Silly Time Experts

Tony Hawk, Seinfeld or street artist? The five coolest summer camps for yourkids

A participant in Aerosol Warfare's CKC StART workshop shows off her artwork.
Aurora Picture Show's campers review student-made films.
A storyboard at Aurora Picture Show's summer camp
Do your kids want to be Tony Hawk? There's a camp for them.
Check the dates for Southside Skate Park's camp.

I used to panic when that last school bell rang, because many summers with my kids were marked by bad things on that first day: The frog that younger son Matthew whacked and killed (summer 2005) or the cell phone that older son Alexander killed by dropping into my coffee (summer 2008).

For many of us, summer often starts with a bang, but then what do you do with the kids to keep them entertained and educated?

As a mother who made a career of figuring out what to do with our little darlings during this 12-week stretch, I’m here to help. I can tell you that my summers have become an adventure in discovering the quirky side of Houston through summer day camps for my kids. They have tap danced, made movies that have screened at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and created monsters out of dead computer parts.

Here are some of the best among this summer's day camp options:

* Southside Skatepark

Inspired by Tony Hawk, many boys dream of skateboarding all day — and they can this summer on the rad indoor ramps at South Houston’s Southside Skatepark. Before you start thinking of wild kids doing death-defying tricks, Southside owner Tom Mixon requires safety wear for all skaters, CPR/Red Cross training for all his instructors and staff — and if you cuss, you’re outta there.

The Southside Skate camps run 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and are being held the weeks of June 7, June 21, July 5, July 19, August 2 and August 9. Participants will be grouped by level and there will be a free catered lunch and field trip to a nearby outdoor skate park daily.

* ComedySportz

Got a mini Jerry Seinfeld or Paula Poundstone at home? Send them to ComedySportz where they’ll be among friends. “Summer Improv Camp” is being held the weeks of June 14 and July 12 for 8-12 year olds and June 21 and July 19 for 13-17 year olds. Kids will learn the secrets of improv from the actors that have kept my family laughing during one of their many weekend audience-participation matches.

The group will build scenes, invent characters and react quickly — improv is much harder than it looks, so this is a big one! If your kid can’t make it to camp, bring them to a “ComedySportz4Kidz” matinee, held on the first Saturday of each month at 4 p.m.

* Aurora Picture Show

Not only does Aurora screen alternative films all over town, it is unrolling its second year of the “Alternative Filmmaking Boot Camp” this summer. Aurora is run by two moms, Delicia Harvey and Mary Magsamen, so in hopes of raising really cool kids, they often program kid films and mini-workshops with artists like the Striking Viking Story Pirates.

This year’s boot camps are divided into two age groups — 9-12 years and 13-17 years — and are being held the week of July 12 (older kids) and the weeks of July 19 and July 26 (younger kids).

* Girls Rock Camp Houston

What happens when a punk/indie musician assembles a group of women rockers to form a girls’ rock camp? You get Anna Garza’s “Girls Rock Camp Houston,” a camp dedicated to not only learning the art of kick-ass music, but also to fighting sexism in a positive way and to teaching the history of punk rock music.

Indie/punk rocker Garza, currently in two girl bands, brought together local artists and community leaders to assist with her dream, including Dianna Ray and Linda Younger of MyDolls, Cinema Arts Managing Director Kim Castillo, MyCityRocks Community Outreach/music therapy teacher Veronica Llanos-Butler and Anime Networks' National Advertising Manager April Brem Patrick. Girls 8-18 years old can rock out August 8-13.

* Aerosol Warfare

Gonzo247 and Carolyn Casey head a collective of artists creating urban art and graffiti projects with the mission of elevating street art to a serious art form. Their Aerosol Warfare Art Gallery has regular shows of work by urban artists but they take their art one step further by not only bringing it to the streets, but also bringing it to kids — either by coming to their schools or by hosting classes at the Gallery.

This summer they’re hosting a series of classes onsite and with Danny Clark Photography at Danny’s studio August 10-12 and 17-19.

Sarah Gish is something of a summer camp expert, having authored The Summer Book: A Guide to Houston Day Camps and Classes for Kids and Teens.

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A+ for H-Town

Houston ranks 3rd among Texas’ best large college towns

University of Houston students at a football game

University of Houston/Facebook

Houston knows how to show out.

Houston has entered the spotlight as the No. 3 best large college town in Texas, and it ranks in the top 25 among the largest college towns in America, a new study has proclaimed.

To determine the best college towns, WalletHub analyzed 415 cities based on their "wallet-friendliness," social environment, and academic and economic opportunities for college graduates. Cities are ranked overall and are sorted into one of three population categories: large, midsize, and small cities.

Houston ranked as the 24th best large college town in the U.S., and it ranked 73rd overall regardless of city size.

Out of the three key dimensions, the Bayou City ranked highest for "wallet friendliness" — landing 89th nationally. This category examined local housing costs, student loan debt per person, the adjusted cost of living for young people, and other financial factors.

The city stands at No. 127 nationwide for its "social environment," which compared the number of students per capita, the share of single people, crime rates, and the number of cafés, breweries, food trucks, festivals, and shopping centers per capita, among others.

It may come as a surprise that WalletHub said Houston's academic and economic opportunities leave much to be desired. The city ranked 260th nationally in this category, which analyzed the quality of higher education, the earning potential for college graduates, unemployment rates, job growth rates, the share of part-time jobs and median income of part-time workers, and more.

"As student living expenses can reach over $39,000 per year, it’s important to find the most bang for your buck," the report's author wrote. "Therefore, it’s best to live in a city with a reasonable cost of living, along with good academic and work opportunities. The ideal city should also provide a fun social environment to help students deal with the stress of college."

Other top college towns in Texas
Austin once again topped the list as the No. 1 best college town in America, boosted by the city's wealth of local colleges and universities and the local economy. The Capital City has outshone obvious contenders like Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Ann Arbor, Michigan, for five years in a row, and it also tops the large cities list.

According to the report's findings, Austin has the 15th best academic and economic opportunities for college students and graduates, and the 16th best social environment. WalletHub commends Austin for having one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation and the "34th-best annual job growth rate," while also offering students ample ways to "de-stress after class."

"On top of that, Austin ranks 22nd in the nation for the quality of higher education among more than 400 cities in our study," the report said. "It also has the 112th-cheapest in-state tuition (including room and board), at $34,651 per year."

Six other cities in the Lone Star State appeared on the overall list of America's best college towns: College Station (No. 37), Plano (No. 54), San Antonio (No. 72), Denton (No. 77), Lubbock (No. 83), and Fort Worth (No. 100).

In the rankings by city size, San Antonio ranked as the No. 2 best large college town in Texas and 23rd nationwide.

San Marcos, a college town between Austin and San Antonio, ranked as the No. 2 best small college town in Texas, and 54th best among the small colleges nationally. In the overall list regardless of city size, San Marcos ranked 132nd nationally.

The top 10 best college towns in America for 2027 are:

No. 1 – Austin
No. 2 – Ann Arbor, Michigan
No. 3 – Charlottesville, Virginia
No. 4 – Raleigh, North Carolina
No. 5 – Atlanta
No. 6 – Tampa, Florida
No. 7 – San Diego
No. 8 – Scottsdale, Arizona
No. 9 – Orlando
No. 10 – Charleston, South Carolina

college towns reports university of texas wallethub houston anderson