In February 2014, 60 Minutes hosted a special on three remarkable kids. This blog discusses one of them, Jack Andraka, and his incredible feats in the medical health profession. His success comes from a variety of support systems, many of which speak to the benefits of summer camp.
Camp is Great for Scientific Exploration, but Support Starts at Home
According to the episode, “[Jack’s] parents say he has been obsessed with science since he was a toddler, conducting experiments even as a 3- year-old…his parents tried to keep him engaged by encouraging science projects at home.” The Andrakas maintain that as long as their sons don’t blow up the house, they have free reign over the basement-turned-chemical-lab. Luckily, Jack is working on curing cancer instead of starting chemical fires, but most parents can’t allow their kids such liberties. As an alternative, science and technology camps encourage the same kind of creativity but within a safe infrastructure and under knowledgeable guidance of the teachers and counselors (and from a safe distance from your antique furniture).
Science and Technology Summer Camps Encourage Creativity
In his interview, Jack says, “You can be a genius, but if you don’t have the creativity to put that knowledge to use, then you just have a bunch of knowledge and nothing else.” Our educational system stresses smarts over creativity – multiple choice answers over out-of-the-box thinking. How can you as a parent go beyond the systems at hand to support your child’s creativity? Science and technology summer camps bring talented youth from across North America to play and learn together in a totally unique program. These science camps educate from outside the rigid structure of a classroom, and encourage trial, failure, and creative experimentation to foster the not-so-distant future leaders in science and technology.
Educational Camps for Kids Foster Leadership and Community
The episode highlights Jack’s entrapment between the adult and adolescent world: “And while he now moves in very adult circles [traveling as a guest lecturer at international medical conferences], Jack says when it comes to his future he is just like any other lost teenager…‘I actually have no clue what I want to do when I grow up.’” Often times highly intelligent kids become trapped between the adult world of their intellect and the emotional world of their adolescence. For kids like Jack, science and technology summer camp can create a bridge between these worlds. Camp sharpens their skills while offering a healthy social challenge and support system of an equally talented peer group.
Look up summer camps for kids and teens on Camppage.com for locations all over the world that will support your child’s interests in a social, creative, and challenging environment.