For Students
You have waited a long time for summer vacation to arrive; don’t settle for sitting around watching TV, playing video games or complaining that there is nothing to do. Fire up your imagination and curiosity about the world right out your front door that is waiting for you to explore. Shader Croft will show you how.
What Can I Do at Shader Croft?
Shader Croft offers an array of highly engaging learning opportunities based on students’ interests. Do you wonder how something is made or how something works? Would you like to learn a new skill? What are you curious about? What would you like to know more about?
Students, with adult supervision to ensure appropriateness and safety, choose adventures and lead the way! We ask each student, with the help of a teacher, to identify something of interest or curiosity. Next, we help each of you organize an adventure to meet someone out in the community who can answer your questions and even show you how to do it.
Each student is taught how to organize and lead an adventure that he or she has chosen. Students go on adventures organized and led by the other students in the group, too. To have the most fun on the adventures, you will read a little bit about the topics before going so you have an idea of what you might see, hear and do. You can get your questions ready to ask the expert.
Kids have wondered how video games are created, how magic happens, what’s it like to fly fish …. and MUCH more.
These may be things you have never had the opportunity to do before. But, at Shader Croft you will!
Is Shader Croft a school or a camp?
We are NOT a summer school with long days in the classroom spent doing skills and drills and reading books chosen by teachers that are not of interest to you.
We ARE an active, hands-on learning program that combines summer camp-type adventures with small group learning sessions focused on reading, writing and other communication skills.
Each Shader Croft group has 9-12 middle school students, and 3 or 4 teachers. Each day has time built in for everyone to work on reading, writing and communication skills. You work in small groups with a teacher, on skills that you need, and at a speed that works for you. The reading you do will be about the adventures you will take! Writing is more fun because it will be about your own adventure and the other interesting trips you took. You will learn how to tell great stories about your adventures!
And, just like camp, you will meet new friends and go back to school with new skills to use, and LOTS of fascinating adventure experiences to share with your friends!
What do I do each day?
Each day begins at 8:30 am and ends at 4:00 p.m. Everyone arrives and the day begins with a Morning Meeting of all students and teachers. You greet each other, share about your adventures from the day before, and even look at photos taken by students on the adventure! You learn about your adventures for the day, and then get energized for the day by playing a game or another activity your group chooses.
The morning is the usual time for small group instruction on reading, writing, other communication skills, and organizing your chosen adventure. After two small group classes, there is a break mid-morning to get outside and have a snack and stretch your legs. You come back for two more small group classes. Then it is time for lunch.
After lunch, it’s time to prepare for your afternoon adventures! Everyone does their part to get the classroom space cleaned for the day and to get the supplies ready to go for the afternoon’s adventure!
Travel to adventures is done in two groups. Each group, of teachers and students, travels in cars provided by Shader Croft. Usually there are two different adventures every day, as students have so many things of interest to explore! Students often get their first choice of afternoon activity, but have also shared that when they don’t, they discovered something new that they now really like!
All students return by 4:00 pm and everyone heads for home.
What do other Kids Say About Shader Croft?
The best people to answer this question are the kids who have attended in past summers.
“I would recommend Shader Croft to my friends because they would love all the adventures. During the summer, they don’t really do much. This might be a fun opportunity and it helps them keep up with the next school year and with their reading and their writing.”
“Sometimes, when you’re not doing very well, people make fun of you. But at Shader Croft nobody’s laughing. It’s just like listening to you and the teacher helps you.”
“We got lots of chances to talk to everybody. My speaking skills are better than before.”
“You learn more from Shader Croft than going to regular school. That’s what I think. If I asked any question, they would help me with what’s wrong with it and help me fix it. So now I can ask other people for help.”
“I was very scared to do presentations. Now I am so confident and proud of myself. I can present well and speak clearly. I also feel more comfortable talking with other people.”
