I consider myself a very blessed mom for several reasons. First, I’m one of the lucky moms that can say that I have 2 sets of twins. Next, it worked out *perfectly*…. 2 girls… 2 boys… done! Of course it was not quite that easy. But it is all that matters now.
I have 4 beautiful, healthy, kids. And I’m blessed to be able to say that they are BRILLIANT!!
The above was last month on report card day. I am so proud of all of them!!
But, how do I make sure that they keep up this momentum? I try to do everything that I can to foster their learning through play, technology, outings, and anything else that helps. Since summer is coming I’m starting to think about what we will get into. Since I’ve been working from home for the past few years that kids have not been enrolled in summer camp. We’ve been doing what I call “Mommy camp”. I love having the freedom to plan day trips, field trips to the zoo, beach trips, or just lounge at home in our jammies as long as we like. However, times are changing and I just may be getting back into the workforce sooner rather than later.
While a traditional day camp focuses mostly on sports, outside play, and field trips, I prefer that my kids are in a camp that uses play to help them learn. Galileo Innovation Camps for Kids have programs like Camp Galileo, Galileo Summer Quest, and @ The Tech (my favorite!) that allow kids to have fun while learning. The different programs are a healthy mix of brain work and fun. This sounds perfect for my kids.
My boys have decided that they want to learn to program video games. Of course I am all for this!! I am totally ok with them following in my techie footsteps. Programs like 3-D Game Design @ The Tech would be right up their alley. Students in grades 4 – 6 can learn 3-D game design using Kodu, a real programming tool, to design and model terrain and more. My boys who are Minecraft addicts would absolutely love this! Once they master that class they can move on to the 3-D Game Design Masters+ program for grades 6 – 8.
To help my boys along with their goals, I’m implementing the Galileo Innovation Approach and their 5 Key Mindsets – Visionary, Collaborative, Determined, Courageous, and Reflective. We have already established their goal – to learn to code video games. Next we come up with ideas to meet their goals. The 3rd step is to talk about being a Visionary as we move into the design process. Next comes creating. Of course this is where the fun really begins. There is nothing better than hands-on learning. Then it’s time to test, test, and test. Once it’s perfect reflect on how the process went, what worked, and what didn’t work.
I have no doubt in my mind that my boys will be amazing at it. At only 9 years old they have already mastered some similar online programs. I’m not one of those moms that obsesses over the amount of screen time that my kids have. They get straight A’s. And as long as they keep that up, I have nothing to complain about. They use their time online to learn, and create. Yes, even games can foster learning!
If you want to foster your kids learning this summer, sign them up for a Galileo camps. If you sign up right now you can save an additional $40 a week using the code BEBOLD. This can be combined with the Refer-a-friend savings which knocks off an additional $100. That’s huge savings! Head on over to the Galileo Innovation Camps site for more information.
They don’t have them in my area. 🙁
Awww. 🙁