July will be a time of fun and learning for area children enrolled in one of several summer day camps hosted by Longwood University’s Speech, Hearing and Learning Services.

From simply learning the alphabet to mastering word and sentence structure, campers can gain new skills from Longwood faculty and graduate students who teach in a creative and engaging way. There is something for every child, from 3-year-olds to teenagers.

Summer camp options include:

Camp JumpStart — ages 3-5, July 5-28, Tuesday-Thursday, 9-11:45 a.m.; $85 for first week, $65 each additional week; camp promotes learning related to alphabet knowledge, phonological and phonemic awareness, concepts about print, developmental writing and oral comprehension.

Camp LEGO (Language Enrichment through Games & Opportunities) — ages 6-11, July 5-28, Tuesday-Thursday, sessions from 9:15 a.m.-noon and 1:30-4:15 p.m., $75 for first week, $65 each additional week; Camp LEGO targets language concepts in a fun, engaging environment and aims to enhance social communication skills. 

Reader’s Theater — ages 6 and up, July 5-28, Tuesday-Thursday, 1:30-4:15 p.m., $75 for first week, $65 each additional week; interactive camp enhances students’ reading fluency skills and confidence by having them practice reading with a purpose. Reader’s Theater gives students a real reason to read aloud.

Project Word — ages 10 and up, July 11-25, Monday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. (lunch and snack provided), $65 for first week, $45 each additional week; Project Word targets enhancing awareness of the sound and meaning structure of words and refining spelling and single-word decoding skills, as well as fostering independence and motivation for reading and writing.

Campers in LEGO, Reader’s Theater and Project Word will feel the excitement of this October’s vice presidential debate at Longwood with a fun and interactive introduction to the election process. Children in those camps will feel like a true part of this exceptional moment in the area’s history.

All summer day camps are conducted by Longwood communication sciences and disorders graduate students, who are supervised by a speech-language pathologist faculty member. For more information, call (434) 395-2972. Registration is open until June 17 or until all openings are filled.