Every summer, Starlight Theatre partners with the Kansas City Zoo to offer "Act Like An Animal Camp," which allows children to learn specialized skills and also interact with animals from the zoo.
We met up with campers on one of their last days of camp. They were putting on a stage performance showcasing what they learned.
According to Andy Pierce, Education Coordinator for the program, the campers spend "half their days at the Kansas City Zoo and half of their time...at Starlight Theatre. When they are on the Starlight side, they work on acting, singing, and dance and they also do some rehearsals for the show they just put on."
That "show" is filled with plenty of dancing and singing, along with bits of knowledge about animals from the zoo. Even the campers’ costumes, which they created, depicted different animals; everything from a meerkat to an elephant.
Janice Walje, a mother in the crowd watching her daughter’s performance, believes having a camp like this, with an emphasis on the arts, is important.
"I do think exposure to the arts, in general, is really great for these kids,” she said. “The kids get a lot of exposure with some really amazing talent here in Kansas City."
"There is a change in confidence," according to Pierce. "They learn about themselves, they make new friends."
Those friendships are a driving force for many campers at "Act Like An Animal Camp," that keep them coming back year after year.
There will be a second "Act Like An Animal Camp" for kids in kindergarten through 4th grade taking place July 31 through August 11, 2017. For those a bit older, grades 5th through 8th, "Camp-Take-A-Bow," will be taking place July 10 through July 21, 2017. For more information about these camps and to register, please click the following links:
https://www.kcstarlight.com/education/act-like-an-animal-camp
