"Good parents give their children roots and wings"
-Jonas Salk
What are your children up to for the summer? It's always daunting to figure out the best summer programs, a dilemma that often only gets harder as your children get older. I have always believed the best gift we can give our children is the gift of travel and learning - if you can combine the two in a summer program, all the better!
While my three children were in high school and college, I discovered some amazing summer travel programs for high school and college students that will appeal to all different types of kids. I thought it would be fun to share a couple of the programs with which I am the most familiar...
Oxbridge Academic Programs - I love everything about these programs. My daughter attended the
Oxford Tradition and my youngest son attended
Le Academie de Paris. Both of them grew significantly and were better prepared for college because of their month long experiences in Oxford and Paris, respectively. They have programs for students as young as 8th grade, and currently run programs in Oxford, Cambridge, Paris, Montpelier (France), Barcelona and New York. This is the cream of the crop of summer programs and I cannot recommend it enough. It is best for academically minded students.
Rustic Pathways - Adventure and Community Service rolled into one...Rustic Pathways offers summer programs to high school and college students who want to combine an off the beaten path adventure with hands on helping in another culture. They offer programs in twenty countries around the world. My middle son took a summer trip to Fiji through Rustic Pathways when he was in high school. He became PADI certified in Scuba, surfed the legendary waves of Fiji, helped build a school and even did a home stay with a Fijian family. It was truly a defining experience in his life. Great for students who want to give back to the global community and enjoy experiencing diverse cultures.
NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) - Full disclosure - I could never convince any of my three children to do a NOLS course. They are intense, but from everything I have ever heard (many of their friends did them), they are life changing. The offer programs for children as young as 14, and for all of you adventurous types, they also offer adult programs. If you have a child who loves the outdoors and adventure and wants the experience of a life time, NOLS can't be beat.
British Institute in Florence - For college age students and adults, they offer Italian Language, Art and Art History courses in Florence. The month long programs are a great way for your college student to experience a summer abroad, especially if for any reason they won't be able to spend a semester abroad (something I highly recommend for any college student). My daughter attended the British Institute in Florence after her freshman year in college and not surprisingly, she ended up double majoring in Art History and Classics, and returning to Italy for her semester abroad.
London School of Economics Summer School - The jury is still out on this one - my youngest, Carter, is headed to this program this summer. He is excited to have the chance to study at one of the premier schools in the world where he will be taking a three week intensive class on international relations and global economics, and he can't wait to live in the heart of London.
Wouldn't it be fun to be young again and go to one of these programs?? Which would you choose?
