We’re all looking forward to a little rest after the tumultuous year and a half that’s past. Some families treat summer like a lazy time, others as the fourth semester of school, but we all know that come July, some kind of break from the norm is in order. And that’s precisely where Jingkids comes in, ready to rock your scheduling world with these summer camp highlights. Each week we’ll go behind the scenes of a camp so you can make the right choice for your family.

And don’t forget to get your family’s tickets to the Jingkids Summer Fling on May 22! 

Mad Science: Little Inventors

This bilingual camp will see children learning from the classic inventions of great scientists such as Da Vinci and use their imagination to collaborate with others to create their own inventions. From studying and reverse-engineering vehicles such as aircraft and rockets, campers will overcome a range of mechanical challenges using basic materials and their resourcefulness.

Summer Camp Facts

Who: Mad Science
What: Studying the trebuchet catapult to understand the lever principle, kids will get their own hand at making a trebuchet as well, in order to experience the effects of projectiles and orbits.
Where: Crowne Plaza Yau Tang, Beanstalk Changying, Beanstalk Blue Harbor
When: Jul 26 – 30, Aug 9 – 13
How: Scan QR code below
Phone/WeChat: 185 191 3810
Age: 4 – 10
Price: RMB 5,980/person.
Teacher to Child Ratio: 1:6
Curriculum: Physics, engineering, teamwork
About: Mad Science uses STEAM in camps, after-school programs, and more to foster a love of science and discovery in kids.

Jingwu Kungfu School Shaolin Camp

Where else would you want to train in traditional kung fu than at the historical, world-famous Shaolin Temple? This is a cultural immersion experience that’s designed to be fun, character-building, and educational in a beautiful outdoor environment. Martial arts instruction will be lead by a combination of Jingwu Kungfu School’s instructors as well as genuine Shaolin monks. The lessons go well beyond martial arts, however, and include deep dives into the culture of Shaolin life, Shaolin Zen Buddhist values, traditional Chinese calligraphy, and even how to wash clothes by hand. Parents are also invited to participate and will have the opportunity to study kungfu as well as taichi.

Master Leo believes that “Talent is not a given. It comes from hard work, focus, and regular, continuous practice. This takes self-discipline which we aim to instill in our students. To do this we teach children the spirit of developing resilience and overcoming personal challenges through grit and perseverance. We believe these are critical qualities that will help children thrive, develop courage, self-belief, and coping with growing up especially in our modern world”.

It isn’t all training, however: Children will have the ability to develop social traits such as self-confidence, independence, respect for the environment, and Shaolin etiquette. Master Leo has also arranged for an outdoor kungfu movie night, BBQ, glowstick party, and plenty more fun and games.

No concerns about being bilingual, either; Master Leo speaks English well, so any combination of Chinese and English speaking is welcome, providing a truly inclusive experience where children from myriad backgrounds can learn together.

Summer Camp Facts

Who: Jingwu Kungfu School
What: Live and train with real Shaolin monks!
Where: Songshan Shaolin Temple, Zhengzhou City, Henan Province
When: Jun 28 to Aug 7, 2021
How: Email jinghuawushu@163.com
Or register via WeChat: 13141072677
Ages: 6-9 years old & 10-16 years old students (children under 6 are also welcome but must be accompanied by their parents)
Teacher to Child Ratio: 1:5
Prices: RMB 6,800/week per person (children and adult prices are the same)
RMB 1,000 discount if registration takes place before May 31: RMB 5,800/week per person.
Curriculum: Foundational skills of Shaolin kungfu, beginner boxing skills, calligraphy, taichi, qigong, outdoor team games, temple visits, hiking, kungfu performance show, and more.
Conclusion: Participants will be assessed under the supervision of the Shaolin Chief Instructor of Martial Arts and receive a certificate of completion. More importantly, however, they will leave with many fantastic memories of an adventurous time!
About: Master Leo is the founder and lead instructor of Jingwu Kungfu School. Along with all of his carefully selected instructors, he is a graduate of Shaolin Temple and spent many years growing up and training with the Shaolin masters.
He has a wealth of experience and accolades including working as the head coach of foreign students in the International Department of Shaolin Wushu and serving as the coach for multiple national teams including New Zealand, Israel, Japan, and Yugoslavia at the first World Traditional Martial Arts Festival. He has been featured on national and international TV broadcasters such as the BBC, Sky American NBC, and Rai International Broadcasting Corporation.

KEEP READING: Summer Camp Previews: Survival Camp and UK University Prep

Photos: courtesy of camps

In a 1929 interview with the Saturday Evening Post, Albert Einstein was asked whether he trusts more in his imagination or his knowledge. Einstein replied, “Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”

While Einstein certainly wasn’t out to demonize knowledge, for it is knowledge which ultimately informs and enhances our imagination, he does bring up a valid point, and one that is increasingly championed by tech leaders across the globe, with some going so far as to anticipate the Imagination Age as that which displaces our current Age of Information.

And when you consider the prediction that 65 percent of primary school children will end up working jobs that quite literally do not even exist yet, it becomes all too obvious that imagination is integral to a child’s future success. Simply put, the worst thing we can do right now is load kids up with a bunch of knowledge that is obsolete and automated by the time they graduate, without equipping them with the imagination to think outside that knowledge.   

Billed as an “opportunity to learn knowledge in a new and unique way [that’s] different from…school and at home”, Mad Science’s slate of 2020 winter camps aim to bring together lessons about various scientific fields in a way that empowers creativity and strategic thinking.

From Feb 3-7 at Pullman (No. 12, Ronghuanan Rd., Economic and Technological Development Zone, Yizhuang) and Feb 10-14 at Crowne Plaza (No. 60 Fuqian St., Tianzhu Town, Shunyi), Mad Science will host three different winter camps focusing on inventors, engineering, and what it takes to be a secret agent.

Each camp is bilingual, with one English instructor and one Chinese instructor, and is suitable for kids aged 6-12. The five-day experience costs RMB 5,980 and includes class fees, experimental materials (including take-home toys), lunch, snack, and of course, the requisite lab coat.

For more information about each camp, and to sign up, check out the flyers or scan the QR code below.

Eureka Camp

The Eureka Winter Camp will introduce kids to the lives and inventions of six scientists, with activities that encourage observation, research and planning, and problem-solving.

Secret Agent Lab

The Secret Agent Winter Camp will allow students to be a detective as they work through a simulated case to arrive at the truth, all while boosting their analysis, observation, and reorganization of cause and effect abilities.

Engineering Camp

The Engineering Winter Camp is for those kids who want to learn about the principles of structural mechanics and design awareness, which will nurture their analytical mind, mathematical measurement and computing power, research, planning, and problem-solving abilities.

Photos: Pixabay, courtesy of Mad Science