For many people, summer camp was a normal aspect of their upbringing. Growing up, many people can recall the exciting anticipation of the summer season at camp. Some kids attend generic summer camps that are concerned with fostering teamwork and respect for those who are different. These summer camps conjure images of children and their uniform-clad counselors sitting around a campfire while singing songs. Other types of summer camps are concerned with improving a child’s performance in one particular activity. These types of camps often focus on sports, most commonly basketball. Since there exists basketball and soccer camps, then basically any type of children’s summer camp could become popular, as long as certain values, such as teamwork, are taught to the attending children. As it happens, there does exist a plethora of camps that are concerned with different sorts of constructive activities. Perhaps the strangest of all is the entomology camp in San Antonio, Texas. Although you would think that most kids would not be interested in studying bugs all summer long, the summer bug camp has drawn in numerous children for each of the ten years of its existence.
For the past ten summers, the Texas A & M AgriLife Extension Service has sponsored summer bug camps that educate children on the importance of insects. The camp was created by Molly Keck, who is an AgriLife Extension integrated pest management specialist. According to Keck, the main goal of the summer bug camp is to teach kids why insects are important, and to help foster a respect for insects and their natural place within the environment. Keck believes that it is important to convince kids that scientific inquiry and procedure can be fun, and not daunting. The bug summer camp aims to educate kids on ecological matters in order to prepare them for the state mandated Texas Knowledge and Skills test. However, the summer bug camp’s curriculum and activities attempt to instill in children a much broader understanding of insects than is required by the state.
Would you be pleased to learn that your child prefers to attend summer bug camp instead of basketball camp?