As I mentioned in my recent article on summer options for highly gifted youth, the time is fast approaching to begin registering our children for summer camps. Some programs for gifted children run throughout the school year as well, such as the Splash program that happened at CU Boulder earlier this fall.
Many of these programs come as a hefty cost, unfortunately, and in the current economic climate scholarships are smaller and fewer. Options do exist for families that cannot afford to spend thousands of dollars on enrichment programs for their children, however. While some of the free or very low cost programs geared toward gifted youth are not in Colorado, the cost of paying for travel can be less than the tuition for a local program. Below is a list of free or inexpensive educational programs and the age or school grade level for which they are available.
- Learning University/Splash: middle and high school students
Learning Unlimited incubates and provides a national support structure for independent, college-student-led educational programs aimed at middle and high school students.
Splash is by far the most common Learning Unlimited program; it's a weekend-long extravaganza of classes at a local college or university, where pre-college students are invited to learn about everything and anything from passionate university students.
- Research Science Institute: high school juniors
Each summer, 80 of the world's most accomplished high school students gather at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for the Research Science Institute (RSI). RSI is the first cost-free to students, summer science & engineering program to combine on-campus course work in scientific theory with off-campus work in science and technology research.
- Summer Mathematics Research Training (SMaRT) Camp: high school students
SMaRT is a National Science Foundation supported two-week summer program at Texas A&M University. It is intended to facilitate interest in mathematics of advanced high school students. High school students of age 14-18, who are US citizens or permanent residents, are eligible to apply.
The camp will provide an intensive learning environment in mathematics, where high school students will learn not only useful mathematical facts, but also how to approach mathematical problems, prove mathematical statements, and write the results.
- Exxon Mobil Bernard Harris Summer Science Camps: entering 6th-8th grade
These two-week, free residential camps offer innovative programs to enhance student knowledge in science, technology, engineering and math, while also fostering leadership and citizenship.
Students are recommended by their counselors and teachers and must also have: a "B" average; score at least at the median to superior level in standardized mathematics and science tests; and, show interest in math and science. In general, the program targets students in urban districts around the United States who may not have the opportunity to visit a college campus.
- Bethel College Summer Science Institute: high school students
The Summer Science Institute offers opportunities for research investigations in a number of areas of science, including biology, psychology, mathematics, chemistry and computer science. You will be able to study fascinating and challenging topics that high school courses typically do not cover, with a focus on learning how to do research through close interaction with faculty. Readings will provide background for laboratory and field study.
- All Girls/All Math: 10th-12th grade girls
Camp participants, girls grades 10-12, will learn about the exciting mathematics of Codes. The girls will work with women mathematics professors and graduate students, and interact with peers who share an interest in mathematics. They stay in a UNL residence hall and are chaperoned by a female mathematics graduate and undergraduate student.
* The tuition for this program is higher than any of the above listed programs, at $125-$250 depending on need and whether the student is a Nebraska state resident.
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