Summer 2008

2008 Summer Writing Camp

Unlock adventures, get your creative juices flowing, and let your imagination soar at the Thurber Summer Writing Camp. All camp sessions are held at the Thurber Center, 91 Jefferson Avenue, next door to Thurber House. Enrollment is first-come, first-served, and each week of camp is limited to 40 students. Campers will be split into four groups of ten, with one counselor per group. Grade levels are what the student will be entering in the fall. Deadline for registration is Monday, May 12.
Click here for a printable version of our brochure and registration form.

FOR GRADES 2 & 3:
July 7 - 11, 1:00 - 4:30 p.m. This week is FULL, and the wait list is FULL.
A visit with nature, an unfinished story, a step back in time and a few surprises are in store for our youngest campers this year. Tour Thurber’s boyhood home and hear a few of his stories to set the right tone to write your own. Each day includes a mid-afternoon snack.

This Year at Camp:
• Lyn Ford, storyteller extraordinaire, will share a few of her best tales including a few odd characters and some very silly moments. Then it will be your turn to take the story beginning and create your own ending.

• New this year, the Ohio Nature Education (ONE) will be bringing a few feathered friends to inspire our 2nd and 3rd grade writers as we explore the role birds have played in many different cultures.

• Imagine the most fantastic pet in the universe! What would it look like, or sound like? What does it eat, and will Mom let you keep it? Join Valerie Cumming and discover a whole new world of pets.

FOR GRADES 4, 5, & 6:
July 14 - 18 and August 4-8 are FULL, please call 614-464-1032 ext. 16 to be added to the wait list.
July 21 - 25, July 28 - August 1
9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
We added an extra week for 4th, 5th, and 6th graders this year so buckle your seat belts and be prepared for anything and everything during your week of camp. Campers bring their own lunch each day; Thurber House provides an afternoon snack.

This Year at Camp
• Dan Mushalko and Kathy Matthews are plotting and scheming a new adventure for our summer campers. Will it be a mystery to solve (and will Sherlock Holmes assist?) or will it be something totally new? Whatever they cook up, it is sure to challenge your thinking and put you in the middle of the action.

• This year each week of camp will have an all day field trip, similar to last year’s trip to COSI. Campers at the first two weeks, July 14 - 18 and July 21 - 25 will explore the Ohio Historical Society exhibits and draw stories from the pages of history. Campers at the last two weeks, July 28 - Aug. 1 and Aug. 4 - 8, will explore downtown Columbus starting with a visit to the Ohio Statehouse, where history is happening on a daily basis. Dr. John Becker will be at both locations to delve into Ohio’s past and find the most interesting characters to inspire your stories


THE WRITE STUFF
FOR GRADES 7, 8, & 9:
June 16 - 20, or June 23 - 27
9:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Join us for a brand new daily writing adventure with your own story finished by the end of the week. Each morning you’ll learn about the “stuff” of writing: dialogue, characters, description, narrative, pace, and more, then apply what you’ve learned to the story you’re creating. A real writers’ workshop that’s just for you! The afternoons will be filled with exploring new story sources, a field trip or two, and end with an open microphone session where you can share your stories, poems, songs or scripts with your new friends. Campers will bring their own lunch; Thurber House provides a daily snack. Please register for just one of the weeks of camp so we can serve more participants.

Returning This Year
The Thurber Summer Writing Camp is offering a week of camp for 4th, 5th, 6th graders from 9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., June 23 - 27, and a week of camp for 7th, 8th, and 9th graders from 9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., July 7 – 11, at the Delaware Arts Castle. To register for these weeks, contact the Delaware Arts Castle at 740-369-2787 or www.artscastle.org. The Delaware camp schedule will be the same as the schedule for our downtown camps, except for the field trips, so please register for only one week.
Deadlines are June 3 for grades 4, 5, & 6 and June 20 for grades 7, 8, & 9.

Scholarships
Students whose families need financial assistance may apply for one of a limited number of scholarships, available on a first-come, first-served basis through a grant from Time Warner Cable. Full scholarships require a $10 non-refundable registration fee and verification of enrollment in a free school lunch program or letter from a school official stating financial need. Partial scholarships require verification of enrollment in a reduced school lunch program or a letter from a school official stating the need for partial financial assistance, the $10 registration fee, and one half of the tuition fee ($45 for grades 2 - 3, $80 for grades 4-9).

Scholarship spaces are reserved in the requested week along with all other registrations. Since our camps fill quickly, we highly recommend submitting your scholarship requests as soon as possible. Deadline for scholarship requests is Monday, April 28.
Two special full scholarships, also based on financial need, will be given in memory of former volunteer and Thurber House Board member Babette Lazarus Sirak and in memory of Thurber House Volunteer Ruth Spain. To apply for these scholarships, follow the guidelines and deadlines as listed for the Time Warner Scholarships above.

In the meantime, enjoy a few pictures of some of the fun that occurred this past summer!

Students learn acting techniques with Columbus Performing Arts teacher John Heisel.

Renowned storyteller Lyn Ford inspires the 2nd and 3rd graders with onomatopoeia.

Students were inspired by everything at COSI: from hard-shelled centipedes to becoming a foley artist in the Cartoon Network exhibit.

Campers getting down and messy with their Aminah Robinson inspired writing project.

7th, 8th, and 9th graders get into it at the Columbus Museum of Art where they were given tours by CMA docents (docent Jan Hammock shown above). Later they were given the opportunity to write different perspective pieces. The last picture is of one group acting out a particular piece of artwork in the museum.

Thurber House's 2007 Children's Writer in Residence Lisa Yee made guest appearances at the 7th-9th grade camps and the Delaware camp.

The 2008 Thurber Summer Writing Camp is generously sponsored by Time Warner Cable.

In addition, we extend special thanks to National City Bank, Honda of America Mfg., JP Morgan Chase Foundation, State Auto Insurance Company Foundation, and the Harry C. Moores Foundation and the Susan Scherer Charitable Foundation for their support of our programming for children. Thanks also to the Greater Columbus Arts Council, the Ohio Arts Council, and the Mrs. Robert L. Barnes Endowment and the Benham Memorial funds of the Columbus Foundation for their ongoing support of our programs.