After a few days of summer vacation, the children will be bored and looking to you to keep them busy. Wouldn't it be wonderful to find a program or camp in which they would be thoroughly entertained, intellectually stimulated, and creatively challenged? A program that rivals the best camps anywhere in the country, and still be close to home? Imagine --- over the summer they become mathematically grounded, linguistically confident, artistically more sophisticated! Does
that sound like a dream?  Nevertheless, the dream is here, both in Fredericksburg and Stafford. And, not only is there one such camp, there are two!

To invoke a familiar cliché, "Necessity is the mother of invention."  Apparently, that was the impetus propelling Fredericksburg psychologist, Dr. Sylisa Lambert-Woodard, in creating a unique summer program with her own two children in mind.  Taking a bold step, Dr. Lambert-Woodard has initiated a unique summer camp, Camp Alliance, designed to engage the intellect and creativity of its participants. Camp Alliance is scheduled to begin June 25th and offer
week-long programs in Fredericksburg. It will enrich the summer of its lucky participants by offering them memory calisthenics, mathematics enrichment, Spanish language immersion, abstract art (painting with acrylics), library excursions, and recreational activities. 

To accomplish this, Dr. Lambert-Woodard is partnering with The Manigault Institute of Stafford, VA, and instructors from the nationally acclaimed Berlitz Academy.  This innovative camp seeks to enrich the summers of children in two age blocks: 7 through 10, and 11 through 14. Camp Alliance will run for four weeks, in one-week sessions, 5 days a week from 9 AM  5 PM.  Camp Alliance will take place at Dr. Lambert-Woodard's office complex in Fredericksburg.

A second unique summer camp is available in Stafford.  Summer Math Camp is the brainchild of educator-motivator Donald Manigault, the president of the Manigault Institute.  Entering its 12th year, Summer Math Camp is designed to "jump-start" the next school year for students entering geometry, pre-algebra, algebra I, and math 5 and 6. This is pure enrichment! This is about making math fun!

When his daughter attended the geometry summer camp prior to entering her freshman year in high school, it set the stage for an A+ average all year long! According to her father, "We essentially gave her no help, as the foundation was laid in the summer.  She entered school already knowing her theorems, postulates and definitions,  and how to do proofs."

The Manigault Institute is all about mathematics.  For 31 years the objective has been to bring mathematics into the realm of every student. That mathematics should be user-friendly and accessible is the philosophy of  Donald Manigault, who has taught both high school and college in his extensive career.  In Summer Math Camp, students will have fun while learning to become more assertive in class and how to better prepare for tests. They will receive motivational posters, ageappropriate copies of The Book for Math Empowerment, (written by Sandra Manigault), uniquely designed instructional materials, and more. They will be taught by Donald and Sandra Manigault, (whom students have called two of Virginia's best mathematics teachers), and be relaxed enough to laugh as they learn.

Summer Math Camp will be taught Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays: August 1st through August 19th, at the Hampton Inn, in Stafford, Rt. 1 and Rt. 610. Each of the four sessions will run for 75 minutes each day.

For further information on Camp Alliance, call Dr. Sylisa Lambert-Woodard at (540) 373-9577 or (703) 309-3409.  For further information about Summer Math Camp, call Donald Manigault at (540) 720-0861 or (540) 659-6725. 

Prepare to enrich your children this summer and have them return to school empowered in ways you could not have imagined!

Sandra Manigault is an educator, author, and Stafford county resident.