Traditional camps with sports, crafts and camping are always a good idea and they teach many life lessons. However, as your children get older, doing the same thing every year will start to bore them. As your children grow up, they will also be searching inside of themselves for who they want to be and what they want to do. This can be a very frustrating time for children and adults alike, but it doesn’t have to be. In fact, it can be an exciting time to begin career exploration through summer enrichment programs for high school students. It is a great time to bond with your teen and an opportunity to have discussions about their interests and potential career choices.
One fun way that I began to explore my career interests, before I started college was through skill-learning camps. These summer enrichment programs are now increasingly more popular at local colleges and you can find all kinds of cool vocational programs, academic summer camps, and skill learning camps available both locally and nationally (with boarding options).
Types Of Summer Enrichment Programs
Academic Achievement Camps
If you child needs to brush up on some academic skills and improve their math or English performance, academic achievement summer enrichment programs can be just the ticket. Alternatively, if you child is a top performer and wants to fit in some extra learning that they can’t fit into their normal high school schedule, this can also be perfect.
Career Oriented Programs
If you child is beginning to show interest in a particular career field, a career oriented summer program can work to help them determine two things. That is, if they really are interested and if they show promise in the area. From STEM programs to engineering classes to forensic camp to law camp…there are all kinds of great programs available at local universities over the summer for high school students.
Examples of Skill-Learning Camps in Middle Tennessee:
There are so many summer enrichment programs and skill learning camps offered across the country. However, this list will focus primarily on camps here in Middle Tennessee. However, if you live in a different region, I assure you that there are plenty of similar camps out there. I encourage you to use these as inspiration and find one near you!
CSI: MTSU
This forensic science camp for 9th graders-college freshman is offered at the Middle Tennessee State University campus in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. It is a 4-day camp where an actual crime scene is recreated for groups of students to investigate.
Lipscomb Law Camp
Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee offers a 4-day Law Camp each year. This is the perfect opportunity for high school students who are interested in the field of law. Members of the Tennessee Bar Association volunteer each year and work very hard to make it a memorable experience. Students visit law firms and study a basic aspect of law. They end the week with a law-related project to show off both their natural talent and their knowledge.
iD Tech Camps
Vanderbilt University in Nashville hosts iD Tech camps for 7-17 years old each year. These camps teach kids how to design video games, engineer robots and produce films. Essentially, everything involving technology skills is taught at this camp. It is also offered at other campuses nationwide, such as UNC-Chapel Hill and Princeton.
Which of these summer enrichment programs or skill-learning camps would you recommend? What other career exploration camps would you suggest?
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