2024 Community Classroom Summer Programs Announced

 

Community Leadership (3 programs)

 

Registration opens on January 17th

🌟 Unlock Your Tween’s Leadership Potential at Community Leadership Camp! 🌟

Are you ready for an unforgettable summer filled with growth, empowerment, and exciting experiences? Join us for our Community Leadership Camp, where each day is a step towards becoming a confident, capable leader in all aspects of life.

🏡 Daily Community Classroom Sessions:

Start your day with hands-on lessons in our Community Classroom, focusing on essential leadership skills. Explore topics like Unpacking Leadership, Setting Goals, Communication, Getting Organized, Collaboration, Decision-Making, Embracing Failure, Trying New Things, Building Consensus, and Being Assertive. These skills aren’t just for leadership—they’re the keys to success in school, personal development, and beyond!

🌸 Mentorship from Women + Nonbinary Entrepreneurs:

Engage in daily internships with inspiring women entrepreneurs and leaders from Northampton. Learn firsthand from their experiences and gain valuable insights to shape your tween’s leadership journey. Connect, network, and build relationships with role models who will inspire them to reach new heights. Lead tutor and certified teacher Christina Webster guides this cohort as the ultimate mentor!

📋 Objectives to Empower Your Child:

• Develop leadership skills for personal, school, and life success
• Create personal goals aligned with their leadership development
• Demonstrate your growth by sharing your learning with a wider audience
• Grow essential executive functioning skills for school and life success

🌐 Tailored Internship Experiences:

Explore diverse internship opportunities with local leaders and entrepreneurs, with past options including Mayor Sciarra, Northampton’s first woman fire captain, he Bombyx Center for Arts and Equity, Tellebelle Salon, Passalongs Flowers and Farm, 25 Central, and more. Customize your tween’s experience based on their passions and interests.

👕 Exclusive SWAG for Participants:

Receive a Community Classroom t-shirt, customized journal, pen, name badge, and a special graduation gift to commemorate the transformative experience.

🏞️ Culminating Leadership Summit:

Each week concludes with a graduation Leadership Summit at the breathtaking Mount Tom. We’ll celebrate our achievements, surrounded by the beauty of nature, and have the moment recorded for your caregivers.

🌈 Optional Activities for Extra Fun:

• Develop and participate in a segment for WWLP News Channel 22’s Mass Appeal
• Attend an event with the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce

📅 Camp Weeks and Themes:

• Week 1 (July 8-12): Leadership 101 – Organization, Communication, and Collaboration
• Week 2 (July 15-19): Leadership 201 – Embracing Failure, Negotiation Skills, and Trying New Things
• Week 3 *New* (July 22-26): Leadership 301 – Public Speaking and Confidence Building

Don’t miss the chance to elevate your tween’s leadership potential, make lasting connections, and create a summer of empowerment. Enroll now and embark on a journey that will shape their future!

Cost: $350/week for SWAG, transportation to internships, plus amazing memories (ask about a multiple-week discount)

 

Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM)

(2 programs)

 

Chemistry of Parisian Baking 

 

🎉 Calling all budding bakers, ages 9-12, who are ready to uncover the science behind the sweetness! 🎉

👨‍🍳👩‍🍳 Get ready for a summer like no other with the Chemistry of Parisian Baking, where we blend the art of French baking with the excitement of scientific exploration!

What makes a cookie crumble, a crust flake and a cake rise? It’s all about science! In this week-long camp for 9-12-year-olds, we will create marvelous confections that you might find in a Parisian pâtisserie. Campers will learn how to create perfectly puffy eclairs, exquisitely flavored macarons, and melt-in-your-mouth croissants while experimenting in the oldest type of laboratory–the kitchen! There will be plenty of time to sample campers’ culinary creations, as well as build friendships during team-building games, and even learn a bit of French along the way. By the end of the week, campers will have a journal full of recipes that not only include how to bake pastries, but why science makes it possible!  

🌈 What’s on the Agenda? 🌈

• How does the surrounding environment and temperature drastically affect the outcome of a French macaron (colorful and chewy sandwich cookies that come in endless flavors)? 

• Making a sourdough baguette, and learning the science of fermentation. 

• Introduction to the science of cake–campers vote on the filling!  

• Perfecting choux dough and baking chocolate glazed eclairs.
• How croissants have inspired new designs in renewable energy. 

🥐 Bake, Learn, Create: Put on your apron and enter our culinary lab! From crafting mouthwatering croissants to mastering the art of macaroons, this camp is your gateway to becoming a pastry scientist extraordinaire.

🔍 The Science of Sweets: Dive into the chemistry of French baking with captivating experiments! Our expert instructor will guide you through the mysteries of dough fermentation, the magic of rising agents, and the perfect balance of flavors in every delightful pastry.

🎲 Games and Gastronomy Galore: It’s not just about baking; it’s about having a blast while learning! Engage in exciting games and gastronomic challenges that make every day a new adventure of discovery.

🌟 Why The Chemistry of Parisian Baking Camp? 🌟

👩‍🔬 Expert Guides: Learn from a passionate pastry chef and science enthusiast who will ignite your chef’s passion for the chemistry of baking. Lead STEM tutor and certified teacher Nicole Rhodes will be this week’s head chef. Prepare for fun!

🤝 Teamwork & Tastefulness: Your tween chefs will build friendships as they collaborate on mouthwatering projects. They will share the joy of discovery, teamwork, and the delicious results of their experiments. 

🌳 Inspiring Setting: Located in the heart of Florence, the Chemistry of Parisian Baking offers a picturesque backdrop (and an awesome kitchen!), enhancing the joy of learning and creating. We’ll host a viewing of Ratatouille on the last day of camp to celebrate and sample our chemistry selections.

👩‍🍳 Join our STEAM program and let the chemistry of French baking spark your child’s culinary adventure! 🔬🍰🎉

🌈 Enroll Now for a Magnifique Culinary Odyssey! 🌈

📅 Dates: July 8-12 from 1-4 pm

📍 Location: The Chemistry of Parisian Baking welcomes you to The Florence Civic Center.

🎁 Limited Spaces: Registration opens on January 17

Cost: $250/child (ask about a multi-child discount)

 

Astronaut-in-Training

 

🎉 Attention future astronauts aged 6-9! 🎉

Ready to turn your child’s dreams of space adventure into reality? Enroll them in Astronaut-in-Training – the premier training ground for young astronauts where imagination knows no bounds! 

This is a one-week exploration and study of humans in outer space. The week will begin by learning through hands-on models about gravity and flight here on Earth, then building upon that knowledge to launch a model rocket ship and experiment with ideas of orbit and zero gravity. Every day will include “astronaut in training” exercises and time to reflect on the knowledge and skills acquired. The week will culminate with learning about NASA’s Artemis mission, and will conduct experiments to learn how scientists are figuring out humans might live on Mars.

🌌 Out-of-this-World Experiences: From exploring concepts of flight to embarking on simulated space missions, our campers will immerse themselves in the wonders of the cosmos, fostering a lifelong fascination with outer space.

🚀 Why Choose Astronaut Traning Camp? 🚀

👩‍🚀 Experienced Cosmic Guides: Our team of seasoned space enthusiasts and expert educators will guide your little ones through a cosmic journey, ensuring a safe and educational experience. This camp will be led by Lead STEM tutor and certified teacher Nicole Rhodes.

🤝 Interstellar Friendships: Foster friendships as your child collaborates with fellow Astronauts-in-training on cosmic quests. Share the joy of teamwork, imagination, and the excitement of space exploration.

🌠 Inspiring Galactic Setting: Located in the heart of Florence, Astronaut Training Camp provides a stellar environment for young minds to reach for the stars. Plus, we’ll have our own planetarium with our Little Community Classroom trailer.

Registration begins on January 17 for a Stellar Summer!

📅 Dates: July 8-12 from 9-11:30 am

📍 Location: Astronaut Training Camp awaits you at The Florence Civic Center

🎁 Limited Spaces: Secure your astronaut’s spot now for an out-of-this-world experience.

Cost: $250/week (ask about a multi-child discount)

Spatial Justice Program (1 program, 2 weeks)

 

Hidden Herstories of Florence 

 

🌟 Hidden Herstories of Florence: Underground, undercover, no longer under wraps! 🌟

Unlock a world of creativity, community, and spatial justice at the Hidden Herstories Camp! Join us for an unforgettable summer experience where young minds will embark on a journey of discovery, learning, and artistic expression. Our unique program goes beyond the traditional summer camp model to blend lessons, community-based learning, and a transformative project that turns dreams into reality.

📚 Spatial Justice Lessons & Community-Based Learning:

Campers will dive into engaging lessons focused on spatial justice, exploring how spaces impact communities. Led by our expert co-teacher from the David Ruggles Center for History and Education, campers will uncover the hidden stories of women in Florence, and untold histories of bravery, and learn the power of shaping spaces for the better. This camp will be led by Shari Leskowitz, certified teacher, Community Classroom tutor, and social justice educator.

🎨 Create Your Own Picture Book:

Under the guidance of nationally renowned author Grace Lin and our art partner Art Always, campers will master the art of storytelling and illustration. From crafting compelling narratives to bringing characters to life on the page, every camper will develop their unique voice and style to share the details of their research

🚶‍♂️ StoryWalks: Share Your Learnings with the World!

The highlight of our camp is the creation of a captivating picture book by each camper, transformed into a StoryWalk®. Pages from their books will be displayed along a walkable path at the Florence Farmers Market in May-October of 2024, turning their ideas into a public showcase. One camper will be featured each week, sharing their spatial justice learnings and artistic creations with the community.

📖 Community Impact:

Copies of the campers’ books will be placed at the local library and elementary schools, ensuring that their stories continue to inspire and educate beyond the StoryWalks.

🗓️ Camp Details:

• Week 1: July 29 – August 2 (Florence Community Exploration and Research) 1-4 pm 
• Week 2: August 5 – August 9 (Storybook Creation) 1-4 pm
• Campers need to attend both weeks for the full experience

📍 Location:

The David Ruggles Center for History and Education, our camp host site, provides a rich historical backdrop for our learning journey.

Cost: $500 for 2 weeks (scholarships available)

🌈 Why Choose Hidden Herstories Camp?

• Collaborate with the David Ruggles Center and their expert staff
• Learn from a nationally renowned author, Grace Lin
• Develop artistic skills with our dedicated art partner, Art Always
• Turn your ideas into a real StoryWalk® showcased at the Florence Farmers Market
• Impact the community by sharing your spatial justice learnings with the public

Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to be a part of Hidden Herstories Camp! Secure your spot now for a summer filled with creativity, exploration, and making a lasting impact on the community.