Design II Camp: Midland Summer Art, Architecture Tours & Pond Paddling for 7th-9th Graders

At 315 Post St in Midland, Michigan, the 2026 Design II Camp offers a four-day creative bootcamp for rising 7th–9th graders (9:30am–4pm, July 13–16, $190). Held in a small urban campus beside a sheltered pond and tree-lined streets, the program mixes studio practice with short outdoor adventures that keep ideas moving between paper, model and landscape.

Days begin with hands-on art and design projects—drawing, collage, model-making and introductory design principles—then extend to walking tours of nearby historic buildings and quick field sessions by the pond. That juxtaposition matters: students dissect line, light and proportion inside a studio and then test those observations outdoors, sketching architecture, leaf patterns and reflections on the pond’s calm surface. The pond itself is a modest freshwater feature framed by mixed hardwoods common to the Great Lakes region; expect songbirds, darting dragonflies and the occasional painted turtle sunning on a log.

What sets this week apart is its steady balance of process and place. In a region where many youth programs center on athletics or passive nature walks, Design II treats the town of Midland and its modest waterscape as a classroom. Instructors guide practical design challenges—composition exercises, scaled-model builds, and collaborative installations—while short paddles and streetside tours anchor those exercises in real textures: clapboard, brick, rippled water and summer light. The result is practical skill-building with a civic bent: students leave with a small portfolio, a group project, and a keener eye for how built and natural environments influence design.

Practical details are simple and family-friendly. The site is at 315 Post St, Midland, MI 48640, USA. Pack sunscreen, a refillable water bottle, closed-toe shoes and a sketchbook; layers are useful for cool mornings. The daily schedule (9:30am–4pm) gives ample studio time and two supervised outdoor sessions. Camp leaders emphasize safety and creative risk-taking; parental contact and pickup logistics are typical of day-camp operations.

For families visiting Midland, this program is an appealing way to engage middle-schoolers in STEAM learning that gets them outside without sacrificing craft time. It’s an especially good fit for kids who like to observe, tinker and make things that respond to real places. The week’s emphasis on both historic detail and the small pond ecosystem makes Design II a uniquely local, hands-on immersion in design for young creatives. Parents should note that enrollment is often limited to keep groups small; early registration secures a spot and the fareharbor booking link is provided for reservations. In addition to finished artworks, students often leave with practical documentation of their process—sketchbooks annotated with notes, photos of site studies, and a team-built model. For creative kids who crave hands-on making paired with fresh-air breaks, this four-day sprint delivers structured freedom and visible progress. daily.