Camp Helps Kids Discover Interests

Help Your Child Discover a Hobby- Send Him to Camp!

by Maurizio Vecchione

Whatever happened to kids having hobbies? In this age of organized sports, videogames, play groups, enrichment and all the other things we have our kids do, it seems that we have left them without the time to pursue their own interests. Studies have shown that we may be raising a generation of kids that are so used to being regimented, being carted off to scheduled activities, that they have lost their ability to use their own initiative or imagination to pursue their own interests.

When I grew up, my hobbies were an important part of my daily life. My interest at age 10 was for Astronomy. Once I was done with homework, my hobby provided countless hours of challenge and fun, as well as friendships built on common interests. Most importantly, it provided me with motivation, outside of school or my parents, to pursue an interest which eventually became so strong that it became a professional choice. I became a scientist inspired less by school and more by my early interest in my hobby.

Inspired by this concept, we started a new program at The IDEAS Studio called the "Inventor's Club". During an 8-week class, children are involved in a creative process designed to expose them to the process of discovery. They not only learn about how great inventions work but begin their own quest of discovery toward their own interests. We can't promise that they will have a lifelong hobby once finished with the class, but they will have dabbled in many of the skills necessary to be on their way. From rocketry, to robots, from astronomy to model kits they will have experienced many topics that make for great hobbies and will have tried their hand at creative processes that may result in brilliant innovations.

Our inventor's club culminates with the kids designing new toys in a spectacular Toy Challenge. Last session's winner, Chloe Hartog, developed a backpack complete with umbrella to keep her hands free during those rainy days. In partnership with LA Family Magazine, next season's children will also test and rank toys from popular manufacturers vying to win the magazine's Family Choice Awards.

Combining scientific process, team work, creativity, imagination and lot's of hands-on experience, our Inventors' Club program makes for a great return to hobbies in our children's lives. For more information on The IDEAS Studio, an innovative after school enrichment center in Pacific Palisades dedicated to expanding children's imagination, visit www.theideastudio.com or call (310) 573 7190.