Reflections is a monthly column for teachers, by teachers on topics of interest to mathematics educators: lesson plans, book/resource reviews, reflections on classroom experiences, and more. If you are interested in sharing your own ideas with mathematics educators in the province (and beyond), consider contributing to this column! Contact us at thevariable@smts.ca.
Summer “PD” – For Kids!
Sharon Harvey
Each month, the SMTS publishes a list of upcoming PD for teachers. For this month’s blog post, I thought I’d copy that—with a twist.
Summer is almost upon us, and most of us have our own summer professional development lined up (watch for my reflection from Twitter Math Camp later this summer). Summer PD is amazing! I know it’s supposed to be our time “off,” but with the hustle and bustle of the school year, great PD can be difficult to attend for many reasons. The number one advantage for me is that summer PD doesn’t take me out of my classroom!
With this idea in mind, I thought I would put together a list of some summer “PD” options for your students (or your own kids). Summer camps have been a life saver in my own house—I mean, we all love and adore our children, but 8 weeks is a long time, folks. We have sent our own kids to many of the camps listed below, and they have raved about all of them. Now, this list is in no way comprehensive (there are a lot of summer camp options out there!), but I feel confident that the options below will be an excellent experience and will help keep children’s minds active! Please note that I did not include Activity Camps. They are also fabulous, but the list can only be so long!
Engineering for Kids
Engineering for Kids offers summer programs, as well as programming through the year, and their camps were one of the biggest hits among my students and my own kids. Sign up a kid, and you might find something useful for your own classroom here! They have programs for ages 4 to 16 that range from Pirate Academy to Engineering of Food to Video Game Design.
Regina: http://engineeringforkids.net/location/regina/summercamps
Saskatoon: http://engineeringforkids.net/location/saskatoon
SCI-FI Summer Camps
SCI-FI was always a hit in our house as well. Not only did we send our kids there, my husband spent many summers working with the program as well. SCI-FI is an established program and you can be sure that your little ones with have a consistently amazing time. There are camps for students in Grade 1 and up, with camp themes ranging from Science, Technology, and Computer Science to Medical Science and VetMed (and more). Older kids? Consider having them become a CIT (counsellor in training) for one of the camps. This year, camps are being offered in Saskatoon, Yorkton, Prince Albert, and North Battleford.
See http://scifi.usask.ca/summer-camps/index.php
Sasktel Summer Cool Camps at Royal Saskatchewan Museum
This camp came highly recommended by one of my Grade 11 students. I did a quick survey of the website and it looks like a camp full of adventure and learning! There are a number of camps to choose from for students entering Grades 1-5. They have single day camps, weeklong day camps, and even an adventure camp that heads out to Eastend for a weeklong adventure.
See http://www.royalsaskmuseum.ca/programs/public-programs-in-regina/sasktel-summer-cool-camps
Saskatchewan Science Centre Summer Day Camps
I’ve taken kids on numerous field trips to the Science Centre in Regina, and they always have an awesome time. A week at the Science Centre sounds like an even more awesome time. They offer camps for kids aged 6 – 11 and four camp themes: Story Science, The Great Outdoors, Innovate 101, and Science Surprise.
See http://www.sasksciencecentre.com/daycamps/
Debate Summer Camp
Tired of arguing with your pre-teen? Give them the chance to learn how to argue among themselves. This camp teaches students the basics of structured debate and attendees will learn how to structure and defend both sides of an argument. The weeklong day camp is open to students in Grades 5 – 12 and is offered in Saskatoon and Regina.
See http://www.saskdebate.com/special-events/camp
BONUS: KinderBuzz Webiste
If you are in the Regina area, I suggest you take a look at KinderBuzz. It has compiled event calendars, summer camps, and other events happening around the city throughout the school year. The link below will take you to their listing of summer camps, but there is so much more information on this website!
See http://www.kinderbuzz.com/features/summer-camps-and-around-regina
There is no way that I could make a list of all of the options. There are just too many. But hopefully this list will help you find something that will keep your students’ or your own kids’ minds active during the summer, at least for a little while.
If you are aware of other exciting summer opportunities, please share them with us! Leave a comment below or send an email to derrick.sharon@gmail.com.
Sharon Harvey has been a teacher within the Saskatoon Public School Division for eight years. She has taught all secondary levels of mathematics, as well as within the resource program. She strives to create an inclusive and safe environment for her students.