If you think your teenagers are restless when school isn’t in session, try keeping youngsters 3 to 5 years old occupied.

Children listen with rapt attention to a teacher at the MTSU Child Development Center, where youngsters will participate in Camp Read-a-Lot and Camp STEM this summer. (MTSU file photo)

MTSU’s Child Development Center intends to do just that with two inaugural camps this summer: Camp Read-a-Lot is scheduled for June 16-20, and Camp STEM is slated for July 21-25.

Up to 12 children will attend each camp from 9 to 11 a.m. Monday through Friday. The fee is $30 per child per camp, but both camps already are full with youngsters who attend the center during the regular school year.

“It’s good to keep the kids in the program engaged in the program in the summer,” said center director Beverly “Marzee” Woodward.

Beverly “Marzee” Woodward

“Some children have graduated to the next level, but they’re coming to camp because the parents wanted them to have the experience.”

At Camp Read-a-Lot, teachers will encourage the campers to become involved with books. The emphasis will be on one book each day, including titles such as “Tops and Bottoms” and “It Looked Like Spilled Milk.”

Other activities include cloud watching and determining whether different types of produce grow on trees or in the ground.

At Camp STEM, the kids will take part in age-appropriate activities focusing on STEM — science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

They will learn about volume by trying to determine what objects will fit in boxes, and they will perform experiments with ramps.

MTSU’s Child Development Center is licensed by the Tennessee Department of Human Services, which has given it a three-star rating. The center also is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

“We try to be a premier center,” Woodward said. “It takes a lot of work.”

For more information, contact the center at 615-898-2198, email Woodward at beverly.woodward@mtsu.edu or go to www.mtsu.edu/cdc/index.php.

— Gina K. Logue (Gina.Logue@mtsu.edu)