ECC gears up for kids' summer camps

From training to be a junior sous chef to building Lego robots, children and teens will learn a variety of skills in the areas of arts, entertainment, science, technology, and nature as part of Elgin Community College's summer enrichment day camps.

Registration is now open for ECC's Kids' College, which offers 65 camps, including classes for young inventors, summer theater, money management, creating iPhone game apps and survival in the wild. The college runs Monday through Thursday starting June 22 through July 30. All classes are held at ECC's campus, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin.

The camps are funded through enrollment fees and have been organized by the Department of Continuing Education - an auxiliary arm of ECC - for more than seven years, said Karin Quist, course developer.

"We've been growing," Quist said. "Last year, we had about 400 people participate. We add about 10 percent (enrollment) every year."

Camps range in price from $139 to $375. Early registration is recommended as space is limited. The camps are open to children from throughout ECC's footprint, including Algonquin, Bartlett, Carpentersville, East and West Dundees, Elgin, Gilberts, Streamwood, St. Charles and Wayne. Fees are the same for out-of-district students.

Most of the participants are between 9 and 11 years old, though the camps are open to children ages 6 to 15 years old. Roughly half the participants are newcomers to Kids' College, Quist said.

"Basically, what we are doing is enrichment for students ... the type of things that they don't necessary get at school," Quist said. "It keeps their mind and body active in the summer, and it's something based on their own interests."

What differentiates ECC's summer camps from those offered by school and park districts is the variety of courses offered, she added.

"We've got a big facility to work with," Quist said. "We try not to duplicate what's going on elsewhere in the community. Our age range is great so entire families can participate."

Each year, ECC has been increasing its course offerings and often has multiple sections for popular camps.

"A hot one is Anime and Manga," Quist said of Japanese animated films and comics that are all the rage.

Also new this year are advanced sewing and international music and rhythms.

In the international music and rhythms camp, children 6 to 10 years old will explore music from a variety of cultures, such as drums from Africa, learn vocabulary from Bolivia, Creole, New Orleans, and Brazil, and practice the songs and dances of Greece and Puerto Rico. It will be led by a member of The Field Museum educational department, who also runs the anthropology academy focusing on Rome.

None of the camp instructors are ECC faculty members. Classes are taught by experienced instructors with expertise in a particular area, or someone associated with a vendor or an educational package, and local professionals. Materials are provided for the classes unless otherwise noted in the Kids' College brochure.

While the course for basic cooking filled up early, registration for all camps will remain open until the week before classes begin.

"We'll take in as many as we can," Quist said. "A lot of the courses that are building now are technology courses, computer programming, robotics with Lego, computer game-making, those get a lot of interest."

For more information, call Quist at (847) 214-7123 or visit elgin.edu/kidscollege for a complete catalog of courses.