Build a Stuffed Animal Workshop

Grades 2-4    
Grades 4-8      

In this course, we will stuff miniature animals (bears, bunnies, etc.) We will create clothes and homes for our pets, and by the end of the course we will have a community! *A $5.00 materials fee will be added to your registration.

Candle Making

Grades 4-8    

This class will include a variety of candle types including molded, dipped and painted. We will also make several types of candle holders using a variety of craft techniques. Join us for an enlightening summer. *A $5.00 materials fee will be added to your registration.

Clothing Decoration

Grades 2-8    

Design and create your own sweatshirts, tee shirts, socks, and other fabrics. Tie-dye, fabric paints, dyes, and other assorted materials will be utilized. An exciting, fun class for all ages.

Comic Strips

Grades 2-8   

In this class, you will learn to draw your own comic strips and political cartoons. You can make a comic book, or stick with a short format of 4-5 frames. We will go over basic drawing techniques, as well as learn a few tricks of the trade.

Crazy Crafts

Grades 2-4    
Grades 4-8    

A variety of crafts will be explored. Beginner and advanced friendship bracelets. Kooky pencils. People and critters will make us laugh. Have you seen Shrinky Dinks? Watch them shrink! Thinking "green" how about recycling an adult t-shirt into a reusable grocery bag? We will end the summer with each student sewing his or her own beanie baby.

Creative Clay on the Potters Wheel

Grades 4-8     DOUBLE PERIOD

Expand your knowledge of ceramics in the use of the potters wheel, hand building sculpture, and jewelry. A variety of glazes will be used.

Digital Photography

Grades 3-8      

Explore using a digital camera, learn how to download pictures and experiment with "digital development".  During the class we will spend time outside and take a couple of walking field trips to find those interesting shots.  Pictures of people, pets, architecture, nature, close-ups, we will try them all.  You might get hooked and continue to take pictures over the weekend or on vacation.  A photography show will be our goal, to display our creative picture taking.  Each student will need to bring their own digital camera daily to class. *A $5.00 materials fee will be added to your registration.

Digital Photography - Advanced

Grades 4-8

This class if for students who are passionate about taking pictures and creating images. Every child will be challenged at their level of capturing images and working with the technology available. (For students who have already taken a digital photography class.)

Do-it-yourself Room Decorations

Grades 4-8

Create fun and practical projects you can instantly use in your own room.  Design a fabric covered bulletin board or a DIY chalkboard.  Decorate earring hangers, door signs, picture collages, pillows, small decorated boxes and more!

Draw! Draw! Draw!

Grades 2-8    

Love to draw? Enjoy exploring a variety of drawing methods. From cartoon drawing to shading and some perspective, all ages can practice and learn new techniques using pencil, pen and charcoal!

Jewelry Creations

Grades 2-4    
Grades 4-8    

Design your own necklaces, bracelets, pins and earrings. We will create these items using sculpey clay, shrinky paper, and beads. At the end of camp we will have a jewelry sale.

Knitwits

Grades 4-8    

Have you ever wanted to learn to knit? It's the latest craze! Join us and learn how to knit scarves, doll blankets and other simple projects.

Masterpiece Studio

Grades 2-8    

Create your own gallery of famous paintings. We'll draw and paint in the styles of artists like Matisse, Seurat, Van Gogh, among others. Come make a masterpiece.

Oil Pastels

Grades 2-4    
Grades 4-8   

Join us all as we discover how to create beautiful and colorful masterpieces of nature and life all around us. Working the style of famous French artists.

Painting - Advanced

Grades 4-8    

Learn advanced techniques of painting including the use of tempera, ink, watercolor, and acrylics.

Painting For Beginners

Grades 2-4    

Use tempera, construction paper, yarn, and other materials to create a class mural as well as individual projects with your unique perspective.

Woodworking Workshop

Grades 2-4
Grades 5-8

Come explore the World of Woodworking! If you are into tools or want to lean more about them, then this is the class for you. We will design, create and build all kinds of projects including a real CO2 Powered Dragster!

All The News Fit To Print!

Grades 2-4      
Grades 4-8      

Be a part of publishing the Adventures newspaper! Become a reporter, photographer, layout designer, cartoonist and illustrator.

Calling All Authors

Grades 2-4    
Grades 4-8   

Do you like to write your own stories? Create an original story and illustrate your work. We will use a variety of three-dimensional materials to make your pictures come alive. Create a fabric cover and turn your story into a real book.

Computer Animation

Grades 4-8    
Grades 2&3      

Want to be the next great animator? Learn how to use flash animation to create stories, characters, and digital messages!

Creative Writing

Grades 3-5    
Grades 6-8   

Once upon a time, there was a class at Adventures where princesses danced at lavish balls, baseball players hit home runs in the bottom of the 9th, and aliens roamed a newly discovered planet right around the corner from Mars. Creative writing is an outlet to help us express our feelings, tell stories about our lives, and explore worlds we create for our readers. This class will give you an opportunity to free write and to publish several stories using the writing process. In addition to learning about the writing process, you will learn writer's craft strategies to pull readers into your stories and make the writing jump off the page. After we complete our stories, we will celebrate by sharing our writing with others so they can experience the characters, settings, and storylines we create!

Exploring Technology

Grades 2-4    
Grades 4-8      

Have fun while working with various pieces of hardware and software! Learn desktop publishing, multimedia, digital photography, image editing, animations and robotic skills, while creating various projects.

Fairyland

Grades 2-8    

If you like fairies, this is the course for you! We will explore fairy folklore and legends through literature. We will enter the world of fairies by creating stories, poems and constructing the perfect fairy home.

Keyboarding

Grades 3-8    

Computers are more fun when you know the keyboard. Learn to type without looking so you can write with ease. We'll also use other computer software and play games once a week.

Math Games

Grades 2-4          

Want to improve your math skill and have fun? We are going to learn to play a new math game every day! We'll even make a few games of our own. Logical thinking and math facts will be emphasized.

Math Lab

Grades 4-6

Start the year off right! Strengthen your computation and problem solving skills through activities, games, and computer programs and have fun doing it! Emphasis will be on improving essential number concepts and exploring other mathematical concepts such as geometry.

Reading and Writing Club

Grades 2-5
Grades 6-8    

Do you enjoy listening to read-alouds and losing yourself in a story? Could you use some strategies to help you get more involved in a book and feel like you are in the story? Would you like to write your own story about a character in a book you are reading? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then Reading and Writing Club is the class for you! At the beginning of the summer, we will decide on a book you are interested in reading. Throughout the book, we will learn ways to "step into the story" so we feel like we are there. You will also have a chance to write stories you want to tell and stories that involve characters from our book. This is a great chance for you to continue to use and build upon the reading and writing skills you are learning in school over the summer!

Reading Rocks!

Grades 2-3
Grades 4-5    

Have fun reading this summer and become a better reader. You will learn to choose books that are the "right fit" for you. By using a combination of individual reading, paired reading, guided reading with a reading teacher, and reading games, you will strengthen all areas of your reading. You will also get to listen to great "read alouds." On Fridays, you will get the chance to play games with your reading buddies. This class will provide an excellent opportunity to reinforce skills and build confidence for the upcoming school year.

Wonders of Science

Grades 2-4    
Grades 4-8   

Fun, surprising, and sometimes amazing experiments are a part of this course. Explore science and learn experiments that will dazzle your family and friends.

Animal Care

Grades 2-8    

Handle small animals such as hamsters and guinea pigs. Learn to care for them. Study and develop an understanding of their habits and living conditions. Take them home for the weekend.

Celebrations (Party Planning)

Grades 2-4    
Grades 4-8     

Everyone loves a party! This class is packed with creative party ideas: gifts to make, treats to bake, bright ways to decorate, and games galore for fun throughout the year. Each week a different theme will be selected. Daily activities will revolve around that theme, with a culminating party on Friday. Come party with us!

Clay Animation Characters

Grades 2-4    
Grades 4-8   

Clay animation is a fascinating field that combines design and technology while stretching the limits of your imagination. This class will teach you all the ins and outs of designing characters with armatures, movable features, and textures and details to bring your ideas to life.

Create your Own Crazy Commericals

Grades 2-4    
Grades 4-8    

Invent your own wacky products and advertise them! We'll create props, write scripts, explore sound effects and then put them together as "magazine", "radio", and "TV" ads.

Creatures, Beasts, and Magical Animals

Grades 2-4
Grades 5-8

Explore the fantastical worlds of giants, ogres, elves, chupacabra, yeti, unicorns, dragons, werewolves, hippogriff, and more! Learn about why people believe these creatures are real and where in the world they come from, make your own field guide, and even create your own fearsome being. Get ready for art projects, storytelling, and even some science!

Famous Disasters

Grades 2-8    

Pompeii, The Great Chicago Fire, The Titanic, and more. We'll be learning about these famous disasters and recreating them. We'll spend time building our own volcanoes, model ships and doing fun experiments.

Film Making

Grades 4-8   

Learn how to make your own movie with a digital camera, and how to edit it on a computer like a real Hollywood moviemaker! We will learn about all aspects of movie making and will actually make a movie as a class

Harry Potter Adventures

Grades 2-4    

This course is all about Harry Potter. We will do a variety of things, from building the Hogwart's castle to designing a new cover for the book. Play chess, write about the adventures and much more.

I Am Houdini - Advanced

Grades 3-8    

Enhance your knowledge of magic. Learn how to make a card rise out of the deck without strings, plus many other slight of hand techniques. Learn to use professional props. Students must have taken the beginning course.

I Am Houdini - Magic For Kids

Grades 2-8    

Learn the art of magic using cards, coins, ropes, and may other household items. Learn simple but impressive tricks. Make things appear and disappear. Create illusions.

Lego Construction

Grades 2-4    

If you like building with Legos, then this course is for you! Individual as well as group and team projects stretch your imagination...join a contest! Beginning and intermediate kits used.

Lego Mindstorms Robots

Grades 4-8    

Have fun building Lego robots! Learn to program the computer and your robots then watch them run. Design your own robots or build from kits. We will have contests and challenges.

Life As An American Girl Doll

Grades 2-8    

Travel through time with all the American Girl Dolls, even those beloved dolls now in the Archive Collection. Experience history, creative crafts, and theme parties while having lots and lots of fun!  Meet the two newest dolls, Marie-Grace Gardner and Cécile Rey. Learn about all the dolls and their special stories this summer!

Make 'em and Race 'em

Grades 2-4    

Start your engines! Each week you will build and perfect a new racing "vehicle" balloon car, air glider, miniature sailboat, mousetrap car and pine car. Each Friday we will have races to see which is the fastest, best looking, slowest, etc.

Mythology

Grades 2-4      
Grades 4-8      

Did you love The Lightning Thief? Are you interested in learning about gods and goddesses from different countries around the world? We will explore different myths and the countries they come from, write plays based on myths and perform or film these plays!  Join us if you love mythology, acting, or very creative costume making! We will also vote on which Rick Riordan book to read throughout the summer (The Red Pyramid? The Lost Hero?)!

Slumber Party Fun

Grades 2-4      
Grades 4-8      

Come experience all the games, giggling, and fun of a sleepover without feeling tired and cranky afterwards!  The class will feature lots of crafts, snacks, and activities that you can share with your friends.  No sleeping bag required.

Snacks and Tidbits

Grades 2-4    

Learn to make fun foods, which are good to eat, and easy to make, such as nachos, frosted pretzels, Dinosaur punch, mini-pizza, and much more. *A $5.00 materials fee will be added to your registration.

Star Wars Adventures

Grades 3-8  

Lights! Camera!  Action!  Kids will write and star in their own Star Wars movie while learning the history of Star Wars, the special effects involved in making the films and how the mythology was created.  Every student gets to play a Star Wars character and act on camera.    
    

Stop Motion Animated Films

Grades 2-4
Grades 5-8

Students will create a stop-motion character to animate along side other objects.  Students can team up to create skits that they animate.  We will edit with some sound effects and music a final movie the students can bring home.

Super Sleuths

Grades 2-4    

Calling all secret agents! Use logic and imagination to solve summer mysteries. If you enjoy mystery stories, scavenger hunts, puzzles, riddles and secret codes, join us. Emphasis on encouraging creativity and critical thinking.

Water Games

Grades 2-4      
Grades 4-8      

Cool off with water games!  We will be playing a variety of games that all involve water. This class will include things such as water relay races, balloon toss, squirt gun tag and much, much more.

American Idol

Grades 4-8    

Do you like to sing? Come to American Idol and learn how to perform to the best of your abilities. We will focus on vocal exercises, breathing, and sight-reading. We will sing some of your favorite pop and musical theater song! Don't be shy.....reach for the stars.

Beginning Acoustic Guitar

Grades 3-8      

Learn and practice basic guitar skills such as tuning, hand position , 7 basic chords, basic strumming and rhythms, and beginner guitar songs.  Students must provide their own instruments.

Creative Dramatics

Grades 2-4    
Grades 4-8      

Get a jump on Second City…. learn improvisation, pantomime, and story telling with emphasis on the encouragement of creative and imaginative thought.

Make Your Own Music Video

Grades 4-8    

Come learn all the newest dance moves and hear the hottest music. Create the story, dialog and dance as we film a music video! This is a high-energy class. You must wear gym shoes and comfortable clothes in which you can move freely.

Movie Musical Mania

Grades 2-8    

Each week the group will vote on a favorite movie musical to watch. We will learn our favorite songs from the movie to perform at the end of the week at a karaoke party! Movie choices could include Oliver, Mary Poppins, The Lion King, Annie, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Peter Pan, Willie Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, High School Musical or other choices we will stir up together!

Archery

Grades 3-4    
Grades 4-8    

Practice skills needed for accuracy in target shooting. The Camp Archery Association system for recognizing achievement will be used. Beginners will receive instruction in fundamentals. Intermediate and advanced archers will use instinctive and point of aim shooting methods.

Athletes' Club

Grades 2-4    

Do kids have enough time to be kids? Here they do! A games course for the enthusiastic and energetic. Play Capture the Flag, Tennis Baseball, Roller ball, Dodge ball variations and other games. Boys and girls, all skill levels.

Athletes' Club II

Grades 4-8    

Designed for the older child. Play more advanced games such as Ultimate Frisbee, Territory, and Speed-away Football.

Basketball

Grades 2-4
Grades 5-8

Lace up your high tops and meet us on the court. Work on your basketball skills - dribbling, shooting, passing and defense.  Practice running plays, playing fun games and scrimmaging.  See you on the court!

Falls Ball or Sack-it

Grades 2-4    
Grades 4-8      

Falls Ball is an outdoor game combining soccer, football and hockey. It is a team game that involves moving a ball through the air or on the ground. The object is to score a goal in a hockey sized net. Sack-it is a baseball style game with a twist. A batter gets one strike. Everyone bats and you keep hitting as long as you score a run.

Flag Football I

Grades 2-4   

Enjoy this no contact version of America's other favorite pastime. Develop your skills on offense and defense, the test them on the gridiron. Future Bears apply here!

Flag Football II

Grades 4-8    

Grab your football and meet us at the 50-yard line. Learn all the techniques from throwing and catching to running and scoring TDs. Of course, the rules of the game will be enforced. Sign-up now if you want to be the next Barry Sanders.

Floor Hockey

Grades 2-4    
Grades 4-8    

Join us for a summer of fun with pucks and sticks. Teams are formed and games are played daily. The class is open to girls and boys.

Gymnastics For Guys

Grades 2-4    

Boys will focus on tumbling, vaulting, parallel bars and rings. Coordination and strength training will also be included.

Gymnastics I

Grades 2-4    

Basic skill development on side horse, vaulting box, rings, parallel bars, balance beam. Emphasizes fitness through warm up. Work with free exercise. Build up strength through use of the equipment.

Gymnastics II

Grades 4-8    

Refinement of basic skills learned on the apparatus. Learn new skills at the intermediate and advanced levels. Fitness and warm up routines emphasized. Work in free exercise.

High Ropes Challenge

Grades 5-8                      

Come challenge your mental and physical strength on the high ropes course at Skokie.  Learn safe climbing techniques.  Build your strength in outdoor activities designed to develop the personal and group skills needed for successful climbing.  

Jumping Rope

Grades 2-8

Perfect your rope jumping skills!  Learn different rhythms, games, and styles for jumping rope.  Who knows you might even be a Double Dutch expert by the end of the summer!

Karate

Grades 2-8
Here is a chance to give karate a try!  Traditional Japanese Shotokan Karate taught by National Champion Sensei, Jeff Ladin.  Belt Advancement is possible.  Most of the training is outside in the shade and incorporates fun agility training, balance and obstacle courses.

Kickball/Blamball

Grades 2-4    
Grades 4-8    

Have fun learning how to play these popular outdoor games. Have fun while improving your skills.

Lacrosse

Grades 2-4
Grades 5-8

Learn the basic skills of the fastest growing sport in America.  This will be a non-contact class learning skills and playing fun competitive modified games.

Outdoor Sports Smorgasbord

Grades 2-4
Grades 5-8

Each week will focus on a different sport, allowing students to participate in a variety of activities over the course of the summer. Themes will include Olympics week (track and field), World Cup Week (soccer), World Series Week (softball), Super Bowl Week(flag football), Wild Card Week (misc.).

Pom/Cheerleading

Grades 2-4    
Grades 4-8    

Pom / Cheerleading will integrate dancing with basic stunting. The group would learn different routines that included multiple eight counts along with stunting. This would be a great class for those with or without Pom or Cheerleading experience.

Recess Workout

Grades 2-4    
Grades 4-8    

Get exercise and have fun too! Participate in relay games, jumping rope, calisthenics, obstacle courses, and activities incorporating playground equipment. Build endurance, strength, teamwork, and flexibility all while having a fantastic time!

Soccer

Grades 2-4    
Grades 4-8   

Learn the fundamentals of soccer. Play games to develop coordination. Improve your skills and have a great game every day.

Softball/Teeball/Kickball

Grades 2-4    
Grades 4-8   

Participate in learning some of the baseball and softball skills and techniques that will enable you to know the rules and be able to play an actual game.

Tennis I

Grades 2-4                         

Learn skills to develop coordination in preparing to play tennis.  Tennis racquet and ball required.

Tennis II

Grades 4-8                         

Review basic skills and drills, with greater emphasis on game play, strategy and friendly competition.  Tennis racquet and ball required

Track and Field

Grades 2-4    
Grades 4-8    

This course will allow each camper to experience a wide variety of activities centered on techniques in both running and field events. Also, they will experience mental preparation and goal setting in personal fitness. They will each have a personal training log.

Volleyball

Grades 2-4    
Grades 4-8   

Learn the rules of the game. Bump, set, spike and serve. Learn how to work together as a team. Long lasting fun!

Yoga For Kids

Grades 2-8    

Say good-bye to tension and stress. Learn relaxation and exercise techniques you can use anytime, anywhere. Develop flexibility and grace, too. Please bring a yoga mat or towel.