ment in summer day camp is designed to feed kids’ natural inquisitiveness. At the Cleveland Natural History Museum, camp


themes and activities during the day are geared toward getting kids to ask questions in an environ- ment where plenty of visual aids drive the discussion. “We have activities (at camp) where the kids aren’t


just following instructions, but they’re having hands- on experiences where they’re engaged the whole time,” says Carin Miller, director of education at the museum. Story problems can seem abstract in a classroom


when kids are reading through them in textbooks. In the case of the 1,500-pound giraffe, however, children have the opportunity to see problem first-hand. Campers learn to solve problems like this, Fifer says, and then brainstorm solutions with others. They master this approach at summer camp, which can help a child in school and in life.


Try and try again Part of problem solving is learning it can take


time to find a solution. “At our camps, kids are learning so many new


skills [that] they usually don’t get things right on their first try,” says Margaret Roulett, museum educator at Hale Farm & Village in Bath. Throughout the summer, Hale Farm offers


a variety of one-day summer camps where children have a chance to step into someone else’s shoes, whether it’s a potter, a weaver, a gardener, a naturalist, a pioneer, a broom maker or even a Civil War soldier. Part of the camp experience is receiving instructions from someone in how to do something. “Weaving is a difficult skill to pick up,”


Roulett says. “But we’ve seen kids come in and not be able to do some- thing at the beginning, then they keep trying and it’s amazing how their skills can improve within a day.” Summer camp provides children with the time to work through solving


a problem, whether it’s figuring out the right technique to craft a vase at Hale Farm or how to extract strawberry DNA at the Cleveland Natural History Museum.


Challenging the camper When choosing a camp, parents might consider something more


challenging rather than just picking an activity the child already enjoys. “Of course, kids are drawn to camps where they have an interest,” says


Carolyn Levers-Landis, Ph.D., a child psychologist at Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital. “But it might be a good idea to pick something they’re more neutral about or something they’re struggling with. I wouldn’t push a child, but I’d talk to him, maybe say something like, ‘Hey, I know science hasn’t been your top thing, or math, but this camp might make it more fun for you in the future.’” The biggest benefit of these types of summer programs might be


helping children understand that if they’re struggling with certain topics at school, they might be better at it than they think when they have a chance to explore the topic in a new way. The result: problem solved.


Kristen J. Gough of Solon is an award-winning writer and mother of three. She is a Family magazine blogger. Read about her family’s food adventures at MyKidsEatSquid.com. (Yes, they eat squid. We asked.)


www.NEOhioFamily.com / May 2012 21


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32