Parents: Take the Journey

Summer Journey is a free, full-day summer program for your child offered through your school district. Emphasizing cooperative, project-based learning, each day of Summer Journey cultivates a discovery process in which your child pursues his or her curiosity, thinks critically, and takes initiative in his or her learning.

Fun of Students – Peace of Mind for Parents

Summer Journey is designed to enrich children’s learning with a hands-on, project based curriculum that promotes engagement and builds self-confidence. Students reduce summer learning loss with a focus on academic courses in the morning, and exploratory enrichment courses in the afternoon.

Register for FREE!

Registration opens Spring 2024! Select your district, download and return your completed Summer Journey enrollment materials by the date indicated on your form. Some districts offer online enrollment only.

Academic: Engaging Students with Critical Summer Learning

Whether entering Kindergarten or eighth grade, your child will engage in an academically challenging curriculum during the program’s morning session. If your child is entering Kindergarten in the fall, Summer Journey offers a theme-based integrated curriculum of reading, writing, math, science, and social studies. The Early Learner Language Arts and Investigations program – for children entering grade 1 in the fall – includes interactive lessons focusing on the reading and writing process and curriculum that combines math and science. If you child is entering grades 2 through 8 in the fall, courses—developed for Primary, Elementary, and Intermediate levels—are aligned to Missouri Learning Standards and focus on student engagement through interactive, project-based lessons.

Instructional Intervention

Some districts select math and reading intervention courses for their students requiring additional support. These intervention programs, AchieveMath and AchieveReading, provide targeted instruction that reinforces essential skills while increasing self-confidence and motivation to learn. Please check with your child’s school to see if this option will be available during the Summer Journey program.

Enrichment: Afternoons of Summer Fun!

Summer enrichment courses fill out the afternoon schedule of curriculum in the Summer Journey program, including hands-on exploratory Journey courses with embedded academics. These Journey courses enable students to actively engage with topics in the fields of Engineering & Construction, Sports & Teamwork, Arts & Crafts, Theatre & Performance, and more. Most Journey courses include a teacher manual and scripted lessons. Below are just SOME of our exciting, thought provoking enrichment courses that may be offered by your district!

Computers

Animation and basic computer programming are combined in state-of-the-art teaching software developed and maintained by MIT. Scratch is not only free, but is continually being updated by the brains at MIT to encourage young students to combine creativity and logic with fun, animated activities. This camp utilizes the Scratch software and develops a series of exciting projects that walk students through basics and eventually challenges them to build their very own interactive storyboard with voice, video, animated characters, and more. See the world of computer programming in a whole new light with this camp and Scratch’s drag-and-drop interface that encourages authentic student discovery and growth. *Must have access to computers to be able to use the free Scratch software.

Technology is at its best when chosen for specific needs and interests. Careful consideration is given to the technology provided for student use in Summer Journey. Students have access to a variety of engaging and entertaining learning experiences through participation in Tech Lab. Teacher manual is not provided.

Dance & Movement

This curriculum is designed to provide motor and manipulative skills progression essential for young primary students. Through games and activities that include general space, personal space, and group activities, students improve motor skills within daily challenge.

Engineering & Construction

Primary students develop an interest in zoology through the use of over 5,000 popular brick- building components. Students construct and model a variety of creatures from five different habitats developing an understanding of the animal kingdom as they build and learn. The learning experience culminates with all the students working together to create their own Brick Zoo extravaganza!

Flight

Primary students will launch into fun and learning in this engaging and age-appropriate rocket experience. Art projects, cooperative games and experiments lead to understanding of space and flight. Students should prepare for an out-of-this-world summer!

Theatre & Performance

Imagination is a powerful tool as students use their own creativity and voices to become characters and dramatize familiar stories. Pirates, giants, and more are some of the child-oriented themes. Children relate to literature, create props, dramatize stories, and engage in creative movement to music. In this course, everyone can be a star.

Creative opportunities are matched to the interests and skills of outstanding local talent! Stars will be born both on the stage and behind the scenes. Teacher manual is not included.

Medley

Students develop the art of illusion using simple sleight of hand magic tricks. A game like format is utilized, allowing opportunities for students to practice magic tricks using common materials such as cups, coins, and cards. Participants will create props and make magician costumes as they prepare for an actual magic show.

Students’ imaginations will run wild as each craft, game, and activity will have a nature theme ranging from the environment, land, animals from all over the world, plants, and much more. Stained glass ornaments, painted pet rocks, handcrafted games, and jungle jute bracelets are just a few of the activities that students are sure to love, NATURALLY!

Sometimes getting a message across isn’t as easy as it seems, but ideas are most useful when they can be communicated effectively. With game-based activities, students will explore the fundamental challenges posed by language, develop a number of tools to clarify and support ideas, experiment with frames of reference, and even create their own system for exchanging information. These activities will help students develop the communication skills they need to describe their next brilliant ideas clearly and effectively.

What could be more fun? Dr. Seuss stories and imaginative book characters are the springboard to delightful art projects, games, and other fun fare. Kite construction and flying competitions, Wire Wocket creations and edible sun glyphs are just a few examples of the good times that await. The familiarity with Seuss friends and the fun activities combine to make this a terrific way to enjoy the Summer Journey … Seuss style!

Summer Sizzler is a Journey course that definitely gets students fired up! The temperature rises when students create bumblebee wind chimes, perform sock puppet plays, and display teamwork in balloon games. Students then cool off as they make tasty Shake-It Up Ice Cream. Summer Sizzler is a course that will leave students begging for a fun-filled heat wave!

Discover the science that inspired the super powers of Aquagirl, Spiderman, Batman, Iceman, and more! Learn the amazing characteristics of the insects and animals that inspired these super heroes. Students will get a chance to create their own super power at the end of the camp and create a hero of their own!

“Ronnie the Reporter” will leave no rock unturned as s/he sets off on a worldwide safari to learn about the wild animals that inhabit planet earth. Students will spend 12 days as an animal reporter traveling the globe to “uncover” the wild animals in the different regions of the world. Words like savanna, jungle, endangered and fierce will be heard when highlighting their adventure in their “live” daily reports. And that’s a wrap!

Sports & Teamwork

Heads Up! Air Time lessons engage participants, as they keep busy with a variety of air challenges. Air Time is full of exciting, action packed games including air hockey, volleyball, paddleball, and frisbee. Several windy art experiences are also distributed throughout the unit. Students create air-art and build their own parachutes. The Parachute Play is destined to be a highlight of the summer experience. Field Day Primary Healthy competition and lots of fun await. Everyone is a winner in this Journey course! Kids choose events, create their ribbons, plan the field days, practice their skills, and end up successful in the several contests. Light hearted and fun, with opportunities for lots of collaboration, this course is designed for student success.

The Lifetime Sports course provides the opportunity to learn lead-up activities as well as actual lifetime sports at a modified level. Lifetime sports lessons include bowling lead- up activities, Frisbee, dances (line and without partners), walking activities with a pedometer, and hula-hoop games. All activities are great for lifetime fitness.

Did you know there is a science behind the success of major athletes? They have near perfect pitches, swings, kicks, strokes and more! The science behind some of the most popular sports today is found using distinct calculations while examining body positioning, velocity and more in this newly developed camp. Designed to get students excited about learning and bring math and science concepts to life, this camp creates action-packed learning experience. Each level focuses on a different major sport and some of the activities range from the degree of strokes while swimming, the torque of a tennis ball being served and the velocity used when a soccer ball flies past the opposing goalie for an undisputed win! As additional challenges students may even be tested to improve their own sport skills by using calculations to increase performance.

Physical activities are specifically created with local students in mind! Participants become fit through lots of action and lots of fun. Teacher manual is not included.

The Sport Clips curriculum offers a variety of sports, games, and skill lessons. Various high-energy games and activities are designed to improve cardiovascular functions and increase strength and flexibility. The lessons provide fun-filled competition, etiquette, and rules of the games, as well as a general sense of fair play. Sports Clips Primary requires local access to cones, basketballs, plastic bats, soccer balls, four gym mats (approximately 4×8 feet each).

A new craze is sweeping the country. Cup stacking competitions and clubs are being introduced in many schools. Through cup stacking fun, a student develops the right side of the brain, increasing focus and creativity and training the brain for success in sports and music. Sequencing and patterning are also elements of cup stacking, which can help with reading and math skills. A valuable experience, but most of all, fast paced and FUN!

What Parents Have to Say!

“My children look forward to this program yearly and we are so thankful we have it. Thank you for providing it in our area.”

- Lewis County Parent

“All three of my kids have gone every year and every year they really enjoy it! The incentives are nice but not the reason they go and ultimately are not on the list of reasons why they had such a good time.”

- Northwest Parent

“My child is really enjoying Summer School, every day he comes home and tells me something new he’s done. He really enjoyed when they made robots the first week of Summer School.”

- Confluence Academies Parent

“We love the summer school program! Our kids are always excited to go and learn about new things they don’t typically learn through the school year.”

- NorthCallaway Parent

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Want to learn more about our program for your district? Looking for enrollment support? Issues with your incentives? Contact Us via the Form below

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At a Glance

  • Over 24,000 Students

  • 40+ School Districts

  • State Funded

  • 120+ Course Options

  • Up to 168 Program Hours

  • Transportation Provided

  • Reading & Math Intervention Available

  • Blended Learning Available