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Friday, June 14, 2002 Some children prefer a summer in the wild indoorsBy MORRIS SULLIVAN | News-Journal Correspondent DELAND — In an upstairs room at the DeLand Museum of Art, 9-and-10-year-old summer campers sit around a table, intently focused on assemblages of clay, wire, and construction paper. In another room, a a group of older children are huddled around a rainbow-hued pile of felt-tip markers, creating imaginative robot designs that would impress "Outer Limits" producers. Similar scenes are played out all over West Volusia this summer, as thousands of children spend their summer days at camp. Some, like this one at the museum of art, immerse the youngsters in a particular field of study. Some camps at Stetson University concentrate on improving athletic skills. Others offer a variety of activities and field trips. The West Volusia Family YMCA in DeLand, for example, has programs for children ages 4 through 17. Susan Anderson, the senior director, said besides swimming and sports, teen campers go on trips three days a week. "They do all kinds of things, from canoeing to rock climbing, and go to the skate park, DeLeon Springs and space camp." Deltona and Orange City YMCA branches have similar programs. Area parks and recreation programs offer a full menu of camp programs. Sondra Pearlman, administrative assistant for Deltona Parks and Recreation, said the city has a number of camps, such as the summer recreation program at Friendship Elementary and Heritage middle schools. DeLand Parks and Recreation has 120 children enrolled in several other camp programs, participating in a variety of activities, and Volusia County Leisure Services has more than 2,000 children from 6 to 15 in summer programs. Among the special interest camps, the cooperative extension service offers Secrets of Master Gardening, where budding gardeners learn from the experts about growing plants in the Florida landscape. DeLand's weeklong Police A-kid-emy invites 8-to-12-year-olds to talk to officers, tour the police department, play basketball and otherwise interact with law enforcement. The DeLand Museum of Art's seven-week Camp Create focuses on teaching participants from 6 to 14 the "basic elements of art,"executive director Jennifer Coolidge said. In the process, children enrolled in Camp Create hear from guest artists and visit gallery exhibits, interpreting what they see and applying the principles. "We like to keep it moving, so it keeps them engaged," Coolidge said. As their first day ends, the youngest campers experiment with paper and markers downstairs. "They're making paper airplanes now," said instructor Sharon Fithian. "But we were working with squares earlier. Everything we've done today has been four-side oriented." Back in the first room, the young artists drop names like Alexander Calder and toss around terms like "kinetic," "form" and "balance." Josh Birr, a 10-year-old participant, finally got his mobile balanced. He said the project was simple, but challenging. Coolidge agreed. "It's all about good design," she said. |
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