Middle School
Exploration: Program Specifics
Study Your Favorite Stuff
Exploration Workshops cover an incredibly wide range of interesting subjects. This is your chance to discover new ideas, skills and experiences in a friendly atmosphere of exploration and growth. Don’t worry if you’re trying something for the first time! We have several groups for each class and will make sure you’re in the right one for your level of experience.
How to Choose Your Exploration Workshops
Exploration Workshops meet for 90 minutes per day on either Monday, Wednesday and Friday (MWF) or Tuesday and Thursday (TTh), with the exception of The Sports Experience and Tennis, which meet for 3 hours. Please be sure to select workshops that meet on alternate days. Students choose their morning courses for the full session while completing their application.
Each week, all campers also choose two Discovery Workshops — offered from 1:00 to 2:30 — from a list that changes weekly. Take your morning program a little further, or try something completely different. Click here for a comprehensive list: Discovery Workshops
Advertising: Be Smart, Buy Well
Ever bought something because you loved the ad? Learn how companies create ads and messages to make their product seem like “must-haves.” We’ll investigate what companies do to convince you to buy their product. Once you can spot a marketer’s tactics, you’re on your way to becoming a savvy consumer.
Art: The Inner Artist
We’ll develop our awareness of shape and form, using sketching pencils and charcoal to do gesture and contour drawings. We’ll experiment with all kinds of media — from ink and pastels to anything we find in the studio. You’ll learn a variety of watercolor techniques, including wet-in-wet, blooms, and how salt and plastic wrap can be used to create texture. Come and express yourself through art.
Chess: King of the Board
Come play the world’s most popular board game, while learning winning tactics, terminology and the finer points of strategy. Best of all, you’ll get to play the game against a variety of opponents. So come and challenge your new friends for the chance to have the final word: “Checkmate!”
Computers: 3D Flash Animation
Deep down, every designer wants to be an animator. Using Macromedia Flash we’ll teach you how to create stunning animations using basic tweening and frame-by-frame techniques. Draw simple characters, prepare them for animation and add expression and motion to create your own short clip.
Computers: Game Design
You know this from experience: every great game combines great design and great programming. This class will focus on the first part of the equation. We’ll break it down and consider elements like design documents, game design, psychology, character design and game mechanics. Join us for all that and some awesome gaming!
Computers: Internet, Apps & Web Page Design
If you intend to become a credentialed webmaster or online publisher or just want to post your own homepage or blog, this is the course for you.
Through a series of hands-on lessons, you’ll acquire the essential tools and skills needed to build Web pages. The pages you create will include graphics, animation, sound, video, forms, mouseovers, scrolling banners and more. Coursework includes an introduction to Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), scanning, creating graphics, and audio and video compression for the web. Work with Google websites and Apple and Facebook applications.
Cooking: Fast, Fresh & Fun!
For the beginner to intermediate cook, Cooking is the perfect opportunity to work on kitchen basics and fundamental culinary knowledge while learning to prepare a variety of fresh, fun modern dishes.
This course lets you work hands-on to develop your food prep and presentation abilities. Classes will cover kitchen safety and hygiene, knife techniques, use of herbs, oils and seasonings, the history and tradition of many of the ingredients used in our dishes, and — of course — the recipes themselves.
If you love sampling new foods and want to learn to whip up a delicious variety of new appetizers, entrees and desserts, this is the perfect program for you, the seriously interested but still “unseasoned” cook.
Cooking: Seasonal Sensations
Locally-grown bounty will take center stage as we create dishes with the season’s freshest ingredients. You’ll learn how to create the perfect menus for hot summer days. Come, eat and enjoy American summer favorites in our “edible education”!
Dance: Move to a Different Beat
This high-energy class will take you on a journey around the world as you dance to the ethnic beats of Africa, Spain, the Caribbean Islands and many other cultures. Creating original routines from basic dance techniques and your natural ability, we’ll work out our own original choreography based on class makeup and interest.
Dance: Street Styles to Salsa
Straight from the streets of New York and L.A., experience cutting edge choreography to rival today’s top music videos. Learn funky, innovative dance routines broken down into simple step-by-step instructions. Then dance till you drop to high-energy Latin music while learning the salsa, cha-cha and merengue. You will learn correct salsa technique and a variety of steps you will love.
English as a Second Language (ESL)
With so many cultures meeting at JKCP, why not practice your English with other students from around the world?
This time, forget classrooms, chalk boards and constant repetition. Instead, our ESL program takes you around campus. Learn foods in the kitchen, then head to the gym to learn sports and recreation phrases.
You’ll be learning on the go as your ESL teacher weaves English lessons into everything you do. And don’t worry if you’re just starting the language: You can always get help in French or Spanish.
Environment: Going Green
Did you know you could help the environment by changing a light bulb, bringing your own mug to Starbucks, saving water and reusing plastic bags? Start small and make big changes step by step. You can have a huge impact on the world in which you live.
Fashion: Project Runway
Do you look at the latest fashions from the top designers and wish you could create those kinds of designs and outfits? Here’s the place to get started.
You’ll begin with your own concept, then step by step turn it into a completed piece. Working individually with your instructor, you’ll learn how to illustrate your design, choose the color and fabrics to make it work, and put it all together in a finished garment or accessory.
Whether you sew it, zip it, tape it or glue it, you’re sure to create a fashion item that’s uniquely you.
Fashion: T-Shirt Redesign
There are a million ways to take a simple T-shirt from drab to fab. Find inspiration from top designers, then experiment with cuts, ties, bows, colors, beads and embellishments to create a take-home piece that highlights your style.
Harry Potter: The Phenomenon
Can’t get enough of Harry Potter? None of us can! Join other Potter fans on a magical adventure to Hogwarts. We’ll play some Quidditch and think about how we would re-write the ending.
Improv: Comedy
Learn techniques used by the kings and queens of improvisational comedy in Chicago and New York to create short scenes that will keep your audience laughing. We’ll show you how today’s top comedians let an idea from the crowd guide their spontaneous performance.
Improv: Games & Tricks
Have you ever gotten together in a group to create a short comedy skit for your friends or family? This class is like that, only we’ll teach you how to build on those skills to actually create your own play. We’ll structure the scene, rehearse the dialogue, and figure out some stagecraft to achieve the strongest dramatic effect. Best of all, after you create and rehearse your new material, you’ll get to put on a show for everybody to enjoy.
Intro to Guitar: School of Rock
How many times have you said, “I’m going to learn to play the guitar”? Really mean it? Here’s your chance to get started this summer.
This is an introductory course, so everybody is going to be starting at the beginning. Come and learn how to tune the guitar, play chords, and melodies and accompany a song. If you’ve got a guitar, bring it; otherwise use one of ours.
Magic: Abracadabra
Magicians are some of the world’s best performers. Learn the tricks of the trade used by top magicians to wow their audiences again and again. If you already have a few magic tricks in your repertoire, this course will help you create a winning performance.
Magic: Secrets from the Stage
This is the course where a professional magician will share secret knowledge behind lots of entertaining illusions and mystifying tricks. You’ll learn tricks using coins, cards, cups, balls, pigeons, chains, handkerchiefs and rope.
Origami: Fascinating Folds
This centuries-old art form uses a combination of delicate and hard folds to create intricate shapes and constructions from a sheet of paper. During class, you’ll work on a series of projects, from birds to boats and more. Soon you’ll be able to fascinate friends with an origami present that you make on the spot.
Photography: Creative Close-Ups
Find out how close-at-hand subjects can make larger-than-life images, or how a tightly shot photo can provide the details to set a mood. This course will show you how to take a closer look and capture great images.
Photography: Pop-Art Pix
Working with images drawn from popular culture, this workshop will focus on current themes and techniques. We’ll use Photoshop to turn conventional photos from advertising and comic books into Pop Art.
Photography: Posing & Portraits
Work with our expert photographers to discover the effect lighting, location and lens can have on your portraits. You’ll learn how to help your subject find the perfect pose to capture their spirit.
Photography: Stop Motion
Learn how to use camera functions to take great pictures. We’ll show you how shutter speed can stop fast-moving action, how depth of field can create an artistic background, or how changing your point of view can turn an ordinary subject into an outstanding photo.
The class will cover digital and traditional film photography, as well as the use of imaging programs.
Psychology: Dealing With Your Parents
Do your parents drive you crazy? Do they run scared from Facebook, MySpace and text messaging? Why can’t they just understand?
We’ll discuss your relationships and help you cope with your parents. Most important, we’ll teach you how to avoid conflict while still saying what’s important to you.
Learn the art of negotiation and create solutions that work for everyone.
Psychology: “Frienemy”
Learn to distinguish whether your BFF is really a friend or an enemy. Could they be a little of both? Understand the subtle patterns to watch out for, and what you need to know to be a good friend and not a “frienemy” to someone else.
Robotics: Machines & Radio Control
Come and create your own robot. While you’re piecing together your masterbot you’ll also be learning about hardware, circuits, logic, programming and mechanics. Meanwhile, you’ll decide what your bot looks like, how it moves and how fast it’ll be able to go.
Robotics: Nanotechnology
Ever wonder how Apple got the iPod Nano so small? How a tiny flash drive can hold so much data? We’ll discover the world of nanotechnology and invent our own mini-machines.
Sculpture: From 2D to 3D
Come and creatively feel your way around the art studio as we have fun with sculpture. You’ll start with your own ideas and translate them directly into 3-dimensional reality. This is the ultimate “hands-on” course and you’ll use the media and materials you really like — choosing from wire, clay, paper, plaster of Paris and more — to create your own work of art.
Self-Defense: Street Smarts
Is that person following you a threat? Does walking alone in an unfamiliar area make you a little nervous? Here’s where you learn how to take action.
Awareness and street-smart common sense are the keys to protecting yourself. This workshop will teach you how to read a situation and react early, or defend yourself with the weapons that are available to you: your voice, hands, feet, keys and more.
Self-Defense: With Confidence
The key to defending yourself is confidence. This workshop will identify your strongest physical assets and teach you how to use them to defend yourself. Become less vulnerable and more confident through our confidence-building approach.
Speed Reading: Fast & Furious
Imagine reading faster and still having a great understanding of the material. We’ll use a variety of techniques such as identifying words without focusing on each letter, not sounding out all words, spending less time on some phrases than others, and skimming small sections. At the end of this course, you’ll breeze through magazines, books and essays like a pro.
Squash: Essentials
Squash is an indoor racquet sport in which both players alternate hitting shots against the front and side walls. If you like fast-paced action, then this is a great sport for you. We’ll cover basic techniques, rules and strategies. All levels are welcome.
Tennis: Beginner to Advanced
(3-hour MWF or TTh workshop)
Take your tennis game to the next level working with coaches from the world-renowned Julian Krinsky School of Tennis. The tennis workshop is designed to be enjoyable yet challenging for players of all levels. It features a low player-to-coach ratio so that each student receives personal attention and instruction.
Time on the tennis courts is divided between instruction and competitive play. Beginner players work on developing basic skills and learning new strokes. More advanced players focus on skill refinement, practice and match play, with the ultimate goal of becoming a more consistent, well-rounded player.
The Sports Experience: Instruction & Tournament Challenge
(3-hour MWF or TTh workshop)
Whether you are picking up a tennis racquet for the first time, working to improve your outside jump shot or trying to make your school softball team, we’ll provide the appropriate instruction and coaching.
Choose from more than a dozen activities, including basketball, volleyball and field hockey. The Sports Experience combines instruction in solid fundamentals and sportsmanship with innovative games and drills.
Trends: Understanding the Whys
We’ll trendspot and monitor how trends influence and change the world. How long does it take a trend to catch-on? When is it time to rewire a trend? When is it time to retire a trend?
From iPods to Crocs, we’ll study current phenomena to develop the skills needed to spot coming trends on the cultural horizon.
Video: Claymation
At some point, every enthusiastic movie-goer and TV fan wants to get behind the camera. This course makes you the filmmaker. But instead of using real actors we’ll use clay figures!
Try your hand at direction, set design, costuming, production, editing and script writing. Design a television advertisement, script a drama, choreograph a music video or direct a documentary. Our Claymation track gives you the chance to explore all aspects of the art.
Video: Creative Commercials
Have you ever thought you could make a better commercial than the one you just saw? Here’s your chance to do just that. In a couple of weeks you’ll be writing, shooting and producing commercials using industry-standard techniques.
Yoga: Sun Salutations
See how graceful and flexible your body can become. Create strength, stamina and overall conditioning while discovering techniques for stretching, relaxing, breathing and meditating. Our stress-busting workout will help you stay calm and perform better whether you’re taking a test or competing at sports.
Yoga: Yogalaties: Get the Fusion
Can fitness get any better? Yes — if you blend the best of two of the most popular systems of health and fitness. Combine the core emphasis of Pilates with the postures and breathing of yoga and you get fusion.