have changed quite a bit over the last 300,000 years. We can help make your still life drawings come to life before your eyes. It’s just like magic! Well, not JUST like magic, but it’s close! (At least cavemen would be amazed.) Limited enrollment. $15 class fee.
Cartooning (CAR)
From single panel comic strips in your daily newspaper to full-blown graphic novels, cartoonists have a wide variety of topics and styles to choose from. Learn how to use your drawings to send secret, mind-changing messages to the world without actually saying a word. Experiment with everything from stick figures to Japanese Anime.
The Art of Chemistry (CHM) New
If you’ve taken chemistry in school, you might remember having to memorize formulas full of strange letter combinations with teeny tiny numbers attached at the bottom. Do you mean that you didn’t remember that the formula for trifluoroacetic acid is C2HF3O2? In this chemistry course, we’ll still learn the technical information, but we’ll also be taking a different avenue to learning these complex ideas. You’ll be amazed as you explore chemistry from an artistic point of view. Bring the abstract thinking side of your brain.
Digital Photography (DGP)
One of the differences between digital and film photography is that what you see isn't always what you get. Digital photographs can be manipulated in hundreds of ways so that the original shot may bear little resemblance to the finished product. Find out what you can do after you shoot the shot. You'll be amazed. Limited enrollment. $15 course fee.
Digital Movie (DGM) New
Your generation grew up with video. It's always been part of your life and now that Youtube is available via everything from your computer to your iPhone (if you're lucky enough to have an iPhone), digital video is everywhere. If you'd like to join the video revolution, look no further than this course (but sign up early because if fills fast). Limited enrollment. $15 course fee.
Digital Music (MUS) New
Back in the day when digital music was something new, you had to have all these weird instruments, wires everywhere, mixing boards, amplifiers, and we suppose some kind of musical ability. Today, all you need is a computer and a keyboard and the next thing you know, you’ll be conducting your own symphony (or something a little more your musical style). Rock on! Limited enrollment. $15 course fee.
Dramacting (DRA)
With the success of the movie High School Musical, we decided to jump on the bandwagon and offer a course that gives actors a chance to show off their acting chops and occasionally break into choreographed musical numbers. Isn’t that how it happens everyday at your school?
Fashion Design (FSD) New
Since camp occurs in the summertime when nobody is (seemingly) concerned with fashion at all, this is an excellent time to plan your strategy for fashion in the fall, or later in life when you may decide to wear something other than jeans and flip-flops (it could happen). Your wardrobe says a lot about you and we don’t have to tell you the importance of proper accessorizing, color coordination, or style…do we? Imagine learning to create your own fashion line and matching jewelry, and even use a sewing machine to create real accessories!
Fiber Arts (FIB) New
Even though we firmly believe that honesty is the best policy, occasionally we recognize the need to… WHAT? Oh, FI-ber arts! Well, that’s something different entirely. Actually, it’s a lot of different “somethings” all having to do with fiber, including weaving, screen printing, dyeing, felting, and maybe even some embroidering. And that’s the truth!
Food Chemistry (FCH)
A really long time ago someone said, “You know, this mastodon would taste a whole lot better if we put it in the fire for a while – and a little ketchup wouldn’t hurt either,” and voila, food chemistry was born! Food chemistry has come a long way since then and has given us such magical things as mayonnaise, crème Brule and Velveeta (Mmmm, Velveeta). Welcome to our kitchen laboratory where new exciting (and hopefully edible) food products are being discovered and re-discovered daily. You gonna eat that?
Forensics FOR) New
Who-o-o-o-o are you? Who-who, who-who? Would you believe that a mysterious crime was committed the same day we arrived a camp? It’s a good thing we will have all of these campers to help us solve it! We’ll use the same types of crime-solving technology they use in real crime investigations (OK, well not all of the fancy high-tech gear, but some pretty cutting edge innovations) to solve the crime. Who is the culprit? Is it the camp director? Nah, couldn’t be.
Go Green (GOG) New
It’s pretty safe to say that we adults have screwed up the planet and now don’t have a clue how to fix it. So, we guess it’s up to you guys. Explore some of the latest technologies; measure your own carbon footprint, get the scoop on recycling (it’s not just for cans and bottles anymore), build a solar car, and examine the consequences of global warming and our obsession with fossil fuels. We’ll also build a giant decomposition bottle filled with live worms that you can take home! (Your parents will love that one!)
History (HIS)
Life wasn’t easy back before the American Revolution. No electricity. No running water. Not even a Taco Bell! Yet, somehow the inhabitants of Colonial Williamsburg managed to survive in style. See how they did it and take a journey of imagination. (Offered at the College of William & Mary only. $35 course fee.)
Interior Design (INT)
We’ve heard about people like you. You willingly watch HGTV and maybe have an issue or two of House Beautiful or Architectural Digest stashed in your room. You look forward to a trip to Lowes to add to your collection of color swatches. Your mom consults you before deciding how to redo the kitchen. Let’s face it; you’ve got Interior Design in your blood. Meet others like you in this colorful class.
It's Electric! (ELE) New
Take a look around your room. How many of the things you love are either plugged in or require batteries? We bet a lot of them are. So, how does electricity work, exactly? As best as we can figure out, these little things called electrons get all excited and move from one place to another and somehow make things light up or move or make noise or something. It’s real complicated, right? Nah, it’s shockingly easy and you’re going to find out how easy (and shocking).
Marine Science (MAB) New
It’s a jungle down there. Medium-size creatures eat smaller creatures. Bigger creatures eat those medium-sized creatures. If those big creatures are crafty enough to escape being caught by humans, when they die, they’ll get eaten by the tiniest microscopic creatures… and it’s been going on this way since the dawn of time. But the oceans are changing. Fish are disappearing. Coral is dying. Can sea life adapt to the changes or are we seeing the beginning of a major evolutionary shift? (Course involves several dissections.)
MatheMAGICal Arts (MAT) New
All year you sit in your math class during school. The last thing you’d want to do is take a math class at summer camp, right? WRONG! This will be unlike any math class you’ve ever had. Learn to appreciate math through art, music, and movement. You might even learn a few card tricks (that are algebra problems in disguise!) to amaze your friends and teachers at school next year.
Mythbusting (MYB)
Do you remember how you felt when something you believed to be true your whole life turned out to be a big fake? Well, like those two guys on the Discovery Channel, we’re going to put some popularly held myths to the test – unfortunately, the university won’t let us use any explosives experts for this course (Darn!)
Painting (PAI) New
There are really only two types of painting: representational and the other kind. In this class we’re going after the other kind where expression is more important than observation; where elements of pattern, texture, process and emotion are keys to the creation. In case you haven’t guessed, we’re talking about abstract art and didn’t we say it nicely?
Pottery (POT)
We all love pottery. There is just something indescribably satisfying about taking a cold lump of clay and making it into something. It’s a contemplative activity; kind of Zen-like — if you’re into that sort of thing. And even if you’re not, who cares? It’s still big fun.
Rhythm Nation (DAN)
Hip-hop, African, Salsa, Modern, Swing… We’ll explore all different types of dance movements. Learn some age-old dance moves and bring your own. No dance experience is necessary—only your willingness to have fun and dance.
Sports Science (SPT)
Most bodies don't come ready-made for the kind of stresses sports puts on bones, joints, muscles and ligaments (not to mention the cardio-vascular and respiratory systems) which is why training and conditioning are so important. Still, well-trained and conditioned athletes frequently end up in orthopedists' offices and in physical therapy. Examine the human skeletal system under stress and learn what connects what to what. We think you'll find it humerus.