Grade-school children imagine that summer is a time of sleeping late, no homework, and a lot of video games. Parents may have a different idea. In Austin, Texas, there are a lot of choices for parents who want to keep their children active and stimulated. From sports, to rowing, to the arts, Austin has the programs reflect the diverse population and the natural setting of this Central Texas city.
Water Activities
Even though Austin is land-locked, there are plenty of water activities. Lady Bird Lake is an urban lake in the center of the city. No motor boats are allowed on LBL, which makes it a quiet, calm place to learn human-powered boating skills. The boat docks on Lady Bird Lake have summer programs for children that include water safety, kayaking, and rowing. These programs are available for a range of age groups. (See Reference 1.)
Sports
The Austin Parks and Recreation department operates summer programs for children interested in tennis, golf or swimming. The National Junior Tennis League operates a summer camp in Austin for children between 7 and 18. Campers get instruction and can participate in tournaments. The Austin Junior Golf Academy is open to any girl or boy between the ages of five and 14 and teaches golf skills and course etiquette. The Aquatics program offers swimming lessons at progressive levels starting at age six months through age 16.
Nature Studies
Children of all ages can participate in an assortment of outdoor activities at the Austin Nature and Science Center, which is part of the city's parks and recreation department. Activities include rock climbing, canoeing and caving for children between nine and 12. Younger children can explore nature on hikes, visits to the planetarium and science programs. The center also schedules campouts and field trips to nearby state parks.
The Austin Children's Museum has day camps for youngsters designed to encourage them to explore nature, like Under the Sea program that investigates the oceans and the Engineer It program that includes field trips to the University of Texas engineering, chemistry labs.
Arts and Crafts
If your child is interested in art, consider a program that encourages their efforts. Both the Art Plus Academy and Art School of the Austin Museum of Arts at Laguna Gloria have summer arts programs designed for children. Also the Doughetry Arts Center Art School has a summer children's programs for children of all ages. These classes combine visual and performance designed around a theme, like knights and fair ladies or exploring Texas. Older children can enroll in studio art courses that include instruction on mixed media, painting and sculpture. (See Reference 5 and Resource 2.)
Indoor Pursuits
Another avenue for summer programs are those that encourage and instruct children in skills like cooking, computers, fashion design, film and theater. Some of these program are weekly camps, like the Austin Children's Theater which has one-week camps for children between five and 12. These camps help children explore theater through games, movement, art projects and music. The Adventure Cook has hands-on cooking classes for children. The Austin Film Festival has a Summer Film camp that includes claymation and screenwriting workshops. Camp Wired provides instruction in digital music, web design, animation and game programming. (Resource 1 has links to these programs.)
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