College for Kids provides an enriching, educational, and fun experience for rising K - 6th grade students! This innovative program gives children the chance to expand their horizons by exploring a topic of interest. Children will work with experts (JMU students, local teachers, etc.) to discover talents they never knew they had, explore new ideas, and develop a new passion for learning!
GRADES: Rising K - 6th
DATES: June 8th - 12th, 2026
TIMES:
AM Half Day Option: 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
PM Half Day Option: 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Full Day Option: 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM*
PROGRAM FEE:
AM Half Day: $155
PM Half Day: $155
Full Day: $310*
*In order to register your child for the full day option, please choose both an AM course and a PM course. For the full day option, your child will attend their AM course from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM, have lunch in their classroom from 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM (lunch is not provided- children must bring their own lunch), then attend their PM course from 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM. Youth Programs staff will help transition full day students from their AM classrooms to their PM classrooms.
LOCATION: JMU's King Hall/Engeo Buildings
AM Course Options:
Once Upon a Craft- Children’s Literature & Art (Rising K-2nd): Do you love stories? Do you love arts and crafts? This K–2nd grade camp brings them together in a fun, hands-on way! Each day features a new theme with exciting children’s books to spark the imagination, followed by arts and crafts projects inspired by the stories. Themes include weather, dinosaurs, animals, and more! We will enjoy reading, creating, and exploring all week long!
Mighty Math Explorers (Rising K-2nd): Get ready to unlock the fun side of numbers! In Mighty Math Explorers, campers dive into exciting games, brain-teasing puzzles, and hands-on challenges that make math come alive. From decoding secret codes to designing dream playgrounds, kids build great thinking skills, teamwork, and confidence—all while having a blast! Perfect for curious minds who love a challenge and enjoy exploring math in creative, playful ways.
Coaster Camp (Rising 2nd-3rd): Get ready to twist, turn, test, and triumph! In this high-energy STEM camp, students will become real roller coaster engineers as they design, build, and test their own marble-powered thrill rides. Each day is packed with hands-on challenges, creative design, and exciting STEM experiments all focused on making learning feel like an adventure! Students entering 2nd & 3rd grades will construct roller coaster marble runs using copper pipe tubing! Campers won’t just build! They’ll test and improve their designs to answer these questions: How does height affect speed? What happens when a design fails? How can we redesign to make it better? Campers will have the chance to research and explore real roller coasters and engineering principles, followed by construction days to bring their ideas to life. Get ready for Coaster Camp, the ultimate Marble-ous Adventure!
Space Explorers (Rising 3rd-5th): Blast off into an out-of-this-world adventure! During this Space Explorers course, students will journey through the solar system as they become astronauts, engineers, and space scientists. Campers will explore planets, moon phases, stars, and rockets through hands-on experiments, creative art projects, interactive games, and exciting STEM challenges. From building rockets to designing their own aliens, students will learn through movement, teamwork, and imagination. This engaging, high-energy camp is designed to build curiosity, confidence, and foundational science skills — all while having tons of fun! Get ready to launch into a week of discovery, creativity, and space exploration!
Dance Fusion Frenzy 2.0 (Rising 4th-6th): In this high-energy dance course, students will explore movement styles inspired by cultures from around the world through fun warm-ups and across-the-floor exercises. Throughout the week, dancers will learn foundational steps influenced by styles such as Latin dance, African dance traditions, hip-hop, and more! Students will use props like scarves and ribbons to spark creativity and enhance musicality. With a focus on strength, coordination, and confidence, Dance Fusion Frenzy 2.0 delivers an inspiring and dynamic exploration of choreography and creative expression.
PM Course Options:
Imagination Explorers- A Disney Adventure (Rising K-2nd): Let your child’s imagination soar in this K–2nd grade Disney-inspired camp! Each day, campers explore magical worlds through hands-on building, creations, crafts, and storytelling. From royal castles and Pixar adventures to Disney animals and enchanted lands, kids will create, play, and bring their favorite Disney ideas to life!
Dino Discovery Camp (Rising K-2nd): Get ready for a ROAR-some adventure! Dinosaur Discovery Camp is a hands-on, high-energy week designed just for K–2nd grade learners. Campers will dig for fossils, erupt volcanoes, measure giant dinosaurs, build their own prehistoric creations, and even create a one-of-a-kind dinosaur book to take home. Through science experiments, STEM challenges, art projects, movement games, and interactive learning, children will explore the fascinating world of dinosaurs while building teamwork, creativity, and problem-solving skills. It’s going to be a DINO-mite week of discovery, imagination, and fun!
Literacy League Relay (Rising 3rd - 5th): Get ready for a whirlwind of fun, teamwork, and imagination at Literacy League Relay! Kids race through exciting challenges inspired by their favorite books— going from one story based-activity to the next. From acting out scenes in a drama relay, solving clues in a mystery hunt, to creating art and adventures on the fly, every station turns reading into an interactive, high-energy journey. Campers build reading skills, creativity, and confidence—one page, one challenge, one relay at a time!
Coaster Camp (Rising 4th-5th): Get ready to twist, turn, test, and triumph! In this high-energy STEM camp, students will become real roller coaster engineers as they design, build, and test their own marble-powered thrill rides. Each day is packed with hands-on challenges, creative design, and exciting STEM experiments all focused on making learning feel like an adventure! Students entering 4th & 5th grades will take on the challenge of designing paper roller coasters from scratch- testing structural designs! Campers won’t just build! They’ll test and improve their designs to answer these questions: How does height affect speed? What happens when a design fails? How can we redesign to make it better? Campers will have the chance to research and explore real roller coasters and engineering principles, followed by construction days to bring their ideas to life. Get ready for Coaster Camp, the ultimate Marble-ous Adventure!
