Need to Know: Summer Camps with Birmingham Community Education

Summertime activities abound this year for K-12 students. Enrollment is still open for Birmingham Community Education's summer camps, offering students a taste of the arts, athletics, academics and many specialty classes.

The camps are open to the public inside and outside of the district, and many can be selected on a weekly basis, allowing parents the flexibility to work around planned vacations.

“Our summer camps were designed and selected with kids in mind,” said Jill Reichenbach Fill, Birmingham Community Education (BCE) specialist. “We have a variety of activities to choose from, so parents and students can really tailor the camps to their personal interests. Our summer camps are incredibly flexible for students and their parents.”

This year, the BCE 2011 Summer Fun Guide features classes and camps related to technology, swimming, theater, athletics, dance, chess, arts, science, prekindergarten and other topics. Among the options available this summer are:

• Camp Super Summer (Grades 1-5): Students may select their own classes on a weekly basis during this summer camp held at . New this year to Camp Super Summer is the addition of mini-specialty camps, which encompass the very best of past Super Summer classes to create two-hour morning blocks in areas such as rocketry, model car making, pottery and more. 
• Camp T-6-8: This middle school-appropriate camp, held at Birmingham Covington School, combines a technology-focused morning with a variety of activity options in the afternoon. Camp T-6-8, like Camp Super Summer, runs on a weekly basis, so parents can select the week or weeks that work within their summer schedule.
• Preschool option: Preschoolers have a place to socialize and learn about insects, outdoor activities, animals and crafts this summer with the BCE preschool program. The program is held at Birmingham Covington School, so parents enrolling children in Camp Super Summer or Camp T-6-8 don’t have to drop off their children to multiple locations.
• Legos camps: All About Learning has been educating youths in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math since 2002. The All About Learning camps, held at , feature hands-on Legos classes for students in Grades 1-8.
• Technology: Funutation Tekademy Computer and Robot camps are open this summer, offering cutting-edge programs that are educational and fun. With a 10:1 student-teacher ratio, students are assured of getting individual attention. For ages 7-15. The camp is held at Seaholm.
• Hip-Hop Dance: Burning Nett’s Youth Sports Hip-Hop Dance Crews will host a summer camp designed to combine both fitness and healthful living with creative arts. Campers in Grades K-8 are invited to attend this fun camp Monday-Friday at .
• Athletics: Challenger Sports brings British Soccer Camps to Birmingham this year. The camps provide young players with the rare opportunity to receive high-level soccer coaching from a team of international experts. The program caters to students as young as 3 years old and as old as 18.The camps is held at .
• Gregory Kelser Basketball Camp: For the first time at , Greg Kelser, a retired basketball player for Michigan State and the Detroit Pistons and current television commentator, will host a basketball camp for children ages 7-17. Children interested in basketball will truly enjoy this camp.

For more information on the summer camps or to register, pick up a BCE 2011 Summer Fun Guide at any Birmingham Public Schools location, visit communityed.net or call 248-203-3000.