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College 4 Kids Course Descriptions

Contact

Andy Crawford

2 East South Street

Galesburg, IL 61401

309-341-7500

college4kids@​knox.edu

Purple pens given to campus visitors

2020 Summer Course Offerings

The course descriptions below are from the 2020 summer program.

The Knox College for Kids courses and descriptions are listed under three subject areas: Fine Arts, Humanities/Social Sciences, and Science/Math. All of the offerings will allow your child to either build upon areas of strength or explore new interests.

Please note, some courses or sections are geared toward specific age groups, but this does not exclude anyone from registering for that section of the course, just that content will be taught at that level.

JUNIOR PROGRAM

This program is exclusively for students entering grades 1 and 2. Talent and skill development is as important for children leaving Kindergarten and first grade as it is for older students. To provide services to younger children, and to alleviate parental concerns, each child in our junior program takes three classes and is accompanied by teachers and college assistants at all times to ensure student safety. The classes are differentiated to ensure an appropriate level of challenge for all students. Classes explore literacy through dance movement and art-making in hands-on interactive workshops!  The theme for the 2020 junior program is Community. Throughout these two weeks, the children will be investigating their place in the world and their connections to others. We also take special care to recognize that each one of us has our own story and our way of creating an art project. Likewise, each one of us has our special way of moving. The goal is to give the children access to making personal and creative decisions about what they create and how they move through the world.


Fine Arts: 

Ceramics 
Instructor: Lila Johnson
Come explore the wonderful world of clay! In this class, students will learn to create beginner-level projects such as pinch pots, coil pots, and slab-constructed pieces using various hand-building methods. For students who might have a bit more experience with clay, there will be instructions on how to use various ceramic tools and techniques to create intricate textures and more challenging pieces. Students will learn about the unique technical elements of clay, get dirty, and get to make fun works of art to take home! We recommend bringing an old t-shirt or smock for students to wear over their clothes if they do not wish to get them covered in clay. Repeat students are welcome. (Hours 1 or 2)


Advanced Ceramics
Instructor: Lila Johnson
Let's get dirty! While this class is aimed at students who might have a bit more experience with clay, beginners are also welcome. We will learn to create more challenging pieces using the hand-building techniques of pinch, coil, and slab, as well as how to use more advanced tools in the studio. Students will continue to learn about the unique technical elements of clay, get dirty, and, most importantly, make fun projects to take home! We strongly recommend bringing an old t-shirt or smock for students to wear over their clothes if they do not wish to get them covered in clay. (Hour 3)


Jazz Combo (suggested for grades 6-8)
Instructor: Jill Marasa
Learning to play Jazz music broadens our understanding of our true American art form.  Students will learn how to play "College for Kids Blues", Jazz Train, and C Jam Blues during this combo class.  Students will learn the 12-bar blues and dive into improvisation as we learn to "trade 4's"; and play call and response to Jazz riffs in class.   This is a performance combo, so students are to bring their instruments to class every day. They need to have played for at least 2 years. Vocalists, brass and woodwinds, drums, and strings are all welcome to play in the Jazz Combo.  At the end of College for Kids, students will get the opportunity to perform for their family and friends. (Hour 1)


Amigurumi Crochet
Instructor: Kathleen Bashem
"Amigurumi" is the Japanese art of crocheting small animals and inanimate objects. The word combines the Japanese "ami" (meaning crocheted) and "nuigurumi" (meaning stuffed doll). In this class, students will learn crochet basics and how to follow a pattern to construct a typical amigurumi, as well as dye their yarn. Crochet knowledge and basic skill proficiency is helpful, but not required. Expand your skills in a fun direction, and make some new friends (literally)!
(Hour 1)


What Do You Meme?
Instructor: Brea Cunningham
Memes are everywhere. Whether we use them to communicate our feelings or to share a joke, a meme can say it all! A meme can be anything, a still image, a GIF, or even just a phrase or idea that is spread from person to person. Sometimes it mutates and takes on a life of its own. (Ideas are infectious and frequently mutate, sort of like the flu virus.) This course will explore memes and digital creation. It will be a create-your-own path type of course, where we will focus on memes, GIFs, and go wherever creativity takes us. (Hour 2)


Make a Movie
Instructor: Brea Cunningham
Are you a film buff or a television fan? In this fun course, students will get the chance to write, act, and film their own movie or television show. Students will start with an idea, develop it into a storyboard, write a script, costume, and prop shop, and then film it and bring the entire project to life on the big screen for a red carpet premiere on the last day of class. Cameras are provided for you! Returning students are encouraged to repeat the class! (Hours 1 or 3)


Photography is Fun! (suggested for grades 3-8) 
Instructor: Tom Foley
A hands-on class, all about having fun with photography.  Learn the history of the first photo made in France in 1826, to making better photos with a cell phone. Students will make their unique photographs in a real black-and-white darkroom. Other discussion topics will include point-and-shoot digital cameras, sheet film cameras, interchangeable lenses, medium format cameras, 35 mm cameras, studio lighting, electronic flash, time exposures, photographic composition, and multiple exposures. (Hours 1,2 or 3)


Fundamentally Art 
Instructor: John Muth
You're making art. It'll be fun, it'll be messy (but not TOO messy), and it'll provide you opportunities to explore ideas of collaboration, cooperation, and coloring with projects that will include drawing, painting, games, slime art, and incorporating nature into our lives. By the end of the class, students will have made a number of their pieces of art and a larger class-cooperative project that we can display on the final day of class. (Hours 1 or 2)


Quilting 
Instructor: Annie Maier
Students will learn the history of American Quilting and practice piecing a pillow top. Students will learn the rudiments of running a sewing machine, cutting fabric, designing their pieces, and sewing them together.  (Hours 1 or 3)


You Can Be a Music Composer (suggested for grades 3-8) 
Instructor: Jill Marasa
Students will explore the eight elements of music and manipulate them in their original music compositions by composing on an online program called Noteflight.  Parents must create a 3-month free trial username and password for their student to use for the class, by going to www.noteflight.com. It's free and it's easy to log on and start composing immediately.  Students will be guided and shown ways to create easy compositions at first and then the sky's the limit! As students compose they will learn the symbols used in writing music as well as the elements of music: melody, harmony, dynamics, texture, form, tone color, tempo, and rhythm.  The program allows for immediate playback of a score and will even print and transpose parts for all kinds of winds, brass, strings, and percussion that you might use in your composition. You will be surprised at how fast you can learn to compose music! (Hour 3)


Drum Circle (suggested for grades 3-8)
Instructor: Jill Marasa
Students will learn to play many percussion instruments such as bongos, tubanos, congas, tenor drums, tri-toms, cymbals, guiros, African bells, cowbells, rhythm sticks, snare drums, bass drums, shekere, cabasas, and more!  Through song and 4-beat ostinato patterns, students will create their drum circle compositions to be performed on the last day of camp. They will explore how language has a rhythmic component and will create drum rhythms from speech, through a call-and-response learning format with the instructor.  Non-traditional "found" instruments will be incorporated into the drum circle to create a unique and exciting contrast to traditional instruments. Everyone can be a drummer and create! (Hour 2)


Make a Comic Book (suggested for grades 6-8) 
Instructor: John Muth
In this class, you will learn how comic books are made, some history, and the different types of comic books there are in the world. (There are more than just superheroes!) We'll work on collaborative projects, have draw-offs, and then you’ll make your own 4-8 page comic that will go into a class anthology of all the comics with a custom-made cover just for this year’s class! (Hour 3)


Make Your Own Musical Instrument (suggested for grades 2-5) 
Instructor: Tia Topoluk 
An arts-based unit in which early elementary learners learn how different sound qualities are produced and how to design musical instruments by building their own. Students will participate in hands-on learning every day and will have the opportunity to create a homemade harmonica, a paper plate guitar, drums, a glass harp, and more! Come learn how sound is produced by building instruments! (Hour 3)


Learn Counted Cross Stitch 
Instructor: Deborah Steinberg
Cross-stitch is a form of embroidery sewing in which x-shaped stitches are used to form a picture. Participants will get an overview of essentials such as thread and fabric types, useful sewing tools, how to read a pattern, how to start and finish, good stitching techniques, and helpful hints to ensure the finished work looks great. This beginner’s class will cover all of the basics and participants will be able to take home finished projects. (Hour 2)


Humanities/Social Sciences

Beyond the Books - Harry Potter: O.W.L. level 
Instructor: Beth Buck
In Beyond the Books - Harry Potter: O.W.L. level we will explore "Muggle" versions of the classes students in Harry's world take--herbology, charms, astronomy, and more! We will also take a look at a movie version of a story and see how it compares to the book. This activity-based class is meant for students who are fans of the Harry Potter books, but who may not yet have completed the series. Could you survive a Hogwarts potions class? Come give it a try! (Hour 2)


Beyond the Books - Harry Potter N.E.W.T. level 
Instructor: Beth Buck
This course is a discussion-based class for students who have read the books and are ready for the challenge of delving deeper into the series. We will examine some of the themes J.K. Rowling presented in the series and think about what we can learn from them. We will look at how she uses language and what clues she plants with it. We will create and run our book-inspired businesses and celebrate with an "end-of-term" banquet. Come be an ultimate fan! (Hour 1)


Beyond the Books - Percy Jackson: Camp Half-Blood 
Instructor: Beth Buck
Do you sometimes have trouble concentrating in class? Do you think your teachers might secretly be monsters? Could you possibly have secret powers? Perhaps this outpost of Camp Half-Blood is for you...You might be claimed for a "cabin", explore your Greek roots, and play "Capture the Flag". By the end of the camp, we'll be a little bit blue. (Hour 3)


Can your Colony Survive? (suggested for grades 5-8) 
Instructor: Heather Hellenga
In this simulation activity, teams of students form "colonies" and try to ensure the success of their settlements in the New World. Students decide on cargo and use map skills to cross the Atlantic and choose a site for their new colony. While role-playing colony leaders, mappers, and traders, the "colonists" make decisions affecting the progress of their settlement. "Fate Cards" also affect the success and failure of each colony. The wealthiest colony at the end of the simulation wins. Interaction between the colonists and First Americans will be simulated through a culminating "Trade Fair," where students will bring homemade/handmade items to trade with one another. (Hours 1 or 2)


From The Force Awakens to Frozen: An Introduction to Film Appreciation (suggested for grades 6-8)
Instructor: Weston Oxley
This class will examine the different parts of films such as plot, script, characters, and more to explore what it takes to make certain movies ignite our imaginations. Classes will consist of analyzing and discussing various clips of well-known films from recent years from Star Wars, animated features, superhero movies, and beyond. If you've ever wondered why some movies stick with you but you just can't put your finger on it, or you just love watching, thinking, and discussing movies, this class is for you. (Hour 1)


Mysteries of the Library 
Instructor: Rebecca Yowler
Welcome to the Library where there are mysteries at every turn! In this course, we’ll discover those mysteries - maps, atlases, Abraham Lincoln, famous writers, special children’s books, and more! Campers will choose mysterious objects and then try to solve the mystery of what the object is and why it might be in a library. We’ll learn how to conduct research, use the resources of the library, and how to share our research with others. We’ll create museum exhibit labels and posters for each item, and on the last day, we’ll show off our exhibit to parents, friends, and the rest of the library. So put on your detective hat and come explore the library! (Hour 2)


Minecraft: Building a Better Village 
Instructor: Megan McGruder
Minecraft is built on finding ways to navigate and build a world that is geared towards survival. From leadership skills, teamwork, and creativity, to best practices for handling conflict, come learn tips from your peers and other ways to be a better player, both in the game and in real life! For best interaction with this course, the student should be able to have access to a private server the class will utilize, outside of the class. In the class, we will craft a final world based on what we have learned. (Hours 1 or 2)


At the Corner of Poetry and Art (suggested for grades 3-8) 
Instructor: Heather Hellenga
Explore the intersection of poetry and visual art through writing and illustrating your own poems. We will create a myriad of poetry, including "I Am" poems, sensory poems, "10 Little" poems, and memory poems, and then enhance our writing with our art. We will continue our creative expression by using works of art to inspire our poetry writing. Let's meet up at the Corner of Poetry and Art! (Hour 3)


Escape From the Library (suggested for grades 3-5)
Instructor: Jodie McNally, Rebecca Yowler
Each day, students will be greeted with a new escape-room-type experience. Using problem-solving, creativity, thinking outside the box, critical thinking, and teamwork they will solve the puzzles and "escape" from the library. Escape themes will include: Get to Know You, Library Skills, English Language Arts, Math, and Problem Solving (just to name a few)! Students will even get to create an escape activity of their own! (Hour 3)


Scrapbooking 101
Instructor: Christinel Cain
During this class, students will utilize their creativity and writing skills to document personal events.  Students will learn what makes a great layout. Ten trendy scrapbooking techniques will be modeled, one technique per day, and students will be able to test them out.  Scrapbookers will learn about the importance of titles and journaling in their scrapbooks. Single-page, double-page layouts, explosion books, and other mini-books will be created.  If you like to be creative and document special events, Scrapbooking 101 is a perfect fit. Be prepared for class by bringing your own photos of a few special events. (Hour 3)


Science & Math: 

Eco-Explorers
Instructor: Deborah Steinberg
Eco stands for ecology, which is the relationships between organisms and their environment. Everything is connected, from birds, insects, fish, soil, and trees to our pets, our food, and ourselves. In the class, we will explore ecosystems through hands-on activities, science, interactive games, and writing to understand how everything around us is connected. (Hour 1)


Kids in the Kitchen
Instructor: Kathy Freed
A hands-on cooking and baking class where young chefs learn kitchen skills ranging from reading and following recipes to proper measuring techniques, basic preparation, age-appropriate knife skills, and kitchen safety rules and awareness. We’ll blend, mix, whisk, and fold ingredients, slice, dice, and sauté lots of veggies, and most importantly, clean up after ourselves. You will learn new cooking terms, kitchen safety rules, and awareness, and use her or his own creativity to make a signature pasta dish, bake some delicious sweets, and have a lot of fun in the kitchen!  At least one food item will be prepared per class; some will be made as a group while others will be prepared in small groups. Please send a few reusable “to-go” containers on Monday labeled with your child’s name so your whole family will be able to enjoy some of our creations. No nuts will be used in class, but flour and dairy will be ingredients in some of our creations. (Hours 1 or 3)


Creating Computer Animations and Games 
Instructor: David Bunde
Come create a computer animation or a simple game in Scratch, a programming environment designed for young people. Students will learn important computing concepts in a fun way while making projects they can share with family and friends online. No programming experience is necessary. (Hours 1,2 or 3)


Fun with Chemistry: Experiments Involving Everyday Things (suggested for grades 3-5) 
Instructor: Mary Crawford 
Early elementary learners discover the world of chemistry with hands-on experimentation and problem-solving. (Hours 2 or 3)


Magic 
Instructor: Penny Wagher
Have you ever watched a magician on TV or in person and wondered how the magic worked? In this class, you will not only have those questions answered, but you will learn how to perform incredible tricks yourself. The tricks will use common materials that you can find around the house. Each magician will make their own magic kit and add several new tricks to it each day. Each evening you will be able to practice with your friends and family. On the final day, a magic show will be held for the families. This could be the beginning of a new hobby. (Hour 2)


Herbalism 101: Identifying and Making Herbal Products That Heal 
Instructor: Tina Hope
Do you enjoy learning about plants that grow around you? Would you like to learn about the healing aspects of some of these plants? Are you interested in making and creating herbal products that you can use for minor injuries? Then, this class is for you! Explore the outdoors, work with plants, and make healing potions! (Hour 2)


Minerals to Mud:  Investigating Earth Materials
Instructor: Katie Adelsberger
Rocks, minerals, soils, and sediments are all around us, waiting to be explored. We'll investigate what these materials are made of, how they form, and how they change as part of natural Earth processes. Activities will include growing and identifying minerals, describing rocks using microscopes and other scientific instruments, and learning the basics of the rock cycle and soil formation. Students will apply the scientific method to geologic questions and will use the tools they learn to identify mystery materials at the end of week two. (Hour 2)


Get Gardening at Knox Farm 
Instructor: Tina Hope
Explore the workings of the Knox Farm. Join the farm crew as we germinate seeds, nurture plants, and harvest healthy produce. Go a little deeper into the interactions of the plants with their environment: look for beneficial and predatory insects, examine healthy soil, and learn about composting. Savor the experience by making and enjoying delicious and healthy treats from our endeavors. (Hour 3)


Stand Up Paddle Boarding 
Instructor: Kim Schrader
Would you like to try walking on water? Then stand-up paddle boarding (SUP) is for you! Using a surf-style board and long paddle, stand-up paddling can be done on almost any body of water. For this class, we will use Lay Natatorium. SUP is one of the fastest-growing outdoor sports in the world--and a great way to improve balance and posture while spending time on the water. In addition to being lots of fun, this class provides kids with a feeling of accomplishment. Program is designed to teach basic SUP and water safety. Learning is simple, but participants should be comfortable in the water and know how to swim. Students will need to bring a swimsuit or a change of clothes. Locker-room access will be provided. (Hours 1,2 or 3)


Unlimited Inventions 
Instructor: Penny Wagher
If you have ever wondered why or how machines work or are the type of person who enjoys making things and or taking them apart, then this is the class for you. Using German-made Capsela Building Sets, the students will learn how to construct, following diagrams, everything from basic cars to vacuum cleaners to cranes. All of which really move on land or in the water. Each capsule is constructed out of clear plastic so you can really see how a clutch or front-wheel drive operates. Time will also be given to create your own inventions which can then be raced for speed or distance. If you can imagine it, then you can build a working model. (Hour 3)

Three, Two, One, Blast Off! 
Instructor: Christinel Cain
In this interdisciplinary study of aeronautics, pilots will explore flight by building and testing paper airplanes.  Students will also build and launch film canister rockets, experimenting with different variables. Students will discover information about the history of aeronautics through research-based instruction.  Engineers will construct model rockets and become model rocket hobbyists. If you want a class that is out of this world, this one is perfect for you! (Hours 1 or 2)

 

Knox College

https://www.knox.edu/offices/summer-camps/knox-college-for-kids/college-for-kids-course-descriptions

Printed on Thursday, March 28, 2024