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SALT LAKE CITY — If you're looking for a summer camp for your kids, we've got another idea. So far, Family and Outdoor Specialist Jodi Saeland has visited Red Butte Gardens, dance camp and critter camp. Now she takes us to tech camp.
If you have a child who would like to make a film, record their own music or make a video game, then Spy Hop Productions is the place to be.
"'Spy hop' is actually the act of a dolphin or a whale coming up out of the ocean to get its bearings. At Spy Hop Productions, it's a metaphor for what we do with kids, helping them find their passion and figure out where they want to go next," explained Marketing Director Virginia Pearce.
"Today, guys, we are going to be making a 3D racing game," Interactive Design instructor Chris Manfre told a group of participants. "So, you're going to be creating your own world, creating the terrain. You're going to build a car and you're going to put it into the world and you're going to be able to drive it around."
Related:
Critter Camp
Critter camps are offered through the summer to educate children and expose them to dogs and cats, and how to care for them.Summer camps are offered for ages 7 - 19, and every class creates a project.
"The class they're doing today, they will leave with a game they created," Pearce said. "You leave with a song you wrote, you leave with a film you shot, so it's about getting them something tangible they can share."
"If you encourage a child in something that they're interested in or help them find an interest they didn't know they had, that gives them confidence," she added.
For kids who would like to try their hand at making a CD, open mike night is every Friday, year round, from 3 p.m. -7 p.m. It's free with no sign up or calling ahead necessary.
"You can just drop by Spy Hop and use our recording studio for up to half an hour at a time," Pearce said. "You leave with a CD of what you've created."
Spy Hop is run through the University of Utah's Youth Education Program. You can view the program availability, costs and schedule at Spyhop.org.
