Dona Ana Community College’s Community Education Program is offering a number of camps for students during summer break through their “Kids Kollege” program.
Elementary School students from 1st to 5th grade were designing motorcycles and cars that could push objects out of the way as part of the creative engineering camp.
Vickie Galindo, Director of Dona Ana Community College’s Community Education and Customized training program says it’s just one of many opportunities they are offering this summer ranging from computer camp, to art, to etiquette.
“It’s important to have kids involved during the summer in a variety of activities so we keep their minds challenged,” Galindo said. “They retain what it is that they learn during the school year. Plus these are options for parents who don’t want to place their children in day care or don’t have sitter options, something like that. They can bring them to an educational opportunity while the parents go to work.”
Galindo says the Creative Engineering Course is designed to help kids improve their science, math, and ingenuity skills without them realizing they are learning.
“Probably the most important thing is that it needs to be entertaining to the kids,” Galindo said. “If they are having a great time building something in the engineering class that’s got movable parts on it, but they don’t realize they are getting science and math and engineering all at the same time. They might go into the computer classes and while they are busy filming a little movie, they are also getting math skills and science skills and they don’t even realize they’ve gotten it. So, it’s very important because it keeps them up to date and learning, but they’re having such a great time they don’t even realize they are getting it.”
New programs are going to be offered every week over the summer vacation, including a greatly anticipated Lego film class being taught by Stephanie Reyes, which begins Monday.
“It’s based on doing stop- animation,” Reyes said. “But using Lego characters instead of Claymation. The kids are going to film their movies, edit them, add sound and go through the whole process in a week of making this short little movie.”
Vickie Galindo says it’s important for kids to continue learning over their summer vacation.
“There’s a lot of research that indicates in the education field,” Galindo said. “That students who are engaged in opportunities during the summer, who keep reading, who keep using their math and science skills go back in the fall with greater retention of the skills they learned in the previous grade.”
Camps will be offered through July 29th, and prices range from $39 to $149. For more information visit dacc.nmsu.edu/comed/ or call (575) 527-7527.
