It’s hard to believe, but another school year is coming to a close. It may seem like just yesterday that you were shopping for school supplies and getting your kids outfitted for the first day of school but those days are long gone. Summer vacation is around the corner and it presents a whole host of new and exciting opportunities for growth and adventure.
Whether or not you love the heat, there’s something special about summertime. The long summer evenings, fireflies twinkling in the backyard, your kids grinning over a slice of watermelon. The lack of stress and structure can be a great chance to explore an area of interest without a rush. There’s no need to hurry home after summer camp to write an essay or drill spelling words. Instead, kids can delight in the newness of a just-found hobby. That freedom is, itself, part of the wonder of summer.
If you’re looking for a place to find new experiences and bring out your kids’ creativity, there’s no better place than an art summer camp. With unique daily activities and an open-minded approach to discovering materials, textures, and possibilities, there are endless chances to find a new passion.
Try new things.
Have you ever tried something you never thought you’d like, maybe a new food, only to discover it’s your new favorite? Sometimes stepping out of your comfort zone is the only way to fully step into yourself, and one way to do that is to try a lot of new creative modalities. Some art summer camps are like tasting menus—a leaf craft one day, melted crayon art the next, painting with acrylics after that. This gives art camp attendees a chance to try out a bunch of arts and crafts and to discover which medium they love the most. Other art summer camps are more focused on a single modality. If your child is already an aspiring artist, you might be looking for an art camp with a focus on illustration or pencil drawing. Even if that’s the case, consider encouraging your kiddo to explore new media as well—you never know when a new creative language will speak to your heart. Art camp is the perfect time to find out.
Get your hands dirty.
Not all art summer camps are messy (an illustration summer camp would be pretty mess-free) but some include a lot of hands-on artwork. This can actually be a terrific opportunity for kids to have a new sensory experience and use their hands in new ways. If you’ve ever touched wet clay or finger-painted you know that these activities come with a distinct sensation and sense of ownership over what you’ve created. Absent the distance and control created by a brush or a pencil, your kids can learn new ways to express their emotional worlds. Bringing out their creative side at art camp can become an avenue for more conscious self-expression and understanding.
Feel the power.
All types of creative summer camps (music camp, dance camp, and the like) give your kids a chance to be inventive and expressive. Still, visual arts are different in that they result in a physical object you can look at and experience over time. Taking home a sculpture or a painting that you created, something that expresses your process with the materials and textures, is a powerful thing. When your kids attend art camp they get to take that experience home. All year long, through the trials of school and sports and classroom drama, they can come look at what they’ve created. They can remember that they have the capacity for creativity in them, and that knowledge may help them through tough moments. It’s empowerment that really lasts.
Summer is the time to unleash your creative side, whether you’re a kid or an adult. If you want to give your child all the beautiful benefits of creative play and exploration, take a moment to find a nearby art summer camp.