HAWKINS, Texas — Summer camp season is upon us, and while some of it involves fun in the sun it’s also an opportunity to continue learning while school is out.
Kids were already having a blast with pizza and video games at Jarvis Christian University. But, all of that fun comes with various forms of education.
One program volunteer, 19-year-old Isaac Holland remembers how much fun he had in the program as a kid.
"It was really entertaining actually," Holland said. "We had a lot of fun. There's a lot of nice people here and we learned a lot. We had a bunch of fun things like swimming, and there was a game room."
Those games, movies, and other fun activities are only part of what goes into making this program a success.
"It’s designed for students ages five to 14," said Rev. Rodney Atkins, the JCU library director. "It is a combination of classroom instruction. We give instruction in English, math, writing, and so forth and then in the afternoons we move from the classroom to fun activities."
Education experts say keeping kids engaged in learning year-round, cuts down on summer learning loss.
"We plant the seed that education is only for several months within a year, primarily nine months," Rev. Atkins said. "But education actually is evolved around 12 months."
The cost of the camp is $30 a student per week, and it also includes swimming although the pool isn’t available because they are still interviewing for lifeguard positions.