I have made quite a study of gifted summer camps for my sons who range from almost 12 to almost 8. I believe that until kids are ready for a residential program, stick to local opportunities (no driving 4 hrs!) that might not even have to do with academics. Sports camps, art camps, theater auditions, museums, day camps for cub scouts, etc. Even in my small town in the middle of nowhere there seem to be too many possibilities to take advantage of. For instance, my 8 yr old PG son who is so excited to learn about everything was delighted to do cub scout day camp, swim lessons, planetarium camp, and golf. Now he's at his first residential camp for 6 nights, which is not academically-oriented. At home we have done some art projects, science experiments and lots of reading. My 10 yr old enjoys his "down-time" between residential camps that are with age-mates and are mostly water sports. I just sent my almost 12 yr old off to RMTS (Rocky Mt Talent Search) Summer Institute at the Univ of Denver yesterday. He'll be there for 3 weeks. There are 91 residential students and 77 commuters in the second session. The campus is lovely and the staff appears very enthusiastic and safety-conscious, so we'll see how that works. I do believe in keeping them busy/occupied/stimulated, but it can also be physical exertion rather than mental, or just new and interesting experiences, depending on what's available.
