Things to Do for Teens (and Tweens) This Summer in Champaign-Urbana

Life gets more complicated the older our children get, so we present some ideas to occupy your tween or teen this summer in Champaign-Urbana

We remember fondly the days that we sat down with the calendar and opened the local program guides to carefully select the camps our little children would love. “Ooooh, nature camp! Then a week of pottery camp! And swimming every day? My little one will love that!”

Well, life isn’t as simple once our young ones grow into their own mini-adult versions of themselves and begin to have some strong — strong! — likes and dislikes when it comes to how they spend their out-of-school time, particularly a long chunk like summer vacation. Nonetheless, as parents, we know you want to help them find some things to do that will be a good fit for their personality, while outside the house (but quasi-supervised) and spreading their wings just a little bit during these in-between years. Your family also has needs — adults still need to work, and older kids may need to contribute financially as well.

For the purposes of this article, we’re specifically talking about kids roughly between the ages of 12-15 (too old for many camps and not yet driving or picking up traditional 16-and-older employment). However, we hear that many area establishments are hiring 15-year-olds for retail, food service, and other summer jobs traditionally filled by older teens, due to 2022’s ongoing labor shortage. (We looked into whether or not your teen will need a work permit for summer employment.) It’s a good time to be a teen who wants to earn real money!

Things to keep in mind as you plan

Include your children in the process. Tweens and teens want to be a part of the decision-making process when it comes to how to spend their time and what interests them. Volunteering them to babysit three days a week when they are really, really frustrated around young children may not be the best idea.
Less is more. What worked when your child was 7 — scheduling them to do something every single week all summer long — may not work now. Talk to your children and see what they actually want to do this summer and build from there. Of course you will need to judge how much responsibility your kids are ready to handle, but these years are usually a time of decreasing adult supervision.
Tweens and teens can participate in family financial discussions. Camps and extracurricular activities cost money, and each family needs to define and discuss their expectations for their teens about earning and spending money during vacations (not to mention the importance of saving for the future).
Set some general summer ground rules. If you think it is a possibility that your child would stay in her room all summer, emerging only for food and the occasional friend meet-up at the park, come up with some “when-then” ground rules. “When you’ve taken care of the weekly job of mowing the lawn, then you may have some freedom in deciding how to spend the rest of the day.” Or set up a system where phone privileges are left open-ended only when a couple of basic requirements are fulfilled on a regular basis.

Volunteer

Some community organizations welcome kids of the tween and teen age to volunteer. Here are just a few ideas.

Champaign County Forest Preserve District has youth volunteer opportunities. Planting and clean-up events happen pretty regularly; volunteers under 14 must be with an adult at all times, while ages 14-15 can volunteer on their own (but adult permission is needed). Older teens (14+) may have more opportunities to volunteer, like in the garden and the paddleboat areas. Anyone interested in volunteering needs to fill out this application and can find out about available options from there. Check available opportunities on their event calendar.
Salt and Light (Urbana location only) welcomes volunteers as young as 6 years old; children younger than 14 must be accompanied by an adult. Volunteers help sort donations of clothing and food, tidy up the pantry, and help keep the thrift shop running smoothly. You can learn more here.
Champaign County Humane Society has a Pet Pals Club for ages 10-15. Kids in grade 5 and up can be dropped off for the once-a-month meetings; sign up for the summer session (June, July and August). Get all the details on their Facebook post. Contact Humane Educator April Faulkner at april@cuhumane.org or (217) 344-7297.

Junior Counselor

Some local camps welcome junior counselors to help out as an extra set of hands with their summer programming. Junior counselors should enjoy spending time around younger kids and be prepared to help campers and counselors.

Champaign County Forest Preserve District Counselor-in-Training (CIT)
A counselor-in-training (CIT) is a mature individual between the ages of 11-17 who helps to supervise campers and assists with camp activities each week. CITs should have a passion for nature or cultural history and a desire to share this with others. Most CIT opportunities are weekly, but this year they will offer a limited number of one-day options. For more information, contact Cathy Schneider at cschneider@ccfpd.org. Application can be found here; deadline to apply is April 11.

Junior Lifeguard

Junior lifeguard academies increase confidence and water skills to prepare participants for needed skills to become a lifeguard.

Champaign Park District – for ages 12-14, July 11-21, details/registration here
(Successful completion will qualify participant for an expedited hiring process after turning 15.)
Urbana Park District – for ages 12+, July 11-15, details on page 43 of the summer program guide

The following junior lifeguard program has been offered in years past, but has not yet announced info for 2022.

Stephens Family YMCA – camp for ages 11-14, mid July, details/registration coming soon

Babysitting, First Aid/CPR Courses

The Wonderful World of Babysitting Safe Sitter course, through Champaign Park District: ages 11-15, Mondays in June, details/registration here
Babysitting Training, through Stephens Family YMCA: ages 10-14, late June, also receives American Red Cross CPR/AED certification, May 23-27, details can be found on page 13 of the summer program guide here
Heartsaver First Aid, CPR/AED Class, through Champaign Park District: ages 9+, details/registration here
Babysitting 101 and Beyond, through Parkland College: ages 11-13, June 20-30, details/registration here

We hear that Safe Sitter courses are offered at Carle and Gibson Area Hospital. American Red Cross Babysitting, First Aid/CPR/AED courses may have additional options.

Urbana Park District Camp FRESH

Camp FRESH! (Future Responsible Environmental Stewardship Heroes ) campers must be at least 11 but less than 15. Campers will engage in a variety of experiences involving multiple groups and organizations within the community. This program is designed to help build character and develop a sense of civic responsibility through behind-the-scene looks at organizations which help support the community, including Urbana Free Library, Prairie Research Institute, U-Cycle, Champaign-Urbana Audubon Society, the Champaign County Humane Society and more. There are three sessions of Camp FRESH available for sign-up.

Project Athletes Summer Speed School

Speed, agility and conditioning training. For grades 3-5 and grades 6-12. Visit the Project Athletes website here (for the summer-long program) or get information on a session available for grades 3-5 through Champaign Park District here.

Perform in a Production

Audition for Disney High School Musical through Champaign Park District Youth Theatre; grades 6-12. Deadline to register is May 25 and auditions will be held June 2. New this year, try the Teen Acting Intensive, held for two weeks for grades 6-12. Or perhaps your teens would rather audition for the Urbana Park District Youth Summer Theatre’s production of Newsies (ages 6-20!). Auditions will take place April 22-24 and signups are already open; rehearsals don’t start until May 23.

Learn a New Language

Spanish, French, Italian lessons and more through Champaign Park District.

Try a New Sport or Activity

This is just a short sampling of ideas. Champaign Park District and Stephens Family YMCA offer a number of camps for this age group. Parkland College also has a number of offerings; make sure to click on every category under “Youth & College for Kids” to see the full lists. We also sort summer camps in the Champaign-Urbana area in our Chambanamoms.com summer camp list; look for the ? icon for camps for kids over 12.

Join a swim team
Tennis lessons through Champaign Park District
Learn about cars and car maintenance at Automotive Camp at Parkland College. Machining and Welding camp, Vet Med camp and Programming Workshops are in the lineup, too
Fencing or lacrosse camp, through Champaign Park District
Dance lessons, like Musical Theater Dance, at Springer Cultural Center (register through Champaign Park District)
Cooking camp, through Stephens Family YMCA

Get ready for summer in Champaign-Urbana:

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