Let your children's imaginations run wild this summer at Camp Invention, a weeklong day camp offered in elementary schools across the country. Check online for a location near you.

Kids in the first through sixth grades participate in fun, hands-on activities that enhance their understanding of the arts, sciences, history, and math.

Created by the National Inventors Hall of Fame Foundation in partnership with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

The northern Oakland County Kingsbury School offers traditional summer camps, those involving athletics like basketball and soccer, and those involving more unique topics like model rocketry and Shakespeare.

Confidence Camp for Tweens and Teens is a six month, interactive, energetic series that focuses on self esteem enhancement, personal grooming, fitness, nutrition, manners, and social skills, culminating in a talent and runway modeling showcase.

Workshops include poise, posture, modeling technique, etiquette, on-camera acting, and photo posing activities.

Part of an internationally renowned center for art, education, and science, the Cranbrook Institute of Science is a natural history and science museum designed for families.

There are so many delightful features to experience - from a full-sized T-Rex to gorgeous crystals to a hands-on kids' area in the lower level. In the center's planetarium, kid-centric astronomy and laser shows result in wide-eyed amazement.

The museum has a kiddie play area with puzzles and games. Reflections Cafe serves sandwiches, salads, and beverages. A gift shop has some neat - but pricey - items. Find the restrooms, with changing stations, on the lower level.

Planetarium: A good variety of kid-focused shows are held in the planetarium. This is a small, intimate theater; your busy toddlers might not do well. And if you leave during a show, you can't return. Price is $1 for kids under two and $4 for ages two and up.

Bat Zone: The bat house is a particularly popular stop for kids. Just try to keep your little ones from causing too much fuss - they'll likely want to stir up the winged mammals, but bats are fragile creatures. Stink warning! Live animals have an odor, and this is a small house. Shrug it off as cool.

Classes and Camps: Preschool and homeschool programs are available, as are Scout outings. Cranbrook runs summer camps (they fill up fast) and has periodic workshops for adults.

Annual family membership is $65.

Grades: PreK-12

Enrollment: 1,620

Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:9


Cranbrook is an independent day and boarding school that has programs for pre-kindergarten through high school students. The institution is known for its challenging academic, arts, and athletics programs - and for its beautiful 315-acre campus, which in 1989 was designated as a National Historic Landmark.

On the grounds are the Cranbrook Art Museum, the Cranbrook Institute of Science, and the Cranbrook House and Gardens.

Cranbrook offers a good number of summer opportunities, including a baseball camp, lacrosse camp, soccer academy, theatre school, art studio camp, volleyball camp, and young authors camp.

On campus is an indoor swimming facility used by the competitive Speedsters swim team and also open to the public (purchase a membership or pay a daily fee). Swim camps, leagues, and lessons are offered, as are aqua aerobics and S.C.U.B.A. classes. Rent the facility for birthday parties or other gatherings.

The school's Wallace Ice Arena is open to the public as well as for use by Cranbrook's students and faculty. The cost for public skating is $5 for adults and $3 for children and seniors. Open skate times vary by season.

The building is the former home of the Russell Alger family. Built in 1910 in the Italian Renaissance style, it was called "The Moorings." In the 1930s, the building was used as a branch of the Detroit Institute of Arts. In 1949, it was donated to the community to serve as a perpetual memorial to veterans and as a continuing center for educational and charitable activities of the Grosse Pointe community.

Today the Grosse Pointe War Memorial is home to enrichment classes, cultural festivals, and dozens of weddings and banquets each year. Children's offerings include summer theater and science camps, babysitter courses, ballet workshops, and much more. The venue houses a large ballroom, auditorium, arts and communication center, and has absolutely spectacular views of Lake St. Clair.

iD Tech Camp is a week-long, day and overnight program for kids ages seven to 17. Campers build robots, create video games, design websites with Flash, film digital movies, and learn programming. Special teen programs include iD Gaming Academy, iD Film Academy, and a Study Abroad program in Spain.

The Leslie Science & Nature Center provides natural science and environmental education opportunities for children and their families. The Center is situated on 50 acres of fields, woods, and prairieland in the heart of Ann Arbor. The education programs are outdoors, hands-on, and discovery-based. Programs are offered for school groups, scouts, and the general public. LSNC offers special programs and camps throughout the year, and also offers birthday party packages.

Mad Science is on a mission to stimulate scientific learning through hands-on fun and activities that will get kids excited about science.

Mad Science offers birthday parties for groups of any size, ideal for children ages five to 12. A Mad Scientist comes to your house and presents a 45-minute show, adapted to the ages of the kids in your group, combining high-energy, interactive fun with entertaining science experiments that appeal to kids' penchant for goo, pop, and fizz. A variety of 15-minute "finales" are available for an extra charge, featuring dry ice, a laser show, a sound machine, or a rocket launch.

Visit the website to find a location near you.

P.O.W.E.R. stands for Presenting Opportunities Winning Effectual Results, and the organization accomplishes these results by promoting math literacy and critical thinking skills through its programs. Summer youth camps and year-round workshops for students, families, and parents are offered.

Started in 1974 by professional football player Reggie McKenzie, the foundation provides year-round academic programs, life skills classes, and sports clinics to metro Detroit's inner-city youth.

The Great Adventures After School Program offers academic tutoring and computer training. A Saturday tutoring program, for children in kindergarten through grade 12, allows for individualized instruction by teachers and college students.

Sports clinics in football, basketball, golf, tennis, and track and field are offered to those eight to 18 years of age.

Transportation is provided to Highland Park students.

From hands-on science demonstrations to a planetarium and IMAX Dome Theater, the Detroit Science Center is a wonderland of family fun.

The general admission price includes science stage presentations, DTE Energy Sparks Theater demonstrations, and all of the exhibit labs, which includes lots of hands-on activities. IMAX films and planetarium shows are an extra $4 each. Combo tickets, for theater and special exhibitions, are available at prices ranging from $12.95 to $20.95 for adults, slightly less for children and seniors.

The SBC Children's Gallery, designed for kids six and under, features a tactile maze, bugs, water, and has a family area where you and your kids can work on a computer or read together.

There are traveling science programs and workshops as well - yes, Science Center educators will come to you! And check this out: There's something called the STARLAB, an inflatable, portable planetarium that can be brought to your location for a guided tour of the current sky using the STARLAB's star projector.

Parties: Three Science Center birthday party packages are available. All include two hours of reserved space, a t-shirt for the birthday child, and a host or hostess. A two-week advance reservation is required.

The Great Birthday Package ($14/person) includes general admission and a choice of a hands-on science activity, an IMAX film, or a planetarium show.

The Super Birthday Package ($16/person) includes general admission and a choice of two: a hands-on science activity, an IMAX film, or a planetarium show.

The Ultimate Birthday Package ($20/person) includes general admission, a hands-on science activity, an IMAX film, and a planetarium show.

Summer science camps (for grades 1-6) and Scout workshops and sleepovers are offered.

Lockers are available on the second floor. Before exploring the center, unload your group's coats and hats and extra stuff - everyone will be more comfortable.

An onsite cafe will feed your little scientists, and the Science Center's gift shop will have them begging for take-homes. Of course the merchandise is on the pricey side, but there are some really neat items. An ATM is located in the third-level lobby.

Annual family membership is $70.

Young Chefs Academy is a cooking school created just for kids! Children learn cooking and baking techniques, proper food handling, food preparation, and presentation, kitchen safety, table setting, manners, and more. The Academy offers a variety of hands-on cooking classes, including mini-camps and field trips.

The atmosphere is kid-friendly, with colorful cabinets, counters, cutting boards, and bathrooms (to encourage cleanliness!) inviting even the youngest kids to get busy in the kitchen. Parents are welcome to stay and observe, and even taste the end product of their children's efforts.

Instructors follow concise, clever lesson plans and have to know the two Cs: cooking, and children - and be good with both. During classes, kids are encouraged to ask questions, express their likes and dislikes, and get confident about cooking skills. Each session's recipes are provided to students, with a section for comments (what they might change next time, how highly they rate the taste, etc.), and those who sign up for a class series get their own recipe binder, chefs hat, and apron to continue their culinary explorations at home.

Birthday parties last 90 minutes, and guests participate in real hands-on cooking activities. There are two birthday packages to choose from; contact the Academy for current offerings and pricing.

A retail section offers chef accessories, t-shirts, and cooking-themed gifts to go along with gift certificates.

Young Chefs Academy is a cooking school created just for kids! Children learn cooking and baking techniques, proper food handling, food preparation, and presentation, kitchen safety, table setting, manners, and more. The Academy offers a variety of hands-on cooking classes, including mini-camps and field trips.

The atmosphere is kid-friendly, with colorful cabinets, counters, cutting boards, and bathrooms (to encourage cleanliness!) inviting even the youngest kids to get busy in the kitchen. Parents are welcome to stay and observe, and even taste the end product of their children's efforts.

Instructors follow concise, clever lesson plans and have to know the two Cs: cooking, and children - and be good with both. During classes, kids are encouraged to ask questions, express their likes and dislikes, and get confident about cooking skills. Each session's recipes are provided to students, with a section for comments (what they might change next time, how highly they rate the taste, etc.), and those who sign up for a class series get their own recipe binder, chefs hat, and apron to continue their culinary explorations at home.

Birthday parties last 90 minutes, and guests participate in real hands-on cooking activities. There are two birthday packages to choose from; contact the Academy for current offerings and pricing.

A retail section offers chef accessories, t-shirts, and cooking-themed gifts to go along with gift certificates.