June 16, 2021

Media Advisory – SIU Carbondale Summer Camps June 19 - July 2

Southern Illinois University Carbondale is hosting a numerous camps for children and youths of all ages this summer. These camps offer wonderful opportunities for reporters, photographers and news crews to obtain interesting activity stories, photographs and video.

Conference and Scheduling Services and Touch of Nature Environmental Center coordinate most of the camps, while Saluki Athletics and other campus units take care of the rest.

Several options for capturing good summer camp stories will occur June 19-July 2.

Media opportunities for the third week of June

Below is the schedule for camps that will take place June 19-25. The list includes a brief description of each camp, opportune times to obtain engaging stories, photographs or video and contact information.

Touch of Nature Environmental Center, located about eight miles south of Carbondale on Giant City Road, will be hosting four camps June 21-25, each running from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, or to arrange a visit to any of these camps, contact Erik Oberg or Brian Croft at 618-453-1121 or tonec@siu.edu, or Pat Jones at 618-453-3947 or 618-521-9455. All activities are subject to change and dependent upon the weather.

  • Forest Critters Day Camp – Children ages 4-7 will discover the wildlife that call Southern Illinois home and learn all about these creatures through hands-on activities.
  • Wild Illinois Day Camp – Youngsters ages 7-10 will use their detective skills to discover the creatures large and small that call Touch of Nature and the region their home. They will look for traces of their favorite animals and enjoy outdoor adventures. About 9:30 a.m. on June 23, campers will be using dip nets to find critters near the Camp 2 beach.
  • X-treme Adventure Day Camp – Youths ages 10-13 will enjoy a wide variety of outdoor adventures including hiking, kayaking, rock climbing, canoeing, games, and Touch of Nature’s high ropes course and zip line. They will climb the “pamper pole” (similar to a power pole) at about 10 a.m. on June 22 in the Camp 2 area. They will kayak, canoe and do stand-up paddleboard on the lake the morning of June 24. Campers will be on the high ropes course and zip line at about 9:30 a.m. on June 25.
  • Voyageur Leadership Program Rock Climbing Adventure – Teens 13-16 will develop leadership skills and expand their comfort zones with day trips, outdoor adventures, outdoor exploration, camping and lots of rock climbing during this camp. They will be at the Devil’s Stand table at Giant City State Park the afternoon of June 21 and at Shelter 1 at Giant City State Park at about 10 a.m. on June 22 for rock climbing.

Additional SIU camps that week include:

  • SIU Summer Piano Camp – Students in grades 5 through college age enjoy this class incorporating individual instruction, masterclasses, ensemble sessions, music history and more. Media members are welcome to cover three different camp activities taking place on June 21.
  • Masterclass lessons from 8:40 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. in the Old Baptist Foundation Recital Hall.
  • Camp faculty solo piano recital from 10:15 to 10:45 a.m. at Shryock Auditorium.
  • Music history class from 10:52 to 11:30 a.m. in Altgeld Hall, Room 114.

For more information about the piano camp or any of the activities, contact Junghwa Lee at 618-536-8742 or jlee@siu.edu.

  • Middle School Architecture Camp – This popular camp draws teens in grades 7-8 from around the world to learn about architecture and design from award-winning Professor Jon Davey, who has 40 years of teaching experience. Participants will be casting concrete in the parking lot next to the blue barracks at 1075 S. Washington St. from 9:30 to 10 a.m. June 22. For more information, contact Davey at 618-453-1108 or jdavey@siu.edu or Rebecca Dycus at 618-559-1047 or rdycus@siu.edu.
  • Cooperative Youth – high school students, often FFA members, learn the importance of cooperatives and how they operate in Illinois and in the agriculture industry. Media are welcome to visit between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on June 24 in the Agriculture Building Room 225 as participants enjoy hands-on activities in learning about cooperative businesses. For more information, contact Susan Graham at 618-453-2469 or sgraham@siu.edu.
  • Outdoors Draw and Paint – The Student Center Craft Shop is offering this class for children in grades 1-3. Each day they will be exploring the beautiful campus and painting using watercolors and acrylics. Media are welcome to attend June 24 from 9:30 to 11 a.m. at the Bucky Dome by Campus Lake as children will be painting landscapes. For more information, contact Stephanie Dukat at 716-912-4807 or 618-453-3636 or via email at stephaniedukat@siu.edu.
  • Junior Aviator II Careers – This new camp introduces children in grades 4-5 to aviation careers including pilot, maintenance technician, air traffic control, aircraft designer and weather observer. The camp includes hands-on activities, mini-field trips and time in SIU flight training simulators. Media are welcome from 1:30 to 3 p.m. on June 25 at the Transportation Education Center’s multipurpose rooms, as campers participate in hands-on flight-focused activities. For details contact Loralei Ruiz at 618-319-2440 or lemiller@siu.edu or Steve Goetz at 618-453-8898 or sgoetz@siu.edu.

Additional media opportunities coming the week of June 27-July 2

SIU offers additional camps with interesting story opportunities for media to cover the week of June 27 through July 2, including:

  • Summer String Camp – Children in grades 3-12 will enhance their musical skills with string instruments and play ensembles. Media are welcome any time from 9 to 11 a.m. June 28-July 1 at the Old Baptist Foundation as the campers practice, learn and perform. For additional details, contact Paula Melton at 618-536-8742 or melton@siu.edu.
  • Junior Aviator I - Careers – This camp gives youths in grades 6-8 a chance to explore aviation, including flight planning, weather information, radio communication, navigation and aircraft performance and learn about the various career opportunities with a special emphasis on pilots. The camp wraps up in either flight training simulators or, weather permitting, aircraft flights. Media are welcome from 1:30 to 4 p.m. on July 2 at the Transportation Education Center multipurpose rooms as campers participate in hands-on aviation-related activities. For more information, contact Lorelei Ruiz at 618-319-2440 or lemiller@siu.edu or Steve Goetz at 618-453-8898 or sgoetz@siu.edu.

Touch of Nature will also hosting four additional camps the week of June 25-July 2. Each camp runs from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. for a different age group.  For more information, or to schedule a visit to any of the camps, contact Erik Oberg or Brian Croft at 618-453-1121 or tonec@siu.edu or Pat Jones at 618-453-3947 or 618-521-9455. All specific activity plans are contingent upon weather and other factors and subject to change.

The Touch of Nature camp lineup for that week includes:

  • Forest Superheroes Day Camp – Children ages 4-7 will get their chance to become nature’s superheroes, making the world a better place as they plant trees, build a bat house, add plants to a native plant butterfly garden and learn Leave No Trace principles.
  • Water Camp Day Camp (session I) – Youngsters ages 7-10 will explore the water and aquatic life from every angle as they dip, measure, splash and explore in Little Grassy Lake and Indian Creek.
  • Southern Adventures Day Camp – Youths ages 10-13 will explore some of the region’s unique places including Jackson Falls, Bell Smith Springs, Heron Pond, Cache River and Garden of the Gods as they learn and practice Leave No Trace principles. They will hike the trail at Giant City State Park the afternoon of June 28 and the morning of June 29 they will hike the Panther Den Wilderness area.
  • Voyageur Leadership Eleven Point River Camp and Campout – Teens 13-16 will enhance their leadership skills and extend their comfort zones with day trips, outdoor adventures and exploration and overnight camping as they learn the basics of backcountry and canoe travel while camping and exploring the Eleven Point National Scenic River in Missouri.  Campers will put in their canoes at Greer Spring in Missouri at about 10 a.m. on June 30.