This year, Tree House Books, a North Philly children’s literacy nonprofit, is piloting an innovative new Theater Camp! This Theater Camp will help combat the “summer slide” that is seen primarily in our elementary and middle school students. Numerous studies show that students who don’t read over their summer vacations see a decline in their reading ability, which goes on to adversely affect other academic skills. By supplementing our traditional Summer Literacy Studio with Theater Camp, we know that we can fight off summer slide even more effectively. In a collaborative arts setting, students K-4 will be engaged in reading, writing, performing, and discussing—all necessary tools for successful literacy acquisition. However, unlike a traditional classroom setting, these students will learn while doing. Every camp attendee will also be dual enrolled in our Summer Literacy Studio to maximize learning.

The camp will last two weeks and will be hosted in partnership with Yes And Collaborative Arts. Each day, the students will be split into age appropriate groups and will attend two artistic discipline classes, followed by an imagination class. These classes will include exercises that mesh visual and performing arts, prompt introspection, and inspire students to be as creative as possible. Students will be provided with free lunch and will also enjoy some recreational time. After lunch and rec time, students will participate in two more classes. Finally, all age groups will gather together and perform snippets of what they learned on that particular day. The entire program culminates in a show for friends and family that will allow students to showcase all of the exemplary skills that they have acquired.

We anticipate impacting the children we serve in our pilot Theater Camp by not only helping to combat summer reading proficiency decline, but actually bolstering our student’s existing literacy skills.