Summer camp at the Phil

Summer of Music camps at the Philharmonic Center for the Arts make fun use of things around the house. And the early childhood camps — including tuition and materials — costs less than a daylong stay at a theme park.

The center's Summer of Music camp uses the same stuff that many parents already own: an old sock, a family photo, even the backyard lawn.

That's a big relief for families looking for a good children's program, to save money and stay in the community this summer.

In class, children develop social and learning skills and families learn more about things they can do with their child, together, when class is over.

Children also use sheet music, instruments and CDs for activities at home, such as making a homemade recording of people laughing. Listening to the recording of laughter, and asking the child to identify the person's voice, helps to develop critical listening skills.

Activities are also designed to:

Stimulate a love of diverse styles of music — varied musical exposure leads to language proficiency, spatial reasoning, and skills later used in math classes, as well as a better

understanding of emotions.

Offer a parent and child a joyful, musical experience during the summer

— more laughter together reduces stress, enhances the brain's receptivity to learning, and boosts the body's immune system.

Foster creativity using music, crafts, dance, drama — children use creative thinking skills in craft-making, enhancing abilities to think in different ways.

The Philharmonic Center is offering several camps this summer in Naples at 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd. Camp tuition includes five 45- to 120-minute sessions for children ages newborn to 7 years. Sessions are available in June, July and August. For more information about Summer of Music at the Philharmonic Center, call 254-2642, or e-mail jlawfer@ thephil.com.