Sensation Summer Study Programs
 
Not too long from now, you'll be thinking knapsack, camera, comfortable shoes and off we go! Be it intellectual, athletic, ruminative or restful, it's not too early to think about what you'd like to accomplish this summer. So, herein, some ideas—for everyone from the children to the elders.

By Andrew Noyes

The Jacksonville Center for the Arts just might be one of the state's best kept secrets. The facility, located in the town of Floyd, just a few miles north of the Blue Ridge Parkway, is the Commonwealth's only residential craft school. This renovated 1940s dairy barn offers a variety of educational programs throughout the summer. Classes are a week each and lodging is available in an on-site dormitory.

Try "Blacksmithing from the Beginning," a course designed for those who have never experienced the art form. Students are taught the skills to build and maintain a coal fire and the traditional methods for shaping hot iron. Participants walk away with a handmade poker, hooks, roasting fork and tongs. There's also a blacksmithing course that concentrates on making useful and whimsical items for home and garden. Students can also "Light It Up" by learning how to make candle-powered lighting devices ranging in style from colonial to contemporary. Basic forging skills such as drawing, punching, twisting and upsetting are covered.

The center also offers clay play in various forms. One class covers a spectrum of skills for producing Raku pottery, beginning with building the kiln. Throwing, glazing, firing instruction as well as demonstrations, critiques and problem-solving are included. Another hands-on course focuses on the application of surface design to decorate and alter porcelain pots. There's also a course in paper clay, a specialized practice that uses material containing up to 30 percent paper pulp.

Creative glass-themed classes are also available. Bead-making beginners' courses teach students how to create colorful, sparkling glass beads through flameworking. Anticipate going home with a pocketful of treasures. A stained glass workshop focuses on techniques for designing, cutting, grinding, foiling and finishing products like panels, suncatchers and dreamcatchers. A glassblowing class works with solid rods and tubes of various diameters. Students form solid and hollow objects made of borosilicate glass, some of which will be suitable for earrings, pendants, marbles, small vases and candleholders while others may be combined into larger sculptures.
jacksonvillecenter.org/school/schedule.htm

Do something satisfying for you and for Mother Earth by signing up for an environmentally-friendly summer program. The nonprofit Earthwatch Institute allows volunteers to join research scientists in fields such as marine biology, ecology and anthropology on projects across the globe. Best of all, the cost of the program is considered a tax-deductible contribution.

Earthwatch provides a variety of family-focused expeditions such as digging up prehistoric mammoth remains, searching for grey and humpback whales off the coast of British Columbia, or gathering information about rare diamondback turtles. Teen expeditions include following monkeys in Costa Rica, protecting leatherback sea turtles on St. Croix, and surveying dolphins and manatees in Belize. More adventurous summer expeditions for ages 18 to 88 include a rainforest climate change excursion, Icelandic and Alaskan glacier studies and a journey to South Africa to protect penguins. Earthwatch also offers summer expeditions at sea spotting dolphins and whales and adding to data that helps scientists protect them off the coasts of Spain and Scotland.
www.earthwatch.org

Learn to speak French like a native in Montpellier in the south of France at the Eurolingua Institute. The small school prides itself in giving students a warm welcome and personalized attention during their stay. Group and individual programs, homestays, social and cultural activities and excursions are all part of the experience. French immersion programs are available for scholars age 16 and up and the facility offers several levels—beginner, elementary, intermediate and advanced. Participants learn in small groups in the Mediterranean sunshine. Participants can study for one week or the entire season in the scenic Languedoc-Roussillon region, which boasts countless historical and cultural opportunities, great wine and food, theatre, beaches and more.

For city lovers, the American University of Paris is perfection. AUP has designed an intensive summer program in French language and culture open to all qualified, adult visitors. In a mere three weeks, participants are given the maximum opportunity to practice spoken French, improve their pronunciation, review grammar and vocabulary, and get a firsthand introduction to French culture with experienced, native teachers.
www.eurolingua.com
www.aup.fr

Reconstruct the daily life and customs of our predecessors at Radford University's summer archaeological field program. Students obtain first-hand experience in a number of archaeological field methods—from survey to excavation—by doing fieldwork on various archaeological sites in the region. In recent years locations have included prehistoric Native American sites like Keyser Farm near Luray and historic Civil War fortifications in Saltville. With this summertime experience, students qualify for paid work as archaeological field assistants. Many go to work for private firms or the state or federal government, organizers say. If a collegiate experience is too daunting, try the more family friendly Kid's Dig or the Ice Age Dig—both sponsored by the Museum of the Middle Appalachians.
anth.asp.radford.edu/archaeology
www.museum-mid-app.org

Catch one wave and you'll be hooked for life, says Eric Coulson of Virginia Beach's Surf & Adventure Co. He'll teach enthusiasts of all ages to paddle, catch waves, stand up and surf. During the two hour class, experienced instructors guide students through beach and weather education and safety, surfing etiquette and equipment knowledge. Participants will learn how to read the ocean's tides, rip currents and swells.

Individual instruction is available for those who prefer one-on-one training. Billabong also offers a surf camp in Virginia Beach. Local professional surfer Jason Borte and his team of water-loving experts offer a five day camp or a single day lesson. The former East Coast champion also brings in guest speakers, including surf industry representatives and professional athletes, to add valuable insight to the experience.

If underwater exploration is your inclination, Wreck Master Divers specializes in open water, wreck and technical dive charters along the Virginia coast. The Virginia Beach outfit offers name brand scuba equipment as well as scuba certifications for recreational, advanced, technical and instructor levels. Undersea Adventures also offers scuba diving and a two-hour ocean discoveries course narrated by marine biologists. www.surfandadventure.com
www.billabongcamps.com
www.wreckmastercharters.com
www.undersea-adventures.com