Tag Archives: teens

2019: Meaningful/Enriching Summer Programs On A Shoestring (for ages 12-25)

By lornasheridan on 01/28/2019 | Leave a comment

I have been busy with my day job as managing editor of the Sonoma Index-Tribune and I have unfortunately neglected this blog! I am already getting lots of questions about summer programs so here are the 2019 listings and links. Some of these programs change their web site addresses annually. If the link I provide doesn’t work, don’t give up, just google the program name and let me know. If you would like me to delve into new areas, send me a request.

Free programs are great not only because they are free (!) but they tend also to be much more impressive to colleges (because they tend to be selective). The best ones (free and selective) require applications right now.

My rule of thumb for what constitutes a good value is a sleepaway/residential program that is FREE or less than $750/week… so I have about 30 here that are FREE and then the others are around $500 for the week (or less). I have tried to group them by category, please scroll to the very bottom to see them all. Comment with any that I might have missed. I apologize if any prices have changed since I gathered the data.

OUTDOORS

Appalachian Mountain Club Trail Crew –– My son did this and loved it. Kids 15+ can get work experience and/or volunteer hours working with other teens on the AT. The cost is around $280 a week. They live in tents and food, etc. is provided. Locations in MA , NH and ME but teens from all over are welcome. The cost is tax-deductible.

Habitat for Humanity offers 7-10 day Learn & Build project trips for $550 (also tax-deductible) for teens ages 16-18. You choose your job site building houses and living with your team. You need to get yourself to the site but there is likely to be one near you. My son did this in Milwaukee last year and loved it.

The National Park Service has a Youth Conservation Corps. program where teens spend 8-10 weeks living at a National Park site, working for pay on the trails with other teens.

The Student Conservation Assoc. invites students ages 15-19 to work on a National Crew from 3-5 weeks at a key national Park Service site somewhere in the country. The crew lives in tents and cooks their own meals. FREE and all meals, accommodations are covered, you just need to get yourself to the site.

Vermont Trout Camp is June 22-26, 2014. Campers (age 13-16) will be introduced to the basics of fly fishing through a series of fun and engaging outdoor activites. Participants will learn from some of Vermont’s most accomplished fly anglers and conservationists. Campers will learn about fish biology, fish habitat and stream ecology as well as aquatic entomology. $450. There is also a Maine Trout Camp.

WOOFING — Students 18 and up can work on an organic farm anywhere in the world and have room and board covered so that they are just responsible for their travel there. They can stay a few weeks or a few months. My daughter is WOOFing in Ireland this year. FREE

The least expensive outdoorsy sleepaway summer camps for ages 10-15 are almost certainly 4-H camps (less than $500 week). The cool thing is, you can pick a location you (as parents) might want to vacation, and you could always have your child attend camp there. Three years ago our son did a week at Camp Farley on Cape Cod and had a ball. His new friends couldn’t believe he was from CA.

OVERSEAS

Culturalvistas.org — The American Youth Leadership Program with Singapore and Malaysia is a FREE international exchange experience for ages 15-17 supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The goal is to expose high school students and educators to U.S. – Singapore and U.S. – Malaysia relations through the lens of the effect of sustainable development on urban planning. A pre-departure orientation that prepares participants for a three-week experience in Singapore and Malaysia (June 28 – July 24, 2014) Post-program implementation of education and service projects which highlight the learning that took place during the program. Teachers can also apply to travel with the group.

nsliforyouth.org — The National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) program was launched in 2006 to promote critical language learning among American youth. The U.S. Department of State, in cooperation with American Councils for International Education, awards merit-based scholarships to high school students for summer and academic year immersion programs in locations where the seven NSLI-Y languages are spoken. NSLI-Y immerses participants in the cultural life of the host country, giving them invaluable formal and informal language practice — Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Hindi, Korean, Persian (Tajiki), Russian, and Turkish. Students ages 15-18 can apply for this FREE U.S. State Dept. program which is either a full summer or a school year overseas. Students do not need any previous language study. My daughter did this program in Chengdu, China… comment to me for more information. The deadline is November.

Critical Language Scholarship Program (CLS) — The CLS Program is part of a U.S. government effort to expand dramatically the number of Americans studying and mastering critical need foreign languages. Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) institutes provide fully-funded (FREE) group-based intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment experiences for seven to ten weeks for U.S. citizen undergraduate and graduate students.

Eurasian Regional Language Program (ERLP) — The American Councils Eurasian Regional Language program provides graduate students, advanced undergraduates, scholars, and working professionals with intensive individualized instruction in the languages of Eurasia. Participants may in enroll in semester, academic year, or summer programs. All courses are conducted by expert faculty from leading local universities and educational institutions. FREE

Bronfman Youth Fellowship in Israel — The Bronfman Youth Fellowship offers a 5-week summer program in Israel that educates and inspires exceptional young Jews from diverse backgrounds to become active participants in Jewish culture throughout their lives, and to contribute their talents and vision to the Jewish community and to the world at large. High School Juniors from the United States and Canada who will be at least sixteen by July of 2012 are eligible for the FREE Fellowship.

CIEE South Korea — This FREE two-week program includes scheduled excursions, including a day visit to the Demilitarized Zone dividing North and South Korea, visits to ancient palaces, a home visit with a Korean family, a trip to the National Museum of Korea. Students must not have visited South Korea in recent years or had much exposure to Korean culture, customs, and/or daily life; be a U.S. citizen; be entering 10th, 11th, 12th grade or have just graduated from high school; have a GPA of 3.0 or higher. More info is here.

Israel Birthright trip — The nation of Israel offers a free 10-day trip for ages 18-32 if you have any Jewish heritage and you have never been to the country before. Read more here.

Irish birthright trip – This similar program has been cancelled, unfortunately.

These listings change each year. Read about the complete set of offerings here.

LANGUAGE STUDY

STARTALK — FREE government sponsored day camps and residential sleep-away language camp programs across the United State where students ages 12-18 can learn Arabic, Chinese, Dari, Hindi, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Swahili, Turkish, and Urdu. The choices for 2014 won’t be available until late winter. For the residential programs, students live on a college campus. Teachers can also apply.

The Federal Service Language Academy is a great, low-cost idea for rising sophomores, juniors and seniors who want to pursue language studies and possibly a career in the foreign service. The program runs June 8-27 or July 6-25 for 2014. For twenty-one days, students are immersed in a foreign language and culture in an academic environment hosted by the University of North Georgia. You live in a residence hall with students who are learning the same language and communicate in your language as much as possible. Guest speakers from federal agencies like the US Department of State, FBI, CIA, Army or Homeland Security will present information on careers in their specialties. Students can get academic credit for successful achievement of first or second-year Arabic, Chinese, Korean, German, Russian, or Portuguese proficiency levels. The cost is $1895 for three weeks.

ARTS

Auburn University Summer Symphonic Band Camp — You won’t find a better bargain than $350 for a week of sleep away band camp for middle and high school students.

The California State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA) is a rigorous pre-professional training program in the visual and performing arts, creative writing, animation, and film for talented artists in grades 9 – 12. Its purpose is to provide a training ground for future artists who wish to pursue careers in the arts and entertainment industries in California. Students apply for the opportunity to study in one of the School’s seven departments. They may receive 3 units of CSU elective credit for successful participation. The cost is $1550 for 4 weeks, and students live in a dorm at Cal Arts.

University of Michigan Summer Performing Institutes — MPulse is on the Ann Arbor campus and designed to inspire high school students to exciting new levels of excellence in music performance, music technology, musical theatre, theatre, and dance. MPulse provides an opportunity for approximately 200 young musicians and performing artists to gain exposure to the rigorous training provided by the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance (SMTD). Grades 9-12.

There is an inexpensive residential Fashion Design Camp at Texas Women’s University for ages 10-18. And one for middle school students at University of Georgia, that my daughter did last summer.

Northern Illinois University has a variety of residential camps for middle and high school students at around $500 for the week..

University of Wisconsin offers both a middle school and a high school residential Summer Art Studio Camp .

HUMANITIES

High School Great Books Program at Thomas Aquinas College. Each summer for two weeks, high school students from around the country join members of the teaching faculty on the campus of Thomas Aquinas College for spirited conversation, engaging firsthand some of the best works of the past 2,500 years. They read and discuss works selected from the masters of the Western intellectual tradition, including Plato, Euclid, Sophocles, Shakespeare, St. Thomas Aquinas, Pascal, and Boethius. In addition to daily sports, occasional movies, and hiking in the hills surrounding the campus, the program includes trips to the Getty Museum, a concert in Los Angeles, and Santa Barbara for volleyball on the beach and exploration of the historic city. Open to students who have completed three years of high school by summer 2014. Cost is $975 for tuition, housing, meals, books, and organized activities off campus.

Thomas Moore College in New Hampshire has a very similar Great Books summer residential program for $895 for two weeks.

Princeton Summer Journalism Program. SJP welcomes about 20 high school students from low-income backgrounds every summer to Princeton’s campus for a FREE intensive, 10-day seminar on journalism. Low-income high school juniors living in the continental US with at least a 3.5 GPA and an interest in journalism. Travel is paid for as well.

TASP A Telluride Association Summer Program (TASP) is a FREE six-week humanities and social sciences educational experience for high school juniors that offers challenges and rewards rarely encountered in secondary school or even college.

TASS A Telluride Association Sophomore Seminar (TASS) is a FREE six-week educational experience for high school sophomore that focuses African-American studies and related fields. High school sophomores from around the world.

Carleton College Liberal Arts Experience is a summer program designed for the best and brightest college-bound students representing high schools across the country. The Carleton Liberal Arts Experience (CLAE) will select 50 high school students who have just completed their sophomore year and bring them to Carleton for a FREE one-week summer program. The CLAE program introduces the strengths of a liberal arts education through an array of courses in science, art, social sciences, and technology. In addition, workshops are offered to assist participants with their high school and college careers.

Auburn University’s Creative Writing Studio for rising 9th -12th graders is $475 for a residential experience.

UCLA offers a FREE writing foundations residential summer program (three days).

LEADERSHIP

Girls State & Boys State — American Legion Boys State and American Legion Auxiliary Girls State are the premier programs for teaching how government works while developing leadership skills & an appreciation for your rights as a citizen. 2-3 rising senior boys and 1 rising senior girl from each high school in America is eligible to participate. Ask your school for details. As a participant in the program you, will run for office, learn public speaking, create and enforce laws and actively participate in all phases of creating and running a working government in this exciting and fun week-long FREE summer program. My daughter did this in 2013 in CA.

Pepperdine University Youth Citizenship Seminar The Southern California Youth Citizenship Seminar at Pepperdine University is a five-day, FREE program designed to provide a creative opportunity for 250 outstanding high school juniors to interact with today’s leaders, explore current national and world topics, discuss constructive solutions to critical issues, and share memorable interaction with your peers.

The U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis offers several FREE programs for high school students. Students are invited to spend a week checking our all aspects of the Naval Academy. You just need to get yourself to Maryland.

MATH, SCIENCE, ENGINEERING

Stanford Medical Youth Science Program The SMYSP Summer Residential Program (SRP) is an annual five-week science- and medicine-based enrichment program that takes place from mid-June to late July, and is held on the campus of Stanford University. Students live in dorms. Students must be sophomores or juniors from northern or central California and be low-income or a first-generation college student. FREE

Texas Tech Clark Scholars The Clark Scholar Program is an intensive seven week summer research program for highly qualified high school juniors and seniors. The Program at Texas Tech University helps the Scholars to have a hands-on practical research experience with outstanding and experienced faculty. The program is FREE and Scholars will receive a $750 tax-free stipend as well as room and board.

Summer Math and Science Honors Academy. SMASH scholars spend five weeks each summer at a SMASH site on a college campus (currently at UC Berkeley, Stanford, UCLA and USC) immersed in rigorous STEM classes. SMASH Scholars live on campus for five weeks each of three summers (after their 9th, 10th and 11th grade years) with other high potential Black, Latino/a, Native American, Southeast Asian or Pacific Islander high school students. FREE

Summer Program for Mathematics and Science — The Summer Academy for Mathematics and Science is a FREE rigorous residential six-week summer experience at Carnegie-Mellon for good students who have a strong interest in math and science and want to become excellent students. SAMS applicants must be at least 15 years old and have completed their sophomore year of high school to participate in this program.

University of Michigan offers a one-week residential Summer Engineering Exploration Camp for $495 for rising sophomore, juniors and seniors from anywhere in the country. The tuition covers room and board but you have to get yourself there.

Santa Clara Summer Engineering Seminars are for rising seniors. The week living on campus at Santa Clara is completely FREE.

Mizzou Engineering — The University of Missouri offers a weeklong residential engineering camp for $500. There are two sessions in July — Come see how your math and science talents can pave the way for a rewarding career in engineering.

SAME are Army Engineering & Construction Camps for rising juniors and seniors. There are several residential options and locations. The cost is just $50.

ASM Materials summer residential (week-long) programs for rising juniors and seniors are completely FREE.

More math ideas, some free, some not.

Engineering for middle and high school students. The University of Texas at Arlington offers a series of one-week residential engineering camps for students in middle school and high school. The camps are $375 for a week camp. My son did one after 7th grade and I highly recommend them. They live in the dorms and learn about all the different fields within engineering.

NC State University offers rising 11th and 12th grade students the opportunity to explore engineering and college life at NC State through our residential HS programs. Students spend a week on campus, live in the dorms, eat in the dining halls, meet like-minded students from all over the globe and immerse themselves in a specific engineering workshop of their choosing. The cost is $700/week.

BUSINESS/FINANCE/ECONOMICS

These camps are surprisingly hard to find…

Chapman University Economic Summer Institute for High School Students. The objective of these FREE summer workshops on campus at Chapman is to expose students to and get them interested in the foundations of economic analysis using experimental economics.. Students must be high school juniors and seniors.

FEE Summer Economics Seminars for high school and college students are totally FREE and some travel scholarships are available. My daughter did one in 2013 and it was incredible. They take place at college campuses in various cities and are just a few days long. For the last 50 years, FEE’s goal in hosting introductory economics seminars has been to give students the tools needed to answer or find answers to some of the most difficult economic questions. Students with an interest in economics, history, politics, social science, philosophy, education, business, or current events are all encouraged to apply.

OLAB (Opportunities to Learn About Business) — This camp in mid-July is for risings seniors is completed FREE (business sponsors cover your cost). The camps is at Wabash College in Indiana. It is a one-week hands-on introduction to business and the market economy.

The Model UN Summer Institute at Harvard Business School is a surprising bargain at $595 for the week.

POLICE/FIRE

The California Cadet Academy is a FREE residential summer camp in Napa for high-school aged students who are interested in becoming Firefighters, Police officers and Emergency Medical Technicians. Cadets who attend the Academy are trained in fire science, law enforcement and basic first aid (CPR certificate issued). It is open to non-CA residents I think. If not, each state has one.

GENERAL CAMPS

Auburn University has a series of very cool one-week residential camps in every possible topic including:

Architecture Camp
Art: Summer Art Studio Intensive
Building Construction Camp
Civil Air Patrol Engineering Technologies Academy
College of Architecture Academic Success Action Program (ASAP)
Creative Writing Studio
Design Workshop (Industrial Design)
Digital Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) Camp
Engineering Camps: JR and SR TIGERS
Engineering Camps: Women in Engineering
Fish (and Aquaculture) Camp
KEMET(Knowledge, Excellence, Mathematics, Equilibrium, Technology) Academy
Musical Theatre Camp
Project Design Week (Fashion and Interior Design)
REAL Cents REAL Change℠ Summer Camp (Financial Management and Philanthropic Impact)
Robo Camp
Science Matters Summer Academy (For Elementary Students)
Summer Youth Experiences in Science (YES) Camp
Vet Camp
World Affairs Youth Seminar

Costs range from $500-$700 for the week. Search here.

Clemson University offers a Summer Scholars program of one-week camps for rising 7th – 12th graders at very reasonable prices. Course choices include:

Animal & Medical Science
Automotive Engineering w/ CU-ICAR — my son did this and it was incredible but it fills up early
Beyond ER
Bioengineering
Biology
Civil Engineering
Computer Science and Engineering
Debate!
Explorations in Architecture
Exploring the Nano World Through the Electron Microscope
Multi Media Journalism
The PandA (Physics and Astronomy) Experience!

COLLEGE VISITS

U.C. Berkeley offers a FREE “experience Cal” program each June for rising seniors. This two-day residential program on the UC Berkeley campus is for university-bound high school and community college students. The program is offered at no cost; however, all of our students are expected to provide their own transportation to the Berkeley campus and back.

SCIENCE RESEARCH – RESIDENTIAL

MITES is a FREE six-week residential summer program at MIT (for rising seniors) during which students have the opportunity to experience a demanding academic atmosphere and to begin building the self-confidence necessary for success at America’s top universities. This program also stresses the value and reward of pursuing advanced technical degrees and careers while developing the skills necessary to achieve success in science and engineering.

Research Science Institute The RSI academic program is a FREE intensive, six-week introduction to scientific research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). High school juniors from around the world

Education Roundup XLIII: Checklist for college kids, parenting preteen boys, screen time, likeability and much more

By lornasheridan on 03/04/2017 | 1 Comment

Note: If you are looking for my list of free and low-cost summer experiences for middle schoolers and teens, see the blog here: https://educationroundupnational.com/2016/11/30/2017-edition-meaningfulenriching-summer-programs-on-a-shoestring-for-ages-12-25/

Parental depression: A recent study in Developmental Psychology finds that maternal depression is actually most common among mothers of middle school children as they enter the tween years. Parenting a tween may even be harder than mothering an infant. The study authors surveyed more than 2,200 well-educated mothers about their personal well-being, including their mental health, parenting experiences and perceptions of their children’s behavior. They found that the years surrounding the onset of adolescence are among the most difficult times for mothers; and that during this period of transition, women can feel lonely and dissatisfied with their mothering roles. http://tinyurl.com/j3yw6fr

***

Insomnia: If your children (or you) have trouble sleeping, there are five house plants that you can put in the bedroom that might help. The 18 million people who saw this information on the same video I did can’t all be wrong. The plants each have either a scent that helps with sleep or oxygen generating/air quality improving attributes. They are lavender, aloe vera, English Ivy and white jasmine. Worth a try. www.facebook.com/ninachkahov/posts/10209581571270750

***

Help for introverts: If you worry about the future success of your quiet child in a world that seems to favor and reward extroverts, you might enjoy the podcast by Susan Cain, the bestselling author of “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking.” Cain hosts this 10-part weekly series on parenting and teaching introverted children. She discusses why quiet kids are unique and require different parenting and teaching methods from their extroverted peers. She and her guests discuss how parents and schools can help introverts thrive, how social media allows quiet children to express themselves in ways that were never possible before, the neuroscience of introversion and more. http://tinyurl.com/hhoc7bf

Late babies: A new study has found that women have better cognitive function later in life if…

They had their last baby after age 35
They used hormonal contraceptives for more than 10 years or
They first got their period before turning 13

A researcher at USC said, “Based on the findings, we would certainly not recommend that women wait until they’re 35 to have their last child, but the study provides strong evidence that there is a positive association between later age at last pregnancy and late-life cognition.” The reason appears to be linked to estrogen’s beneficial impact on brain chemistry, function and structure, and progesterone’s link with growth and development of brain tissue. http://tinyurl.com/zg8t7g9

***

Awesome parenting: Time.com recently ran a blog by Eric Garber with four tips to be an awesome parent.

Be a gardener not carpenter – Your job is to provide a safe space to grow, not to systematically build Frankenstein.
Children under 6 need play – Having an imaginary friend who happens to be a dragon named “Larry” is a good thing.
School-age kids need teaching – Help them build skills. Cooking, good. Bartending, not so good.
Teenagers need apprenticeships – They need to learn how to learn without you. And that means real world experience. http://tinyurl.com/h8en5s8

***

Empathetic states: Researchers have attempted to determine which states are the most empathetic, based on resident reaction to specific statements. Residents of Rhode Island, Montana, Vermont and Maine came out on top. California did pretty well at #9. Alabama, Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland and Indiana came out on the bottom. Researchers also found that the states with higher rates of empathy were more likely to have lower violent crime rates and increased rates of volunteering and happiness. The results were published in the Journal of Research in Personality. Read more at http://tinyurl.com/z8kh6ms.

***

Let’s move overseas: Sweden is the world’s best country to raise kids, according to the recent US News & World Report 2016 Best Countries rankings. The rankings aim to gauge global perceptions of different countries by examining specific attributes (human rights, family friendly, gender equality, happy, income equality, safe, well-developed public education system and well-developed health system). Other countries that did well include Denmark, Canada, the Netherlands and Australia, while Pakistan and Iran did poorly – two countries criticized by human rights groups for their treatment of women – are perceived to be the least ideal countries to raise kids. www.usnews.com/news/best-countries

***

Battling depression: Being active has been shown to alleviate some symptoms of depression in both teens and adults. Meanwhile, rates of depression in children appear to be on the rise. Scientists believe that children who exercise more, at a moderate to vigorous intensity, show fewer depressive symptoms years later. The study found that time sitting isn’t the problem, but instead the amount of time a child is truly active. In a new report published in Pediatrics, researchers looked at exercise habits and depressive symptoms over time in a large sample of children. http://tinyurl.com/gsxl7wf

***

Rich undergrads: At 38 colleges in America, including five in the Ivy League – Dartmouth, Princeton, Yale, Penn and Brown – more students come from the top 1 percent of the income scale than from the entire bottom 60 percent. You can see which schools these are, and look up specific colleges at http://tinyurl.com/hj88b7h.

***

Unlikeable people: I saw a great sign the other day that said “Negativity is the anti-charisma.” In a recent article called “Unmistakable Habits of Unlikeable People,” author Travis Bradberry lists a few more habits that he thinks play a role in (un)likability – http://tinyurl.com/zoyo34d.

Name-dropping
Being desperate for attention
Emotional hijackings (screaming, making people cry, etc.)
Humble-bragging
Whipping out your phone
Having a closed mind
Not asking questions of others
Gossiping
Sharing too much on social media

***

Debut novel: “The wealthy enclaves north of San Francisco are not the paradise they appear to be, and nobody knows this better than the students of a local high school. Despite being raised with all the opportunities money can buy, these vulnerable kids are navigating a treacherous adolescence in which every action, every rumor, every feeling, is potentially postable, shareable, viral.” So begins the new bestseller “The Most Dangerous Place on Earth” by Lindsay Lee Johnson, which is set in Marin.

***

Bolstering confidence: Experts now believe that better than telling your kids how awesome they are and that they can do anything they set their mind to, we should teach them the three qualities of: practice, patience and perseverance.

Practice, because effort coupled with feedback is critical to developing mastery and achieving excellence.
Patience, because mastery and meaningful accomplishment happen over a long time frame.
Perseverance, because obstacles are likely and setbacks are common in any endeavor.

Particularly important, says “What Great Parents Do” author Erica Reischer, is that we emphasize to our kids that success is defined by effort and step-by-step progress, not by comparison with others. http://tinyurl.com/hr4z9j9

***

Fake babies: According to new research from Australia, girls who take part in a fake infant virtual parenting programs are more likely to become pregnant than those who don’t take the course. The study authors say this method is not an efficient use of public funds in the effort to stop teen pregnancy. “It’s one thing to get results to say it doesn’t work, it’s another to get results that does the opposite,” study author Sally Brinkman told ABC News. RealityWorks, the largest fake baby company in the U.S. disputes the findings. http://tinyurl.com/h3mvm26

***

Nagging moms: Large scale research in England has found that parents’ super-high expectations for their teenage daughters – especially if they remind them constantly of those expectations – can influence whether young girls will grow up to become successful women. The researchers found that girls whose “main parent” – that’s usually the mother – consistently displayed high parental expectations were far less likely to fall into the traps that made the girls less likely to succeed in life. (http://tinyurl.com/z5y4as9) Specifically, these girls were:

Less likely to become pregnant as teenagers.
More likely to attend college.
Less likely to get stuck in dead-end, low-wage jobs.
Less likely to have prolonged periods of unemployment.

***

No school subjects: Finland is considered to have the best schools in the world and yet they are embarking on a huge change – removing school subjects from the curriculum. There will no longer be any classes in physics, math, literature, history or geography. Instead, students will study events and phenomena in an interdisciplinary format. For example, World War II will be examined from the perspective of history, geography and math. Beginning at age 16, students will choose which topic they want to study, bearing in mind their capabilities and ambitions for the future. The changes are expected to be complete by 2020.

***

Permission to plug in: The American Academy of Pediatrics has revised its guidelines for children and adolescents to reflect new research and new habits. The best news for busy parents is a loosening on the screen time for the littlest children. The new guidelines shift the focus from WHAT is on the screen to WHO else is in the room. For babies younger than 18 months, AAP still says no screens at all except live video chat. For ages 15 months to 2 years, experts now suggest avoiding solo media use and instead treat a video or an app like a picture book (watch it with them and discuss). For preschoolers age 2 to 5, AAP recommends Sesame Workshop and PBS and no more than an hour a day of screen use. http://tinyurl.com/grldwgu

***

International students: Enrollment numbers of international undergraduate students are up 79 percent from 10 years ago. Where are these students coming from? The top country is China, followed by Saudi Arabia, South Korea, India and Vietnam. http://tinyurl.com/jklytgt

***

In cigarette news: Vaping is gateway smoking: tenth graders who vaped often were about 10 times more likely to become regular smokers six months later, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association. “It’s such an emerging public health issue,” said lead author Adam Leventhal from USC’s school of medicine. “These teens aren’t just experimenting – a significant portion are progressing to more regular levels of smoking.” http://tinyurl.com/jbdnej4

***

Other cig news: As part of its plan to “phase out” conventional cigarettes, Philip Morris is introducing a new product, called IQOS, that heats tobacco instead of burning it. Users will supposedly experience 90 percent fewer toxins than in normal cigarettes. http://tinyurl.com/zaaugwj

***

Good chocolate news: Nestle has found a way to reduce the amount of sugar in chocolate by as much as 40 percent and it plans to start selling products with the new formulation in 2018. Dreyer has done something similar with its “slow-churned” method of making ice cream that reduces fat by half and calories by a third. http://tinyurl.com/z5ph3fk

***

Life hacks: Inc. magazine recently ran a great article on “8 Things Every Person Should Do Before 8 a.m.” Do these things first and you’ll have done the important stuff first,” says author Ben Hardy. The reasons supporting each are compelling and available online at www.stumbleupon.com/su/2iHp3V/

Get a healthy seven-plus hours of sleep
Prayer and meditation to facilitate clarity and abundance
Hard physical activity
Consume 30 grams of protein
Take a cold shower
Listen to or read uplifting content
Review your life vision
Do at least one thing toward long-term goals

***

Free magazines: Many local library are offering a new service that allows cardholders to read magazines from their mobile device or home computer. Zinio for Libraries has more than 160 popular full-color digital magazines to choose from and they look the same as the hard copy version. The collection of popular digital magazines includes both new and old titles with no wait list, no checkout periods, and no limits. www.zinio.com

***

Book suggestion: Should we pay children to read books or to get good grades? Is it ethical to pay people to test risky new drugs or to donate their organs? I recommend “What Money Can’t Buy” by Michael J. Sandel as a fun, thought-provoking holiday gift for teens or adults. The book is an easy read and will give your family plenty to talk about over the dinner table.

***

Gift for a fidgety kid: The Anti-Stress Cube has six sides, each with something to fidget with: Click. Glide. Flip. Roll. Spin. It is designed for kids and adults who likes to fidget to relieve anxiety and stress, kids with autism and ADHD and kids with sensory special needs. There are a few options, priced around $20. Take a look at www.thestresscube.com.

***

Lower math scores: The results of international PISA testing that compares 15-year-old students across 73 countries found that U.S. math scores were down and science and reading were flat. The top-performing country in all three subjects was Singapore. U.S. students scored below the international average in math, and at the international average in reading and science. One piece of good news was that the U.S. narrowed its achievement gap somewhat between low-income students and their higher-income peers. http://tinyurl.com/zd6xe7d

***

Summer trips: I have compiled a giant list of free and low-cost summer experiences for middle and high school students. The categories include outdoor adventures, art camps, language programs, overseas travel and more. Many are sleep-away (residential) programs on college campuses. Many of the best ones have deadlines right around now. Take a look with your student over the holiday break. www.educationroundupnational.com

***

Priorities today: Millennials would rather travel than buy a house or car, or even pay off debt, according to new research. The study asked more than 1,000 people aged 18 to 35 in the U.S., U.K. and China about their priorities for the next five years. http://tinyurl.com/h9jplsg

***

Popular study abroad locations: Most U.S. students who study abroad choose a European country. Last year, 54.5 percent – of the 313,415 U.S. students who studied abroad for academic credit – did so in Europe. The one non-European country among the top five destinations was China. Tops is England, then Italy, then Spain. Young women are twice as likely to study abroad as young men. http://tinyurl.com/jgax8e4. If your college student is or has studied abroad, ask him or her to send us a note about the experience to ourschools@sonomanews.com.***

Help for kids with special needs: There is a great list of 21 Chrome extensions for struggling students and special needs kids available at http://tinyurl.com/gnh4zol. The apps can assist students in five main categories including “text to speech,” readability, reading comprehension, focus and navigation.

***

Screen culprits: Parents spend more than nine hours a day with screen media. Common Sense Media has found that despite using media heavily throughout the day, parents overwhelmingly believe they are good role models for kids. Of that nine hours, the vast majority is personal media (seven-plus hours) and only slightly more than 90 minutes devoted to work media. Meanwhile, many parents are concerned about their children’s media use, including thinking that their children may become addicted to technology (56 percent) and that technology use negatively impacts their children’s sleep (34 percent). The study also found that parents from lower-income households spend more time with personal screen media (nine hours, 15 minutes) than middle-income parents (seven hours, 42 minutes), who spend more time than higher-income parents (six hours, 41 minutes); and parents with a high school degree or less spend the most time (nine hours, three minutes), as compared with parents with an undergraduate degree (six hours, 10 minutes). http://tinyurl.com/hjcqq3w

***

Headphones for kids: With so many kids using headphones these days, there are concerns about which are “safe for young ears.” Half of 8- to 12-year-olds listen to music daily, and nearly two-thirds of teenagers do, according to a 2015 report. Safe listening is a function of both volume and duration. So what are the best headphones to protect hearing? A testing team found the best overall pick for children was a Bluetooth model Puro BT2200 ($99.99). Toddlers liked the fit of Onanoff Buddyphones Explore ($29.99). For older children, ages 4 to 11, was JLab JBuddies Studio ($29.99). A pair of earbuds – Etymotic ETY Kids 3 ($49) and Puro IEM200 ($29.99) – did the best job at blocking outside sounds.

***

Top 10 parenting books: Need some advice dealing with your children? Here are some recommendations for the top 10 parenting books of this year, courtesy of collegeparentcentral.com. I have marked with a star the ones I have read and also recommend. (http://tinyurl.com/znodeoj)

• “The Gift of Failure” by Jessica Lahey*• “How to Raise an Adult” by Julie Lythcott-Haims*• “Building Resilience in Children and Teens” by Kenneth R. Ginsberg and Martha M. Jablow• “A Survival Guide for Parenting Teens” by Joani Geltman

• “It’s the Student Not the College” by Kristin M. White

• “Emerging Adulthood – The Winding Road from the Late Teens Through the Twenties” by Jeffrey Arnett

• “The i-Connected Parent- Staying Close to Your Kids in College (and Beyond) While Letting Them Grow Up” by Barbara Hofer

• “Making the Most of College – Students Speak Their Minds” by Richard Light

• “The Naked Roommate – for Parents Only” by Harlan Cohen

• “You’re On Your Own, But I’m There if You Need Me” by Marjorie Savage

***

Test your character: There is an online site where adults and students can discover their character strengths and take a personality survey. The survey is free and might provide interesting to your teens. Some of the more detailed reports provided by the nonprofit cost money. www.viacharacter.org/

***

Required reading overseas: Take a look at what students in countries from Ireland to Iran, Ghana to Germany, are asked to read and why. For example, in Australia, students read “Tomorrow, When the War Began” (1993) by John Marsden, about a teenage girl and her friends who return from a camping trip to find that an unidentified foreign military force has invaded Australia. In Austria, students read “Faust” (1787) by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, a play about a scholar who makes a pact with the devil. You can even find free, downloadable versions of many of the books at Project Gutenberg. http://tinyurl.com/j99jkfc

***

Downwardly mobile: A new study has found that about half of 30-year-olds won’t make as much money as their parents did at the same age. Back in the 1970s, 92 percent of American 30-year-olds earned more than their parents did when they were young. The study was conducted by economists and sociologists at Stanford, Harvard and the University of California. They used tax and census data to compare the earnings of 30-year-olds starting in 1970 to that of their parents. http://tinyurl.com/jqyzw8v

***

Popular baby names: A Baby Center survey has found that Sophia and Jackson were the most popular baby names of 2016. On the site, you can click on a name to see its popularity over time, common sibling names and more. The site also looks at the hottest baby-naming trends. The rest of the top 10 are Emma, Olivia, Ava, Mia, Isabella, Riley, Aria, Zoe and Lilly. The rest of the top 10 for boys are Aiden, Lucas, Liam, Noah, Mason, Caden, Oliver and Elijah. www.babycenter.com/top-baby-names-2016.htm

***

Does math equal success: A new study has found that low-income children’s math knowledge in preschool was related to their later achievement – but not all types of math are created equal. In preschool, children’s skills in patterning, comparing quantities, and counting objects were stronger predictors of their math achievement in fifth grade than other skills. Understanding written numbers and calculating also emerged as predictors of achievement. The study’s authors suggest that certain early math topics should get more attention than they currently do.

***

Most popular college in the U.S: UCLA is the first U.S. university ever to receive 100,000 freshman applications. 102,177 students are seeking a spot in the Class of 2021, up 5 percent from last year. The target size for the entering class is about 6,500. Those figures don’t include tens of thousands of expected transfer applicants. http://tinyurl.com/glkarct

***

Check list for college kids: I can’t resist a good list by which to rate my parenting. Psychology Today recently ran an article of 40 things students need to know by the time they leave college. Some are obvious (how to do laundry and how often to change bed linens), but here are a few that might be commonly overlooked (http://tinyurl.com/hy459v4)

How to address an envelope
How to scan a document and how to send an attachment in e-mail.
How to answer a landline and how to use call waiting on a landline.
When not to text and when to call.
How to pump gas and check your oil.
How to fill out forms at a medical office and how to have all the correct information handy to do this.
Learn to distinguish between real news and fake news; get your news from many different sources and not just social media.

***

Parenting preteen boys: One of the best articles I have read about parenting pre-teen boys appeared in the Wall Street Journal right before Christmas. Most boys lag behind girls in language skills, empathy and attention during these years, according to recent studies. The article suggest ways to explain this to boys and to bolster their development and confidence during these crucial developmental (and tough) years. http://tinyurl.com/z9ju76e

***

Brighten: A new anonymous app is growing in popularity among high school and college students and finally that’s a good thing. Brighten enables students to send anonymous compliments to their friends, and it’s a place to read the nice things people are saying to each other. You can also use the app to let someone know you are thinking about them. Users can swipe left on any brighten they’ve written or received to delete it, or swipe left on any brighten to report it. To date, more than 10 million messages have been sent by its one million users. www.brighten.in

***

Learning a second language: People who learn more than one language are less likely to develop dementia; they are more creative; and they have an easier time learning a third language. Researchers also believe that language learning also improves tolerance. This seems increasingly important in today’s world. Read more at http://tinyurl.com/zvmbeu9

***

Improve your life: The co-authors of “Emotional Intelligence 2.0” suggest 10 habits that will dramatically improve your life. Among the best, which are relevant for students as well (http://tinyurl.com/h9age5x) …

Stay away from people who erode your quality of life.
No more phone, tablet or computer in bed.
Appreciate the here and now.
Realize that things aren’t always as you perceive them to be.
Get started, even though you might fail.
Get organized.
Start a collection of the things that truly resonate with you.

***

Linguistics app: Local Lingual is a cool interactive language map. Click on any location in the world, and it plays recordings of the local language, along with the national anthem and other information. www.localingual.com

***

Allergy lifesaver: CVS is now selling a rival, generic version of Mylan’s EpiPen at about a sixth of its price ($109.99 for a two-pack) of the authorized generic version of Adrenaclick, a lesser-known treatment compared to EpiPen, which can cost more than $600.

***

Hum: Verizon is hard-selling a device called Hum that you can install on a car to track how fast your teen is driving. You get a text message every time your child is speeding and it’s so small that it is almost undetectable. But what are we supposed to do with the information? If we freak out, the teen will know it’s on the car. Is the Hum another example of too much information? Like the school parent portal and apps on our phones that help us locate our children at all times?

Send tips, comments and resources to Lorna at lorna.sheridan@sonomanews.com. Please forward this blog to your friends if you think they would enjoy it.

Posted in: admission, admissions, advanced learners, apps, College, Education, enrichment, genius, gifted, gifts, internships, k-12, Parenting, prep school, School, students, summer, summer camps, summer internships, summer jobs, teachers, test prep, toys, Uncategorized | Tagged: admissions, advanced learners, apps, books, brain, camps, children, college, education, enrichment, free summer programs, gifted, High school, K-12, learning, parenting, parents, reading, school, STEM, students, summer, summer camps, teachers, teen travel, teens, university

2017 Edition: Meaningful/Enriching Summer Programs On A Shoestring (for ages 12-25)

By lornasheridan on 11/30/2016 | 4 Comments

It may feel like summer just ended but I have gotten a lot of questions about summer programs so here are new listings and revised links. Some of these programs change their web site addresses annually. If the link I provide doesn’t work, don’t give up, just google the program name and let me know. If you would like me to delve into new areas, send me a request.

Free programs are great not only because they are free (!) but they tend also to be much more impressive to colleges (because they tend to be selective). Many of the best ones (free and selective) require applications prior to Christmas.

OUTDOORS

The National Park Service has a Youth Conservation Corps. program where teens spend 8-10 weeks living at a National Park site, working for pay on the trails with other teens.

Vermont Trout Camp is June 25-29, 2017. Campers (age 13-16) will be introduced to the basics of fly fishing through a series of fun and engaging outdoor activites. Participants will learn from some of Vermont’s most accomplished fly anglers and conservationists. Campers will learn about fish biology, fish habitat and stream ecology as well as aquatic entomology. $450. There is also a Maine Trout Camp.

OVERSEAS

Culturalvistas.org — The American Youth Leadership Program with Singapore and Malaysia is a FREE international exchange experience for ages 15-17 supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The goal is to expose high school students and educators to U.S. – Singapore and U.S. – Malaysia relations through the lens of the effect of sustainable development on urban planning. A pre-departure orientation that prepares participants for a three-week experience in Singapore and Malaysia. Post-program implementation of education and service projects which highlight the learning that took place during the program. Teachers can also apply to travel with the group.

The Israel Birthright Trip and the Irish Birthright Trip are great if your child has never yet travelled to the country their ancestors are from.

These listings change each year. Read about the complete set of offerings associated with the State Dept. here.

LANGUAGE STUDY

ARTS

Auburn University Summer Symphonic Band Camp — You won’t find a better bargain than $350 for a week of sleep away band camp for middle and high school students.

There is an inexpensive residential Fashion Design Camp at Texas Women’s University for ages 10-18. And one for middle school students at University of Georgia, that my daughter did last summer.

Northern Illinois University has a variety of residential camps for middle and high school students at around $500 for the week..

University of Wisconsin offers both a middle school and a high school residential Summer Art Studio Camp that is $559 for the week.

There are a slew of graphic design, photography and interior design programs… They tend to be a little more expensive but I’ve tried to highlight the less costly ones here.

https://www.uwgb.edu/camps/art/highSchoolArt/photography.asp

https://design.ncsu.edu/academics/design-lab-k-12-education/pre-college-programs/design-camp

https://www.nysid.edu/academics/pre-college

https://www.pct.edu/summercamps/designcamp/

http://cadc.auburn.edu/design/design-special-programs/design-camp

http://daap.uc.edu/daapcamps/descriptions.html

https://sites.google.com/site/insidearchitectureanddesign/

http://www.saic.edu/cs/high_school/summerinstituteresidencyprogram/courses/

https://www.ltu.edu/community_k12/camps-week-3.asp#arch

http://academicextension.uoregon.edu/course_desc.php?CourseKey=864009

HUMANITIES

High School Great Books Program at Thomas Aquinas College. Each summer for two weeks, high school students from around the country join members of the teaching faculty on the campus of Thomas Aquinas College for spirited conversation, engaging firsthand some of the best works of the past 2,500 years. They read and discuss works selected from the masters of the Western intellectual tradition, including Plato, Euclid, Sophocles, Shakespeare, St. Thomas Aquinas, Pascal, and Boethius. In addition to daily sports, occasional movies, and hiking in the hills surrounding the campus, the program includes trips to the Getty Museum, a concert in Los Angeles, and Santa Barbara for volleyball on the beach and exploration of the historic city. Open to students who have completed three years of high school by summer 2017. Cost is $975 for tuition, housing, meals, books, and organized activities off campus.

Thomas Moore College in New Hampshire has a very similar Great Books summer residential program for $975 for two weeks, as does Thomas Moore.

Auburn University’s Creative Writing Studio for rising 9th -12th graders is $475 for a residential experience.

LEADERSHIP

Thomas Moore College in New Hampshire has a residential Catholic Leadership Institute summer program for high school students that is $895 for two weeks.

The U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis offers several FREE or level low cost programs for high school students. Students are invited to spend a week checking out all aspects of the Naval Academy. You just need to get yourself to Maryland. Our son did this two years ago and it changed his life.

MATH, SCIENCE, ENGINEERING

Girls Who Code – Six week free immersion experience. Very selective and prestigious. Locations across the country. Applications open in January.

Santa Clara Summer Engineering Seminars are for rising seniors. The week living on campus at Santa Clara is completely FREE.

KU Engineering –– Project Discovery is a weeklong, intensive (residential) learning camp for high school students entering the ninth through 12th grades. Two sessions are offered, one in June and the second in July. Campers choose from different engineering disciplines and work closely with KU faculty and graduate students as they complete a hands-on project. The cost is $500

SAME are Army Engineering & Construction Camps for rising juniors and seniors. There are several residential options and locations. The cost is just $50.

ASM Materials summer residential (week-long) programs for rising juniors and seniors are completely FREE.

More math ideas, some free, some not.

BUSINESS/FINANCE/ECONOMICS

These camps are surprisingly hard to find…

The Model UN Summer Institute at Harvard Business School is a surprising bargain at $595 for the week.

POLICE/FIRE

The NH Police Cadet Training Academy is open to non-NH students. $135.

GENERAL CAMPS

Auburn University has a series of very cool one-week residential camps in every possible topic including:

Architecture Camp
Art: Summer Art Studio Intensive
Building Construction Camp
Civil Air Patrol Engineering Technologies Academy
College of Architecture Academic Success Action Program (ASAP)
Creative Writing Studio
Design Workshop (Industrial Design)
Digital Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) Camp
Engineering Camps: JR and SR TIGERS
Engineering Camps: Women in Engineering
Fish (and Aquaculture) Camp
KEMET(Knowledge, Excellence, Mathematics, Equilibrium, Technology) Academy
Musical Theatre Camp
Project Design Week (Fashion and Interior Design)
REAL Cents REAL Change℠ Summer Camp (Financial Management and Philanthropic Impact)
Robo Camp
Science Matters Summer Academy (For Elementary Students)
Summer Youth Experiences in Science (YES) Camp
Vet Camp
World Affairs Youth Seminar

Costs range from $500-$700 for the week.

Clemson University offers a Summer Scholars program of one-week camps for rising 7th – 12th graders at very reasonable prices. Course choices include:

Animal & Medical Science
Automotive Engineering w/ CU-ICAR — my son did this and it was incredible but it fills up early
Beyond ER
Bioengineering
Biology
Civil Engineering
Computer Science and Engineering
Debate!
Explorations in Architecture
Exploring the Nano World Through the Electron Microscope
Multi Media Journalism
The PandA (Physics and Astronomy) Experience!

COLLEGE VISITS

SCIENCE RESEARCH – RESIDENTIAL

Education Roundup XL: team sports, personality tests, teen skills and much more

By lornasheridan on 09/05/2016 | Leave a comment

Quick summaries and links for dozens of education tips, resources, research items and more (I scour the Internet so you don’t have to!)

Are self-made men and women less generous?: “A growing body of evidence suggests that seeing ourselves as self-made – rather than as talented, hardworking, and lucky – leads us to be less generous and public-spirited. It may even make the lucky less likely to support the conditions (such as high-quality public infrastructure and education) that made their own success possible.” – wrote Robert Frank in The Atlantic . Think of the friends you know. Is this the case? The article goes on to point out that when people are prompted to reflect on their good fortune, they are then more willing to contribute to the common good. tinyurl.com/jlpomvf

***

Team sports: The Grown & Flown parenting newsletter outlines a powerful argument for why kids should do team sports.

1. Teenagers get into trouble and extra time on their hands doesn’t help.

2. Research shows team athletes are happier than kids who do not participate.

3. Being part of something larger than yourself and working toward a common goal is always good, always.

4. Being part of a team gives kids a sense of belonging.

5. Even teens who seemed determined to shut their parents out, tolerate mom and dad attending their games.

6. Sports is one of the best places for kids to learn the importance of practice and determination.

7. Getting good at something, as good as your kid can be, through perseverance and repetitive hard work is one of life’s lessons.

8. Athletics encourages strong, healthy bodies. Alcohol and drugs impede performance and every athlete knows that.

9. Sports teams are the stuff of lifetime memories. (tinyurl.com/hc9hm6a)

***

Personality test: An interesting free new personality test is worth taking. The DISC test contains 28 groups of four statements and takes 5 to 10 minutes to complete. Find out how factors like dominance, influence, steadiness and compliance predict your behavior toward others and the everyday things you do. They also offer interesting free career tests and an IQ test. 123test.com

***

Making college worth the money: A massive Gallup poll has found six elements of emotional support and experiential learning in college that are correlated with long-term career and life success. The poll measured the degree to which graduates were engaged in their work and thriving in their purpose, social, financial, community, and physical well-being. They found that graduates who strongly agree they had the following six experiences in college perform markedly better on every measure of long-term success than their peers.

• a professor who made them excited about learning

• professors who cared about them as a person

• a mentor who encouraged them to pursue their goals and dreams

• worked on a long-term project

• had a job or internship where they applied what they were learning

• were extremely involved in extra-curricular activities. (tinyurl.com/gnoj4mh)

***

Learning science by singing: That periodic table song that middle schoolers learn in science may be an excellent idea. A new study indicates that students can indeed learn serious science content via music videos. There are channels on YouTube devoted to science topics – youtube.com/user/sciencemusicvideos.

***

Skills your teen needs: An article that has caught fire on social media outlines the eight skills that former Stanford dean Julie Lythcott-Haims thinks every 18-year-old needs to be able to do without calling a parent for help.

1. Be able to talk to strangers

2. Be able to find his or her way around

3. Be able to manage his assignments, workload and deadlines

4. Be able to contribute to the running of a household

5. Be able to handle interpersonal problems

6. Be able to cope with ups and downs

7. Be able to earn and manage money

8. Be able to take risks

“If they’re calling you to ask how, they do not have the lifeskill,” she says. Read the complete article at tinyurl.com/jszmyhk.

***

NationStates: I am getting addicted to the new online nation simulation game NationStates. You create your own country, fashioned after your own ideals, and care for its people. Either that or you deliberately torture them. It’s up to you. You shape your nation by answering issues, which pop up several times a day. Teens and adults with opinions will love this game and it is a great jumping off point for discussion. Nationstates.net

***

What students want to hear: A writer for Edutopia surveyed students and teachers to find out, “What does your teacher say to you that feels encouraging or motivating?”

1. “I believe in you. You are going to be successful someday. You’re going to make it! If you apply what I see in you, there is nothing holding you back!”

2. “You have a purpose. I see it and feel it! Let’s have fun and discover what it is. A purpose might change, and that’s a good thing, but it’s there!”

3. Questions. “Ask me how I am. Ask me what I need. Ask me my thoughts and feelings. Ask me what my opinions are, even if my response is ridiculous because I don’t want to stand out in front of my peers! Ask me in private – always in private.”

***

Born to run: Researchers believe that moms who exercise while pregnant may give birth to children to who like to exercise as adults. A new Baylor University experiment with mice found few differences in exercise behavior between the young mice but as the animals entered adolescence, those born to running moms (even those raised apart from their moms) started to become enthusiastic runners themselves. tinyurl.com/zrt6742

***

Young adult gift: “The ABCs of Adulthood,” from New York Times bestselling author Deborah Copaken offers 26 genuine and funny bits of advice that are both surprising and sensible. The author says, “Kids are in charge of their lives but have no instruction manual. When my son was a senior, there was no way I could download all the information to him before he left for college.” $15.

***

Top baby names: For the second year in a row, Emma and Noah are the most popular baby names in the U.S. The top five names for girls and boys in 2015 remained unchanged. Noah was followed by Liam, Mason, Jacob and William. Emma was followed by Olivia, Sophia, Ava and Isabella. Trends now favor names that are short and smooth – Mia, Liam and Noah – and that have a lot of vowels. Two girls’ names that leapt up the ranks – Alaia and Adaline. For boys, the fastest-rising name is Riaan. The first year these top names were tracked, 1880, the top baby names that year were John and Mary. tinyurl.com/z28reak

***

roundupschedule

Life hacks: Society19.com compiled some of the best “Life hacks” for college students and a few are useful for all students (and maybe parents as well). Here are a few:

1. Remember your schedule by setting the home screen on your phone as a picture of your schedule.

2. Avoid oversleeping by placing your phone in a glass cup to amplify the sound.

3. Organize the cords on your desk with any empty tube, a toilet paper roll works perfectly.

4. Use a coffee machine to cook pasta or hotdogs. Ewww, clean it after.

5. Use soda can tabs to hang a hanger from a hanger, doubling closet rod space.

6. Keep a dorm room smelling good by taping a dryer sheet in front of the fan or AC unit.

7. Chill wine or beer fastest by wrapping in a wet paper towel and placing in freezer for 15 minutes.

8. Create an extra trash can by flipping over a bar stool and put a trash bag in it.

9. Use the inside of a washing machines as a cooler for ice and drinks.

10. Download the SelfControl app to block you from distracting websites for a certain amount of time.
11. Chew a memorable flavor of gum while you’re studying and then chew that same flavor as you’re about to take the exam to trigger your memory.

12. Set your laptop on top of an egg carton to keep it from overheating. tinyurl.com/zfk6sdv

***

Best unis in the world: Times’ Higher Education World University rankings are out and three of the top ten colleges are in California. From 1 to 10: Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, UC Berkeley, Princeton University, Yale University, Columbia University and California Institute of Technology. tinyurl.com/h4kzw4u

***

Technology rules: In a bit of a flip, Psychology Today asked kids what technology rules their parents should follow. Approximately 90 percent of their answers fell into a handful of major themes. tinyurl.com/h23v66s

• Be present

• Don’t overshare

• Give me some space when I use my devices.

• Don’t text and drive

***

The T-shaped applicant: When I was applying to college, the well-rounded student was much desired. Today, colleges seem to favor the “T-Shaped” student. According to the Washington Post’s Jeffrey Selingo, “The vertical bar of the T represents a person’s deep understanding of one subject matter – history, for example… The horizontal stroke of T-shaped people is the ability to work across a variety of complex subject areas with ease and confidence.” So why aren’t more students T-shaped? “Here’s the problem: Colleges don’t offer classes, majors or activities designed specifically for building the T-shaped individual, so undergraduates need to direct themselves – to act independently, be resourceful and cobble together experiences inside and outside the classroom to better prepare for the evolving workplace they will face. They need to recognize that in high school, their learning was directed for them by parents, teachers and counselors, and they need to change into students who explore and discover what’s next for them.” http://tinyurl.com/j4dwhew

***

G-Dog: I gather that the new generation of grandparents is having a lot of trouble choosing what they want their grandchildren to call them. I’m less than 10 years away and can’t quite imagine being called grandma. A recent list in the Wall Street Journal of popular choices include Glamma, Bubbles, Birdie, CeCe, Mom-Mom; and G-Dog, Papster, Biggie D, Babar and Skipper.

***

The Ivy League of internships: Campus grotto has assembled what they describe as the Ivy League of internships – the best and most sought after among the thousands of companies that recruit on campuses each year (and the article details exactly why). And they are: (1 Google, (2) Microsoft, (3) Southwest Airlines, (4) Apple, (5) Genentech, (6) Edward Jones, (7) Nike, (8) Pixar, (9) Oracle and (10) ExxonMobil. tinyurl.com/gn25vj3

***

Failure to launch: More young adults ages 18 to 34 now live with their parents than with partners for the first time since 1880, Pew Center Research has found. Around 32 percent of young adults live at home now, 31 percent with spouses/partners, and the rest live alone, with roommates or as single parents. In 1960, the percentage of young adults living with a partner/spouse in their own home was as high as 62 percent. A major factor is the dramatic drop in young adults who are choosing to settle down romantically before age 35. tinyurl.com/zr8zmpd

***

roundupdrugs

Good teens: Ready for some good news? Today’s teens smoke less, drink less, and have sex less than any teens on record. The federal government released a huge detailed report finding that teens today also use fewer drugs, fight less and watch television less than previous generations. The percentage of teens who say they’re sexually active is at an all-time low. There is a decline in condom use – but an increase in the usage of long-acting contraceptives, like IUDs and implants. Today’s teens have the lowest rates of ecstasy, heroin, meth and hallucinogenic drug use on record. The only bad news? Almost 45 percent of teens said yes, they’d tried vaping and 41 percent of teens say they use a computer for three or more hours per day, outside of use for school. tinyurl.com/z2yjmra

***

Expensive colleges that are worth it: Forbes magazine recently analyzed a length list of colleges to determine which expensive schools are actually “worth every penny.” Of the top 25, three are in California – Cal Tech is No. 2, Stanford is No. 3 and Harvey Mudd is No. 4. tinyurl.com/jcnf3tu

***

Fast food and hormone levels: People who eat fast food have higher levels of phthalates in their system. The plastic chemical has been linked to hormone disruption and lower sperm count. According to the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, people who ate 35 percent or more of their total calories from fast food had around 24 percent higher levels of DEHP and 40 percent higher levels of DiNP (both are worrisome phthalate byproducts). Read the Time article at tinyurl.com/zl8nmgh.

***

Older mothers: While there are some risks to having children later in life, a huge new study out of Norway has found kids born to older mothers are taller, less likely to quit school, more likely to attend university, and tend to perform better on standardized tests than siblings who were born before them. tinyurl.com/h9hqxz6

***

If you’d like to wait a little longer: Women in several states can now obtain birth control pills and some other forms of contraception without a prescription from a doctor (with the hope of reducing the number of unplanned pregnancies). There is no age minimum. California is the third state to enact such a law. That said, when I asked about it at my local CVS this week, the pharmacist didn’t know what I was talking about, so call first. tinyurl.com/jc28lvx

***

ER docs tell all: What products are so hazardous that most ER docs ban them from their own homes? Trampolines, button batteries, swimming pools, power washers and extension ladders, guns, Ramen noodle soups, old pain pills and high chairs that pull up to the table. You can read the specifics on why (with some grisly anecdotes) at tinyurl.com/h7ynx67.

***

ROUNDupGrownups
Lovely new children’s book: I absolutely love the new children’s book, “What Do Grownups Do All Day.” If you are heading to a baby shower or need a gift for a child 0 to 10, this book by Virginie Morgand, which simply explains more than 100 jobs and careers, is another winner.

***

Moms of middle schoolers: A new study in the journal Developmental Psychology found that mothers with middle schoolers scored highest on measures of stress, loneliness and emptiness, and they also reported the lowest levels of satisfaction and fulfillment. Not only are middle schoolers tough to deal with, but study authors also found that “the developmental trends we documented partly arise from challenges that mothers themselves experience, as they are transitioning to midlife.” Basically your midlife crisis might coincide with your child’s puberty. This problem of middle-school mom unhappiness was most pronounced among highly educated and affluent mothers. tinyurl.com/hfz2dek

***

Stoned drivers: Fatal accidents involving stoned drivers have increased dramatically in Washington State since pot was legalized, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. Fatal crashes involving drivers who recently used marijuana more than doubled in 2014. Pot was involved in 17 percent of fatal crashes in Washington in 2014, up from 8 percent in 2013 – the year before recreational marijuana was allowed there. tinyurl.com/ztr79mj

***

Birth order research: I read two interesting things recently about birth order. A new study suggests that first-born children get an IQ boost from having to teach their younger siblings. As a youngest child, my favorite new research though has found that youngest children are the funniest. The eldest becomes overwhelmed with responsibility, leading to a more serious, non-comedic tone. What do you think? Obvious or nonsense? tinyurl.com/hzauaqk and http://tinyurl.com/hee33mq.

***

Fewer multiples: According to a new report from the National Center for Health Statistics, the rate of triplet and “higher-order” births plunged 41 percent from 1998 to 2014. Non-Hispanic white women had the largest drop, about 46 percent. The decline was nationwide. tinyurl.com/zu9ejre

***

“You will almost certainly face deep adversity. There’s loss of opportunity: the job that doesn’t work out, the illness or accident that changes everything in an instant. There’s loss of dignity: the sharp sting of prejudice when it happens. There’s loss of love. And sometimes there’s loss of life itself.

The question is not if some of these things will happen to you. They will. Today I want to talk about what happens next. About the things you can do to overcome adversity, no matter what form it takes or when it hits you. The easy days ahead of you will be easy. It is the hard days – the times that challenge you to your very core – that will determine who you are. You will be defined not just by what you achieve, but by how you survive.”

– Sheryl Samberg’s commencement speech at UC Berkeley (tinyurl.com/zokxawr).

I love to hear tips, comments and suggestions from readers — and to answer questions. Leave comment below. And please forward this site on to anyone who might be interested.

Posted in: admission, admissions, advanced learners, apps, coding, College, Education, enrichment, genius, gifted, internships, k-12, Parenting, School, students, summer, summer internships, teachers, test prep, Uncategorized | Tagged: admissions, apps, brain, children, college, common core, dyslexia, enrichment, gifted, High school, learning, parenting, parents, school, students, summer, teachers, teens

Revised: Meaningful/Enriching Summer Programs On A Shoestring (for ages 12-25)

By lornasheridan on 02/28/2014 | 3 Comments

I know that summer just ended but I have gotten a lot of questions about summer programs so here are new listings and revised links. Some of these programs change their web site addresses annually. If the link I provide doesn’t work, don’t give up, just google the program name and let me know. If you would like me to delve into new areas, send me a request.

OUTDOORS

The National Park Service has a Youth Conservation Corps. program where teens spend 8-10 weeks living at a National Park site, working for pay on the trails with other teens.

OVERSEAS

These listings change each year. Read about the complete set of offerings here.

LANGUAGE STUDY

ARTS

Marie Walsh Sharpe Foundation Art Seminar — This prestigious two-week FREE seminar allows students to gain a stronger foundation of skills and understanding in the visual arts through experiencing college-level drawing and painting classes in a group setting. Open to high school juniors, transportation NOT included. At Colorado College.

Auburn University Summer Symphonic Band Camp — You won’t find a better bargain than $350 for a week of sleep away band camp for middle and high school students.

There is an inexpensive residential Fashion Design Camp at Texas Women’s University for ages 10-18. And one for middle school students at University of Georgia, that my daughter did last summer.

Northern Illinois University has a variety of residential camps for middle and high school students at around $500 for the week..

University of Wisconsin offers both a middle school and a high school residential Summer Art Studio Camp that is $559 for the week.

HUMANITIES

Thomas Moore College in New Hampshire has a very similar Great Books summer residential program for $895 for two weeks.

Auburn University’s Creative Writing Studio for rising 9th -12th graders is $475 for a residential experience.

LEADERSHIP

Thomas Moore College in New Hampshire has a residential Catholic Leadership Institute summer program for high school students that is $895 for two weeks.

MATH, SCIENCE, ENGINEERING

Santa Clara Summer Engineering Seminars are for rising seniors. The week living on campus at Santa Clara is completely FREE.

KU Engineering — Project Discovery is a weeklong, intensive (residential) learning camp for high school students entering the ninth through 12th grades. Two sessions are offered, one in June and the second in July. Campers choose from different engineering disciplines and work closely with KU faculty and graduate students as they complete a hands-on project. The cost is $500

SAME are Army Engineering & Construction Camps for rising juniors and seniors. There are several residential options and locations. The cost is just $50.

ASM Materials summer residential (week-long) programs for rising juniors and seniors are completely FREE.

More math ideas, some free, some not.

BUSINESS/FINANCE/ECONOMICS

These camps are surprisingly hard to find…

The Model UN Summer Institute at Harvard Business School is a surprising bargain at $595 for the week.

POLICE/FIRE

The NH Police Cadet Training Academy is open to non-NH students. $135.

GENERAL CAMPS

Auburn University has a series of very cool one-week residential camps in every possible topic including:

Architecture Camp
Art: Summer Art Studio Intensive
Building Construction Camp
Civil Air Patrol Engineering Technologies Academy
College of Architecture Academic Success Action Program (ASAP)
Creative Writing Studio
Design Workshop (Industrial Design)
Digital Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) Camp
Engineering Camps: JR and SR TIGERS
Engineering Camps: Women in Engineering
Fish (and Aquaculture) Camp
KEMET(Knowledge, Excellence, Mathematics, Equilibrium, Technology) Academy
Musical Theatre Camp
Project Design Week (Fashion and Interior Design)
REAL Cents REAL Change℠ Summer Camp (Financial Management and Philanthropic Impact)
Robo Camp
Science Matters Summer Academy (For Elementary Students)
Summer Youth Experiences in Science (YES) Camp
Vet Camp
World Affairs Youth Seminar

Costs range from $500-$700 for the week.

Clemson University offers a Summer Scholars program of one-week camps for rising 7th – 12th graders at very reasonable prices. Course choices include:

Animal & Medical Science
Automotive Engineering w/ CU-ICAR — my son did this and it was incredible but it fills up early
Beyond ER
Bioengineering
Biology
Civil Engineering
Computer Science and Engineering
Debate!
Explorations in Architecture
Exploring the Nano World Through the Electron Microscope
Multi Media Journalism
The PandA (Physics and Astronomy) Experience!

COLLEGE VISITS

SCIENCE RESEARCH – RESIDENTIAL

Meaningful/Enriching Summer Programs On A Shoestring (for ages 12-25)

By lornasheridan on 10/30/2013 | 2 Comments

It is easy to find a terrific summer program for thousands of dollars. The trick is finding fun/meaningful opportunities for your kids that don’t cost a mint. Free programs are great not only because they are free (!) but they tend also to be much more impressive to colleges (because they tend to be selective). The catch is, the best free or low-cost opportunities are selective and most have deadlines starting now through maybe January.

My rule of thumb for what constitutes a good value is a sleepaway/residential program that is FREE or less than $750/week… so I have about 30 here that are FREE and then some that cost a few hundred dollars. The sheer volume of ideas here is daunting, so I apologize if any of these have deadlines that have passed or are not being offered this year. Please let me know what success you have with any of these and add any that I have missed into the comment box.

OVERSEAS

Advanced Russian Language and Area Studies Program (RLASP) — American Councils’ longest-running FREE study abroad program provides intensive Russian-language immersion for US undergraduate and graduate students in Russia.

Energy in Central Asia Program (ECAP) — A four-week Central Asian business culture studies program in Kazakhstan for undergraduate and graduate students as well as working professionals at all levels of Russian-language proficiency. FREE

Youth Leadership Program with Azerbaijan (YLP) — Students, teachers, and community leaders can apply for the Youth Leadership Program with Azerbaijan (YLP). YLP is a FREE short-term cultural and educational exchange program, the Youth Leadership Program with Azerbaijan is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and administered by American Councils. The program focuses on expanding relationships between the people of the U.S. and Azerbaijan and aims at strengthening ties between the two countries.

American Youth Leadership Program with Cambodia — The American Youth Leadership Program (AYLP) with Cambodia is a FREE four-week cross-cultural exchange program that is open to American high school students and teachers (who will serve as program leaders and chaperones) Must be between 15 and 17, have at least one semester of high school remaining, and be US citizens.

LANGUAGE STUDY

STARTALK — FREE government sponsored day camps and residential sleep-away language camp programs across the United State where students ages 12-18 can learn Arabic, Chinese, Dari, Hindi, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Swahili, Turkish, and Urdu. The choices for 2014 won’t be available until late winter but it is worth visiting the web site to get a sense of the many options that existed in 2013 like this one, 2 weeks learning Russia on a college campus, for free, for grades 9-12. Teachers can also apply.

The Federal Service Language Academy is a great, low-cost idea for rising sophomores, juniors and seniors who want to pursue language studies and possibly a career in the foreign service. The program runs June 8-27 or July 6-25 for 2014. For twenty-one days, students are immersed in a foreign language and culture in an academic environment hosted by the University of North Georgia in partnership with the Georgia Department of Education. You live in a residence hall in the same vicinity as your fellow students who are learning the same language and are asked to communicate in your language as much as possible. For career exploration purposes, guest speakers from federal agencies like the US Department of State, FBI, CIA, Army or Homeland Security will present information on careers in their specialties. Students may also be awarded one high school unit of academic credit for successful achievement of first or second-year Arabic, Chinese, Korean, German, Russian, or Portuguese proficiency levels. The cost is $1895 for three weeks.

ARTS

The California State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA) is a rigorous pre-professional training program in the visual and performing arts, creative writing, animation, and film for talented artists in grades 9 – 12. Its purpose is to provide a training ground for future artists who wish to pursue careers in the arts and entertainment industries in California. The California State Summer School for the Arts is a state agency funded through a unique public-private partnership. Students apply for the opportunity to study in one of the School’s seven departments. They may receive 3 units of California State University elective credit for successful participation. The cost is $1550 for 4 weeks, and students live in a dorm at Cal Arts.

HUMANITIES

Thomas Moore College in New Hampshire has a very similar Great Books summer residential program for $895 for two weeks.

Princeton University offers a Summer Journalism Program for low-income sophomores or juniors with at least a 3.5 GPA. Cost is FREE including travel.

LEADERSHIP

Thomas Moore College in New Hampshire has a residential Catholic Leadership Institute summer program for high school students that is $895 for two weeks.

MATH, SCIENCE, ENGINEERING

Cornell Curie Program Summer residential FREE program for rising junior or senior girls who excel in math and science and want to learn more about careers in engineering.

More math ideas, some free, some not.

GENERAL CAMPS

Auburn University has a series of very cool one-week residential camps in every possible topic including:

Architecture Camp
Art: Summer Art Studio Intensive
Building Construction Camp
Civil Air Patrol Engineering Technologies Academy
College of Architecture Academic Success Action Program (ASAP)
Creative Writing Studio
Design Workshop (Industrial Design)
Digital Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) Camp
Engineering Camps: JR and SR TIGERS
Engineering Camps: Women in Engineering
Fish (and Aquaculture) Camp
KEMET(Knowledge, Excellence, Mathematics, Equilibrium, Technology) Academy
Musical Theatre Camp
Project Design Week (Fashion and Interior Design)
REAL Cents REAL Change℠ Summer Camp (Financial Management and Philanthropic Impact)
Robo Camp
Science Matters Summer Academy (For Elementary Students)
Summer Youth Experiences in Science (YES) Camp
Vet Camp
World Affairs Youth Seminar

Costs range from $500-$700 for the week.

Clemson University offers a Summer Scholars program of one-week camps for rising 7th – 12th graders at very reasonable prices. Course choices include:

COLLEGE VISITS

SCIENCE RESEARCH – RESIDENTIAL

WILDERNESS

National Conservation Crews. National Conservation Crews help protect America’s national parks, forests, and wildlife refuges. Students must be 15-19 years old FREE. 15-35 days. Various locations across the US and Canada

The Appalachian Mountain Club offers 1-4 week trail crews for teens ages 15-18. These programs cost around $240 a week, which is a donation to the non-profit. My son did one for two weeks in the Berkshire Mountains in 2013 and absolutely loved it.

Lorna Sheridan's Education Roundup

Tag Archives: teens

2019: Meaningful/Enriching Summer Programs On A Shoestring (for ages 12-25)

OUTDOORS

OVERSEAS

LANGUAGE STUDY

ARTS

HUMANITIES

LEADERSHIP

MATH, SCIENCE, ENGINEERING

BUSINESS/FINANCE/ECONOMICS

POLICE/FIRE

GENERAL CAMPS

COLLEGE VISITS

SCIENCE RESEARCH – RESIDENTIAL

OTHER LINKS with more ideas

Education Roundup XLIII: Checklist for college kids, parenting preteen boys, screen time, likeability and much more

2017 Edition: Meaningful/Enriching Summer Programs On A Shoestring (for ages 12-25)

OUTDOORS

OVERSEAS

LANGUAGE STUDY

ARTS

HUMANITIES

LEADERSHIP

MATH, SCIENCE, ENGINEERING

BUSINESS/FINANCE/ECONOMICS

POLICE/FIRE

GENERAL CAMPS

COLLEGE VISITS

SCIENCE RESEARCH – RESIDENTIAL

OTHER LINKS with more ideas

Education Roundup XL: team sports, personality tests, teen skills and much more

Revised: Meaningful/Enriching Summer Programs On A Shoestring (for ages 12-25)

OUTDOORS

OVERSEAS

LANGUAGE STUDY

ARTS

HUMANITIES

LEADERSHIP

MATH, SCIENCE, ENGINEERING

BUSINESS/FINANCE/ECONOMICS

POLICE/FIRE

GENERAL CAMPS

COLLEGE VISITS

SCIENCE RESEARCH – RESIDENTIAL

OTHER LINKS with more ideas

Meaningful/Enriching Summer Programs On A Shoestring (for ages 12-25)

OVERSEAS

LANGUAGE STUDY

ARTS

HUMANITIES

LEADERSHIP

MATH, SCIENCE, ENGINEERING

GENERAL CAMPS

COLLEGE VISITS

SCIENCE RESEARCH – RESIDENTIAL

WILDERNESS

OTHER LINKS with more ideas

Follow Blog via Email

Archives