July 13, 2012

Media Advisory -- Camps July 15-Aug. 10

Reporters, photographers and news crews looking for interesting summer activity stories will find numerous opportunities at Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s summer camps in coming weeks.

The Division of Continuing Education coordinates most of the camps while Touch of Nature Environmental Center, athletics and other units facilitate others.  The 2012 summer camp schedule for July 15 to Aug. 10, along with a brief description of each camp, opportune times to capture stories, pictures or video, as well as contact information, includes:

•  Camp Little Giant offers four camp sessions for children and adults with disabilities during this time period.  Camp Shawnee I is July 15-20, Camp Shawnee II is July 15-27 and Camp Shawnee III is July 22-27.  All are for youths ages 8-21 with physical, cognitive or developmental disabilities.  Dyna Camp is July 29-Aug. 4 for youths ages 8-19 with attention deficit, hyperactive disorder.  Camp Little Giant provides an authentic summer camp experience for those with varying disabilities.  At Touch of Nature Environmental Center, the camp is about eight miles south of Carbondale on Giant City Road.  The suggested time for media to visit is about 9:30 Tuesday through Thursday mornings at Freeberg Dining Hall.  Media are welcome until about 11:30 a.m. but if not on site by 9:30 a.m. please contact the camp to make arrangements.  For additional information or to arrange a media visit, contact Vicki Lang at 618/453-1122, ext. 231, or by emailing vickil@siu.edu.

•  Middle School Architecture Camp, July 15-20, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Quigley Hall.  Campers at the award-winning youth architecture camps come from all over the country and beyond to learn about buildings and design, forge friendships and study the built environment.  Weather permitting, campers will create cast concrete designs at 10 a.m. July 17 on the parking lot at the corner of Washington and Mill streets and media are welcome.  Participants will take a field trip to St. Louis July 20 and be unavailable to media. To learn more, contact Jon Davey at 618/559-8931 or 618/453-3734.

•  There are two Wild Outdoor Week (WOW) camps this month at Touch of Nature Environmental Center, about eight miles south of Carbondale on Giant City Road.  WOW camp for youths entering grades 5-8 this fall is set for July 16-20 and WOW Southern Adventures Camp is July 23-27 for those entering grades 7-10.  Both camps emphasize education and individual growth via outdoor adventure experiences.  Activities include hiking, team building, canoeing, rock climbing, the high ropes course and zip-line and much more.  The camp meets from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. with an overnight planned during the Southern Adventures camp.  To arrange a media visit during the WOW camp contact Travis Geske at 618-453-1122, ext. 238, or by emailing travisg@siu.edu.  To arrange a time during WOW Southern Adventures, contact Scott Ferguson at 618/453-1122, ext. 220, or by email at scottf@siu.edu.

•  Jr. Saluki U Adventures Wild Camp, July 16-20, 8:30 a.m.-noon, Student Recreation Center Alumni Lounge.  Youngsters in grades 1-6 will experience the outdoors, learn about native people and their survival techniques and more while enjoying rock climbing, archery, hiking, fishing, boating, a trip to Attucks Park water park and more.  To arrange a media visit, contact Mitch Belsley at 309/253-3634. 

•  Jr. Saluki U Be a Warrior Camp, July 16-20, 1-4:30 p.m., Student Recreation Center Alumni Lounge.  Youths in grades 1 to 6 will enjoy assorted activities with a focus on health, fitness, team building and fun. They will participate in kickball, soccer, relays, international sports and games, a Warrior Fitness Challenge and go swimming.  To arrange a media visit, contact Mitch Belsley at 309/253-3634. 

•  Two sessions of Jr. Saluki U “Who dun it?  Using forensic science to solve crimes” camp will take place in July.  The first session is July 16-20 for grades 6-8 in the morning and grades 3-5 in the afternoon. During the second week, July 23-27, the grades will switch times.  The camps run from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Quigley Hall, Room 209.  The students will use scientific processing skills including observation, inferences, predictions, measurements, and collaborations to find solutions to problems relating to forensic science and solving crimes.  Activities include DNA and blood typing, fingerprinting, substance identification and hair and fiber analysis.  Media are welcome throughout the camp, particularly during the sessions for the older students but a particularly good option is on the Friday of each week in both sessions.  At that time, campers will participate in a mock crime scene activity in which a theft takes place in the classroom and they use their skills to solve the crime.   For more information, contact Miranda Tucker at kmu788@gmail.com or 618/713-2320.

•  Beginning Engineering LEGO Camp, July 16-20, 8:30 a.m.-noon, Quigley Hall.  Children in grades 1-2 will learn about engineering and architecture as they create assorted LEGO projects featuring pulleys, gears, motors and electronic sensors.  For more information, contact Jon Davey at 618/559-8931 or 618/453-3734. 

•  Advanced Engineering LEGOs Camp, July 16-20, 1-4:30 p.m., Quigley Hall. Children in grade three and above will learn about engineering and architecture through advanced LEGO projects as they craft a variety of motorized projects and more with a focus on renewable energy resources.  For details, contact Jon Davey at 618/559-8931 or 618/453-3734.

•  Saluki Volleyball High School Camp, July 19-21, SIU Arena. Girls ages 14-18 will receive technical and tactical training to maximize their volleyball potential and skills. SIU Carbondale volleyball staff and volleyball players from the University and region will provide instruction. Media are welcome 2-4 p.m. July 20 or 21.  For more information, contact the Saluki volleyball office at 618/453-5476 or email salukivbcamps@athletics.siu.edu,

•  Discover Your Future Summer Camp, July 21-31.  Middle school, high school and college students will participate in this overnight camp giving them the opportunity to experience real college life.  They will enjoy classes and activities in aviation flight and management, architecture, engineering and science, the Center for English as a Second Language and mass communication and media arts as they discover their personal gifts, interest and goals and explore their potential.  Good opportunities for media include July 24 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Communications Building, July 25 at the Southern Illinois Airport where they will fly airplanes (time depends upon weather) and July 29 from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Quigley Hall for architecture.  For additional information, contact Kathy Sitt at 626/297-8991 or by email at Kathy@westcolleges.com.

•  High School Architecture Camp, July 22-27, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Quigley Hall.  Part of the series of award-winning architecture camps for young people, this camp provides participants an introduction to the built environment, architecture, buildings and design.  Plans call for casting concrete at 10 a.m. on July 24, weather permitting, at the corner of Washington and Mill streets and media are welcome.  The campers will be on a field trip to St. Louis July 27 and unavailable to media.  To learn more, contact Jon Davey at 618/559-8931 or 618/453-3734.

•  WeDo Robotics Engineering LEGOs Camp sessions are set for 1-4:30 p.m. July 23-27, July 30-Aug. 3 and Aug. 6-10 at Quigley Hall.   Youngsters in grades three and older will participate in science, literacy, math and social studies creative learning experiences by creating theme models of alligators, birds, lions and more.  The camp promotes critical thinking, problem solving and creativity and includes visual arts, dramatic arts, music, technology and physical education components.  For more information, contact Jon Davey at 618/559-8931 or 618/453-3734.

•  Saluki Volleyball Team Camp, July 26-28, SIU Arena. Middle school and high school volleyball teams will get instruction in skill training and system training as they compete against other teams in preparation for the upcoming season. Instruction is by SIU Carbondale volleyball staff and volleyball players from the University and region. Media are welcome 2-4 p.m. July 27 or 28.  For more information, contact the Saluki volleyball office at 618/453-5476 or email salukivbcamps@athletics.siu.edu,

•  Federal Aviation Administration-SIU Aviation Career Education (ACE) camp is July 29-Aug. 3.  It is a residential camp providing participants with information about the many aspects of the aviation career field.  Each day will focus on a different field, including professional pilot, aviation maintenance, air traffic control, and airport management and planning.  Professionals from each field will talk with campers and then they will enjoy various hands-on activities including flying in the University’s aviation flight program aircraft, visiting FAA air traffic control facilities in St. Louis and the “Prologue Room” at the Boeing Company.  For more information or to arrange a visit, contact Steve Goetz at 618/453-9280 or by email at sgoetz@aviation.siu.edu.