As schools, parents, and teachers prepare for the school year, they’re faced with the challenge of balancing personal health with the welfare and education of their children. Due to the current COVID crisis, many schools plan on moving to an online format or are attempting a hybrid classroom setting. However, the online and hybrid class formats have previously been unconventional and some students continue to struggle within those learning strategies. With education moving into the home, parents have also had to learn how to adapt and become more involved in their child’s education. 

One way parents have been coping is through learning pods, which are small groups of students that are being taught by a teacher or tutor. Often these small pods include other family or friends where parents feel safe being exposed to them. This allows students to continue to socialize and learn with other peers whose families are also following health or safety measures against the virus. In addition, parents are able to ensure that the educational curriculum fits their standards and to make sure that their child’s education is thorough or challenging enough. 

These learning pods also allow parents to help each other out while they return to work. Because schools have shortened the school day, learning pods help create additional time for parents to work at home. Some learning pods have developed a system where parents switch off days for supervising the children’s learning. This system can be very valuable for working parents and allows your child to continue to engage in their education. 

However, learning pods don’t always have to be in-person and small learning groups online can be just as effective for maintaining a challenging curriculum. These groups and classes can provide extra tutoring for all ages in small pods online. 

Ivy Goal provides tutoring and has classes for middle and high school students. In addition, they have SAT and ACT tutoring for those who want to start preparing and want more help.

Mission Graduates features one-on-one tutoring to ensure a personal and detailed experience for your child (age 0-12).

Genius Kids San Ramon & Dublin Dougherty Virtual Camp is very structured and teaches the core math and english subjects as well as public speaking. In addition, it includes creative opportunities such as cooking or fun science activities. 

Brain-O-Magic Pleasanton helps elementary students get ahead and has both math or general online tutoring. They focus on in-depth math concepts and are willing to send books digitally or mail them.

Sylvan Learning of La Mesa provides assistance for grades K-12 and utilizes a state of the art assessment to ensure your child will get a personalized experience. In addition, their curriculum aligns with state, college, and career readiness standards. 

About ActivityHero

ActivityHero is the leading online marketplace for kids camps, activities and after school classes. Families can book local activities with one easy registration. ActivityHero has recently been featured on CommonSenseMedia, Good Morning America and Forbes. 

During the summer, it can be difficult to keep kids engaged and keep them learning. With the closure of many in-class summer camps, online summer camps and classes have become more popular. These online camps help your child experiment with new hobbies and can help those finding more advanced instruction in preparation of the next school year. For kids in middle school, it is especially important in order to prepare for high school and discover their passions early. To find more about summer camps and classes for your child, you can go on ActivityHero.

Art

Art is a fun activity for your child to participate in during the summer. From music to drawing, these camps/classes teach children how to express themselves using creativity. These classes include various types of mediums to learn from and explore. For the more unique mediums, some of the art classes provide the materials for the lesson.

Artist Center provides detailed and scheduled lessons which focus on the fundamentals of art. From basic sketching to drawing, the Artists Center has an online art class that teaches how to draw various subjects, such as anime, animals, and landscapes, and using various mediums.   

CD’s Art Studio has an online camp that includes painting, drawing, mosaics, fused glass, and other multimedia projects. Each day a new media is taught and materials can be shipped for the class. 

LA School of Music features music classes for kids who want to learn a new instrument. They have guitar, piano, and voice lessons available. 

Coding

These coding classes cover many different programming languages, such as Python or Scratch, and include teachers for all types of skill levels. Beginners and advanced students all have the opportunity to further improve their skills in these camps and reach their goals. These classes have opportunities for those looking for a new, fun hobby and a dedicated computer programmer.

Code With Us teaches students a variety of skills in various programming languages, such as Scratch, Python, JavaScript, Arduino, C++, and more. For kids 6-18, the camps allow students to pursue their coding goals with the help and resources from their home. 

Mighty Coders works with kids (age 9-15) to teach them the programming fundamentals with Scratch & Python and teaches them how to create a simple HTML/CSS website from start to finish. 

Tech Rocks! has a class that works on typing skills, coding, and allows kids to explore coding through games, such as Minecraft. Each coding track is individualized so that every kid can move at their own pace. 

Science

Science combines both creativity and education to explore how the surrounding environment affects us and how everything works. These classes offer an opportunity to discover more about different science subjects, such as chemistry or anatomy. Kids can have fun doing experiments while still continuing to learn about the world around them with science. 

Science Nature Labs! covers chemistry concepts and teaches practical experiments. Kids get to watch and repeat the experiments using household safe chemicals to explore their nature, properties, and uses. 

Futures Academy  dives into crime scene analysis and features the techniques and practices applied during a crime scene investigation as well as the research methods to store and find data. 

Polygon Academy features a human body science class for those wishing to be involved in anatomy or want to explore how the body works. From the Young Doctors session to the study of all of the organs, these classes allow your child to learn about any part of the human body.  

Academics

Subjects, such as English and Math, are still important to continue over the summer and can help your child get ahead next school year. At these camps and classes, kids are given experienced teachers and tutors to learn from as they improve on their writing and essay skills which will be very important for high school. In addition to English, some of these classes also offer tutors for math to either get ahead or review past material.

Ivy Goal has a highly intensive grammar and essay course with experienced teachers. Students learn important grammar skills and are taught efficient ways for essay outlines.

Best In Class Education Center Palo Alto have both English and Math classes that are highly personalized and have 3 students per class. Teachers review previous homework and spend careful time explaining new concepts.

Communication Academy features a live online class where students can participate in interactive activities. Students will learn writing strategies to help improve their ability to express themselves more effectively through organization, voice, sentence fluency, and more. 

About ActivityHero

ActivityHero is the leading online marketplace for kids camps, activities and after school classes. Families can book local activities with one easy registration. ActivityHero has recently been featured on CommonSenseMedia, Good Morning America and Forbes. 

With many summer programs and summer camps becoming unavailable, it is difficult to keep your kids busy and learning over the summer months. However, online summer camps are a perfect solution as more events slowly move to the internet. 

An online camp allows kids to continue to immerse themselves in fun activities and try out new interests over the summer. They are beneficial in giving kids the ability to ask questions and to connect with a teacher in a live, interactive setting. Not only are they able to engage with the teacher, but they also get the opportunity to connect with other kids with similar interests. Online camps help encourage education and socialization even at home. 

With online camps becoming more common, it is helpful to make sure you pick a time convenient for you. Luckily, there are a variety of opportunities and online summer camps that you can choose ranging from art, coding, academic, science, and teen camps with many different times to choose from.  

Art

Online art camps are popular for all ages of kids. They often use materials that you already have at home, such as pencil, paper, or paint. Online art classes also give an opportunity to ask questions, receive feedback, or display finished art projects. 

Favorites:

Lingo Rainbow Academy offers private and group language classes, and language enrichment classes such as Arts, Music and STEAM, summer and holiday camps.

CD’s Art Studio has fun virtual painting camps for kids, an online painting party, and an online slime party. Packages of materials are sent via mail or can be picked up in San Jose, CA.

Art School of SF Bay has online art summer camps via Zoom for various mediums and genres, including 20th Century studies, manga, and digital painting. 

Coding

An online coding class can open up your child to a potential career option or is an opportunity to engage a young gamer to create their own game. There are a variety of online coding classes available for both beginners and advanced learners. If you need help picking the skill level, you can get some tips here.

Favorites:

CodeREV Kids has camps for younger kids 6-11 and require no prior typing or coding experience

Computer Kids Club is a computer science & academic program designed for K -6 grade students. Offers a 1 hour specific computer science class, after-school enrichment, summer and school break camps.

Digital Dragon has a 10 day camp that focuses on how to create an iPhone app, using Apple Xcode, the Swift programming language, and mobile app design.

Code Wiz offers a wide range of individualized STEM programs, each tailored to the students’ skill level. Watch your kids expand their creativity through computer science! Our approach is student-driven, project-based learning. It’s a place for kids to learn, tinker, play and have fun with Coding!

Academic

Learning is always important and these online academic camps can help get your child ahead in their next year. With varying subjects, you can help your child if they have trouble in a particular subject or just want to continue with their education in a certain subject. 

Favorites:

Communication Academy helps students using interactive activities to practice core writing skills, gain more confidence, and learn more strategies as a writer

Mathletes, taught by Coach K,  is geared towards middle schoolers and focuses on creative problem solving, playing games and solving puzzles, and building challenges in math.

Science

Science contains many different subjects and these online science camps allow your child to branch out into some areas they might be interested in. From coding to wildlife, these science classes offer many opportunities to learn new skills and explore.

Favorites:

Discover Science Center has many different sessions with different themes, such as coding, ocean science, forensic science, or even a mini-med/vet session. 

Camp EDMO  provides an large selection of activities that range from wildlife exploration, coding, or design.

Look Up to the Stars offers Astronomy classes and camps for kids of all ages. Children of all ages can be inspired to think big, dream big, and to foster curiosity about an enormous universe in which the boundaries appear unlimited.

Teens

For those who are a bit older, there are also teen programs that are able to give college credit and help them prepare for college level classes. These classes can also help your teen get ahead in school or explore a new topic in preparation of potential college majors. 

Favorites:

Drama Kids of Loudoun offers a unique opportunity for teens to learn the art of directing. The teens will participate in and lead many of the activities that the campers do. The Junior Directors will also be in charge of directing the campers in their end-of-the-week skits.

With summer quickly approaching, take advantage of free time to explore more activities. Whichever camp you pick, have fun and dive deep into new experiences. For more detail in schedules and times, you can go to ActivityHero. 

Though summer is ending, there are still plenty of opportunities for fun family outings and educational days for your kids. Take advantage of the many free events in the Philadelphia area in the upcoming months!

National Park Free Entrance Days

Schuylkill River Valley National Heritage Area

There are three entrance fee-free days for all National Parks in the upcoming months:

• Sunday, August 25th – National Park Service Anniversary
• Saturday, September 28th – National Public Lands Day
• Monday, November 11th – Veterans Day

Parks in Philadelphia include Independence National Historical Park, Valley Forge, and Schuylkill River Valley National Heritage Area. Set out on a weekend trip before the weather turns too cold, or take a nature-filled day trip for a short escape from the bustling city. Tour all the historical monuments in the Greater Philly area for a great enrichment opportunity and connection to our country’s heritage.

Check out more details about the entrance fee-free days, and mark “I’m Interested” to receive reminders and extra information about the event.

Museum Free Admission Day

This year, on Saturday, September 21st, museums and cultural institutions across the US are participating in the Smithsonian’s Free Museum Day.

Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art

Museums encourage your children to think critically and creatively about the contents of the exhibits and why they’re being displayed, and can also be a great source of inspiration if your child is interested in science, art, history, or any other subject. Do your kids have the misconception that museum trips are too long and boring? Read some tips about how to get them to love these educational institutions.

In the Philly area, museums include the National Museum of American Jewish History, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, and the Penn Museum. Each reserved ticket allows for free admission for two people at one museum, so get yours soon!

More family-friendly free events are bound to pop up as the year goes on, so make sure to check back for updates!

For some families, sleepaway camp is a tradition and happens every year like the holidays. But if you didn’t grow up going to sleepaway camp, you might have some questions, or concerns. We spoke to camp directors at two overnight camps and have some tips to share in this article, published by ActivityHero.

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