Teaching children the tools to craft their own story not only allows them to become masters of their stories but also leads to children who communicate better.
Discovery College will offer three different creative writing camps for the summer. "I'm really excited about our writing classes. Kids love to tell stories and writing can be an adventure," says Mark Osborne, program director for Discovery College. "When you think about it, all the things that kids love start with a story - video games, cartoons, comic strips - so all kids can relate."
Writing strengthens speech, vocabulary and sentence construction, but it also teaches skills like decision making and problem solving. In addition writing a story allows them to explore their own feelings about situations and consider other peoples circumstances.
Writing for Animated Cartoons will be taught by Gerard Baldwin. Baldwin's career spans more than fifty years as an animator, director, writer, and producer. From 1979 to 1985, he produced and directed the Smurfs, the highest-rated children's television series at the time. This class will cover all aspects of animation writing from story premise to final script. Students will get a feel for the animation studio when they brainstorm with group members on plot, story ideas and terminology. This class will be offered only once for students ages 12-14, July 6-10, 1 to 5 p.m.
Boys will learn to craft their own adventure in Rough Writers: Writing Adventures for Boys. Here they will learn the importance of brainstorming, drafting, revising and editing. Boys will learn a little about great writers, like Jack London, Ernest Hemingway and Mark Twain and their writing styles. This class will be offered three times: for ages 6-8, July 27-31, 1 to 5 p.m.; for ages 9-11, June 22-26, 1 to 5 p.m.; and for ages 12-14, July 20-24, 1 to 5 p.m.
Girls are natural story tellers. Young Women Writers embraces this natural talent and encourages them to let their creativity flow. By practicing writing skills students become better oral and written communicators. In addition to writing activities, the girls will learn about famous women writers. This class will be offered three times: for ages 6-8, July 20-24, 1 to 5 p.m.; for ages 9-11, July 13-17, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; and for ages 12-14, June 15-19, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Discovery College begins June 15 and runs through July 31. Camps are offered Monday through Friday and change weekly. Morning sessions are held 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and afternoon sessions are held 1 to 5 p.m. Students may attend a morning session, an afternoon session, or both. Those attending both a morning and an afternoon session will need to bring a sack lunch. All Discovery College participants will receive a Discovery College t-shirt. Camps cost $85.
The Discovery College catalog can be viewed online at Kingwood.LoneStar.edu/discoverycollege. Registration is going on now. Register in one of three ways: by fax (281-312-1612), in person (CLA, room 107), or by phone (281-312-1660 or 281-312-1661).
Register today for May Mini-term (May 11-29), Summer Term I (June 1-July 7), Summer Term II (July 9-Aug. 13) and Fall (Aug. 24-Dec. 13) credit classes. Students can register in one of three ways: phone, online or on campus. Classes are offered days, evenings, or weekends in traditional, Internet, video, TV and independent study formats. Current students can register by telephone at 281-519-6625. Former and current students can register online at Kingwood.LoneStar.edu/registration.
For general information about Lone Star College-Kingwood, call 281-312-1600 or visit our Web site at Kingwood.LoneStar.edu.
Lone Star College System consists of five colleges, including Cy-Fair, Kingwood, Montgomery, North Harris, and Tomball, six centers and the Lone Star College-University Center. With over 50,000 students, it is the largest college system in the Houston area, and third largest community college district in Texas.