Arts Center schedules summer activities

(Sentinel photo by Luke Widbin) The Le Mars Arts Center, at 200 Central Ave. S.E., will be hosting a large variety of summer camps for children of all ages starting June 8. [Click to enlarge]

Throughout the summer, the Le Mars Arts Center will be holding activities for students ranging from birth to high school to broaden their experience in music, drama, art and dance.

Drama camp and Kindermusik camp will be offered for their third year each. Kindermusik will be split among three different age groups.

Drama camp will be available for 9 to 13 year olds.

"Our drama camp is always full," said Kathy Moore, executive director of the Le Mars Art Council. "We take a maximum of 20 students who will work on a play and perform it at the end of the week. It's kind of a crash course to theater arts."

Students enrolled in drama camp will be divided into two groups and will each perform a comedy.

Kindermusik camp is a musical experience for students 18 months to 7 years old, allowing children and a parent to participate in rhythm exercises, stories, songs and action poems.

"I love this program because it allows families to really come together," Moore said. "Parents can bring their kids in and do very age specific activities with them."

New this year, the Arts Center has decided to do an arts collage camp, which combines music, drama, folk dance, visual arts and games.

"We decided to make a drama camp for the older kids that would be in the Kindermusik program because they can read and organize a play," Moore said. "Everything during that camp is pulled together with a central theme."

Another program making its debut will be the visual arts camp, open to ages 5 to 13.

"We'll be doing anything messy and outside," said instructor Kim Strohbeen. "The messier the better. We'll be modifying the activities for the proper age groups."

Lastly, YABBA, an acronym for Youth Advisory Board for the Betterment of the Arts, will be in session for another year.

"We have two summer interns for June and July that are both high school students that will be getting students of that age group," said Moore. "In YABBA, the activities are up to the participants. We try to match instructors with what the students want to learn to do."

When asked why the Arts Center puts on these summer camps, Moore responded enthusiastically.

"Arts are basically a part of life," said Moore. "Allowing kids to be involved as young we can, we can round out their lives. The arts are a great way to show self-expression -- a positive way to let people know who they are."

DRAMA CAMP

June 8-12

Ages 9 to 13

Monday to Thursday, 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.,

Registration fee: $20 per student

Maximum of 20 students

KINDERMUSIK CAMP

June 22-26

Minimum of four per class

Tell Me a Tale

Ages 5 to 7

Monday to Friday, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Registration fee: $20 per student

Creatures at the Ocean

Ages 18 to 36 months with a care giver

Monday to Friday, 12 to 1 p.m.

Registration fee: $35 (includes activities kit)

Confetti Days

Ages 3 to 4 with a care giver

Monday to Friday, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.

Registration fee: $35 (includes activities kit)

ARTS COLLAGE CAMP

July 6-10

Ages 5 to 8

Monday to Friday, 9 to 11 a.m.

Registration fee: $20 per student

Minimum of six students

VISUAL ARTS CAMP

July 13-17

Ages 5 to 13

Monday to Friday, 9 to 11 a.m.

Registration fee: $20 per student

Minimum of six students

YABBA ACTIVITIES

Schedule TBA

Students entering 7th grade through high school

No registration fee

Minimum of five participants