Playtime: Summer Music School is back, plus Edmonds College youth technology camps
After checking on the Summer Music School page of the Edmonds School District website for good news (for what seems like the entire last two years,) it finally reads “Summer Music is Baaaaaack!” in bright red type. While slightly amended, Summer Music School in the Edmonds School District is happening this summer — the main changes being slightly shorter hours, a change of location to the Meadowdale High School campus, and the camp won’t be marching in the parade for An Edmonds Kind of 4th. From June 28 through July 15, campers entering sixth through 12th grades who have one year of instrumental education in band or orchestra under their belt will meet up daily from 8 a.m. to noon. All students will participate in choir, two electives and a choice of band, orchestra or select choir. The camp culminates in an evening concert and an informal mid-day elective concert.
The Summer Music School (SMS) webpage explains that their “faculty of professional educators and musicians maintain a positive atmosphere that promotes student growth while supporting their self-confidence and personal pride,” and that is certainly our experience. I am so excited that the kids who were waiting to be old enough for SMS when we went into quarantine can finally try it and that the kids who are old enough now get to try it out right on time! My oldest got to try a new instrument, learn to play steel drums, and even wrote a song with a group of other students one summer. The Korean Drumming elective allowed him to make friends and even meet after school to prepare for a concert involving the student delegation from Lynnwood’s Sister City, Damyang, Korea. I could go on and on, and usually once a year when registration opens, I do, but this camp experience has been a positive one for us and those of our friends that have attended, so it is hard not to get excited about its return. You can find more information and directions to register online using TouchBase or via mail for those out of district, at Edmonds.Wednet.Edu.
Edmonds Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Services has opened registration for all of their summer camps and also recently posted that “Gymnastics is back at the Frances Anderson Center” for both classes and camps. I imagine many parents are excited about this as I am about SMS. Classes start for gymnasts as young as 3 years old and the Gymnastics Outdoor Summer Camp has sessions for those ages 5 to 10 and 6 to 12.
Since registration is now open for all camps, I thought I would take another look at the city’s offerings. They have a Beach Ranger camp, for campers ages 7 and 8, a Junior Naturalists Outdoor Nature camp for those 9 to 12, and a Discovery Outdoor Nature camp for those ages 7 to 9, though one week is already full. Registration for the newly revived Edmonds Day Camp seems to be going pretty well, as a good number of the weeks for second and third graders are full and there are still options for campers in fourth to sixth grades. There are still openings for the Outdoor Gymnastics Camps and different Skyhawks sports camps including beginner golf held at Seaview Park for those ages 5 to 9. Play-Well LEGO camps have options for campers 5 to 14 and the Mad Scientist camps are back as well with an age range of first through sixth grades. You can browse the options and register for those classes and camps at https://bit.ly/EdmondsCRAZEregistration and as always, call 425-771-0230 with questions. They also suggest signing up for their email updates at https://bit.ly/RecZoneEmail.
Edmonds College is offering Technology Camps this summer and has added a few in-person options. The college will offer in-person camps for groups ages 8 to 11 and 11 to 15 that cover Minecraft and Roblox engineering, building your own video game ala Fortnite, and learning Python Programming. Registration for the on-campus options starts on April 11, while registration for their virtual offerings is open now. The virtual options include the above listed classes and many, many more. You can learn how to add fx to your YouTube Channel, join an “Inventor’s League,” or learn video game animation, to name a few.
I signed up one of my own kids for an Edmonds College online camp before I started writing about the option and I did/do feel a little bit conflicted about adding more screen time to an already robust YouTube routine. Edmonds College partners with Black Rocket Productions and explains they offer “programs that mirror real-life experiences and the collaborative nature of the design process.” I feel pretty good about that, plus my kids know their way around technology and approach new options in a much less overwhelmed way than I do. For more information and registration for both in-person and online camps, you can visit Edmonds.edu.
— By Jennifer Marx
Jen Marx, an Edmonds mom of two boys, is always looking for a fun place to take the kids that makes them tired enough to go to bed on time.
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