Broaden their Horizons

By Katie Saltz

Kids Can Explore New Interests While Having Fun Fun Fun at Summer Camp

It’s easy to find summer camps centered on your child’s favorite hobbies. But what about choosing something completely new and different?

Summer camps are an opportunity for children to explore new territory.

Whether it’s a new sport, academic subject or artistic venture, breaking out of the box can help uncover a new passion.

For Lexington mother Jennifer Smith, she thought her daughters had tried every camp under the sun.

Her 12-year-old twins, Madison and Taylor, attended everything from sports camps to science camps.

As an executive producer at WLEX, Smith receives plenty of newsletters in her email regarding local events.

She saw an email from The Carnegie Center about a camp called “Legal Eagles” and thought it would be an interesting fit for her girls.

“It was something they had never done before, and we’d done a lot of camps,” Smith said. “I had never heard of any camps about the legal system.”

The one-week camp explored various aspects of the law and was led by a working attorney. The camp included a mock trial with a federal judge.

“They learned about all the different jobs in the industry, they got to take field trips to the courthouse, they sat in on a case,” Smith said.

“They got to see it all up close. They really took it seriously.”

Smith knew Taylor would be interested in Legal Eagles, since she is an avid fan of crime shows.

But she was pleasantly surprised that Madison was excited by the camp as well.

“It was really great to go tour the court buildings and do the mock trial in front of a real judge,” Madison said.

Like many working parents, Smith relies on camps as childcare during the summer.

She was happy to find camps that provide opportunities to get kids out of their comfort zones. Her daughters agree.

Photo: Legal Eagles: Twins Madison and Taylor Smith