Summer Camps for kids

2012 Summer Camp information

Please email or call us to request a 2012 KIDS SUMMER CAMPS brochure.
We'll mail one to you in the early Spring!

Our 2012 Camp schedule is now available!
We hope your calendar will be happy now.
Scroll down the page even farther to see camp descriptions from last year.
Complete details for 2012 camps are coming soon!

(Grades indicate 2012-13 school year.)

Musical Theater with Daved Driscoll
Grades 4-12. $238/9 sessions.
June 18-28; 9am-3:30pm. Performance on Thur, June 28 at 2:30pm.
Bring a sack lunch to this all-day camp!

Pottery Wheel with Molly Seim
Grades 4-12. (T-F and Mon) $158/5 sessions.
Wheel #1, June 19-25; 1-3:30pm
Wheel #2, July 10-16; 10:00-12:30 (Combine with Comic Book Drawing Camp for a full day of camp!)
Wheel #3, July 17-23; 10-12:30 (Combine with Creative Writing or Knot Just Beads for a full day of camp!)
Wheel #4, July 31-Aug 3; 10-12:30 (Combine with Art Masters or Clay Animation for a full day of camp!)
Advanced Wheel, June 26-July 2; 1-3:30 (Must have basics of centering clay & have completed 2 wheel camps)

Creative Roots: Drawing with Sarah Kenyon Nygaard
Grades 2-4 (1-3:30pm) and 5-8 (9:30-Noon) $138/5 sessions.
July 9-13; M-F. (Combine with Comic Book or Pottery Wheel #2 for a full day of camp!)

Comic Books with Josh Granlund
Grades 3-6; (9:30am-Noon) and Grades 6-12 (1-3:30pm) $138/5 sessions.
July 9-13; M-F. (Combine with Drawing or Pottery Wheel #2 for a full day of camp!)
Turn your ideas into a full-fledged comic book!

Creative Writing with Catherine Friend
Grades 3-6 (1-3:30) and Grades 6-12 (9:30-Noon) $138/5 sessions.
July 16-20; M-F. (Combine with Knot Just Beads or Pottery Wheel #3 for a full day of camp!)

Knot Just Beads! Jewelry Camp
Grades 2-5 (10am-Noon) and Grades 5-12 (1-3pm) $153/5 sessions.
July 16-20; M-F. (Combine with Creative Writing or Pottery Wheel #3 for a full day of camp!)
FIVE different instructors...one for each new daily project!

Run with Scissors! Textile Camp
Grades 3-12 (Divided by age into 3 classes) $220/5 sessions.
July 23-27; M-F; 9am-3pm.
FIVE great instructors! Sewing, Crocheting, Basket Making, Tie Dying and Book Making.
Bring a sack lunch to this all-day camp!

JamFest '12: Rock-n-Roll Band Camp with Dewey Poncelet
Grades 8-12. $148/6 sessions.
July 23-28; 6-9pm, Sat 5-8pm. (Includes performance - Sat, 7pm)

Clay Animation & Video Pixilation with Josh Granlund
Grades 3-6; (9:30am-Noon) and Grades 6-12 (1-3:30pm) $138/5 sessions.
July 30-Aug 3; M-F. (Combine with Art Masters or Pottery Wheel #4 for a full day of camp!)

Art Masters with Dan Fleming
Grades 1-5. $138/5 sessions.
Grades 1-3; (9:30am-Noon) and Grades 4-7 (1-3:30pm)
July 30-Aug 3; M-F. 9:30am-Noon (Combine with Clay Animation or Pottery Wheel #4 for a full day of camp!)
Try out different media, fun projects and learn about all things art.

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: Carving Clay Tiles with Anne Bickle
Grades 1-8. (9:30-Noon) $158/5 sessions.
Aug 13, 14, 17, 20 & 21 (M,T,F,M&T-skips days for firing) (Combine with Munchkin for a full day of camp!)
Surround a wall mirror with your own carved tiles!

Messy Munchkins with Alexis Zaccariello
Ages 3-6. $138/5 sessions
Aug 13-17; M-F; 10am-noon. Show-n-Tell at 11:30/Fri. (Combine with Mirror, Mirror for a full day of camp!)
Spur their curiosity, expand their sense of wonder.

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2011 Camp Schedule:
click here to download camp registration form

Click here to see the slideshow of previous camps!
(updated February 2011!)

The fine print: cancellation policies, etc.

Jump to:

Theater Camp: "Newsies"

Pottery Wheel Camps: Learn to Throw!

Art Camp : Art in the 3rd Dimension

JAMFest '11: Rock n Roll Music Camp

Jewelry Camp: Knot Just Beads

Comic Books: Make Your Own!

Textile Camp: Run with Scissors!

Preschool Camp: Messy Munchkins!

Clay Animation/Video Pixilation

Creative Writing: With Author Catherine Friend

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: Carving Mosaic Tile in Clay

Under the Sea: Painting with Jill Neuman

Musical Theater Camp: Newsies!
9-day session: $238
Grades 4-12
Monday-Friday, June 20-24, 9am-3:30pm.
Monday-Thurs, June 27-30, 9am-3:30pm.
Performance for friends and family on Thurs, June 30 at 2:30pm.

Kids should bring a sack lunch with them for this all-day camp

This summer, come be a part of a group of kids singing cool songs!

Actors will learn, rehearse and perform musical selections from the movie musical Newsies, which starred Christian Bale, and will be directed in all facets of putting on a musical.

Like many of his newsboy (newsie) friends, Jack Kelly dreams of a better life far from the hardship of the streets. But when publishers raise distribution prices at the newsies' expense, Jack finds a cause to fight for, and must decide between his dreams and the responsibility he has just discovered.

~Theatrical Campers from 2011~

No acting experience necessary. Singing voice NOT required!
You’ll end the camp by performing this play for family, friends
and the public during the last hour of camp on June 30.

Daved Driscoll, BA, MFA, is the founder of Words Players Theater, a local theater troupe. He has taught and/or directed theatre, music, literature and philosophy in high schools and colleges since 1984 and has directed over 40 plays.

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Pottery Wheel Camps: Learn to Throw!
Five Day session for grades 4 and up: $148
Session #1: Tuesday-Monday, June 21-27, 1-3:30pm. Kids get the weekend off while the kiln is firing.
Session #1 is an advanced-placement camp. Campers should have taken at least one
wheel camp in the past and be comfortable centering on the wheel.
Session #2: Tuesday-Monday, July 12-18; 10am-12:30pm
(Combine with Jewelry Camp for an all-day camp! Supervised lunch hour.)
Session #3: Tuesday-Monday, July 19-25; 10am-12:30pm
(Combine with Comic Book Camp for an all-day camp! Supervised lunch hour.)
Session #4: Tuesday-Friday, August 9-12; 10am-12:30pm AND Monday, August 15, 1-3:30pm.
Session #5: Tuesday-Monday, August 2-8, 10am-12:30pm. Openings still available!

As these camps fill quickly, we sometimes add a camp. Check back for updates!

Turn a lump of clay into a work of art! Learn how to prepare clay (wedging), center and form shapes on a professional-grade pottery wheel, trim and finish your pieces with colorful glaze.

Turning mud into beautiful, useful vessels is one of the most ancient of arts – but it remains just as exciting today!

Class runs Tuesday-Monday so work can be fired in the kiln over the weekend. Then the bisque-fired pieces can be glazed on Monday. Finished projects will not be available on the last day of camp, so plan to return to Crossings within two weeks to pick up the ceramic treasures.

Kids should wear mud-friendly clothes and shoes to this camp, and, please bring an old towel everyday for your lap.

Instructor: Ben Rohl can’t wait to take students on an adventure with the craft he has come to know and love. Rohl is a senior Studio Art Major in Ceramics at Cornell College and has been working in pottery for several years. His style is based on the Mengei pottery tradition that originated in Japan.

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Art Camp: Art in the 3rd Dimension
Four day session: $125
Grades 4-8: Tuesday-Friday, July 5-8, 1-3:30pm

Kids will work with 2 instructors on a variety of projects for the course of this camp. Each day will bring new surprises!

Wire Sculptures

Have you ever wished you could see a drawing from every angle – not just the one represented on a sheet of paper? Wire sculpture can best be described as a drawing that can be seen from any point of view.

Learn to bend and shape 16-gauge wire into people and animals! Coil it, position it, and finish it for display! Whether you create a realistic portrayal or are wired for fantasy, your sculpture can be whatever you imagine! All tools and materials will be provided.

Horseshoe Dream Catchers

Using an actual horseshoe, you can create a web that will catch your dreams! Waxed string and leather strings will form the web, and pony beads, turkey feathers and Native American specialty beads or bells will decorate an artwork you can hang on a wall and admire for years.

Feather Paintings

Sure, people once wrote with feathers – but did you know you can paint ON a feather? We will paint animals, flowers, and designs on real turkey feathers. Cool!

Animal Rocks
Painted animals “rock!” Students will choose a rock and decide how its shape speaks to a type of animal. They will paint their chosen animal on the rock. Lots of rocks to choose from, and 6 different animal examples. Clean the rock, give it a coat, sketch the animal and then: paint the animal! This is one awesome pet rock!

Bud Bullivant is an artist and teacher who lives near Princeton, Minnesota.
He has enjoyed guiding and encouraging students to explore their abilities
and express themselves through the visual arts for more than 20 years.

Susan Bartels is a math and science teacher at Stewartville Middle School and High School,
and the Stewartville High School Art Advisor. As an artist for more than 40 years,
she has worked with acrylics, oils, watercolor, pencil and charcoal, and engraving tools.

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JAMFest '11: Rock 'n Roll music camp
Six-day session: $148
Grades 8-12 (2011/12 school year)
Tuesday-Friday, July 5-8, 6-9pm
Saturday, July 9, 2-6pm
Sunday, July 10, 4-7pm (rehearsal for concert, sound check and pizza; 7pm: concert)

Love to play Guitar Hero? Well, here’s your chance to get off your couch and be in a band for real.

If you’re a guitar player, a drummer, a singer, a trumpeter, or a musician who loves to rock---JAMFest is the place for you. Any song/style/groove you want to play, we'll play it, or "jam" it out, and have fun either way. Get together with kids your age, start a band, and play a real live gig for your friends and family by the end of the week! Students can bring their own instruments to camp.

By no means do you have to be the next Brandon Flowers or P!nk to participate! Just come with a love of music and the desire to have a lot of fun!

Scene from JamFest '09. See the YouTube video below!

Instructor Dewey Poncelet graduated in December 2010 from the U of M-Duluth with a liberal arts degree. He is a member of two bands and is working feverishly on new lyrics and music all the time.

Because so many people asked for it, Dewey is also offering ADULTjAM from July 11-15.
Click here for details!

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Jewelry Camp: Knot Just Beads!
Five day session: $148
Grades 2-5: Monday-Friday, July 11-15, 10am-noon
Grades 5-12: Monday-Friday, July 11-15, 1-3pm
(Combine with Pottery Wheel #2 Camp for an all-day camp! Supervised lunch hour.)

This year we have five fabulous instructors! Campers will complete a new and different project every day.

Monday: Beading projects with Marcie Mix

Funky Painted Wood Bead Bracelet
Express your ’tude with beads of your own design! Design a pattern and paint wooden beads, draw and cut out foam spacers and assemble your handcrafted pieces into a bracelet that’s all about you. Each bracelet will be an original and a special creation!

Bohemian Flower and Feather Hair Jewelry
Hair is where it’s at! Everyone loves beautiful hair accessories. Now you can learn to make your own! Students will choose from a variety of supplies to make a cute ribbon wrapped flower headband and a simple – but stylish – flower and feather headband or hair clip.

Instructor and handcrafted jewelry designer Marcie Mix
has been teaching classes, designing and selling her jewelry for 9 years.
Her recent training includes a six week course in metalsmithing.

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Tuesday: Metal jewelry making with Jennifer Wolcott

Stamp it, Punch it, Pop it, Jump it!

This metal construction necklace starts with stamped textures. Punched holes come next, then pop rivet pieces together. Jump ring more pieces in a line and add some chain: Voila! A super-cool, super-YOU necklace.

Materials to bring: Pop bottle caps, buttons, leather and plastic, anything flat that won’t break if you hit it with a hammer!
We will have lots of other stuff to work with.

Instructor Jennifer Wolcott has been teaching small-scale glass fusing, lampworking, and silversmithing for ten years.

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Wednesday: Make Chain Maille with Amy Giannini

Chain Maille Jewelry

Interlinked metal rings aren’t just for medieval knights anymore! Using rings of vibrant colors, you can create earrings, keychains, necklaces and more with patterns and movement to fascinate the eye. You can even add in beads for more glamour!

Instructor Amy Giannini has a bachelor's degree in
child development and socialization,
and she is a veteran of 17 years of homeschooling.
She makes beaded silver jewelry, embellished wool clothing.

Art Shrink!

Designed by you, fun to make, and will shrink right before your eyes!
Game tile pendants and rings of shrinking plastic will be stamped, doodled,
colored and customized for your own one-of-a-kind jewelry.
While the materials used are simple, don't be fooled; this is AWESOME!!!
Three out of three test crafters agree!

Instructor Stacy Drenckhahn has been creating trendy and interesting art and jewelry for more than 12 years. She has taught classes to all ages through Community Education and various outlets.

Learn to work with PMC!

Talk about quicksilver! Make your own little charms out of pure silver. Use shells, buttons and other found objects to create a mold. Then use your mold to form the clay or create your charm from your own design. Charms will be finished in class and ready to wear home! Pure silver fun! Materials to bring: small objects you can use to create a mold: buttons, small old keys, pendants etc.

Instructor Laurie Riekmann is a certified instructor
in Precious Metal Clay and Art Clay Silver.
She has been teaching Metal Clay classes
at Crossings for the past 9 years.

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Comic Books/Make Your Own!
Five day session: $138
Grades 3-6: Monday-Friday, July 18-22, 9:30am-noon
Grades 6-12: Monday-Friday, July 18-22, 1-3:30pm
(Combine with Pottery Wheel #3 Camp for an all-day camp! Supervised lunch hour.)

Step into a universe of your own creation – make a comic book!

Learn to draw your favorite comic book characters, from superheroes to funny animals, or draw on your own imagination to make up something else completely. Whether your interest is in American cartoons or Japanese manga and anime, this camp is for you! You’ll create your own characters using model sheets. Campers will make full-sized comic book covers and sound effects action posters. You’ll even start your own comic strip or short book.

Our seasoned Camp Instructor Josh Granlund
has taught students how to make comic books
and animations for the past seven years.
Granlund has a BA in Studio Art and
Computer Science, and is pursuing a
Masters in Art Education.

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Textile Camp: Run with Scissors!
5 day session for grades 3 and up: $220
Monday-Friday, July 25-29, 9am-3pm.

Kids should bring a sack lunch with them for this all-day camp!

Create your own art to wear and carry!
Gender friendly.
Every day is broken into 3 different classes, each with new projects.

Hand and Machine Sewing

New campers will learn how to measure, cut with scissors and rotary cutter, and use a sewing machine to make drawstring pants!

Returning campers will make a skirt, top or something for their room using recycled tee shirts and jeans, OR have the option of bringing their own project. LOTS of materials, trims and supplies provided! Improve your skills on both a sewing machine and a serger. Instructor Deb Wilkenson is available for project planning advice beforehand.

All campers will have access to their own machine, and will also try sergers, rotary cutters, pressing aids and other sewing tools. We’ll use fancy machine stitching, serging and complex cutting.

Deb Wilkinson returns to teach machine sewing and cutting skills. From patching long underwear to elaborate celebration sewing, there’s nothing she hasn’t tried on a sewing machine or serger. She uses all kinds of cutting tools from straight edge razors to rotary cutters to achieve results.

Wet Felting
Campers will work on a variety of projects they can wear, carry or hang on a wall.
There will be a LOT of fun projects to work on as you learn how to turn fiber into fabric and turn fabric into art.

No sewing, piecing or gluing is required for most projects. Depending on experience and age group, we’ll make wall hangings, small rugs, bags, belts, headbands … pick the projects and colors you like. Using water, soap, wool fibers and a little muscle work, you can create something fabulous out of very little that will last a long time. You may get wet so bring an extra shirt or water proof apron!

Jill Lynn has been a felt maker using traditional and contemporary wet felting techniques for six years. She has been teaching for four of those years. Jill’s creations range from complicated seamless sculpture to the simplicity of an understated scarf. Jill has been juried into a number of shows and exhibits nationally. However, introducing adults and children to the magically properties of the wool fiber is one of her greatest joys.

Knitting

New or experienced knitting students will find new ways to create and finish the knitted accessory or garment of their choice.
Fingerless mittens, shrugs, dog sweaters, hats, purses, simple socks or slippers, and, maybe even, a summer tank top are all possibilities to be worked during camp!

MaryLynn Suckiel is a self taught needle artist and knitwear designer. MaryLynn has been teaching knitting and crochet since the age of 11. With more than 50 years of extensive experience in all types of garment construction, garment fit and finishing, MaryLynn provides innovative ideas to each student's abilities and interests.

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Preschool Camp: Messy Munchkins!
Five day session for ages 3-6: $138
Monday-Friday, August 1-5; 10am-noon.

Children can use all of their senses during this 2-hour, hands-on experience. Painting, clay projects, songs, stories, movement, and snacks in a safe, nurturing environment. The variety of daily activities will spur their curiosity and expand their sense of wonder. Parents and guardians are welcome to stay and join in the fun. Children will put on a little show the last half-hour of camp.

Instructor: Alexis Zaccariello. Alexis traveled the world
in the Peace Corps, and has taught integrated arts
programs in over 100 k-12 classrooms. She continues
to create her own paintings and drawings and loves
integrating the arts into all settings.

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Clay Animation/Video Pixilation
Five day session: $138
Grades 3-6: Monday-Friday, August 8-12, 9am-noon
Grades 6-12: Monday-Friday, August 8-12, 1-4:30pm

Make your own movies! Start by squishing, rolling, and shaping up your cast! That’s right, you will build your own characters out of clay to star in a “claymation” video.

Using the same techniques the professionals use, learn the foundations of capturing motion and make your own short animated movie. Working in teams of three, develop characters, create storyboards, design and construct sets; learn how to operate a camera and other technical aspects of creating a polished animation. Kids will also learn about stop-motion movie making and create individually hand-drawn flip books, too! A compilation DVD of all class work - and stop-motion antics - is included for each camper.

Click on this image for a pixilation sample from 2009 -->

(Please note - these videos can take a while to load!)

< --Click on this image to watch "Bowling"
By the Wronski Brothers
Claymation Camp circa 2009

Instructor Josh Granlund has a BA in Studio Art and Computer Science, and is pursuing a Masters in Art Education. He develops artistic and culturally responsive workshops, training seminars, after-school programs, and art residencies serving over 1,000 students, families, and teachers a year, and enjoys watching young creative minds blossom and develop as they tell their tales.

Parents! Josh is offering a 5-evening class on Clay Animation and Video Pixilation for Adults
This same week. Click here for details

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Creative Writing/with Catherine Friend
Five day session: $138
Grades 3-6: Monday-Friday, August 8-12, 9:30am-noon
Grades 6-12: Monday-Friday, August 8-12, 1-3:30pm

Story ideas are all around us! We’ll go on a treasure hunt to find and dig out those ideas. We’ll use our plundered ideas to play with parts of a story as we have fun with creativity. We also will begin writing in a notebook every day to record more treasures we’ll want to keep in our treasure chest. Campers will discover at the end of the week that they have a wealth of material for story settings, characters and plots – and the confidence to keep writing.

Camp Instructor Catherine Friend is the author of the forthcoming middle-grade novel, Barn Boot Blues, as well as the picture book, The Perfect Nest, which was chosen by the Wall Street Journal as one of the five best read-alouds. She is the author of the memoir, Sheepish, as well as five other books for adults.

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Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: Carving Mosaic Tile in Clay
Five day session: $158. All supplies are included.
Grades 1-8
Monday-Wednesday, August 15-17; 9:30am-noon
Skip Thursday, August 18 for firing
Friday, August 19 9:30-noon
Monday, August 22, 9:30am-noon

Kids should wear mud-friendly clothes and shoes to this camp!

Happiness is: a Ceramic Tile Mirror Made by YOU!

If "happiness is: looking at a mirror and liking what you see," then this class will make you very happy. Not only will you get a cool mirror featuring your own artwork, but you'll learn how to make custom ceramic tiles.

We'll start out by creating designs for the tiles. Then we'll create molds of the designs. Once the molds are made, we'll press out enough tiles to surround the mirrors. After glazing the tiles, we'll make our ceramic mosaic mirror masterpieces.

Not only will you get a mirror as unique as you are, but you'll get to keep the tile molds so you can make as many of your tiles as your heart desires. (They make great gifts.)

Anne Bickle majored in art at Wheaton College and worked in graphic design until she started working with diapers. She has practiced graphic design throughout the years, but has really enjoyed getting her hands dirty again with the clay at Crossings. She made the almost-finished tile project on the right in January at Crossings.

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Under the Sea/Painting with Jill Neuman
Five day session: $138
Grades 1-4
Monday-Friday, August 15-19, 9:30am-Noon.

Dive right in to this fun class, where you’ll discover the secrets to painting realistic ocean scenes with special watercolor tricks. Who swims in your ocean? Draw in whales, sharks, coral, crabs, whatever sea life you choose! Hey, is that YOU scuba diving near that manta ray?

Next comes a glowing jellyfish complete with patterns you design, and tentacles made from cloth and ribbons. A neon glow ring makes it seem almost real!

Swim on to folding thick paper in a certain way to create a 3D sea star! You’ll dab on paint to give a textured effect, and use a variety of objects to make your creation a real star. To tide you over, we’ll even mix colors and printing ink as we make ocean-inspired printed works.…and more!

Instructor: Jill Neumann is currently pursuing a Masters in Curriculum and Assessment at St. Cloud State University; she holds a B.S. in Art Education K-12 and B.F.A. in Art. She has 8 years of experience as an Art Specialist in public schools, and has taught art classes for 5 years at the Rochester Art Center.

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Grades are for the school year 2011-12. A limited number of need-based scholarships are available
through the Zumbrota Community Trust. Call for 507-732-7616 for more information.

Keep in mind... all or part of camp registration fees may qualify for a state tax deduction! Ask your tax advisor.

Cancellation and Refund Policy
Campers who withdraw 30 or more days prior to the camp start date will receive a 100% refund and charged a $15 cancellation fee.

Campers who withdraw 15-29 days prior to the camp start date will receive a 50% refund and charged a $15 cancellation fee.

No refunds will be issued 0-14 days prior to the camp start date.

Campers may transfer from one camp to another up to 14 days prior to the camp start date with a $15 administrative fee.

No refunds will be issued after the start of the camp due to illness.
Family emergency situations will be dealt with on an individual basis.

Lunch & Snack Breaks
All camps have supervised healthy snack breaks; juice and water are provided along with the snack.
Students participating in full-day classes have a supervised lunch break. Crossings does not provide lunches, so please pack an appropriate lunch for your child. Recycle-Reuse! Refrigerator and microwave are available.

Camp Dress Code!
Some pigments and materials may stain clothing, so please dress your children in clothing that will not break hearts if it sustains spills and messes. Crossings is not responsible for clothing that is damaged in art classes. Weather permitting, children play outdoors during snack and lunch breaks.