Summer Learning

Story By Erika Marie

Summer is the perfect time to kick up your feet, grab a cool glass of lemonade and relax. Many families devote this time to summer sports, a big or small family vacation, or a long honey-do list. While the kids enjoy a nice break from the day-to-day work of formal education, it doesn’t mean their brains should melt away with the ice cream on their tongues. This is a great time to build on what children have le arned the past year and keep their minds sharp and ready for the school year to come. Thankfully, the greater Wichita area is bursting with opportunities for fun and learning for the whole family. In fact, Wichita was named a Playful City USA community with 93 other cities and towns in 2009 by the national nonprofit organization KaBOOM! Most of the play areas around the city focus on learning through play. Your kids can strengthen their muscles and keep their brains in tip-top shape at the same time. You can keep the learning part a secret though if you want.

Wichita Public Library 
223 S. Main
(316)261-8500
www.wichita.lib.ks.us
One of the best ways to feed a child’s hunger for knowledge is through books. The Wichita Public Library’s Summer Reading program “Make a Splash” and the Teens Read program “Make Waves” are fun ways to keep your kids reading and have fun in the process. They learn to set goals, achieve prizes from the library and community, and open their imaginations through the vast selection of children and young adult books. There are additional programs for young children and even teens with story time, crafts, book-themed parties (from “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” to “Twilight”), magicians, musicians, games, mystery parties and more. Stop by one of Wichita’s nine Library branches or their website for more information. Registration for the Summer Reading Program starts on May 28.

Exploration Place
300 N. McClean
(316)660-0600
www.exploration.org
Dive into the world of discovery at the Exploration Place. EP is full of exciting classes and programs that provide a hands-on experience into the real
world of science. There are two- and five-day summer camp sessions starting at age 5 and going through 14. Each camp includes a general admission to the museum and lunch. Don’t miss out on Little Explorers Workshops for the wee scientists ages 2-5 and Saturday Explore Kids workshops for those with extra-special imaginations. If you’ve got an older child in grades 7-10 with their head constantly in the clouds check out EP’s brand new summer Aviation Camp. Registration for EP educational workshops and programs opens two weeks before each session. Call or check out their website for registration details.

Wichita Art Museum
1400 W. Museum Blvd
(316) 268-4921
www.wichitaartmuseum.org
Let your child’s creative juices flow at the Wichita Art Museum. Each month offers different projects based on a new theme to develop a full experience and appreciation for art and creativity. Art Start draws the attention of budding 3-5 year old artists and focuses on basic age-appropriate skills with a new theme every two weeks. Family Artventures every fourth Saturday provides a flexible enrichment opportunity while touring through the museum’s galleries. WAM Kids Workshops give the older ones starting at age 6 a chance to hunt through the galleries looking for art, solving puzzles pertaining to the artwork and then making their own project related to the scavenger hunt. All classes are provided free of charge but make sure to register early to reserve a spot.

Wichita Gardens at Botanica
701 Amidon
(316) 264-0448
www.botanica.org
Cultivate a green thumb and an appreciation for gardening in the beautiful gardens of Botanica.
Get to know your garden animals every Tuesday at the Creature Feature program. The gardens are always exciting on Funday Fridays and Saturday Family Fun days with stories, games, and special activities for each session’s garden-related topic. Garden Sprouts invites you and your preschool-aged child (3 to 5) to explore nature together. Bring home garden-inspired creations to your own garden at the Garden Gizmos class on Thursdays. Stop by the front desk on your next trip through the gardens, call, or visit their webpage for more information and registration. While you’re there, check out the plans for the new Children’s Garden opening in the Spring of 2011.

Sedgwick County Zoo
5555 Zoo Blvd
(316)660-WILD
www.scz.org
For a wild adventure the Zoo is the place to be. Each child will pick up at least one new fact on a stroll through one of the country’s largest zoos right here in Wichita. The SC Zoo’s Cargill Learning Center offers an exciting selection of learning adventures for different ages from the tiniest one-year-old to an older ‘tween.’ Along with the classes, children can join the SC Zoo Kids Club, earn zoo points and be entered into drawings after participating in various activities at the Zoo. Visit the website or stop by the membership office on your next zoological expedition for a calendar and registration form of summer programs and activities.

Wichita Department of Park and Recreation
455 N. Main
(316) 268-4361
www.wichita.gov/CityOffices/Park
The seven recreation centers of Wichita’s Park and Recreation Department offer an assortment of classes along with the Summer of Discovery ten-week summer program. This program offers children ages 6-13 a full day of recreational and educational activities on site and off site based on different weekly themes Monday through Friday starting March 28 and going through August 6. A select group of the rec centers will also offer similar fun-filled, half-day Summer Activity Camps. Call your nearest center or stop by the main office for more information and registration.

Great Plains Nature Center
6232 E. 29th St
(316)-683-5499
www.gpnc.org
In cooperation with Wichita’s Department of Park and Recreation and the Kansas and U.S. Departments of Fish and Wildlife and Parks, Great Plains Nature Center provides a unique opportunity to explore and learn about nature and its abundant resources. A stroll through the nature center will inspire responsible appreciation and use of the environment. GPNC hopes to serve the community as an educational resource for conservation. Children and adults can learn about the miracle of nature together through the center’s various year-round family programs and special summer camps, nature-inspired crafts, fishing clinics, wild-life exploration and pre-school programs. Call or visit the office or website for more information and reservations.

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