The temperature outside is rising, meaning fun times are about to heat up at Montgomery County Community College this summer.

The College will host a series of summer camps for children in the community. From racing around the globe to discovering all the artistic beauty it has to offer, to exploring the galaxy or the wonders of the Schuylkill River, there will be plenty for campers to do this year.

The Amazing Arts Race

At “The Amazing Arts Race,” campers will travel the world to complete challenges in visual, performing and media arts before moving on to the next destination.

Based on the hit CBS reality game show, The Amazing Arts Race summer camp is a cross-cultural arts-based curriculum that explores various global cultures to experience visual arts, dance, theater and other traditions, while building teamwork with group challenges and physical activities. This is a two-week summer camp for children ages 7-10 co-organized with Girls First afterschool program of Norristown.

Campers will work individually and collaboratively on short- and long-term art projects and a dance performance, which will culminate in an exhibit and presentation on the last day of camp. This year’s socially distanced camp will be spread out in the Fine Arts Center and take advantage more of natural surroundings, and the art activities will be based around murals of the world.

“The theme of this year’s camp is ‘Murals around the World’,” said Galleries Director Patrick Rodgers. “That will enable us to work on something really big together and keep socially distanced, while collaborating on art activities.”

“There’s something neat for our program when we come to the College and we get to combine the girls in the program with other members of the community,” said Amy Grebe, Director of Education at Girls First. “Students from different schools, backgrounds, life experiences work as a team. Unique social and interpersonal learning happens in situations like that.”

The campers’ finished mural will be put on display on Saturday, July 17, inside the lobby of the Minerva D. Braemer Medical Arts Building of Einstein Hospital in East Norriton, part of a collaboration with the Greater Norristown Art League.

Michael Lengel, Academic Program Manager, ACLAMO Family Centers, which sends its own campers to the programs MCCC hosts during the summer, said the partnership between the two organizations is a win-win, particularly following the pandemic. It gives students opportunities to work and learn from children their own age in ways hard to replicate over a computer screen.

“We’re very grateful for the partnership we’ve had with MCCC,” he said. “We’re grateful for the work Patrick and team do and everyone who has been with us in this journey. We appreciate their patience as we journey on together to do what’s best for our students.”

The Amazing Arts Race runs July 12-23 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Fine Arts Center at Blue Bell Campus.

Janet’s Planet Astronaut Academy Science Camp

The summer fun continues when campers blast off into the cosmos as Janet’s Planet Astronaut Academy Science Camp returns. Enjoy interactive, hands-on activities at Janet’s astronaut academy featuring STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) Space and Earth Science curriculum.

Launch a lifelong love of all things space and science with in-person Janet's Planet Astronaut Academy, a camp that creates out-of-this-world engagement with Janet and her team of educators and experts. Each day brings a new mission and new expert guests from the scientific community. Astronaut challenges, science experiments, and hands-on experiences will boost student confidence in their STEAM abilities.

When it comes to in-person summer camps, Brent Woods, Senior Director of Cultural Affairs, said they serve a crucial component for children’s summer learning, and following the pandemic, they will help children begin to feel a sense of normalcy has returned.

“It’s critical. Kids need it,” said Woods. “There’s a very important social component in the summer. Kids need to be connected to each other, while having fun learning. We can assist schools with some of the learning they may have missed during the year.”

Janet’s Planet STEM Astronaut Academy Science Camp runs July 19-23 (Pottstown Campus) and July 26-30 (Blue Bell Campus) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for children ages 7 to 14 (or grades 2-8). For more information, please contact Iain Campbell at icampbell@mc3.edu.

H2YO!

Finally, at Pottstown campus, the H2YO! Camp returns. Each day of camp offers hands-on experiences designed to help students learn about the Schuylkill River Watershed and how different factors affect the health of the watershed. At the end of the week, middle-school–age students will participate in a hands-on demonstration to expand their knowledge of the watershed and surrounding area.

Campers will enjoy a variety of activities, including kayaking, creek snorkeling, hiking, water testing and reading lab results.

“This camp started from a generous gift from Carl and Sylvia Landis, who wanted to provide an opportunity for middle school-aged girls to explore water conservation in the watershed in the Pottstown area,” said Jared Brown, Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs at Pottstown Campus. “With that in mind, the College has been working with our outside community relation partners -- Green Valleys Watershed Association and the Schuylkill River Greenways -- to focus on water- conservation education in the area.”

The camp runs July 12-16 (girls-only) and July 19-23 (all gender) from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information about H2YO! email h2yo@mc3.edu.

For a full listing of all of the camps MCCC offers and registration information, visit the Summer Camps landing page.

Updated 10/27/2021