Opportunity Guide I Summer, Enrichment & Activities Guide

If your child loves number games and finds math fun in school, it might be time to look for activities to expand her skill set. To start, look for school-based or extramural math teams, clubs or math circles. While many of these programs prepare a child for specific and established math competitions, others are focused on teaching sophisticated problem solving skills.

For a child that craves extracurricular math, there is a wide array of online and onsite math enrichment classes designed to teach more advanced math than is typically presented in the school setting. Look into math camps that explore the world of math beyond what is offered in the classroom.

If your child enjoys math competitions, there are increasingly rigorous contest opportunities available throughout the high school years, culminating at the highest level in the International Math Olympiad. There are also very competitive math camps and math research programs, as well as preparatory courses designed to help the math enthusiast get a leg up on the competition.

Strong scores on the contest exams can be used to bolster applications for selective boarding math camps. The most selective math camps admit children based on academic suitability and require applicants to score well on camp published math assessments. Online math instruction courses are available for a child who needs or wants more math instruction, or to get a leg up on contest math or math camp assessments. There are several highly selective math/engineering/science summer programs where a student will have the opportunity to live and breathe math research. Math research opportunities exist for a select set of math students. Have your child contact local university professors who work on the relevant math topic to inquire if they sponsor interns. The many math activities provide different pathways for a math-loving child to engage her imagination and feed her desire to learn. After exploring the possibilities, consider consulting one of our Parent Advisors whose child has been down this road for advice on your child’s unique situation.

If your child is a budding news reporter or journalist, there are a wide array of school-based and extramural programs to help him develop the important skills for journalism, including reporting, writing, photography, audio and television production, and social media. Writing for a school newspaper is a great way to gain experience in a community of like-minded peers. If there is no school-based paper or similar activity, encourage your child to start a newspaper or to create his own blog. Specialty camps, including selective ones sponsored by undergraduate journalism programs, offer classes in all aspects of journalism including print, digital, social media and broadcasting. For a child who likes contests, there are journalism and writing competitions that will give participants a reason to sharpen their skills for a chance to win prizes and awards.

If your child is interested in news production or broadcasting, have him check out school or community public access radio or tv broadcasting opportunities. Some community access TV stations and professional stations will take student interns or volunteers. Many community colleges offer TV production and broadcasting classes. There’s also an array of specialty broadcasting summer camps, including some that focus on sports broadcasting, while others teach the real-world skill set necessary to thrive in broadcast TV, cable, and internet news.

Does your child long for summer so that he can run a lemonade stand? Does he want to create a new cryptocurrency for his school? If business is in your child’s blood, plenty of meaningful business opportunities await him. Start at school: many schools offer business courses or have business-related clubs. At the high school level, nationally-recognized business associations offer a wide variety of exciting learning activities and competition opportunities. A child can also gain insight and excellent business experience by taking a business position (e.g. business/finance manager or team manager) in a school club or sports team. If school-based courses or clubs are hard to come by, check out your local community college for opportunities or encourage him to start a club to create his own.

Outside of school, check out university and/or community college summer business courses like finance, marketing or entrepreneurship. Encourage your child to get a paying job or to apply for an internship/volunteer job at a local company or nonprofit. If your child is a member of an extramural club such as Boy Scouts or a private swim team, volunteering for a business or management role in the club is also a good way to get hands-on, real-life business experience. Finally, with so many online resources available to run and promote a home-based business, a child with a special interest can flex their entrepreneurial muscles by offering babysitting services, handmade jewelry, website design or other product or service.