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Web Sites for Summer Programs
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National Programs Imagine Magazine Links to Summer Programs The Imagine magazine section of the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth (JHU-CTY) Web site contains an extensive list of summer program Web sites. The sites mentioned are especially those for young people looking for high-level academic programs. Imagine magazine, by the way, is an all-around great resource for parents of gifted children.
The Hoagies Gifted Summer and Saturday Programs page includes
a large The National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) Resource Directory has gone away from an .HTML Web page to a database query page, and has massively reduced the number of listings and amount of information formerly available about summer programs on its site. Minnesota Programs The programs at the Bakken Library and Museum in southwest Minneapolis gets rave reviews from all who have tried them. Parents at the CHAT Nights of the last two years also generally gave favorable comments about this program.
ITCEP is presenting summer programs this summer to prepare students for study of calculus. The link above also links to the Kids University programs at the University of Minnesota.
The Minnesota Institute for Talented Youth programs are run by Macalester College. A parent at the 2005 CHAT Night commented that the photography class is good and was enjoyed by her daughter. Great programming for 4th - 6th graders. The Concordia Language Villages draw students from out of state,
and the experiences of a student of Russian were reported in a
2005 issue of Imagine magazine. This organization is a performing arts circus school for youth.
They offer camp programs that introduce students to global circus
arts techniques and are taught by a highly experienced coaching
staff. Gifted
and Talented Institute ("south of the river")
The West Suburban Summer School courses are offered by an intermediate school district in the western suburbs of Minneapolis. Kathy Quick was identified at the CHAT Night as a good teacher. All of these school district programs, and others around the state, are open to families enrolled in other districts.
This camp, hosted by Itasca Community College in Grand Rapids, Minnesota was recommended by a parent at the 2005 CHAT Night. The price is right (your tax dollars at work) and the program is said to be wonderful. The program location is also in a very interesting part of the state. The Loft Literary Center was also recommended at the 2005 CHAT Night. Enrollment is limited in their highly regarded classes. Their course center on creative writing, from poetry to publishing. The School Chess Association programs are mostly one-week programs that go on throughout the summer, about which I have heard many good reports. They include recreational activities besides lots of chess. The Math Enrichment Resource Center of St. Paul sponsors the Summer Algebra Institute program. Camp Invention is a nationwide program with several Minnesota locations, usually offered through community education programs. iD Tech Camps are another national program now with a Minnesota
location at the U of MN Twin Cities. They provides weeklong day
and overnight summer technology programs for ages 7-17. Create
digital movies, 2D and 3D video games, design websites, program
robots and more. Full day enrichment camps for kids 6 - 15 years. The program combines academics with recreation. Spend three hours of each day discovering the worlds of agriculture, language, math or scence and the other half of the day in sports, games, swimming and rock climbing all around the University.
Programs from Around the World
The Centre for Talented Youth Ireland Summer Programme is patterned after the Johns Hopkins University CTY summer programs, and offers two sessions with courses on a variety of subjects. About fifty Americans attend the program each year, and scholarships are available. CTYI is a great multicultural experience.
The Johns Hopkins University Center for Talent Youth (JHU-CTY) summer programs have been offered since the early 1980s, and pioneered large-scale, multisubject summer programs for gifted kids. The JHU-CTY programs are full of traditions and have a huge alumni network. For more on these programs, see the unofficial links below: http://www.livejournal.com/community/cty_therapy/ http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=31838 http://www.angelfire.com/80s/stillrawk/cty2000.html http://ami42.tripod.com/cty.htm http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=76103 Center
for Talent Development, Northwestern University The Midwest region's talent search program also offers summer programs, mostly in suburban Chicago. It is a great opportunity to learn a lot of mathematics in a very supportive social atmosphere. MathCamp is a famous specialized math program for students ages thirteen and up.
Summer Institute for the Gifted programs are expensive, and offer
varied classes during each program. They are well-liked socially
by children of the families that can afford them. Issues to Consider
Some of the early deadlines for some of these programs are VERY early in February. Check the deadlines of your favorite programs right away. Cost and Financial Aid List price for a good summer program with on-campus residential experience is usually about $1,000 per week. But many of the programs have financial aid--be sure to ask. Social Atmosphere Some of the summer programs have a better social atmosphere than
others. Check them out first. Academic Level and Credibility of Program The programs that are most impressive for purposes such as college applications are, of course, programs that are competitive to get into and strongly academic. But there is much to be said for a fun program that is a break from a child's usual routine. An impressive summer program, not known well in Minnesota, is http://www.cee.org/rsi/index.shtml for students between their second-to-last and last year of high school, and harder to get into (on a percentage basis) than an Ivy League college. But the application process is worthwhile for young people who desire to work with Nobel-prize-winning professors during a free summer program. |
