Rutgers–Camden Center for the Arts Presents Summer Activities for Kids
The Rutgers–Camden Center for the Arts will present a series of free public arts and cultural activities for children of all ages throughout the summer on the Rutgers University–Camden campus.
Children ages 3 to 6 are invited to attend “Tall Tales with Kyle J.,” a series of weekly, interactive storytelling adventures featuring everyone’s favorite storyteller, Kyle Jakubowski, a 2005 graduate of Rutgers–Camden with a dual bachelor’s degree in theatre and music.
Story sessions will be held two times per day – from 10 to 11 a.m., and 11 a.m. to noon – on Tuesdays, July 7, 14, 21, and 28, and Aug. 4, in Camden County Library’s Nilsa I. Cruz-Perez Downtown Branch, located on the Rutgers–Camden campus.
Children will delight as Jakubowski weaves his word magic and captivates their imaginations. Each session includes several different stories based on this summer’s theme, “Heroes.” Children help to tell the stories through call-and-response, creative movement, and other methods that provide engaged learning, and encourage a love of words and an interest in reading. Children then create an artwork inspired by one of the stories.
Children are also invited to participate in an art-studio program on felting. These hands-on art-making sessions will be held two times per day – from 10 to 11:30 a.m., and 12:30 to 2 p.m. – on Wednesdays, July 8, 15, 22, and 29, and Aug. 5 and 12, in the Fine Arts Complex on the Rutgers–Camden campus.
Students will learn felting techniques using wool roving, water, beads, wire, and imagination. All participants can take what they make.
Children are also invited to attend Stage Adventures, a series of performances blending live music, dance, and magic.
All performances, which are open to everyone and recommended for youth ages 4 to 18, are held at 10 a.m. on select Thursdays in the Walter K. Gordon Theater, located in the Fine Arts Complex.
Performances are as follows:
With magic, merry mayhem, and magnificent props, the audience will take a trip through the Mesozoic Era. The fun and informative program will answer questions such as “How do we know dinosaurs were here?”, "What is a fossil?”, and “How are they made?”
July 16: “Alborada Spanish Dance Theatre”
Through dances, drama, and music, Alborada’s passionate artistry reveals the multicultural fabric of Spanish culture. Guests are invited to enjoy a dazzling display of beautiful, traditional costumes, and joyous flamenco dance and music.
July 23: “From Samba to Salsa”
Audiences will revel as they join Josh Robinson and Alex Shaw on a journey through Latin percussion in a highly interactive performance.
July 30: “Magic by Ed!”
Kids and adults alike will enjoy this high-energy, interactive, comedy, magic show. The performance includes audience participation, music, and live animals.
Camden County Library’s Nilsa I. Cruz-Perez Downtown Branch and the Fine Arts Complex are located on Third Street, between Cooper Street and the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, on the Rutgers–Camden campus. For directions to Rutgers–Camden, visit camden.rutgers.edu/resources/getting-to-campus.
Reservations are required for all activities. For more information or to register, contact Miranda Powell at 856-225-6202 or miranda.powell@camden.rutgers.edu.
Tom McLaughlin
Rutgers University–Camden
Editorial/Media Specialist
(856) 225-6545
thomas.mclaughlin@camden.rutgers.edu