Camp Adventure

According to the American Education Research Association, more than half of U.S. students experience summer learning losses five years in a row. These students on average lose nearly 40 percent of their school year gains. High-quality summer learning programs can make a difference in mitigating summer learning loss and closing the achievement and opportunity gaps. That is why we are making summer count for undeserved children, especially children of color.

For the past seven years, the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation, HISD, and Children’s Museum Houston have partnered to provide at-risk elementary students in Houston’s Third and Fifth Wards an unforgettable summer learning experience through Camp Adventure.

During the four-week Camp Adventure summer learning program, students are immersed in exploratory, hands-on learning projects and activities in the areas of science, technology, engineering, math, art and reading. Activities have included assembling circuits, dissecting squid and cow eyes, making meteorites, extracting DNA, and more.

What the Research Says

According to research, students can lose up to three months of reading skills and a month of math competence if they do not practice these skills over the summer. Furthermore, the effects of summer learning loss are cumulative, such that by the time struggling young readers reach middle school, learning loss can compound, resulting in a two-year lag in reading achievement. Children of low-income families are especially vulnerable to experiencing the summer slide and its long-term effects, which include dropping out of school.

Camp Adventure Impact

2,910

Students in Fifth and Third Wards have participated in Camp Adventure.

16%

of students who changed their attitude towards reading to positive from the beginning of camp to the end of the program for a total of 87%.

“I love the hands-on experience. I love how you take something like polymers, and you link it to chemistry. You have that tangible piece that helps with comprehension.”

— Ms. Hickerson, Atherton Elementary Teacher

Stories of Impact

STREAM Career-Focused Curriculum Inspires Hundreds of Campers at Camp Adventure

What people are saying…

“The activities were hands on, fun and exciting. It created a culture of scientists. The exposure to the level of activities and questions the students were able to receive was great.” — Blackshear Elementary School Teacher

“The students loved the products produced and looked forward to it every day.” — Atherton Elementary School Teacher

“Integrating high-quality programs such as Camp Adventure into our regular summer school program portfolio is a key strategy to closing the achievement gap, while at the same time providing students experiences that they otherwise would not be afforded without the investments of time, talent, and collaboration within our community”

— Millard House, III, Former HISD Superintendent

“Curiosity, inspiration, creativity and imagination are the driving forces that make Camp Adventure an unrivaled summer experience. Together through Camp Adventure, we have an opportunity to make summer count and continue to fulfill our mission to transform communities through innovative child-centered learning”

— Tammie Khan, Children's Museum Houston Executive Director (Retired)

“I was able to take the vocabulary and make connections with the current environment, millipedes’ habitat, and make cross-curriculum connections, which helped the students ask more questions. Because we did so much talking and exploring, the kids were able to make connections at home and then be open to explore and discuss toward the end (more so than the beginning) different scientific terms and how STEM is everywhere.” — School Teacher