San Antonio is Military City USA, a city for families, and a city that loves to honor the men and women in our families who serve in the Armed Services. Saturday, May 19^th is Armed Forces Day, and what better way to celebrate than with a parade and music (in true San Antonio style).

Spend Saturday afternoon downtown by the River Walk. At 3 p.m. you can catch the Military River Parade : Here’s to our Heroes. It’s a brand, new river parade that is dedicated to the men and women of the Armed Forces. See professionally-decorated floats travel down the river featuring live entertainment from military groups and local artists dedicating their talents to honor our troops. Each float is themed according to the various participants, including all branches of service and veterans.

When the parade ends, the celebration continues at HemisFair Park with Salute to Our Heroes – an Armed Forces Day concert sponsored by Operation Homefront. Gates open at 4 pm and music starts at 4:30 pm. The parade keeps going at the River Walk until 5, so you can decide when you’re ready to make your way to the music.

Some of the special musical guests you can look forward to include country music star Tracy Lawrence, special guests Steve Holy, Glen Templeton and Angie Johnson (2011 Contestant from the hit show The Voice), and Dan Evans (country music singer and Biggest Loser contestant).

Of course, in true San Antonio style, there will be food and drinks available. Check online for your best parking options. Since its downtown on the weekend, expect to pay about $10-$15.

Both of these events are free for everyone (if they could be, they would be especially free for military personnel and their families). Join in a day of celebrating the brave men and women that serve in the Armed Forces with fun outdoor events that the whole family can enjoy!

And here’s another way to celebrate. Sea World offers a Here’s to the Heroes program, not just this weekend, but always. According to local spokesperson, Brian Carter, “We’ve been doing it since 2003, and we’ve admitted more than a million people with complimentary admission under the Heroes program. This is a program we are really proud to offer.” Active duty military are permitted free admission for them and up to three dependants. They can use this offer once a year while the promotion lasts. Submit this form along with your military ID at the park.

And coming up, starting May 28, 2012 (Memorial Day) through September 3, 2012 (Labor Day), active duty military and their families can visit more than 1,500 museums across the country for free through the Blue Star Museums Initiative.

Participating San Antonio museums include

• The Alamo
• Casa Navarro State Historic Site
• Institute of Texan Cultures
• McNay Art Museum
• San Antonio Museum of Art
• Southwest School of Art
• Villa Finale

Yep – that kind of rocks!

Sarah W San Antonio Busy Kids

You’ll find listings in Dallas, Austin, Houston and almost every other state north of us. But San Antonio is like one giant empty bubble. At least that’s how it looks on the surface.

The reality is quite different. And it’s actually one of the reasons I started SA Busy Kids. Because I spent hours and hours searching online for camps that offered more than sports or art or basic skills. And I found them. Over the years, the offerings (I’m happy to say) have grown substantially. I will tell you upfront – most of these camps are not inexpensive…much as a I wish they were. But the ones we’ve been to are truly amazing.

Here are a few of my favorites. Four in San Antonio. Several within driving distance. Plus, here’s a link to even more camps for gifted kids.

iD Tech Camps

For your computer super star between 7 and 17, this camp balances off-computer activities and essential technology education to create a fun STEM environment for your camper. Offering day camps and overnight camps, choose from a variety of cutting edge summer camp courses for everyone from beginners to advanced learners. They’ve got small student-teacher ratios which means your child will get the personalized attention and instruction they crave to excel in school and in the summer. My 13-year-old took C++ programming with iD Tech Camps last summer and loved it. They were amazing with his quirkiness, encouraging him to stretch beyond his social limitations to engage and have fun outside of coding. Really – they were amazing with him. Choose between video game design, game modeling, video editing, programming, and robotics courses. Or take back to back courses. There are plenty of options to stimulate a STEM-minded camper.

Summer Institute for the Gifted

Your camper can spend the summer at The University of Texas at Austin (Hook ‘Em Horns!) with other gifted students from around the world. They may discover their common interests, abilities, and goals as they explore a variety of courses in the Humanities, Math, Science, Technology, Multi-Disciplinary, Visual and Performing Arts, and Fitness and Recreation. Your 9 to 17-year-old will get a taste of independence, living in the college dorms for three weeks in July, as they develop their academic and social skills. Your student is encouraged to develop their unique abilities and explore new interests – it’s a great way to stay well rounded in the summer.

STEM Summer Institute

Explore Underwater Robotics at this week-long camp at Texas A&M University- Corpus Christi. Your camper will build knowledge of underwater robotics through hands-on activities, learning from guest speakers, and firsthand experience in the engineering labs. The deadline is coming up fast (May 17^th) so get your applications in quick for this great opportunity to engineer in the ocean with remotely operated vehicles.

Summer Science Camps at The University of Texas at San Antonio

Our own Roadrunners Engineering Department offers a series of week-long camps to foster a fun STEM experience for your kids. Pick from Destination Discover, EXPLORE, iTEC, and more to build and enhance the skills of your student. Through hands-on, interactive learning, field trips, and interaction with professionals, college students, and other gifted students like themselves, campers will expand their brains with fun and enriching camps this summer. My son attended iTEC the first year it was offered. It was free back then … now, not so much, but still more affordable than most. It was well-run and focused on team building as much as skills building. They have really grown the program to encompass a wide range of ages and topics, which is really exciting to see. I have to say – we enjoyed this program much more than the more established PREP (Pre-Freshman Engineering Program), which bored my son to no end.

Sea World Adventure Camps

Give your camper a summer filled with fun and adventure right in San Antonio. Sea World has an awesome adventure for kids 5 to 12 and younger. These camps connect your kids to the animals and teach them about life in the sea. And this year, they’ve added a new camp for kids 3 and 4 and their parents called Shamu’s SeaSchool where you can have fun together role-playing, singing songs, doing crafts, and other hands-on explorations. Seriously, Sea World is a really cool place to be and an even cooler place to learn. AND, while you’re there, you can totally check out the new Aquatica, which opens May 19!

Duke TIP

If your child is a Duke TIP kid (and if he or she isn’t, you might look into it) – think about sending him or her to a Duke TIP camp. They aren’t cheap (in fact, they’ll be out of most people’s price range at $3,600 gasp!), but if you can afford it, the offerings are pretty amazing for highly talented kids who want to be challenged. Camps for 7th and 8th graders who qualify will be held at Trinity University. Even if your child doesn’t ever go to a Duke camp, you might look into this program. There are some great benefits to being involved if your child is gifted.

Texas Mathworks

Another favorite of ours is Texas Mathworks. While your child doesn’t have to be gifted to get in, the program is academically based, rather than age based. So if your kid is doing math at a higher level, they are willing to move him or her to a higher level class in the first few days. Here’s my blog post on this great camp when my son attended. We are big fans!

I’m so happy to say I see this list for gifted children grow every year in San Antonio. This year, I’m keeping my eye out for Geekdom in the hopes they offer up some exciting things for kids who want to code. We’ll see!

Photo credit: SXC, Julien Tromeur

MomOnMars San Antonio Busy Kids

I learned about Whyville several years back during the very first TEDx San Antonio when James Bower, San Antonio’s very own computational neurobiologist (say that five times fast), gave an amazing talk about the future of education. I was fascinated by him and the work that he was doing at Numedon in his cyberworld of Whyville.

I had the chance to catch up with James again at South by Southwest this Spring to find out what’s new in Whyville. As we sat outside after a long day of panels, James was full of excitement about his latest project. And it was, frankly, contagious.

“Look,” he said. “We teach kids that = means The Answer. But that’s not what it means at all.” My brows must have burrowed in confusion. Okay, math was never my expertise, but I always thought = meant the answer. “NO,” he says emphatically. “Look,” as he starts to draw all kinds of shapes on the page. “When we use puzzles to explain things, we can show exactly what = means…” And his explanation comes to life in triangles and lines and squares.

It’s a revolutionary way to teach math, he says, using the innovative K-5 ThinkMath! curriculum developed by the Education Development Center with support from the National Science Foundation. Bower has integrated formal classroom-based instruction with informal game-based learning in an online social environment.

Building off components of the ThinkMath! curriculum, Whyville plans to promote an in-depth understanding of math concepts through an educational virtual world for kids ages 8-15. “In other words, we will take K5 math curriculum, and Whyvillize it. We are really asking, what’s the right way to teach math?”

And, this is one of the most wonderful things about talking to James Bower. He takes nothing for granted. Questions everything. Every assumption. Every paradigm.

There’s no doubt that in the world of Whyville kids will master math. As they have learned to master solar power. And finances. And social skills. And safety. And government. And so many other practical life skills built into this amazing world where mental infrastructure and understanding is built piece by beautiful piece.

There’s a heated competition going on right now in Whyville, the WhyPower Competition for Texas middle schools. Right now, two San Antonio middle schools are in the top ten! STEM Academy and Lopez Middle School. Good luck, guys! Go earn those clams!

Right before I got ready to publish this piece, I got yet another exciting email from James. Whyville has just launched an innovative avatar-based effort to help kids deal with emotional issues, too. Why not? Designed with the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology, a simulated avatar wanders into Whyville chat rooms and professes to be upset. Kids in the rooms, then, can work together to try to figure out what is wrong and help the avatar in distress. When they are successful, Whyvillians are rewarded with a “clam storm” in which Whyville’s virtual currency rains from the sky. I love this. It’s just one more way Bower is pushing the limits of what we can teach our kids in an online world at a time when they are facing some of the most difficult social experiences of their lives – middle school.

Seven million Whyvillians can’t be wrong. This. Place. Rocks.

MomOnMars San Antonio Busy Kids

Your child can explore the theater at the San Pedro Playhouse Youth Summer Workshops. Let your child perfect his dramatic talent at one of the two-week workshops, or maybe just test the waters with a one-day workshop. Either way, the San Pedro Playhouse has a lot to offer this summer. The Playhouse has camps for kids ages 7-18, who can create their own show from scratch, learn about Broadway classics, experience Shakespeare in a Day, learn the techniques of stage make-up, or put their imaginations to the test at Improv 101. Register now  - day camps are $25 (or get a 4-pack for $85) and two-week workshops range from $250-$450.

Budding artists ages 8-12 get hands on at The Sculptors Academy’s Finding Michelangelo sculpture camp series. This all outdoor art program focuses on sculpture from every angle: photography, drawing, clay modeling, stone sculpture, even welding. Running two weeks in June and two weeks in July, you can pick the weeks that work for you. Priced on a sliding scale, one week costs $60, while 4 weeks costs $165. At the end of each week, your child can enjoy a trip to the museum for an additional $25. This camp is geared towards students who are serious about art, so if your child is more interested in running around the sculpture garden, this is not the right camp for you. They have tools available to use, but encourage you to bring your own, and don’t forget to pack your lunch. It’s important to be well fed when creating masterpiece works of art.

The Youth Orchestra of San Antonio is offering their Summer Symphony Camp for your 8 to 18 year-old with at least a year of musical experience. This is the only full orchestra camp in the city, and for two-weeks in July, your young musician will benefit from intensive instruction in orchestral studies, instrumental technique, music theory, composition, and chamber music. It’s a great opportunity to strengthen musical skill while having fun during the summer. The camp is divided into 6 orchestras of varying abilities, and the younger campers will have fun with craft and PE activities. Not only will your musician get to hone their skills, they will also get a chance to perform several times, including at the San Antonio Silver Stars half-time show. The camp costs $415, but tuition assistance is available to all applicants.

If your child is more of a budding Shakespeare, then consider the San Antonio Writing Project’s Young Writer’s Camp. Each day, your child will investigate the art of the pen, apply it to their own skills, and share with their fellow young writers. They’ve got sessions for 4^th – 12^th graders, and enrollment is first come, first served, so be sure and apply before their deadline of June 2^nd. At the end of the camp, parents are invited to celebrate writing with their students. Writing can be an excellent outlet for kids, and the Young Writer’s camp will help shape their skills and unique voice. You can register online.

These aren’t the only ways you can celebrate creativity with your kids this summer. Be sure and check out the SABusyKids Camp Guide for even more camps.

Related articles

• Four new San Antonio summer camps (sabusykids.com)
• Five San Antonio camps that offer scholarships (sabusykids.com)
• Seven summer programs under $100 (sabusykids.com)

Sarah W San Antonio Busy Kids

The Mayor’s Fitness Council is looking for role models, leaders, idea creators and change makers to empower their schools, friends, and families to get healthy.

If you are in 5^th – 12^th grade and have a passion for your community, the Mayor wants YOU for his Student Ambassador Program. The deadline to apply is May 25.

This is a very special opportunity for students to gain leadership experience, serve the community, and learn about the power they have to make a difference.

Student Ambassadors get to:

• Participate in workshops, trainings, and activities led by San Antonio leaders
• Earn community service hours while attending volunteer events
• Voice their own creative ideas, spreading the word about healthy lifestyles
• Receive recognition for creativity and energy while helping to plan a City Wide Youth Summit
• Receive a letter of recommendation and a certificate from Mayor Castro (a great addition to college applications)

Plus they can earn great prizes and have a ton of fun along the way.

Kids are important in making change happen in the city. They have the power to encourage healthy living on their school campuses and elsewhere, and as Student Ambassadors, they will get the tools they need to lead these initiatives. They can help promote physical activity and healthy eating and inspire their peers to live an active and healthy lifestyle.

Got some ideas for helping San Antonio find its balance? Download the application and apply by May 25.

Sarah W San Antonio Busy Kids

The restaurant is awarding 15 summer camp scholarships to 15 deserving kids between the ages of 8 and 16, and they are looking for nominations! Just fill out a form and e-mail it to camp@palomablanca.net by May 14^th. As of the posting of this blog, only two children have been nominated, so let’s move that needle and get some kids to camp!

The lucky winners will attend Stillwater Sports Camp – an activity-filled, Christian leadership, sports camp in Boerne, TX. It’s a one-week overnight camp for kids with a variety of skills and a passion for sports.

And it doesn’t matter if your camper has never played sports or plays year-round, this is a place to develop fundamental skills, teamwork, and knowledge of the game in a way that combines body, mind, and spirit.

Paloma Blanca also invites you to donate online to help sponsor even more kids at camp.

Related articles

• Five San Antonio camps that offer scholarships (sabusykids.com)

Sarah W San Antonio Busy Kids

We never struggle, however, with the concept that free play is critical in our children’s development.

So when I was approached with reviewing* blogger Mike Lanza’s book, Playborhood: Turn Your Neighborhood Into a Place for Play, I was fascinated.

Let me just say, the heart of the matter is in the middle of the book. The generalities about the downfall of our society were a little too much for me…as was the assumption that many of the emotional and social problems, mental disorders and overall lack of intrinsic motivation and purpose are caused by the demise of neighborhood play.

But once you get past all the “barriers to entry” and the statistics, there’s some real charm and practical advice to nurturing a neighborhood that is kid-play friendly.

Lanza is an evangelist  who wants to create a movement that takes us back to our carefree, delightful, play-filled childhoods.  And is it any wonder? How many parents carry memories of hanging outside all summer long, building a fort, bike riding all over the neighborhood with a BFF and just knocking on neighbors doors to see if anybody could come out and play? It’s the stuff childhood is made of, and it’s something we – as a society – are losing. Neighborhoods are filled with people who have never met each other, whose kids are tucked away in summer camps and whose lives are a never-ending trail of sports, homework and organized activities.

While Lanza’s personal methods are a little overly zealous and child-centric for me, he has enough juice in his book to entice me to keep reading, especially when he digs into various Playborhoods around the country. And even though I’m never going to move into a co-housing project or even a new urbanist community, I did find some great ideas.

At the heart of the matter is what constitutes a Playborhood. It is, simply defined by Lanza, a place where there are lots of people your child knows and cares about, lots of things for him to do, and plenty of “eyes on the street” to watch out for his safety.

But how do you go about creating that environment? I found at least seven nuggets in the book:

1. Put your kids out front where other kids can see them playing and join in.
2. Celebrate events outside, hold parties and host street gatherings. There’s nothing quite as fun as a blocking off the street, pulling out the lawn chairs and some snacks and just hanging out.
3. Stock your yard with great equipment like play structures, forts, seating, sandboxes, trampolines and water features. In our neighborhood (and my budget) , sticks and stones worked just fine when they were used by a group of kids in our neighborhood to build what they creatively dubbed “Fortsburg.” They spent several weeks building, organizing and playing in their little fort.
4. Create public gathering spaces where you live: it might be a kids’ clubhouse, a book exchange station, or a comfy bench under a pergola.
5. Create rituals throughout the year, like a gardening day, neighborhood clean up or holiday party.
6. Set an example. If mom and dad are glued to a computer all day, then you can’t really expect the kids to do anything else.

For Lanza, it’s about making an intentional decision about where and how you live. He has some great tips on choosing a neighborhood that’s play friendly and then creating the right backdrop to encourage outdoor activity. Some are a little impractical for most families – like tearing down fences or organizing a neighborhood summer camp. And others are exceedingly easy, like holding a block party, cultivating a community garden together or sending the neighborhood kids on a geocaching adventure.

Interested in nurturing a neighborhood that entices unstructured outdoor play? Check out the book.

How do you encourage neighborhood play where you live?
* Compensation Level of 1.

MomOnMars San Antonio Busy Kids

Southwest research logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

To take some of the pressure off your summer planning, here are eight more camps that offer financial assistance to help keep your kids busy this summer.

The YMCA offers financial assistance through their Open Doors Scholarship Program. Just apply in person at your local YMCA facility and check out the camps they are offering this year.

If you’ve got a budding musician on your hands, you might want to check out Youth Orchestra of San Antonio. They offer a summer string camp with the option of financial assistance. YOSA is committed to cultivating participation for everyone in San Antonio.

Animal Botanical is a special needs summer camp at the San Antonio Botanical Gardens that offers scholarships to those families who qualify. But resources are limited, so the earlier you apply, the better.

Kinetic Kids is another great camp for kids with special needs, offering full and partial scholarships to families in need.

San Antonio Parks & Rec is your go-to place for affordable summer camps. Their camp fees are done on a sliding scale, based on the family’s income. See what they have to offer this summer!

St. Philip’s College offers a free STEM camp for middle schoolers through its Science and Math Academy. Details here.

A unique opportunity for the aspiring radio star in your family. Texas Public Radio is hosting Camp KPAC - a free camp for your High Schooler. It’s a great way to get hands-on with radio broadcasting and start building radio skills and techniques. Apply online for one of the six available spots.

The American Chemical Society sponsors several scholarships to a summer research program for economically disadvantaged students to experience what it’s like to be a chemist. Students entering their junior or senior year in high school will be given a rare chance through Project SEED to work alongside scientist-mentors at Southwest Research Institute on research projects. Particpants also receive a cash fellowship award, and if they participate, they are then eligible to compete for a college scholarship of up to $5,000. Be sure to check the eligibility requirements first. If you are interested, you can reach out to Robert Fanick, manager of SWRI’s Office of Automotive Engineering via email: Robert.Fanick-at-swri.org.

For a comprehensive look at summer camps in San Antonio, don’t forget to check out SABusyKids’ list of Camps!

Related articles

• Go to camp for free? St.Philip’s College offers free STEM camp
• Four new San Antonio summer camps

MomOnMars San Antonio Busy Kids

How long has it been since you made it out to Austin for a music festival? Too long? Don’t worry about getting a babysitter, here’s your chance to rock out in Austin and bring the kids!

The Pachanga Latino Music Festival is a Latin-themed music, culture, arts and food festival running Friday, May 11, through Saturday, May 12, at Fiesta Gardens in Austin.  But you’ll want to be there on Saturday to experience Niños Rock Pachanga!

From 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. on Saturday, your kids can participate in workshops and enjoy performances from an exciting array of Latino music talent. They’ve got workshops and demos on songwriting, keyboards, and percussion that’ll get your kids involved and spark their creativity.

If that doesn’t do if for them, there will be projects and games inspired by Mexican Folk art for kids of all ages.

While you enjoy the music and excitement of the festival, your kids will enjoy as well with face painting, clay tamale making, a coloring station, floral halos, cupcake walk and mask-making to keep them busy. Don’t miss the piñata parties or moonwalk, and your kid can be their own rock star at a photo booth by Austin photographer Allison Narro.

The music is just the beginning. Niños Rock Pachanga is a great excuse to have fun in Austin and include the whole family.

The afternoon starts with a performance by Anthropos Musicians Collective, an Austin music nonprofit, at the Pavilion Stage. Other musical guests include: Adrian Quesada of Brownout/Grupo Fantasma, Bobby Garza of Maneja Beto, David Garza and Son Jarocho Fandango group, Son Armado.

Kids 12 and under get in free with a paid adult, which will run just $20.

VIP tickets will cost $55, but include a special sampling of the delicious Austin spread from restaurants Papi Tino’s, Takoba, El Sol y La Luna and Handshakes. Plus paletas by Mom & Pops. VIP’s also enjoy a queso station featuring Frank, Vivo and Kerbey Lane that is curated by the Transmission Event’s Quesoff crew. Air conditioning, indoor restrooms, and unlimited non-alcoholic drinks (parents, you get three complimentary alcoholic drink tickets that you can enjoy at the private bar) help you turn the outdoor music festival experience inside out.

Sarah W San Antonio Busy Kids

Have you ever wondered who would win if Iron Man and Thor duked it out? “The Avengers” from Marvel Studios gives you a taste of what happens when superheroes don’t immediately see eye to eye. And that’s just one of my favorite parts. When The Avengers are summoned by S.H.I.E.L.D. to save the world from Thor’s evil brother, Loki, they don’t necessarily play well together.

Loki enters S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters via the portal created by the misbehaving energy source Tesseract to take over Earth for his place as an evil ruler. “Freedom is a lie,” Loki states and gets away with the Tesseract, Professor Silveg and and Hawkeye brainwashed to obey him. Nick Fury, director of the international peacekeeping agency, rushes to assemble the ultimate team of superheroes to defeat this unexpected threat to Earth’s safety and security. Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, The Incredible Hulk, Hawkeye and Black Widow are The Avengers.

The story line takes you through the challenges of working as a team and fighting a battle when the team hasn’t discovered their common reason to band together. Each hero struggles to conquer inner conflict, and it results in a significant loss before they see what is at stake.  Together, can The Avengers use their strengths and powers to defeat the enemy and save Earth without losing one of their own?

Marvel doesn’t disappoint in the humor department. Iron Man provides most of the comic relief throughout the film, and as the characters jab at one another, it’s actually funny. The special effects are riveting and enhance the action-packed battle scenes as the superheroes display their extraordinary abilities to combat invading aliens.

This is one of my favorite movies this year.  Let me tell you why: Good v. evil plot and teamwork works best; Holding-my-breath action scenes; Yay for a girl super hero who has brains and skills; And you don’t have to know what happened before this movie to follow the story line. As a parent of a 5 year-old, what I didn’t like were the couple of ‘not so nice’ words. I almost missed them but they were there. Overall, this movie is best seen in 3-D to appreciate all the special effects.  And they are special! Two big thumbs up from me and two smaller thumbs up from my own superhero!

Starring Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Chris Evans as Captain America, Mark Ruffalo as The Incredible Hulk, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye and Tom Hiddleston as Loki, with Stellan Skarsgård as Professor Selvig and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, directed by Joss Whedon, from a story by Zak Penn and Joss Whedon with screenplay by Joss Whedon, “Marvel’s The Avengers” is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since. The Avengers is in theaters May 4, 2012.

(psst … always stick around at the end for a bonus )

Melanie San Antonio Busy Kids