Summer writing camp is an ideal place for young writers

Looking for a summer writing camp for your kids? Not every mom is. But for some, a summer writing camp is just what they are hoping to find.

My friend Emily and I started Write On! Workshops Summer Camp six summers ago because it was just the kind of summer camp we wanted to find for our kids, but couldn’t.

The first summer, our camp was filled with our own children, nieces and nephews, and lots of our neighbor’s children who believed we had something good to offer. It was, admittedly, a little bit scary. But we secured rooms at Westminster College, booked author Ann Cannon as our guest author, and spent the week writing with and celebrating the writing of our young summer campers. It worked.

Six years later, we are still doing it. We were even given an award from Salt Lake Magazine as “The best summer camp for young authors.”  We fill notebooks, write outside, play “spy club” to create cool characters, sign up for all kinds of “writing clubs,” enter writing contests, and publish camp magazines. Guest authors through the years have included Jessica Day George, Scott Savage, Julie Wright and last year we had New York Times best selling author Brandon Mull.  Our oldest daughters are too old to come as campers and come back to work in our high school and college intern program.

Our camp now fills up by the first of May thanks primarily to recommendations from teachers and librarians and campers who keep coming back. One little writer arrived early on the first day of camp last summer. She said she had been trying so hard to remember what camp looked like. “It’s good to be back,” she said.

There are sport camps and drama camps, but not too many writing camps. And for certain super cool kids, it is the perfect place to be. We are currently taking registration for year six.

June 11th-15th, 2012

Westminster College

Morning session grades 2nd to 4th

Afternoon session grades 5th to 7th

www.writeonworkshops.com

 

More on Today’s Mama:

Responding to your child’s writing

Confident Communicators

 Write On! Camp

 

Tags: summer camp, summer writing camp, summer writing camp for kids, write on workshops, writing