Today’s summer camps aim at kids’ special interests, needs

A.J. Quisno, 6, of Toledo, touches a prehensile tailed skink lizard during African Safari camp at the Toledo Zoo.

In the basement classrooms of the Museum of Science at the Toledo Zoo, Nature’s Neighborhood staff member Caity Buzza holds the undivided attention of a group of children, ages 7 and "almost 7."

Their eyes widen and follow her hands as she reaches into a red cooler and pulls out a foot-long lizard named Buttercup. Buttercup, Ms. Buzza explains, is a prehensile-tailed skink that enjoys eating flies, flowers, fruit, and small mice. She uses her tail for balance and to latch onto trees to help her reach food. She is cold-blooded and has a scaly-yet-smooth skin that the kids immediately line up to touch.

"Buttercup was actually born here," says Josh Minor, education outreach manager at the zoo. "Her parents are on exhibit in the reptile house."

The children are part of the African Safari summer camp, one of many cool camps at the zoo that offer kids the opportunity to learn about and interact with animals. The Safari camps are just one example of the alternative summer camp options available in the Toledo area that give children a wide range of experiences.

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Sheila Czerniejewski, 42, sends her two autistic daughters, Chelsea and Christina, to camp at Bittersweet Farms in Pemberville. The camp, which has another location in Whitehouse, is designed for children and teens with autism and provides fun activities that cater to their specific needs.

"They’re in a structured environment, but they also have the opportunity to make their own choices and learn to deal with the consequences," Ms. Czerniejewski says. "It really helps build their independence... I’m jealous of the stuff they get to do."

At the zoo, a group of children finished making oatmeal, pumpkin paste, and carrot cookies for the gorillas as part of the Enrichment and Exploration camp. The program allows kids to create food, toys, and other forms of stimuli to help draw out the zoo animals’ natural behaviors.

For campers ready to get out of the house, the zoo offers day camps that teach kids how to fish. The week begins with kids learning to rig a fishing pole and bait hooks. They start small, fishing in the Andersons Market’s personal fish pond, and graduate with a fishing trip on a charter boat on Lake Erie.

The zoo’s Outdoor Skills Adventure Camp takes 12 to 14-year-olds to Mio, Mich., where they learn survival skills, camp in tents, and canoe 80 miles on the AuSable River. Participants practice zero-impact camping, Mr. Minor says.

"That essentially means that everything they take into the camp site, they have to take out," he continues. "They have to carry all their garbage with all their gear. That means it has to fit in the canoe. I’ve been told that the people who lead the trip can fit their week’s worth of trash in a quart size Ziploc bag."

All the camping gear and transportation to and from Michigan is provided. The down side? Campers are responsible for bringing their own food for the week.

Making movies

For the creative spirit looking for something more stimulating than a week in a tent, the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor offers its Filmmaking Camp.

Fifth through eighth graders are encouraged to register for the Intro to Filmmaking course, while Intermediate Filmmaking is designed for freshmen to seniors. Kids learn basic filmmaking techniques, such as camera placement, how to use a boom microphone, and how to use movie editing software, and they get to experience various jobs in the film industry, such as directing, filming, and producing.

Camp Coordinator Brian Hunter says participants each create a film as well as work on a group project.

"We also bring in six interns who are all film studies students at Eastern Michigan University to work with the kids," Mr. Hunter says. "[Students are] not inside all day. We spend some time teaching them the fundamentals and then let them go film."

At the end of the week, parents and friends are invited to a screening of the kids’ work. Campers also receive DVDs of their edited films as well as the raw footage they recorded during the week as a parting gift. Tuition for camp is $499, but the theater offers a 10 percent discount to Michigan Theater members and an early bird discount for those who register by May.

On the links

Professional Golf Association member Milton Carswell, Jr., is hosting "Mornings with Milton" at the Collins Park Golf Course every Wednesday. The lessons run from 9 a.m. to noon until Aug. 10 and cost $5 per day. Children between the ages of 8 and 15 receive personal attention from Mr. Carswell as he teaches them to improve their game.

Digital days

Video game and computer-obsessed kids can turn a hobby into work skills at one of internalDrive’s Tech Camps. iD camps give kids as young as 7 a chance to program video games, learn 3-D animation, and even make iPhone and iPad applications.

The camps are available in day and overnight options at local colleges (Case Western Reserve University, Ohio State University, and the University of Michigan) and use software programs such as Adobe, Autodesk, Clickteam, DreamWeaver, and Multimedia Fusion Developer 2. There’s even an Ultimate Gamers Weekend for 12 to 18-year-olds who want to sharpen or test their skills.

"It’s about taking something a child is interested in and taking it further," says Karen Thurm Safran, vice president of marketing at internalDrive. "As a parent, I know there’s nothing more important than watching your child light up and love learning."

Helping hands

Some summer camps are aimed at children with special needs.

The Sight Center of Northwest Ohio offers day and overnight camps for visually impaired children and teens. The overnight camp gives kids a chance to stay at the Crossings dorm at the University of Toledo. They play games and participate in recreational activities like most summer camps, but the focus is on teaching important life skills such as cooking, managing finances, and applying and interviewing for a job.

The camp also gives participants a summer job where they work 20 hours a week at places including The Andersons, YMCA West, and the 577 Foundation.

"For most kids this is their first job experience," Program Director Dawn Coleman says. "Most haven’t been away from home before. It gives them a chance to connect and see that they aren’t the only ones with a vision problem."

At Bittersweet Farms in Pemberville, participants are given the opportunity to spend the days farming, doing craft projects, gardening, or taking day trips hiking or to the zoo. The facility also serves as a permanent residence for autistic young adults.

Ms. Czerniejewski’s daughters have attended camp for several summers and she hopes they will someday become residents at Bittersweet.

"Every parent’s idea is for [their children] to eventually live on their own or gosh darn close to it," Ms. Czerniejewski says. "And we haven’t lost that because of a diagnosis... Bittersweet is helping them an awful lot. The girls love it."

For children and adults who have a loved one living with cancer, ProMedica offers CHAMPS, a summer camp and series of evening sessions meant to help participants cope and connect with others sharing their experience. The camp includes staple summer activities like swimming and games as well as art therapy in a friendly environment.

Contact Ashley Sepanski at: asepanski@theblade.com or 419-724-6082.