Specialty Camps

June 24 - August 9, 2013

Specialty Camps are one to two-week adventures and workshops created for curious children to explore their creative minds and to unlock their hidden talents.  Led by experienced educators, these diverse and creative camps are sure to be a hit once again this season.

Morning and afternoon specialty camps, summer studies, and sports clinics combine with Camp Highlander creating a well-rounded full-day summer experience.  Please remember that all camps have limited enrollment, so we recommend that you register early.

 Begin registration!

Lego Camp with Play-Well TEKnologies: Pre-Engineering

(Rising Grades K-2)
June 24- July 28  
July 8- July 12
9:00 AM- 12:00 PM            $145
 
Let your imagination run wild with over 100,000 pieces of LEGO®! Build engineer-designed projects such as boats, bridges, mazes and motorized cars, and use special pieces to create your own unique design! Explore the endless creative possibilities of the LEGO® building system with the guidance of an experienced Play-Well instructor. This is an ideal way to prepare young builders for the challenge of Engineering FUNdamentals.
 
Instructors: Play-Well TEKnologies Staff
 
 
Lego Camp with Play-Well TEKnologies: Engineering FUNdamentals
(Rising Grades 3-5)
June 24- July 28 
July 8- July 12
1:00 PM- 4:00 PM              $145
 
Power up your engineering skills with Play-Well TEKnologies and over 100,000 pieces of LEGO®! Apply real-world concepts in physics, engineering, and architecture through engineer-designed projects such as arch bridges, skyscrapers, motorized cars, and the Battletrack! Design and build as never before, and explore your craziest ideas in a supportive environment. An experienced instructor will challenge new and returning students to engineer at the next level
 
Instructors: Play-Well TEKnologies Staff

Make Your Animation
(Rising Grades 6-9)
July 22- July 26
9:00- 12:00                     $295
 
Work with clay, a camera, paper-cut outs or Photoshop to bring an animation to life with sound. This course will give you the skills to get started and create a short animation.
 
Instructor: John Coogan

Mixed Media

(Rising Grades 1-8)
July 1-12 (two weeks)      $315
July 15-19 (one week)      $172
July 29- August 2 (one week)   $172

9:30 PM - 12:00 PM  
       
This course will give students a wide range of experiences.  It will explore both two- and three-dimensional designs. The topics will incorporate realistic and abstract compositions, and the media will vary and include drawing, painting and sculptural, as well as collage. We will draw upon famous works for inspiration and reference these pieces directly and indirectly into the work created in class. Students will use a wide range of materials and methods consisting of wire, paper, fabric, wood, clay, paint and found objects.

Instructor: Andrea Carter

 
Ceramics
(Rising Grades 1-8)
July 1-12 (two weeks)      $315              
July 15-19 (one week)      $172
July 29- August 2 (one week)   $172
1:00 PM - 3:30 PM      

This course will be a great opportunity to build and develop new clay skills. It will focus on hands-building techniques including: pinch, coil and slab as students create both functional and sculptural forms. It will also introduce the potter’s wheel: and the process of making useful cups bowls and plates. There will be decorative methods taught on greenware and bisqueware; and the application of underglazes and glazes along with the firing and stacking of the kiln.

Instructor: Andrea Carter

 
International Cooking for Kids
(Rising Grades 3-6)
Dates: July 8- July 12 
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM              $210

Join us on a world-wide culinary tour!  Here is a sample of our imaginary travels:  First, we will head south to Mexico for tamales and rice pudding.  Then we will make a stop in the Middle East to make falafel and some honey-laced desserts.  Before heading home, we will swing by India for mango lassis and China for dumplings.  With help, children will learn to prepare these foods from basic ingredients (from "scratch").  In addition, we will learn about the different places on our "tour" through books and music.
 
Instructor: Megan Perez

Food, Flubber & Fun
(Rising Grades 3-6)
August 5- August 9
9:00 AM – 3:00 PM                $375     
 
Would you like to make an egg bounce?  Have you ever tasted a chocolate chip cookie pizza?  Food, Flubber, and Fun is back by popular demand and with all new delicious recipes and messy science experiments.  This innovative week of fun allows children to not only become chefs by mixing and molding ingredients creating yummy edible treats, but opens the door to experimentation and discovery in our science laboratory.   In the mornings, campers cook and then taste scrumptious creations for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert.  After the noon break, we meet again to begin an afternoon of science investigation as we marble paper, explode volcanoes, and make lava lamps.   Be prepared to get dirty, have lots of fun, and learn something new.

Instructor: Heather Erha

Oh. I Can Make That!

(Rising Grades 2-6)
July 1- July 4 (excluding July 4)
July 8- July 12
July 15- July 19
9:00 AM-12:00 PM                    $150 per week
 
This course will give students an opportunity to explore various modes of creativity including beginners knitting, scrap booking, and baking!
The student will spend each week learning basic knitting skills enabling them to create a variety of handmade pieces including scarves purses, and other items.  Students will be given instruction in basic scrap book techniques that will assist them in creating a beginner scrap book.  Along with knitting and scrap booking, students will be taught basic cooking/measuring skills while being introduced to several time honored recipes.  This course will be a true make and take experience in each of these creative areas. 
 
Instructor: Angela Roberge

“How Cool Is That?!”
(Rising Grades 1-2)
July 1- July 12
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.            $295
           
 This hands-on science camp offers inquiry-based, age-appropriate, messy yet educational science activities for children. Messy meaning that kids will not be glued to their chairs doing worksheets. These are hands-on classes and children will be active participants in their learning, not passive observers.
Topics include:
Understanding Density – what happens when we put Ivory soap in the microwave? Why?
Egg Obstacle Course
4 White Mystery Powders
Rube Goldberg – contraptions, inventions
UV Awareness – “Oh Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun”
Magnets – finding meteorites and is your dollar bill magnetic?
‘Magic Sand’ vs. Beach Sand
Glo Germ Lab – the importance of hand washing
Bubblemania
 
Instructor:  Velya Jancz-Urban

“How Cool Is That?!”
(Rising Grades 3-5)
July 15- July 26
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.       $295

This hands-on science camp offers inquiry-based, age-appropriate, messy yet educational science activities for children. Messy meaning that kids will not be glued to their chairs doing worksheets. These are hands-on classes and children will be active participants in their learning, not passive observers.
Topics  include:
Dissecting Owl Pellets
Armor Clad Egg Drop – can an egg withstand a drop of 50 feet?
Broken Small Appliances – if it isn’t broken, let’s take it apart and see why not!
Making Mousetrap Cars
Chicken Mummies and Mummification
Secret Formulas – make your own toothpaste or Coca-Cola
Diapers! – it’s all about the sodium polyacrylate…
Bridge Building – marshmallow, toothpicks and the ‘antique iron of death’
Shampoo Analysis – does price really make a difference?
Alka-Seltzer Rockets and GAK – chemical vs. physical changes
Analyzing Pet Food – what’s really in your dog’s dinner?
Neodymium Magnets - is there iron in your breakfast cereal?
 
Instructor:  Velya Jancz-Urban

Digital Story Telling
(Rising Grades 6-9)
July 15- July 19
9:00- 12:00                     $295
 
Students only need to bring their enthusiasm and desire to tell a story. Whether you enjoy acting, writing, being behind a camera, working with computers or making music, this class will offer you the chance to help build a story of our choosing. It could be a documentary, a piece of fiction or something we want to educate the world about.
 
Instructor: John Coogan

 
(Almost) Instant Hits!
(Rising Grades 7-9)
June 24- July 5
9:00- 12:00               $295
 
Learn what it takes to write, arrange, and record your own songs!  You already have the skills, so let's practice flexing those musical muscles.  It's easier than you think to write a song: whether you're a folkie, a rocker, a rapper, a diva-in-training, or something yet-to-be-invented, we'll work on:::
-The Fundamentals of Song Structure (or Lack Thereof!)
-The Possibilities (and Limitations) of Genre Exploration
-Lyrics: Poetry or Rap? (Your Choice!)
-Artwork/Image  (Do Judge An Album By Its Cover)
-Arrangement/Production/Recording basics (Work With What You've Got!)
So, whether your goal is to keep it D.I.Y. or end up at F.Y.E., we'll work on beefing up your bag of tricks, and turning you into a more confident musician.
 
Instructor: Nate Luce


Wheels of Fury: Make your own skateboard
(Rising grades 5-8)
July 1 - July 5
9:00 am – 12:00 pm                $250

In this workshop, students craft their own personalized skateboard deck using short board blanks made of seven-ply rock hard Canadian Maple which has excellent "pop," making them one of the top skateboard  decks on the market. In the woodshop, students learn about the manufacturing process and the safe use of tools and equipment as they create their own deck.  The workshop then moves to the computer lab where students design and generate their own decals to personalize their decks. By week’s end, students will have assembled their completed boards and are ready to put their boards into action around campus and take pride in a job well done.
Materials included in the camp: 1 skateboard blank, grip tape, 1 set of wheels,
bearings, trucks, hardware, paint and decal paper.

Instructor: Ernie Beaulieu