Get a leg up on a career By Joy Riggs When I was a teenager, few summer jobs were available in my hometown of Alexandria, Minn., that could prepare me for a journalism career. Most part-time work involved flipping burgers, operating a soft-serve machine or waiting tables. The summer after graduation, I got a good-paying job at a bank, where I learned the finer points of filing, honed my typing skills (on an actual typewriter — it was the ’80s), and perhaps most importantly, affirmed my desire to work with words, not numbers. Full Article

Summer of the toads By Beth Hawkins I have a friend who starts planning her son’s summer camp schedule about 10 minutes after she puts away the Christmas decorations. Korean language camp, robotics camp, performing arts camp — you name it. By Groundhog Day she has painstakingly researched the approximately nine zillion options and reserved one-week blocks of time in the best. If anything, her son returns to school each fall more well-rounded than when he left in the spring. Full Article

All about the benjamins By Kara McGuire Archery and swimming. Arts and crafts and campfires. These are the activities that come to mind when I think of summer camp. But camp can also be a place where you can learn valuable life skills while making new friends and having a good time. Full Article

Duffle bags and bunk beds By Karen Locke “Is my kid ready for sleepaway camp? This little guy? I swear he just started walking yesterday!” The nearly inevitable first time away from home can sneak up on you. Full Article

Do you let summer sneak up on you? By Readers We asked readers of our weekly e-newsletter, Minnesota Parent This Week, when they start planning camps and other summer activities for their kids — and whether they thought they started too early or too late. It looks like a huge range of planning styles works for our readers: While some start as soon as the clock strikes midnight in the new year, others are happy to wait until almost the last school bell. Full Article

Out of the woods By Tricia Cornell When I was in late elementary school, our neighbor watched my sisters and me during the summer. We’d walk down to her house when my mother left for work and, I’m pretty sure, some days we didn’t even go inside. The neighbor kids would come out and we’d take off. We started our adventures in their backyard, filled with wooden pallets, broken yard equipment, and cast-off kitchen gear. Then, when we’d constructed all the elaborate kingdoms we could or nearly come to blows over some arcana in the laws of our new little world, we’d head for the woods. Full Article

Little foodies By Megan Hussong Camps cater to kids who love the kitchen Full Article

Field of dreams By Monica Wright Young performers hone their skills and tend the garden at Flourish Full Article

S’mores or hospital food? Easy choice By Monica Wright Get-A-Well-A brings summer camp fun to kids in the hospital Full Article

Roughing it and loving it By Monica Wright Adventure experiences challenge teens and tweens Full Article

Express yourself! By Tricia Cornell Exploring the media, self-esteem, and the arts at Project Girl Full Article

Deep roots By Tricia Cornell Summer camp can be a place to connect kids to their own culture Full Article

The ultimate packing list By Tricia Cornell The packing list your child’s camp provides is a great place to start, but here’s what they might not tell you. Full Article

Books for campers young and old By Tricia Cornell Wolf Camp By Katie McKy Tanglewood Books, ages 4–8, $15.95 What did Maddie learn at Wolf Camp? Well, she returns home with a carnivorous appetite, bizarrely keen hearing, and a propensity to howl with fire truck sirens. Maybe she liked Wolf Camp a little too much? Young kids will laugh at Maddie’s canine habits and have fun dreaming up what she — and they! — might learn at Bear Camp next summer. Full Article