June 22, 2005
Summer camps give gifted children a chance to grow
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Where can a smart kid discover the secrets of being a detective, what it's like to be a veterinarian or learn about the physics of flight?
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Gifted children of all ages will have a chance to learn those things and more, thanks to two summer camp programs being offered in June and July at Purdue University.
The Gifted Education Resource Institute is offering Super Summer 2005 for ages 4 through fourth grade and Summer Camps 2005 for grades five through 12.
Super Summer gives younger children designated as students of high ability a chance to participate in programs that go beyond traditional classroom lessons. Classes are divided into three age levels: Asteroid, for children in pre-kindergarten through kindergarten; Meteorite, for first and second grades; and Meteor, for third and fourth grades.
Super Summer is divided into three Monday through Friday sessions: Session 1, June 20-24; Session 2; June 27 through July 1; and Session 3, July 11-15. Within each session, students can take a morning class (from 8 a.m. to noon), an afternoon class (1-5 p.m.) or both. The classes will take place on the fifth floor of the Steven C. Beering Hall of Liberal Arts and Education.
Among the classes offered are how to have fun with computers, exploring math in a hands-on way; meteorology; introduction to acting, chemistry and poetry; and learning the power of persuasion to "get your way."
Nicole Harmon, Super Summer coordinator, said gifted children make great strides academically from the program, but it has social benefits, too.
"They finally get the chance to be with kids that are just as smart as they are," she said. "Intellectually, they're at a very different place from other kids their age, but developmentally, they're in the same place."
For older children, Summer Camps, which has been held on the Purdue campus for the past 28 years, gives students a chance to live on campus in Purdue's Hillenbrand Hall and experience college life.
Age groups include Comet, for students who have completed grades five and six; Star, for those who have completed grades seven and eight; and Pulsar, for those who have finished grades nine to 12.
The groups are broken into several one- and two-week sessions:
• The Comet I group meets June 19-25; Comet II meets June 26 through July 2; and Comet III will be July 10-16.
• The Star I group started June 19 and runs through July 2, and Star II runs from July 3-16. Star students take both a morning and afternoon class.
• The Pulsar I group started June 19 and continues until July 2, and Pulsar II will be from July 3-16. Pulsar students also take one class in the morning and one in the afternoon. There also is an all-day option.
Topics covered in Summer Camps include chemistry, 3-D modeling and animation, law and debate, electrical engineering, creative writing, a mini-med school, and forensic science.
Nancy Bangel, Summer Camps coordinator, said the camp gives gifted children a chance to be challenged in ways they often aren't.
"Many of these children are used to schoolwork being easy, so these classes give them the opportunity to push themselves," Bangel said. "At first, some of them don't think they can do it. But after they succeed, it really boosts their self-esteem."
Even though camp has begun, there are openings in a few courses. For more information on enrollment, call (765) 494-7243.
The Gifted Education Resource Institute at Purdue's College of Education has conducted research in the psychology of gifted and talented children and their families for more than 27 years. The institute also works with pre-service teachers and teachers in the field to help them meet the needs of gifted students in their classes and offers an Indiana teaching licensure program in gifted education.
Writer: Kim Medaris, (765) 494-6998, kmedaris@purdue.edu
Sources: Nancy Bangel, (765) 494-7301, bangeln@purdue.edu
Nicole Harmon, (765) 494-9671, nharmon@puurdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
PHOTO CAPTION:
From left, Peter Baumgarten, an eighth-grader fromÊRoosevelt Middle School in River Forest, Ill., and Stephen Taller, a freshman from John Adams High School in South Bend, Ind., work on a flying machine they created in a physics of flight class Thursday (June 23). The students were among those taking part in Purdue University's Summer Camps 2005, a program for gifted children. (Purdue News Service photo/David Umberger)
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